I'm sure you all read the title. And I am sure all of my fellow opera singers, opera fans, conductors, opera critics and musicians know this but, I am a major high-note junkie! I loved singing high notes ever since I was a little boy and I sort of knew I was going to end up as a tenor growing up no matter what I do. My ears go into an absolute orgasm whenever a singer makes a clean and clear attack on those notes. Allow me to explain.
In Rigoletto:
-I get excited every time any tenor singing the Duke hits the High D capping off the cabaletta, Possente amor mi chiama, from Rigoletto. It just feels so right and very climactic.
-Aside from that, I love it when the Duke and Gilda cap off their cabaletta style duet, Addio addio, with a high D-flat.
-Speaking of Gilda, I grin every time a soprano caps off Caro nome with a High E, interpolates an high note scream when she is kidnapped by the courtiers, sings the High E-flat during the Si Vendetta duet and in some occasions caps the Storm scene off with a High D.
-I love it when any Rigoletto caps the Si Vendetta duet with a High A-Flat and sings a High A during the final Ah la Maledizione!
In Trovatore:
-I get chills every time a Trovatore Leonora throws in a high D-flat during Tacea la Notte and D'Amor Sull'Ali Rosee, some High Cs in the Di te, di te scordarmi lines of the Miserere and with the trio between Manrico and Conte di Luna, have the former and her sing a High D-Flat in crescendo thus climactically capping this scene.
-I get excited every time the Azucena sings a High C in the Perigliarti, ancor duet with Manrico. No duh!
-And yes, the original score did not call for Manrico to cap off Di Quella Pira with a High C, but at this rate it's the standard.
In Traviata:
-I get very excited when the Violetta throws in some High E-Flats not only in Sempre Libera but the second to the last act as well.
-With Alfredo's O Mio Rimorso, I salute any tenor who can cap off this cabaletta with a ringing High C.
In Aida:
-Who can ever forget that famous Aida High E-Flat in the Triumphal Scene? Like no duh, do I get freaking excited for this and I salute any soprano who is able to do this amazing feat!
In I Lombardi:
-I love it when the Giselda hits a High D in her Rondo, No giusta causa.
In Nabucco:
-Aside from the Abigaille tossing off High C’s like comets, I find it especially invigorating when she sings a High E-Flat in the Deh Perdona duet with Nabucco.
In Lucia di Lammermoor:
-Especially where the Lucia is concerned, I love it when she sings Regnava nel Silenzio in its original key of E-Flat Major and Quando rapito in estasi in the key of A-Flat Major, sings a High E-Flat with the Edgardo’s High C in the Verranno a te duet and maybe sing a High F before the duet ends, sings a High E before her duet with Enrico ends, sings a High F capping off her duet with Raimondo and of course sing the entire Mad Scene in the original key of F capping the entire shebang with a High F.
-In Edgardo’s case aside from that High C in the duet, I get pumped-up when he sings a High D-Flat at the end of Chi mi frena, sings a High D capping off the final moments of the wedding scene and culminates Tu che a Dio with a High D.
-Now for Enrico, obviously I love it when his duet with Lucia is sung in the original key of A Major, thus showing lots of excellent technical prowess between the two singers.
In Anna Bolena:
-It should come as no surprise that I get excited every time the Anna caps off Non v’ha sguardo and Coppia iniqua with a High E-Flat making these numbers very climactic and exciting. I also get very excited when she caps off Giudici ad Anna with a High D.
-Riccardo Percy deserves special mention too. I wear a huge grin on my face when he sings a High D in the cabaletta, Nel veder la tua costanza.
-It should be no surprise that the original singer of Giovanna Seymour was in fact a soprano. A young soprano by the name of Elisa Orlandi, who led a very brief career. Nowadays this role has been taken by a lot of high dramatic mezzos, which also explains why I get excited when the Anna and Giovanna cap off their confession duet with a High C. And sometimes, I would love it when a dramatic or Wagnerian soprano would sing Giovanna Seymour.
In Maria Stuarda:
-Okay. As much as I like it when any lyric-dramatic mezzo sings Elisabetta I, I would always prefer this role to be sung by a high singing dramatic soprano who is unafraid of throwing a couple of High Ds in her cabaletta Ah dal ciel discenda un raggio and when she caps off the confrontation scene with Maria Stuarda.
-Speaking of Maria, I just love it when a dramatic coloratura soprano sings this role as she gets to toss some High Ds, one capping the confrontation scene and the other capping off her final scene in the opera.
In Roberto Devereux:
-I get so turned on when any Elisabetta throws a High D in her first cabaletta, throws a High E in her trio with Roberto and Nottingham and caps the opera off with a High D in Quel sangue versato.
-I adore it when any Sara sings a High C in her duet with Roberto. It just screams excitement!
In Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio:
-Every time a Leonora caps off O Potessi nel mio core with a High D, my excitement levels rise!
In I Due Foscari:
-Same case as what I love for any soprano singing Lucrezia to do in her cabaletta, O Patrizi. Sing a High D before capping off the cabaletta.
In La Sonnambula:
-I enjoy it so much when any Amina can toss a High E-Flat before capping off Sovra il sen and a High F before capping off Ah non giunge!
In Norma:
-I always love it when any spinto or full lyric soprano sings Adalgisa as she’s supposed to be the younger priestess to Norma’s dramatic coloratura soprano. So it should be no surprise that I adore when these two toss some High Cs in their duets and have the Mira o Norma duet sung in the Key of F Major.
-Speaking of Norma, I especially get excited when anyone tosses a High E-Flat before capping off the In mia man alfin tu sei duet with Pollione.
-Now to Pollione. He’s gotta freaking toss off some comet-like High Cs in Meco all’altar di Venere, dagnabbit!
In I Capuleti e I Montecchi:
-I can give any lyric coloratura soprano singing Giulietta a medal of honor and courage if she sings a High E before capping off Morte io non mi temo.
-I get excited when any tenor singing Tebaldo can fearlessly toss some Cs and Ds all over the place and when it comes to his duet with any mezzo singing Romeo it would be fun to hear those two sing a High C before capping it off with a High B-Flat.
Yeah these are some examples. Others include Lady Macbeth capping off the first act finale with a High D-Flat, Comtesse Adele capping off En proie a la tristesse with a High E-Flat, Almaviva capping off Ecco ridente with a High C, any soprano Rosina capping off Una voce poco fa with a High F, singing a High D in the Dunque io son duet and capping off Contro un cor on a high note, Lucrezia Borgia capping off Era desso with a High E-Flat, Zerbinetta singing the 1912 version of Grossmächtige Prinzessin complete with Es, Fs and F-Sharps, Queen Gertrude capping off the confrontation scene with Bank Ban with a High C before getting killed, Francesco Moor singing a High A-Flat before capping off Tremate o miseri, Amalia singing a High E-Flat before capping off her duet with Francesco, Ti scosta o malnato, both Amalia and Carlo capping off Masnadieri with a High D-Flat in the finale, Lina capping off the entire opera of Stiffelio with a High C, Elektra capping off her death dance with a High B, Elettra from Idomeneo capping off D’Oreste D’Ajace with a High C, Giulia capping off Tu che invoco con orrore with a High C and in some occasions Olympia singing an A-Flat above the soprano High C capping off Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille. Oh yes people, I am that nuts about high notes!
Well, I hope you all enjoy reading this. Until then, I hope you all have a lovely summer.