Episode 45

In the second half of my interview with Simone di Felice, we concentrate on the Count's Aria "Hai già vinta la causa" from Le nozze di Figaro. We cover those assimilations of N again, as well as diphthongs and triphthongs, a few more verb forms and non-aspirated K, P and T. The Opera Guide has a libretto for Le Nozze di Figaro. You'll have to click on Libretto and the letter I (for Italian!), then scroll down to Aria No. 18, in Act 3. The book that I mentioned at the beginning of the episode is Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin. My personal favorite Italian Diction books, which I discussed last week and this, are Evalina Colorni's Singer's Italian: A Manual of Diction and Phonetics and David Adams' A Handbook of Diction for Singers (which also covers French and German--and he was my diction teacher at Cincinnati!). Plus, the useful practice tip I menioned at the end of the episode is thanks to my first diction teacher, Larry Marietta! I'll try to get next week's episode out on time, but we're in technical rehearsals for Alcina right now, so I can make no promises. I'll keep updating the Facebook page with my progress. In the meantime, feel free to contact me with any comments, questions or suggestions here, on the Facebook page or directly at ellen@ellenrissinger.com