Ah! vous dirai je maman

The Theme and Variations form is one of the few things that admirers of coloratura singing can enjoy endlessly. They are always great fun, though some may remark that they lack dramatic effect. Well, it's true to some extent, but do they have to be dramatic? The variations are usually a great way for a singer to show off what they can do and that's really about it. Still, I can think of many variations that are more than just pretty singing: what about Desdemona's beautiful "Willow song" from Rossini's "Othello", which are, in fact, a set of very difficult variations; or Armida's florid outburst "D'Amore al dolce impero", again from Rossini; or the wonderful final set of variations Donizetti provided for many of his primadonnas at the end of their rondos (okay, not all of them, but still :-)). The following three recording are version of the famous "Ah! vous dirais-je, maman" Adam (or, more accurately, by Mozart, who wrote a set of theme and variations on the famous folk tune "Twinkle, twinle, little star") from the opera "Le Toreadeur". I am yet to familiarize myself with the opera, but the variations are just delightful! I managed to find three recordings, but they are all wonderful: 1) one is by Beverly "Bubbles" Sills; 2) one is by the "Berlin Nightangale", Miliza Korjus; and 3) one is from the full recording of "Le Toreadeur" made by Bonynge, Sumi Jo plays the heroine, and, unlike the first two, she is not alone, she is "backed up" by John Aler and a bass, that I hadn't quite recognized, though he is wonderful. I would like to note that these downloads aren't a contest per se, rather a chance to compare different versions of the same aria :-). Hope you enjoy (your comments are most welcome :-))!