Spargi d'amaro pianto

~The "Glass Shatterers!" series focuses on sopranos who sustain High F, or sing higher.

THE SONGBIRD: American coloratura soprano Ruth Welting (1948 - 1999) was a star at the New York City Opera from her debut in 1971 as Blonde, to her Baby Doe in 1976. That's when she skipped across Lincoln Center to join The Met's roster, where she performed 52 times until 1993. She sang across the U.S. (Dallas, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Sante Fe, Washington DC, Portland, Philadelphia, New Orleans) and internationally (Covent Garden, Amsterdam, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Parma, Spoleto, Salzburg, Canada). Sadly, she passed away at age 51 of cancer.

THE MUSIC: Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" has become one of the quintessential operas for a coloratura soprano -- it's one of the most widely produced bel canto operas in the world and the title character is a benchmark role for this voice type. Donizetti composed it in 1835, which was a peak of his artistic and popular success -- Rossini had recently retired, Bellini had just died, and Verdi had not yet had his first premiere ("Oberto" in 1837). Based on Walter Scott's novel, the opera premiered in Naples. The plot in a nutshell: after being tricked into marrying a man she doesn't love, and lied to that her true love has betrayed her, Lucia loses her mind and murders the groom on her wedding night. The mentally unstable young woman appears in a bloodied gown and sings a long, complex, and haunting "mad scene" mixing delusion and grief that is a tour-de-force of bel canto vocalism and gripping tragedy. The primary section of the mad scene culminates in a long cadenza with a flute (and occasionally the glass harmonica). Donizetti allowed the original Lucia, Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani, to improvise her own cadenza (she apparently had a talent for this). The most commonly performed cadenzas for the past 100+ years are based closely on three that were written and published by Mathilde Marchesi, including one for her famous student Nellie Melba when she sang the role in Paris in 1889. The cabaletta "Spargi d'amaro pianto" is included in this recording. Welting sings the scene in the original higher key and ending both sections on a High F6, which was her custom when performing the role.