Or sai chi l'onore

THE SONGBIRD: Beverly Sills (1929 - 2007) was my first diva and the reason I became infatuated with coloratura sopranos and started collecting vocal music. Sills holds a special place in my musical life to this day so I'm happy to share this rare item that is not currently posted on YouTube. Sills sang Donna Anna 22 times in her career, between 1963 and 1967 in Baltimore, Boston, Mexico City, and Lausanne, as well as in New York with the NYCO and one performance at The Met in its parks concert series in 1966 (not considered her debut). She also sang Donna Elvira four times in the early 1950s. This performance from Boston was conducted by Sarah Caldwell, with Michel Senechal as Don Ottavio.

THE MUSIC: Mozart's "Don Giovanni" had its premiere in Prague in 1787. Donna Anna is one of three soprano roles. Her first aria "Or sai chi l'onore" is a dramatic piece with sustained phrases, powerful proclamations, and no florid elements. The role is often sung by dramatic voices as the music calls for bursts of outrage, such as this aria, but it was sung by high coloratura soprano Aloysia Weber in the Vienna premiere in 1788 under Mozart's direction.