It is common knowledge that every singer must have a Mozart aria in his or her list of five. It is also common knowledge that if you start with something else, the judges or audition panel will pick Mozart—nearly every time. So how do we showcase ourselves in a way the master himself would enjoy? Let’s start with a story.
In 2001 my husband and I took a rode trip from Pocatello, Idaho, to Portland, Oregon, to audition for a summer program. (For you non-Westerners, this is about a ten-hour drive, one way.) The trip fell on the same weekend as the regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Seattle, and my sister happened to be singing in the competition. So after our audition we drove to Seattle to watch the Northwest Region compete. I will always remember that day for two reasons: first, the judges asked for “Come scoglio” from every soprano who offered it (I had never heard that aria before and was so sick of it after four renditions!) and second, I saw Lawrence Brownlee win because of his flawless firework display of coloratura. It was unlike anything I had ever heard from soprano or tenor!
I have since watched and competed in many auditions and competitions, and am always amazed at the consistency of the Mozartean choice for the second aria. Why is this? It could be because Mozart is deceptively difficult and his arias show technique, control, line, dynamics, and language. Everything a judicator could possibly want to see. It could also be that most companies do one Mozart opera, if not every year every other. Regardless of the reasons, we need to be able to sing Mozart, and sing it well.
Because Mozart is loved by all, it seems common practice to give these arias to young singers as practice tools. In my own history, I won the Alto State Solo Competition with “Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio” as a junior in high school. Am I a mezzo-soprano? No. Was I then? Sure. Any 16-year-old is comfortable in the nice middle range. Did it harm me to sing it? No. If I were a mezzo, would I have developed some difficult habits to break by learning it so young? Possibly. I would argue that teachers should be smart about selecting Mozart arias, and if well taught and well learned these gems will help young singers catch the flame.
When I was an undergraduate sophomore my teacher wanted me to learn “Deh vieni, non tardar,” but I wanted to learn “Ach, ich fühl’s” instead. Every girl my age or younger was singing “Deh vieni, non tardar” and I was uninspired. “Ach, ich fühl’s,” however, seemed so much more passionate and beautiful, so I took it to the practice room. After a few months, I realized I was nowhere near ready to float a high B-flat, and put it away. Over the next eight years, I periodically took out “Ach, ich fühl’s,” and always came to the same conclusion. Because I am older and wiser now, I know the adjudicators will ask for Mozart, so I don’t dare put “Ach, ich fühl’s” on the list until I can sing it perfectly every time.
Though I resisted learning “Deh vieni, non tardar” for years, I finally decided it would be perfect for me after all and put it on my list at age 27. I am really glad I never sang it in my earlier years, because at an older, more experienced age, I learned it with greater technique. I can honestly say that over the last two years I have opened with a lot of fast French, and judges or audition panels always pick “Deh vieni, non tardar.” Thankfully, I now feel prepared for this request. Is it a competition winner? Probably not, although it can be. It is not flashy, but it is sexy, and the line—when sung well—is so delicious.
So what is the moral to this trip down Mozart aria lane? Singer, to thine own self be true! It is imperative that we recognize our true Fach—what it is now and not what we want it to be. Am I a lyric? Am I a lyric coloratura? Am I a light lyric? I am certainly not “just” a soubrette! I can sing high and my voice is pretty big, but what will I be cast as today, at age 29? Susanna. Not Manon, though I hope so someday, and not Gilda, thanks to some huge orchestration in the last act. So Susanna, or Zerlina, or Despina, Illia, or Servillia.
My good friend Mozart wrote many an opera for the pretty, light soprano voice. If you share my Fach, which I am sure a good percentage of you reading this article do, find the aria that you like best among his vast repertoire. Let it settle in your voice, and coach it with a wide variety of people. Do not pick the aria that is just out of your reach, but the one you know you can do well every time, because I promise you, they will pick it every time—so be ready.
