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Figaro, Marcellina and Hilde Roessel-Majdan
Posted by Chris Howell on January 19, 2023, 2:40 pm
While looking around the web at Figaro-related matters, I took the opportunity to read again Ralph Moore's excellent 2018 survey of some selected Figaros. Speaking of the Erich Kleiber recording, he says "And goodness knows why the decision was made to give Susanna Marcellina’s aria – it’s wholly inappropriate". The reason was, I imagine, that Marcellina was sung by a contralto, and a rich-toned one at that, Hilde Roessel-Majdan. There's no way that a contralto, especially a deep one, could cope with the tessitura of this aria - even mezzos who aren't very nearly sopranos find it difficult. Roessel-Majdan was engaged, I suppose, because she was the reigning Marcellina at the Vienna State Opera - apparently she sang the part there 194 times. But in those days, nobody ever sang this aria and we must suppose that it was not sung in any of these 194 performances. Roessel-Majdan doubtless walked into the recording engagement without it having occurred to her that she might be expected to sing the aria. So, in the face of Kleiber's insistence that the aria would not be cut, the problem was to find which other member of the cast could and would sing it at short notice - hence it went to Hilde Gueden. The long tradition of a hefty "old bag" Marcellina sung by a contralto or at least a deep mezzo depended on the ommission of the aria. I don't know how many actual performances include it even today, but recordings usually do, and there has been a shift towards high mezzo or soprano Marcellina who can cope with the aria if required. As to why Mozart should have suddenly required Marcellina to sing an aria in a higher tessitura than the rest of the role, which is within comfortable reach of a contralto, I cannot say. Probably it would be necessary to research the vocal characteristics of the singer for whom he wrote the part. A final curiosity is that, for the Giulini recording, a coloratura soprano, Dora Gatta, was engaged as Marcellina who could have sailed through the aria with the greatest of ease - but she was not allowed to do so!
Thank you, Chris - very interesting and all news to me. I have added a note to my survey, lifting your explanation, with grateful acknowledgement.
Previous Message
While looking around the web at Figaro-related matters, I took the opportunity to read again Ralph Moore's excellent 2018 survey of some selected Figaros. Speaking of the Erich Kleiber recording, he says "And goodness knows why the decision was made to give Susanna Marcellina’s aria – it’s wholly inappropriate". The reason was, I imagine, that Marcellina was sung by a contralto, and a rich-toned one at that, Hilde Roessel-Majdan. There's no way that a contralto, especially a deep one, could cope with the tessitura of this aria - even mezzos who aren't very nearly sopranos find it difficult. Roessel-Majdan was engaged, I suppose, because she was the reigning Marcellina at the Vienna State Opera - apparently she sang the part there 194 times. But in those days, nobody ever sang this aria and we must suppose that it was not sung in any of these 194 performances. Roessel-Majdan doubtless walked into the recording engagement without it having occurred to her that she might be expected to sing the aria. So, in the face of Kleiber's insistence that the aria would not be cut, the problem was to find which other member of the cast could and would sing it at short notice - hence it went to Hilde Gueden. The long tradition of a hefty "old bag" Marcellina sung by a contralto or at least a deep mezzo depended on the ommission of the aria. I don't know how many actual performances include it even today, but recordings usually do, and there has been a shift towards high mezzo or soprano Marcellina who can cope with the aria if required. As to why Mozart should have suddenly required Marcellina to sing an aria in a higher tessitura than the rest of the role, which is within comfortable reach of a contralto, I cannot say. Probably it would be necessary to research the vocal characteristics of the singer for whom he wrote the part. A final curiosity is that, for the Giulini recording, a coloratura soprano, Dora Gatta, was engaged as Marcellina who could have sailed through the aria with the greatest of ease - but she was not allowed to do so!
Since writing this, I came across words to the effect that Marcellina's aria is usually sung, when it is sung at all, transposed down a tone into F. This involves some recomposition of the surrounding recitative to avoid a nasty key jolt. This solution would make things more comfortable for a mezzo, maybe still not comfortable enough for a contralto. I haven't much time or inclination right now to wade through all available versions of this aria to see whether they are sung in F or in the original G, and of course a HIP version, with its lower pitch, would slightly ease things for a mezzo, even in the original key. I did try a few on youtube, including some by specific mezzos such as Larmore, and thus far I didn't find one that was not sung in the original key (I stuck to the versions by well-known singers), but I found a reference to Sarah Walker singing it in F at Covent Garden. I'm not sure how right it is to transpose Mozart in this way, it's not as if Marcellina is a role like Rossini's Rosina that exists in two versions, and it looks as if Erich Kleiber was not prepared to allow a transposition
I have added both of your notes to the survey; I think you have already explained the "problem", such as it is, and maybe someone knows why Mozart wrote that aria in a key unsuitable to any singer playing Marcellina; many thanks.
Previous Message
Since writing this, I came across words to the effect that Marcellina's aria is usually sung, when it is sung at all, transposed down a tone into F. This involves some recomposition of the surrounding recitative to avoid a nasty key jolt. This solution would make things more comfortable for a mezzo, maybe still not comfortable enough for a contralto. I haven't much time or inclination right now to wade through all available versions of this aria to see whether they are sung in F or in the original G, and of course a HIP version, with its lower pitch, would slightly ease things for a mezzo, even in the original key. I did try a few on youtube, including some by specific mezzos such as Larmore, and thus far I didn't find one that was not sung in the original key (I stuck to the versions by well-known singers), but I found a reference to Sarah Walker singing it in F at Covent Garden. I'm not sure how right it is to transpose Mozart in this way, it's not as if Marcellina is a role like Rossini's Rosina that exists in two versions, and it looks as if Erich Kleiber was not prepared to allow a transposition