Arias for Mezzo-Soprano

Rating:
Summary: An Essential
Review: If you are calling yourself a mezzo soprano but you don't have this book, you are not doing yourself any favors. This book contains a wide variety of the most popular and most widely performed mezzo arias in the repertoire. It even includes arias from some contemporary operas. Like I said, if you are a mezzo, you need this book.

Rating:
Summary: An Essential
Review: If you are calling yourself a mezzo soprano but you don't have this book, you are not doing yourself any favors. This book contains a wide variety of the most popular and most widely performed mezzo arias in the repertoire. It even includes arias from some contemporary operas. Like I said, if you are a mezzo, you need this book.

Rating:
Summary: Must have for mezzos
Review: This book is a must-own for any mezzo-soprano (as are the corresponding volumes for any other voice type.) I daresay this is the anthology standard for aspiring opera stars. I purchased mine when starting college and learned my first aria from it--"Non so piu, cosa son". Ten years later I am still finding pieces that fit my voice as it grows into works by Bizet, Massenet, Donizetti. And I know that I will continue to use it in years to come as I grow into the luscious arias of Dalilah or perhaps Mascagni's Lola.

Having had the opportunity to work with Dr. Robert Larsen, I can say that he is one of the most knowledgeable people in the business about opera and how to get young people started. The translations provided are not poetic--they are accurate, true translations! The plot summaries are brief but helpful, enough to get you started, but short enough to encourage you to do your own work. Larsen notates alternate endings, appogioturi, and other traditional performance notes. I guarantee, if you buy this book, you'll use it until it falls apart. I'm on my second one now.