Studia il passo

This piece is from the Opera :
Macbeth

This piece is for the role/s :
Banco

In a wooded park in the castle grounds, two groups of murderers lie in wait for Banco and Fleance, his son. Banco appears but is full of foreboding, and encourages Fleance to hurry through the darkened wood. It was on a similar night that king Duncan was murdered, and Banco's mind is beset with ghosts and fears. They are set upon by the gangs, and Fleance escapes closely pursued by one of the murderers.

Uneasy string tremelo chords underpin the long rising phrase in the recitative. The aria is accompanied by sinister brass chords and thick orchestrations, with the voice moving in slow, sustained phrases. Huge volume changes (ppp to ff in the space of a bar) and numerous accents litter the vocal line. There is a feeling in the music of energy held in readiness, of wariness and fear. The vocal rhythms are slow with movement in quavers or crotchets. The tessitura is middling, but the climaxes of the piece rise to the upper E - fairly high in the bass range. Note the turn low in the range on "di larve", and beware of carrying too much weight through the rising phrases.

In concert, end the aria on the final "e di terror".


© 2005 Jeremy Fisher
Internet rights 2005 OperaTalent