Musetta and Desdemona couldn't be more different women, yet they singularly share a devotion: that for the Virgin, today celebrated in Italy as Immacolata Concezione - one of the most recent dogmas approved by the Catholic Church.

But nosy people have a point: for how can you believe something you can't sneak your very nose in - and smell?

Claudio Abbado often asked his orchestra to smell the music they were playing: il profumo della Musica, I've heard him saying it with these ears.

Real things MUST have a smell (which is probably why many apparitions of Saints and of the Virgin Herself are said to be accompanied by the strongest smell of flowers).

Whereas our recently and thoroughly discussed Mimì/Lucìa/Bugìa/Poesìa has a declaredly troubled sense of smell, possibly due to her illness (sounds familiar, these days, doesn't it)

-"i fior ch'io faccio, ahimè, non hanno odore"-

her good friend and colleague Musetta -who will sincerely pray the Virgin for Mimì

(Madonna benedetta,

fate la grazia a questa poveretta,

ché non debba morire),

while trying to cover and protect the bugia of her life till the very end

(Qui ci vuole un riparo,

perché la fiamma sventola)-

well, she seems to have, on the other hand, a tremendously acute nose, especially when it comes to certain... effluvi.

Her waltzing appearance on stage, although performed through the most elegant music and vocal line, is defined by Marcello as "scurrile", which is a too precise word in Italian to be overlooked.

What is after all so scurrile, so openly vulgar about Quando me n'vo (other that the usage of the Tuscan, vulgar, again), an otherwise masterpiece of elegance, by Puccini?

And now, on to a very different type of heroine, who claims:

"Io questa sera ho la memoria piena",

like the storage of a device that is overwhelmed with too much information and only seldom responding to requests or commands.

A magic bell ringing on two faraway F sharps snaps Desdemona into a regression, signified by an interval of third, that is also a "barbara" premonition.

Verdi and dramaturgy, you know.

Buona Festa dell'Immacolata Concezione,

La Maestra

PS: KIND REMINDER!

We are finally kicking off our long due Nozze Italiane project,

in the form of an Italian diction masterclass on the Da Ponte libretto.

To join, it is sufficient that you subscribe to the Fiato plan, here below:

Subscribing to the Fiato will give you immense benefits, other than the free access to the masterclass itself :

you will instantly gain full access to the Cantare Italiano ARKive,

as well as the possibility to have an individual session with me for a fixed, much discounted fee throughout the whole duration of the plan (12 months).

“extremely good at this” (Graham Vick)

"a fantastic coach, extremely helpful for young singers as well as experienced ones" (Barbara Hannigan)

“bringing the language, the music and the characters to life” (Paul Nilon)

“the foundation of a role” (Jennifer Rowley)

“magic conjunction of vocal technique, musical interpretation and building of the character: a radical rethink of the act of singing” (Anna Piroli)

“her incredible breadth of knowledge makes me feel entirely prepared” (Heather Lowe)

“magic effect on the voice and our art form” (Jessica Harper)

“opened up my voice, and a world” (Giulia Zaniboni)

“180° turn in my work with the singers” (Theophilos Lambrianidis)

"like four professionals in one" (Yiselle Blum)

“invaluable: she’ll make a role really succeed on stage” (Ariadne Greif)

“potentially life-changing” (Amy Payne)

“brings life to operatic drama” (Maria Sanner)

“enlightening, professionally and humanly” (Clara La Licata)

“thoroughly prepared and professional” (Marie Kuijken)

“truly unique method and insights” (Jasmine Law)

“a lingual and linguistic genius” (Peter Tantsits)

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