Coloratura Comparison - Mozart: Concert aria K.418 Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! High Es, Live

This is the fourth (and final) entry in my series comparing sopranos singing a section from an aria Mozart wrote for Aloysia Weber. She was his primary soprano artistic muse, gifted with one of the most prodigious coloratura soprano voices in history.

K.418 "Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!" was composed by Mozart as one of two substitution arias for Aloysia to perform when she was in Vienna singing the role of Clorinda in Anfossi’s opera "Il curioso indiscreto" in 1783. It's a totally obscure opera now; if it attracts any interest at all it is because of Mozart's arias.

K.418 is my favorite aria of all time. I have collected every recording (vinyl, CD, live) that I could get my hands on. In my view, K.418 is not just Mozart's greatest aria, but it is the greatest soprano aria ever written! (That sentence reminds me of that line of Mozart's in the film "Amadeus"). It contains everything one could want: a gorgeous, time-suspending, dreamy melody in the primary aria; an oboe obbligato that duets with the soprano soloist adding color and complexity; harmonic and structural sophistication; coloratura flourishes,; and very effective use of extremes. One area of contrasting extremes is tempo as the aria moves suddenly from a languid adagio to a brazen allegro, and then races over the finish line with a final thrilling piu allegro. The other is in the score's extreme vocal compass, from a Low B3 to a High E6, two octaves and a fourth (likely the largest vocal range called for in a soprano aria by Mozart, or almost any other composer for that matter). This wide range is emphasized near the end of the aria with a huge upward vocal leap from B3 to D6 (two octaves and a minor third). Perhaps I will do another comparison of just that section.

For now, you’ll hear 24 sopranos in measures 63 to 77, about one minute of music, that features a gradual climb to High E6, and then another echoing phrase that rises to High C#6.

About those High Es: the score from the Mozarteum website shows three Es are written as one quarter note followed by two eighth notes that are tied and span across two measures. To me that indicates they should be sung as one quarter note. However, you’ll hear that many of the singers articulate all three notes fairly evenly. As long as the pitch is true, the tone is pure, and the phrasing is musical, I’m not going to quibble as both work fine with the arias structure.

K.418 is Mozart at his most sublime, while asking so much in technique and artistry from the soprano. It's worth noting that I'm not the only one who admires K.418 as it is quite popular: according to the Salzburg Festival online archives, K.418 and K.528 have each been performed in concert 22 times there, more than any other concert aria.

Enjoy these 24 sopranos presented in alphabetical order:
(I believe these are all live performances or live radio transmissions).
1. Kathleen Battle
2. Gwendolyn Bradley
3. Paola Cigna
4. Patrizia Cigna
5. Laura Claycomb
6. Sabine Devieilhe
7. Jodie Devos
8. Barbara Fuchs
9. Sylvia Greenberg
10. Reri Grist
11. Edita Gruberova
12. Sumi Jo
13. Aline Kutan
14. Marie McLaughlin
15. Erin Morley
16. Elizabeth Parcells (1951 - 2005)
17. Milagros Poblador
18. Anna Prohaska
19. Aleksandra Resztik
20. Beverly Sills (1929 - 2007) (with piano)
21. Ghillian Sullivan
22. Jeanette Vecchione
23. Dorothea Wirtz (from Salzburg performance of "Il curioso indiscreto")
24. Patricia Wise

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