She Rises (The Original)

This week we discuss the texts to Orlovsky's Aria from Die Fledermaus and "Morgens steh' ich auf und frage" (from Schumann's Liederkreis op. 24) with Stephanie Atanasov and Markus Marquardt. We also talk about diphthongs and the pronunciation of the letter S before T and P with coach Markus Henn. There is an online libretto for Die Fledermaus at the Opera Guide here, just scroll down to No. 7 Couplet for Orlovsky's Aria, and the text for "Morgens steh' ich auf und frage" can be found from the LiederNet Archive

In Episode 5 we talk with Nathalie de Montmollin about the French Diction in 2 Fauré songs, Mai and Aprés un Rêve. We specifically talk about the letters E and I, mute E, the nasal vowels, and some rules about obligatory, forbidden and optional liaison. You'll see this is a longer episode--I've also included an interview with Philip Shepard, author of What the Fach?!

www.thedictionpolice.com

This week we work through Gretchen am Spinnrade with Netta Or and Die Post with Markus Marquardt, and then discuss German Diction in a more general way with coach Hans Sotin. We talk a little more about open and closed U and Ü and devoicing consonants.

www.thedictionpolice.com

This weeks show contains 3 arias from Die Zauberflöte: "Ach, ich fühl's" with Nadja Mchantaf; "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" with Oliver Ringelhahn; and "Papageno's Suicide" with Markus Marquardt. We'll be concentrating on 3 specific sounds: the letter ä, the letter r in many positions, and the German schwa.

If you want to follow the text, you can find an online libretto at this Opera Guide website or if you would like to see the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (the critical edition of the full score), you can find that through the website of the Mozarteum--click Ja that you are only using this for study purposes, and then look for Die Zauberflöte under Bühnenwerke.

As always, please feel free to send me any questions at [email protected]

Viel Spaß!

In Episode 2 we concentrate on Le Violette (from 24 Italian Songs and Arias), Il fervido desiderio (Bellini), and O del mio amato ben (Donaudy), and discuss Italian diction with Fabio Centanni, an Italian coach who accompanies Renata Scotto's Opera Studio in Rome. www.thedictionpolice.com

In Episode 1 we discuss the texts of Heidenröslein and Der Gärtner with Nadja Mchatntaf and Hans Sotin, and talk with conductor with Rainer Mühlbach about singing in German.