What is the most difficult coloratura piece to sing?

Question

That requires a lot of fast acrobatic melismas and impressive breath control?

Is it Queen of the Night's aria 1 or 2? Is it the Bell Song? Is it Lucia's mad scene? Is there other? I once heard Se in ogni guardo from Orlando finto pazzo (sung by Philippe Jaroussky). It was definitely a very hard aria to sing, yet he nailed it.

Are there other coloratura pieces that are probably the most difficult to sing?

Thanx in advance.

Answer 1

I don't think there's a coloratura aria that you can describe as the most difficult. It al depends on your voice.



Someone might be a great 'Queen of the Night', with no trouble at all to hit the f3, but they might suck at 'Les oiseaux dans la charmille' (Olympia's song in 'Les contes d'Hoffman' from Offenbach), which only goes to d3 but asks for a slightly different voice type.



Which brings me to the question if there are any other difficult coloratura aria's. I really like 'Les oiseaux dans la charmille' (also called 'La chanson d'Olympia') that I mentioned above. And what about 'Je veux vivre' from Gounod's 'Romeo et Juliette'? Maybe not that 'acrobatic', but it ask a lot from the singer, quite impressive.



So, even thought I think you asked a great question (I also asked this to myself before) my conclusion is probably that there is no answer to it.

Answer 2

I'm going to have to agree with the guy who mentioned Zerbinetta's aria. It seems to be the hardest.



Here are some others that are VERY difficult:



Glitter and Be Gay - Candide

Martern Aller Arten - The Abduction from the Seraglio

Big Brother - 1984 (by Lorin Maazel. There used to be a video of Diana Damrau singing it on Youtube, and it really sounds like a vocal cheese grater)

Caro Nome - Rigoletto (difficult due to long lines and a varied tessitura - both higher and lower)

The Bell Song - Lakme

The Doll Song - Les Contes D'Hoffman

Da Tempeste - Giulio Cesare

O Luce Di Quest Anima - Linda di Chamounix

The Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor

Sempre Libera - La Traviata

Lo Hear the Gentle Lark - Art song by Bishop (unBELIEVABLY difficult)

Poor Wandering One - Pirates of Penzance (can be difficult with the right ornamentation)

A Vos Jeux/Pale et Blonde - Hamlet

Ah Non Giunge - La Sonnambula

Bel Raggio Lusinghier - Semiramide

Sovra Il Sen - La Sonnambula

The Russian Nightengale/Die Nachtigall/Le Rossignol by Alabiev

Una Voce Poco Fa - Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Regnava Nel Silenzio/Quando Rapito in Estasi - Lucia di Lammermoor



Those are just a few. There are loads of difficult coloratura pieces out there.



Hope this helped!

Answer 3

I agree with Bernstein's Glitter and be gay from Candide. I am surprised no one has named Traviatta's sempre libera by Verdi. That one goes crazy as well and is more for a lyric coloratura soprano.



There are so many great arias by Rossini, the one I can remember now is called: Languir per una bella from La Donna del Lago. I remember in another similar question you did long ago, I mentioned 'Agitata da due venti' by Handel with Cecilia Bartoli, I think for me that one goes a little far ahead from the other ones mentioned here because of the repeated pitches in the same vowel, besides all the runs and scales and arpegios the voice is asked to perform.



Another great coloratura aria is the one from il Barbiere di Sevilla, 'una voce poco fa' it is a lovely and great coloratura aria for mezzo



I agree also with one of the members that mentioned that the difficulty relays more in the qualities a singer can or cannot have in his/her voice for a determined aria.



Take care!

Answer 4

Mozart's "No, no no che non sei capace! is very very difficult with many many high C's, D's and E's". And you have to staccato them. Here's a link to this: "No, no no che non sei capace! Sumi Jo" or Joan Sutherland.



Verdi's aria from Attila "Santo di Patria" is written for a dramatic soprano who can sing in a very high tessitura and have superlative coloratura skills. Type in the tube channel:

"Santo di Patria Sutherland".



Massenet's Esclarmonde scene is ridiculously hard "Ah Roland!...Regarde-les ces yeux". It has a high G in it and you have to be a Wagnerian size soprano with secure coloratura skills to sing it. Here is a link to this: "Dominique Gless - Esclarmonde High G"



Of course both of the Queen of the Night arias with the F6. Edda Moser sings them best.



And "Zerbinetta's aria" is notoriously difficult and long. There are 2 high F# that is written in the 1912 version. Here is a link to this version: type in "Claycomb - Zerbinetta 1912 Version"



Bellini's "Casta Diva" from Norma is extremely difficult if you sing it in the correct and original key of G major, not F. But Bellini allowed his first Norma to lower the aria two semi tones because it is too difficult in the original key. On the "Tube" channel, type in "Sutherland's best casta diva".



Only two divas of our time has sung or recorded "Casta Diva" in G. They are Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills. Everyone else from Callas to Sumi Jo sings it in the lower key of F major because it's much easier than the G major version.

Answer 5

Zerbinetta from Ariadne auf Naxos

Glitter and be gay from Candide

Lots of arias from Mitridate re di ponto are virtuosic, but I don't think they require coloratura singers.

Answer 6

How about the Bolero (Merci, jeunes amies) from Verdi's "I Vespri Siciliani."

Answer 7

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Answer 8

"Casta Diva" (from Bellini's opera "Norma") is probably a killer in terms of breath control.