One can't help thinking that Rubini must have sounded a lot like Juan Diego Florez, for it is truly remarkable how well these arias with their many high D's and one E-flat sound in his voice. He is the Rubini for our time.
There is interesting information in Philip Gossett's note. Rubini continued the older tradition of light high notes and didn't follow the new fad for heavy, chesty high notes that became popular at that time. Instead, he sang higher than everyone else, and attained his greatest success in the repertoire of Bellini.
Question for C: Did Rubini and Malibran ever appear together? Gossett thinks not.
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2 comments:
In one of Chopin's letters to his friend Woyciechowski in 1831, he writes of an extraordinary night he had at the opera in Paris - The Barber of Seville, with Malibran as Rosina, and Rubini as Count Almaviva. It would be extraordinary if they had not appeared together in other operas, frankly. Just takes a bit of digging.
Now wouldn't that have been something to see!! Thank you for the comment.
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