On differing interpretations of Andantino ingenuo

“O mio babbino”: the right tempo for?
Have Fleming and Callas keep score—
By the time that Renée
Gets to “Dio, vorrei,”
La Divina could toss in a Suor.

4 comments

  1. Well, I’ll give you the poetic license, but technically Maria isn’t even done yet when Renee gets to “Dio, vorrei,” as I’ve proven in this “duet” < HREF="http://mmmusing.blogspot.com/2009/03/canon-2-tempi.html" REL="nofollow">version<>.Apologies…

  2. What an interesting comparison of interpretations (I know that she is no longer with us, but I really prefer Callas’ interpretation of both the tempo and the aria). And thank you for making the duet animation, Michael. You truly have a gift.

  3. We should probably remember that the extremely slow tempo in the Fleming version was probably the conductor’s choice, not the Renee’s. I prefer her voice to Callas’, though.

  4. Michael: I don’t know, she could be walking off stage while Renée’s note is still hanging in the air. It’s awful close.Grant: Actually, she does it about that slow no matter the conductor. I think her CD version might be even slower, but I’d have to find the CD, and that would mean getting up….Callas’s YouTube versions don’t vary by more than about 10%, either. Part of quasi-official diva status is that the conductor follows you. (I myself give a lot of leeway to the singer’s choice of tempo. It’s not like <>I<> have to get through those phrases without inhaling.)

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