La Traviata - N9 Scena ed aria

Description

This Scene and Aria closes the first scene of Act II of La Traviata. Alfredo, thrown into turmoil by the letter Violetta has left, finds his father Germont before him, urging him to come home to Provence. At its centre is “Di Provenza il mar, il suol”, one of the best-known baritone arias.

The scene opens with short exchanges and agitated motion; once the aria begins, the music settles into song. The father's gentle melody is carried over a steady accompaniment, and the same tune returns for a second verse. This version runs about eleven and a half minutes with 3,748 notes, and its range from G1 to A-flat 6 does not fit a 61-key keyboard. The writing is full, reaching deep into the bass.

It is rated advanced, but the difficulty lies more in singing than in speed. Can the aria's melody be joined in legato, with the accompaniment kept quiet enough not to get in its way? Check which hand carries the tune with the hand colours, and learn the breathing of the melody by ear at a slower playback speed before putting the hands together; that makes it easier to keep the long piece flowing.

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