Expert: Pamela Thomas - 11/29/2008

Question
Hi,

I'm semi-professional bass and i need a bass/mezzo duet (from an opera or it can be a lied or russian romance)

Can you list at least 5 and we can select one...

Thanks for answering my egoistic question...

Answer
Hi Onay,

Mezzo-Bass duets are very hard to find.  But here are a few suggestions and things you might look at:

La ci darem la mano - Don Giovanni (Zerlina is often done by a mezzo)

From Marriage of Figaro - Non piu Andrai - Figaro sings the aria to Cherubino - no singing but nice acting scene

There's a trio from Trovatore - Count, Azucena and Ferrando in Act III "In braccio al mio rival".
Italian in Algiers - Mustafa and Isabella.

there is a duo in Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saens


There is also a mezzo-bass duet in Mignon by Ambrose Thomas

Maria Stuarda - Maria & Talbet duet (Maria can be done as a mezzo)
Roberto Devereux - Sara and Nottingham duet
La Favorita - Leonora & Alfonso duet

DVORAK, A.: Vocal Music (Love Songs and Folk Duets) (Ciesinski, Hirst, Ostendorf) Recording - you might look at this recording - there may be a bass/mezzo duet among the duets.

You can also look to Broadway - "Anything you can do, I can do better" - from Annie Get Your Gun;  Carousel - if your mezzo have some good high notes - but most of the Broadway sopranos don't have very high ranges.

I'm sure there are others - but maybe this will get you started.

All the best,

Pamela