Gioachino Rossini - La donna del lago - "Tanti affetti in tal momento" (Frederica von Stade)

I was just listening to "La donna del lago" and suddenly got an idea for another upload: the two final numbers, Malcolm's and Elena's respective arias. I'm providing a list of all the soloists in the present two excepts, as to avoid any kind of confusion: Elena - Frederica Von Stade, Malcolm - Marilyn Horne, Albina - Susan Mentzer, Serano - Bruce Ford. Even though Elena's rondo is basically the obligatory final word of the primadonna, it shares several of the features common to all arias in the opera: in particular, it never truly becomes overlong but even in its' brevity manages to capture the emotions of the characters perfectly. It's a simple enough succession; we begin with a shocked, disbelieving cantabile as Elena barely believes the happiness that she finds herself in. One choral transition later, we find ourselves in a series of three brief variations, steadily growing in excitement for both the heroine and the audience. What is interesting is that again the statements are kept brief (unlike the traditional series of variations) and that the chorus is given an especially large part, not only providing the bass line of the piece, but also participating in the sections between the variations. After the variations, we get a brilliant (and again brief) cabaletta and coda for Elena and the whole chorus. Certainly, a most fitting ending to an excellent work (it's not surprising that the aria was one of the first from the opera to receive any kind of popularity). Frederica von Stade's gentle voice and elegant manner suit the aria and the role, in general, perfectly. Enjoy :).