Edda Moser brings vocal heat to Aspasia's tragic poison aria

THE SONGBIRD: Edda Moser was born in Berlin in 1938, the daughter of musicologist Hans Joachim Moser. She studied at the Stern Conservatory and made her debut as Kate Pinkerton in Berlin in 1962. After singing in the Würzburg Opera Chorus, she took principal roles at the opera houses in Hagen, Bielefeld, Hamburg, and Frankfurt. Moser joined the Vienna State Opera in 1971, debuting as Konstanze. She made her U.S. debut in 1968 in "Das Rheingold" at The Met. Other roles there over nine seasons included Donna Anna, Queen of the Night, Konstanze, Armida, Nedda, Musetta, and Liù. THE MUSIC: Mozart wrote his first opera seria "Mitridate, re di Ponto" K.87 in 1770 when he was 14 years old; it premiered in Milan late that same year. The opera's cast calls for four sopranos, one alto, and two tenors -- three of those roles (Sifare, Arbate, and Farnace) were originally written for castrati. The plot is loaded with interwoven political and amorous rivalries and complications. The leading soprano role is Aspasia, who is pledged to marry Mitridate (the King and the lead tenor) while being romantically pursued by Farnace (a general and an alto) -- meanwhile she is in love with Farnace's brother Sifare (another soprano). Aspasia's final solo section is the an accompanied recitative, cavatina, and aria after Mitridate’s servant has given her a cup of poison to drink and she prepares to commit suicide. (Spoiler alert: she is stopped in time by Sifare). The role was written for Antonia Bernasconi, a noted prima donna of the era who was the stepdaughter of the Kapellmeister of the court at Munich.