Coloratura Comparison - Mozart: Concert aria K.419 No, che non sei capace, 28 High Es, Live!

This is the third entry in my series comparing sopranos singing a section from the concert arias Mozart concert wrote for Aloysia Weber. She was his primary soprano artistic muse, gifted with one of the most prodigious coloratura soprano voices in history.

K.419 "No, che non sei capace" was composed by Mozart as one of two substitution arias for Aloysia to perform when she was in Vienna singing the role of Clorinda in Anfossi’s opera "Il curioso indiscreto" in 1783. It's a totally obscure opera now; if it attracts any interest at all it is because of Mozart's arias.

K.419 is a relatively short piece (under five minutes long) written in C major. The bold "cold open" bars remind me a bit of the beginning "Martern aller arten" from Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" (also in C major). Scan through YouTube to hear that gripping opening and/or several complete recordings of the aria, because I'm focusing here on the climactic section at the end of the aria (measures 105 to 144). It's an emphatic allegro assai that culminates in a series of vocal volleys back and forth between E5 and High C6, with quick trills spliced in between -- then capped with a quick High E6. I was trying to think of a good metaphor for this sequence of vocal leaps — and I thought it was rather like a soprano coloratura trampoline!

Listen for crisp articulation of the short notes (technically not written as staccato but usually and most effectively performed that way because the tempo is so fast), spot on pitch for the fleet intervals (especially those two High Es), and whether those eight interstitial trills are clearly articulated. And, of course, the soprano should also embody a certain confident panache that makes a display piece like this truly soar.

I believe these are all either live performances or radio transmissions — so no chance for a retake that one one might get in a commercial studio recording.

PS: I wrote in the title of this video that there are 28 High Es (two each for 14 sopranos), but actually there are only 27 High E's because one of these 14 ladies drops one; you'll have to listen to find out who. And then to decide: who sang it best?

14 sopranos presented in alphabetical order:
1. Pierrette Alarie (1921 - 2011) - CBC 1956
2. Erna Berger (1900 - 1990) - Berlin 1947
3. Sabine Devieilhe - Paris 2014
4. Sylvia Greenberg - Salzburg 1984
5. Edita Gruberova - Graz 1991
6. Ingeborg Hallstein - Salzburg 1966
7. Beverly Hoch - Cleveland 1985
8. Magda Nador - Salzburg 1986
9. Elizabeth Parcells (1951 - 2005) - Salzburg 1979
10. Ruth-Margret Pütz (1930 - 2019) - Stuttgart 1959
11. Joan Sutherland (1926 - 2010) - BBC 1956
12. Elisabeth Vidal - Paris 2005
13. Dorothea Wirtz - Salzburg 1984
14. Patricia Wise - Germany circa 1982