I just want to say that, while "Puccini almost always handled this better," there is a long history of composers, great or mediocre like Cilea, giving characters big arias almost immediately. Most(in?)famous perhaps is Verdi, who definitely knew better, giving the tenor "Celeste Aida," a much more difficult piece of music than anyone in ADRIANA has to sing, virtually immediately at the opening of the opera.
And Adriana herself still has "Poveri fiori," a VERY big number, waiting for her in the final act. |
