We had a discussion like this here a while ago. I mentioned that roles like Margaret and Clara in The Light in the Piazza would not present difficulties, at least in terms of high notes, for any mezzo who could sing the major operatic mezzo roles. And the discussion went on from there. (I seem to think that you disputed at least some of what I was saying.) Some mezzos even sing Verdi's Lady Macbeth with its high D flat. And I think that Idamante in Idomeneo, usually sung by mezzos, goes up to something like a high D.
Even some contraltos (not that there many nowadays) would be able to sing most of the famous "Broadway soprano" roles. Marian Anderson and, more recently, Ewa Podles had high Cs at their disposal. And Lili Chookasian, for instance, classified herself as a contralto, but she sang the Verdi Requiem, with its A flat for the mezzo. She also had Amneris in her rep. |
