Practicing tonight

So here's my first post of thoughts on being a baritone. Tonight I was practicing. The collection of songs was a little strange given, but I think some of it deserves attention. I started out with a gorgeous aria from Verdi's Attila. No, I'm not ready for the role of Ezio by any means, but the aria is really fun to sing. "Dagl'immortali vertici" is the name of the aria. It seems that no one records this aria. However, everyone LOVES the cabaletta that follows "E gettata la mia sorte" which is famous for the stunning ending which allows true Verdi baritones with a little courage and a whole lot of voice to throw in a huge high Bb and send the audience into a frenzy. Personally, I would probably completely kill the note, however baritones like Piero Cappuccilli and Sherrill Milnes have done it to great effect. But, back to the understated aria. I find it a great tool for learning how to ease up into a high F. This has always been a real issue for me to work through when I'm singing heavy operatic music. Granted, I don't have a terrible time hitting the high Fs in Trial by Jury that the Judge sings (a role which I am currently learning and will sing in the summer). However, there comes a time when a baritone must be able to sing a solid F, so I must prepare. There is a line which slides right up from an Eb up to an F on the word cadavere. When I first picked up this song, I thought, "That's not going to happen!" Much to my surprise, I got to the line and it worked up somewhat easily into that dreaded passaggio. With a little bit of vowel modification (always a must for a baritone in that range), it just got easier and easier. It always makes me happy when I can sing something and it just works, I think that everyone enjoys having that happen. Tonight witnessed a pretty good practice of that piece.
Now for a piece or two that definitely did not work very well. Both come from Mark Adamo's Little Women. Of course, this should be the first indication that something might just be wrong. First, IT'S MARK ADAMO and that means that there will be some really modern elements in the music. Examples: free meter, adding beats when there need to be more, and using eastern scales. Second, because it's a modern opera the baritones will sing with post Verdian influences such as being expected to sing up in the range of F and G for extended periods of time. After Verdi changed the baritone voice, composers seemed to think it acceptable to just go as high as they want for as long as they want. Something is wrong when a Marc Adamo baritone is singing in pretty much the same range as a Mozartian tenor. So, just in case any young baritone is reading this post, don't try to sing "There was a knight once" or "Kennst du das Land" unless you really have the technique up there.
I think that I've ranted long enough. I still love being a baritone, so frustration has not persuaded me against it yet. I'll continue to progress and ultimately live my life "Being a Baritone".