Géraldine Casey shines in Giunia's incredible aria of desperation

THE SONGBIRD: French soprano Géraldine Casey started singing at the age of 16 and obtained her diploma from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where she studied with sopranos Caroline Dumas and Anne-Marie Rodde. After her stage debut as Marzelline at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, she sang the Queen of the Night and Gilda at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Other opera roles have included Blonde, Konstanze, Mme. Herz, Sandrina, Giunia, Elisa, Adele, Cunegonde, Leila, Rosina, and Rita. Casey sang Berenice ("L’occasione fa il ladro") at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and Le Feu/Princesse/Rossignol in Avignon. Additionally, she has many oratorio, recital, and frequent operetta engagements to her credit.

THE MUSIC: Mozart composed "Lucio Silla" K.132 when he was 16 years old; the opera seria premiered in Milan in December 1772 to moderate success. The cast calls for four sopranos (one as a castrato) and two tenors. Mozart composed the role of Giunia for the soprano virtuosa Anna de Amicis (1733 - 1816), who he had met in Mainz in 1763 and who impressed him immeasurably. There are a few references to her in Mozart's letters ("De Amicis sings incomparably") and his father's ("She sings and acts like an angel"). Giunia has four demanding arias of differing emotional colors, one of which is a desperate allegro "Parto, m'affretto" with some very tricky coloratura figures and complex rhythms.

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