THE SONGBIRD: Mieko Sato (佐藤美枝子) graduated from the Musashino Academy of Music in Tokyo. then continued her opera studies in Italy. Her operatic debut came in 1995 as Gilda in Rome. In 1998 she received international attention as the first Japanese singer to win first prize in the voice division of the International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1999, she made her debut in Tokyo as Micaela. Sato sang Lucia and Gilda at the Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria in 2003. Additional appearances in Japan have included Lucia, Konstanze, Norina, Mimi, and Poulenc's “La Voix Humaine.” Sato is a professor at Musashino Academy of Music and a member of the Fujiwara Opera Company. THE MUSIC: Verdi's "Rigoletto" is a true operatic masterpiece and one of the most performed and recorded works in history. Its premiere in Venice in 1851 was a triumph with the public -- some critics at the time felt the plot was too dark and the music too tuneful, but simply put, they were wrong; "Rigoletto" has never faded from the core repertoire in 170+ years. The opera contains many watershed innovations in plot and character, musical structure, and orchestration. Gilda's aria "Caro nome che il mio cor" is one example as there were really no arias prior to it that had its unusual structure, inventive blend of rhythm and melody, and shimmering orchestration, all elements that Verdi combined to effectively convey the breathless innocence of the naive young woman's first infatuation. The score as written tops out at a High C#, but it has become fairly standard practice for sopranos to insert a short cadenza with a staccato volley to a High D#.

• published: 06 Jul 2024
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