These are some of the most gorgeous bars in this aria, yet for a tenor, they can seem uncomfortably long.Make sure it gets a proper vowel, and proper sound. The last piece of the puzzle: double check your intonation on the F-natural, coming down from the A-flat. The subsequent leap from B-flat to A-flat on “wie dies Götterbild” is similar to the top of the aria don’t be afraid to really sing the B-flats, with a long vowel on “dies” to help you up high. Make them different, and give yourself a reason for the difference besides a change in dynamic. There are a few points in this aria where fragments of text are immediately repeated, like these two “Ich fühl es” lines.

There’s flexibility written in, and the sixteenth notes are really just approximations of the natural flow of German (or English). Once the first interval is out of the way, enjoy a bit of freedom in the rhythm of these first few bars. Resist the urge to separate these first two notes, and try to use them as one unit. These pitches are definitely not in the same “spot” of your voice, but sound tends to feed sound, meaning breath feeds breath.

This can be an intimidating first phrase, but be brave, tenors! Give yourself a good, spun sound on the “Dies” pick-up, and stick with that sound to help you rise up to the G of “Bildnis”.

Along with your teachers and coaches, we can help with some tricky corners of this aria, and even get you confident about adding it to your audition package. It’s an aria about love at first sight, about idealism, and about proving that music can be difficult to sing even if there are no B-flats or crazy coloratura. Aria Guides: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön How-To Jenna Simeonov Next up for our Aria Guides: the tenor’s favourite scary aria, “Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön” from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.

Dies bildnis ist bezaubernd schon noten