Yes, I was thinking of Pinza's demand, and I think he probably didn't have 12 minutes of singing in the show. Yet I think he sings around as much or more than most leads in musicals.
As I've mentioned here a few times over the years, Pinza canceled more often than sometimes. In the first six months of the run, he reportedly missed 50 performances. That's about twice a week. And I think his attendance record for the remaining six months was not any better or at least not much better.
Yes, Eva and Che certainly sing a lot.
I've always heard that Susanna is the longest female role in opera, a fact (presuming it's correct) which surprises people. I once mentioned that to an opera fan, and he was sure that I was wrong. He thought it was ridiculous, that it couldn't possibly be true. I was recently looking at Nilsson's memoir and I think she says that Isolde is the longest. Maybe Isolde is second. I suspect Tristan is the longest male role in opera given how much he sings in the last act. |
