Adolph Adam (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) - Le toreadeur - “Ah! vous dirais-je, maman“ (Miliza Korjus)

The Theme and Variations form is one of the few things that admirers of coloratura singing can enjoy endlessly. They are always great fun, though some may remark that they lack dramatic effect. Well, it’s true to some extent, but do they have to be dramatic? The variations are usually a great way for a singer to show off what they can do and that’s really about it. Still, I can think of many variations that are more than just pretty singing: what about Desdemona’s beautiful “Willow song“ from Rossini’s “Othello“, which are, in fact, a set of very difficult variations; or Armida’s florid outburst “D’Amore al dolce impero“, again from Rossini; or the wonderful final set of variations Donizetti provided for many of his primadonnas at the end of their rondos (okay, not all of them, but still :-)). The following three recording are version of the famous “Ah! vous dirais-je, maman“ Adam (or, more accurately, by Mozart, who wrote a set of theme and