The history of female singers performing the roles of male singers, known as ‘trouser’ roles, in opera, goes back hundreds of years, but did you know that in recent years they have made a comeback? In Osvaldo Golijov’s 2003 opera Ainadamar, the supporting role of the poet and playwright Federico García Lorca is performed by a mezzo-soprano. In honour of Ainadamar’s first performance by Welsh National Opera in Autumn 2023, let’s explore some of the greatest trouser roles in the repertoire.
Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro
Cherubino from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is perhaps the best-known trouser role in the whole operatic repertoire. Performed by a mezzo-soprano and based on the character in Beaumarchais’s 1778 play, Cherubino is the teenage page boy of Count Almaviva who is exceptionally keen on women.
Voi che sapete (Tell me what love is) is Cherubino’s famous aria and can be heard during Act Two. Encouraged by Susanna, he sings a song that he himself composed for the Countess, revealing his romantic feelings for her.
Octavian, Der Rosenkavalier
Richard Strauss’s 1911 opera Der Rosenkavalier features Count Octavian Rofrano, a 17-year-old boy (sung by a mezzo-soprano) who is the lover of the aristocratic and much older Marschallin. Disguised as the chambermaid, Octavian becomes the Rosenkavalier (the ‘Knight of the Rose’) of Baron Ochs and delivers the traditional silver engagement rose to his betrothed, Sophie. Octavian instantly falls for Sophie upon meeting her.
The opera’s opening aria is Octavian’s Wie du warst! (How you have been!), where he sings of his great love and attraction to the Marschallin.
Hansel, Hansel and Gretel
In Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Hansel is sung by a mezzo-soprano. Sent into the woods by their mother, Hansel and Gretel lose their way and discover a gingerbread house. A Witch lures them inside and traps them, deciding to fatten up Hansel to eat him. Thankfully, Gretel breaks the Witch’s spell and sets Hansel free, the children pushing the Witch in the oven where she perishes.
Hansel sings Der Abendsegen (The Evening Prayer) with his sister Gretel in the wood, when they are lost and about to go to sleep. The serene and peaceful aria is one of the most famous musical moments in the whole operatic repertoire.
Lorca, Ainadamar
Osvaldo Golijov’s contemporary opera Ainadamar centres on the killing of the legendary poet and playwright Federico García Lorca. Sung in Spanish, it recounts his friendship with the actress Margarita Xirgu, and her desperate pleading to get him to escape Spain before the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.
A key moment for Lorca happens during the middle of the opera, when he sings about his desire to stay in Granada despite the war in order to document the struggle of his people. Quiero cantar entre las explosions (I want to sing amidst the explosions) is Lorca’s powerful defiance of Margarita, the mezzo-soprano singing his part pushed to the limits of their range and expression.
To see a modern-day take on a trouser role in action, experience WNO’s sizzling production of Ainadamar during the Autumn 2023 Season.