gifted soprano Margherita Raimondi, and was left with six hungry
mouths to feed. Every new pupil is thus warmly welcomed to his
classes, and he is soon delighted to discover Anna’s above-average
talent. Plenty of parents, convinced they have a child prodigy, send
the child to him and he spends years giving them lessons, to
absolutely no effect. What a waste of his time!
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni, Zuane to his friends, hits it off with
Anna straightaway. Her sparkling demeanour and unbridled
dedication reminds him of his first, long ago encounter with his
wife. Margherita was just fifteen, the same age as Anna is now,
when Zuane heard her sing at the theatre of San Salvatore. It makes
him feel old.
Is it the memory of his wife, and her talent? Or is Anna’s
mere presence enough to awaken his enthusiasm? She is a pretty
girl and her physique betrays the full beauty of the woman she will
soon become. She has the most wonderful eyes, superb lips and
perfect teeth. Her skin is flatteringly light compared to that of
Venetian women. I have a role for you, he decides, judiciously
burying his daydream. At last, and sooner than she had expected,
Anna finds herself in the theatre of San Moise, making her Venetian
debut in Albinoni’s opera ‘Laodice’.
‘She’s still not ready for it,’ is Antonio’s critical verdict after the
performance. Going by the bravos and loud applause, the audience
disagrees. Anna looks stunning and has given her all. But nobody
at the back of the hall has been able to hear her. Antonio decides
not to share his opinion with Paolina, and congratulates Anna on
her debut. She sits in her dressing-room, accepting gratitude and
gifts as if to the manner born. The same young men who after any
other performance can’t wait to get back to the gaming tables,
stand patiently in line to pay their respects to the captivating young
singer. Anna lets them wait. As far as she is concerned, all of this
is just the start.
The winter does its worst. A bitter wind rakes the streets clean, and
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249-304 Chapter 6.indd 288 22-11-2007 14:11:39
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