Never forget the character. Don t go down with your mind, just your sound. No more flat if you think high. If you don t give space to the top you squeeze the sound so small it goes sharp. It s all about putting the voice in the masque.
Bel canto is all in shape, good legato, perfect pitch and color.
The first part is a conversation. Then you have sort of an aria and then sort of a cabaletto. Spirto gentil You have to sing Puccini the same way you sing bel canto. We have to build with nice character and then go to the angry characters. With a good technique you should be able to sing for 6 hours and feel fine the next day.