1.   But he decided that his voice would last longer and remain fresher if he confined himself to the lyric roles of the bel canto repertory.

2.   Raul Gimenez, an Argentine tenor who actually seems to like singing lyric roles, made a Met debut that contained distinct bel canto promise.

3.   The tenor may sing lyric roles or heroic ones, but there is always something to be wrestled with, a territory to be struggled over.

4.   Wisely, Mattila intends to return now and then to the more lyric roles from her repertory to maintain lightness and flexibility in her singing.