Italian Opera Arias [Includes DVD]
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Free Music Notes for Italian Opera Arias [Includes DVD]
Free Music Review: Vive la Diva
Hit: 5 Stars
Mme Dessay unveils a superb collection of chefs d'oeuvre for the soprano voice in the disc: Italian Opera Arias (EMI 50999 5 14365 2 0 and purchased through Amazon). As an opera aficionado of relatively recent standing I found both moving and thrilling her realizations of character in arias from I puritani and Maria Stuarda (tracks 3-8) which were unfamiliar to me alongside repertoire standards such as 'E strano!' and 'Ardon gli incensi' (tracks 1-2 and 12-15). Mme Dessay delights the jaded palate by the charm of fresh vocal readings, in 'Caro nome' (track 9) for example and all 73 minutes of the disc showcase sensitive, warmly calibrated interpretations with her crystalline timbre and perceptive musicianship. The opportunity to see her in a live recording of the Met's lauded 2007 Lucia di Lammermoor on the bonus DVD will be an inestimable boon for her fans, bel canto newbies or Met-veterans alike.Free Music Review: Brava Desay
Hit: 5 Stars
All the selections are fabulous. However, the mad scene from Lucia is special. First listen to it from the CD THEN watch the DVD. On a scale of 1 to 10, you give the CD version a 10. But then you have to give the DVD version a 15 based on her acting as well as her singing.Free Music Review: Mad Scene triumph
Hit: 5 Stars
My wife and I saw Ms.Dessay perform Lucia at the Paris Opera in a non-traditional production. We thought it was fabulous, but the DVD of her performance at the Met in a traditional staging may be even better. Although there are a few misses in her singing,the overall effect leaves you in tears. The combination of acting-and I have seen Dame Joan, Lily Pons, Anna Moffo and Maria Callas in person-and singing is unbeatable. I do hope this production is released in its entirety. I enjoyed the CD but the DVD is the reason to buy this product. Free Music Review: full stars all the way!
Hit: 5 Stars
A must have! That's all one has to say about this! Well done Natalie. We move with you...a true actor-singer synthesis who is also very precise musically and correct in technique! Brava! Free Music Review: If the girl didn't send me to the moon......
Hit: 4 Stars
...she never made me cringe, either. Callas made me cringe. Often...OK, that's not really fair...Miss Dessay is of the lyric/coloratura mold; Callas fit more in the lyrico-spinto niche. This is a well presented program of lyric and bel canto staples [and some not so staple]....it fits Miss Dessay to a T. Her upper, and middle, notes are her strong points..."always play to your strength" is a good lesson anywhere.
My favorite cuts were the first and last...Violetta's "sempre libra", an ode to hedonism if there ever was one, is superb. And Lucia's Mad Scene rocks. Rocks? Poor word, but...? OK...chilling. I have heard better renditions of "caro nome", but she sure got the job done.
Opera is bad for trotting out records, and comparing. Unfortunate. Unavoidable. Natalie is a very wonderful singer. Anna Nebtreko, and Bidu Sayao, send me off into outer space...but, even though they share roles, they are not true comparisons. Joan Sutherland? You can be very good, and still not be as good as the greatest ever. Natalie must sing Lucia to folks who heard Sutherland...unfair, but that's opera. Callas? Well, I'm not one of her fans. [No comparisons allowed with Ponselle and Flagstad; they were unique one-time gifts from God].
This is a very well-done, well-selected, album. Miss Dessay is a truly wonderful singer...bet you'll like her.
ADDENDUM...after watching the DVD...it's easy to say "yes, but I heard Sutherland..."; OK....well....but I saw Dessay. Absolutely fabulous. Dame Joan is a voice for all eternity, but Lucia is weak, wounded, and pathetic. Those are not words to describe some Lucia's, and certainly not Sutherland, but Natalie makes you believe it. Five Stars for the video.