jj meets “fille”
After Natalie Dessay‘s second act aria in La Fille du Régiment, the Metropolitan Opera audience just didn’t want to stop applauding — that’s how much fun they were having. Finally the soprano had to shush them so this new production of the Donizetti comic opera (heard April 21) could rollick to its triumphant conclusion.
Our Own JJ reviews the rollicking in the current issue of Gay City News.
Just listening to Entfuehrung from the Met. Damrau has a superb technique and is a refined artist, but does anyone find the voice itself beautiful?
Live it has a distinctively brilliant, bright sheen which can border on the metallic, but when filed down, it can be quite beautiful.
I have to say she sounds quite wiry and shrill over a mic.
In fact Alexandra Kurzak, the Blonde, has a voice that sounds fuller and more appealing (though not exactly seductive either …) That being said, there is some nice soft singing from Damrau at present. Enough of the live commentary from me!
As usual, LC gives us a well-balanced and insightful review — much higher in quality than ones found in the NYT.
Re: Norman
It’s shame. I always imagined that she’d be able to give lieder recitals well into her 60s but the voice seems to be troubled. If she can’t stay on pitch in her mid-register (as has been reported) than there’s really not much hope left. She was my first diva and I will always treasure her performances of roles like Sieglinde, Ariadane, Cassandre and Didon. A friend of mine told me that he always found her to be a remarkable talent who didn’t quite fit in any category until she sang Berlioz. Then, an entire world seemed to open up. I think she could have been a fabulous Ortrud but she never took on the role.
Damrau is a remarkable singer without a remarkable timbre.
Damrau is a bit like Dessay in that case, kashania. They both very glary at certain points in the voice.
What aria did Palmer “Sing” on the broadcast. I was laughing too hard and I couldn’t tell.
I thought that Damrau totally conquered “Marten aller Arten”. Brava!
I thought the audience response was really weak……sad indeed!