the cher public decides
La Cieca just listened to this new recording of Alcina starring Joyce DiDonato and Maite Beaumont. She’s not going to speak up immediately about her reactions, but will open the floor to discussion.
(If you can’t see the amazon mp3 player above, please click here
I saw Frau Kermes a couple of years ago at BAM, when they always had baroque opera in their schedule. Can’t remember if it was Handel or Monteverdi, but I remember HER. Great visual and vocal presence at the time, Diamanda Galas, Ute Lemper, very German expressionism. That G&BG thing above was, uhm, interesting. Love the shoes.
Chenoweth has always struck me as a little too convinced of her own cuteness, or perhaps not convinced enough given how she oversells it. I like some of Dessay’s takes on youtube, though she, too, gilds the occasional lily. And, well, Anderson. So I’ve just gone and blown any cred on the issue. I just think Anderson gets that camp can’t be self-conscious and turns into kitsch if you lay it on too thick.
Dawn Upshaw is a little too precious for me in everything she sings. Judy Kuhn could sing it, but I don’t know if she ever did.
Yay to Shawn Johnson… you rocked the final last night.
Upshaw is well-nigh intolerable in my book. Her point-making is so blatant and that little ‘whoopsy’ thing she does with her notes makes me want to strangle her.
Apart from that, I love her singing.
Shouldn’t someone called Shawn be a boy, Sanford?
When I saw the headline “Shawn Johnson and partner Mark Ballas win ‘Dancing with the Stars’” I wondered whether America had made another leap forward …
That dreadful Bernstein ditty surely belongs exclusively to Our Own Marilyn Hill Smith, who did not neglect light opera.
Regarding Kermes: I had the pleasure to see her perform live quite often, doing Konstanze, Anne Truelove, Lucia (!!!), Alcina and other things. I can assure you: Never boring. On good evenings she is in great technical shape, the “agitata”-liveclip is clearly a off-night-document. On german television there was a live performance of Händels “Saul” where she hat a Janet-Jackson-Accident with her dress – nice….
I’ve had this since it was first available for download on the Deutshe Grammophon’s online store a couple months ago. I find things to love about all the major recordings of Alcina. The live Sutherland/Wunderlich has Joan in fine voice, accurate, good diction, little/no swooping (also little/no ornaments on da capos though). The Bonynge recording is worth having for Berganza alone (Freni and Alva are definite pluses too). The Hickox set features the best Bradamante in Kuhlmann. I find myself returning to the Hickox set primarily for Della Jones’ Ruggiero… firm yet lovingly phrased. Auger is impeccable but perhaps a touch less than thrilling in the role for my taste. The Christie recording is fun in many ways. I find Fleming wonderfully inappropriate in her mannerisms and utter recomposition on da capos. Dessay is exciting in Tornami but I find her sudden diminuendos mannered and distracting in the slow arias. Susan Graham is lovely yet totally uninteresting as Ruggiero.
This new Curtis set is for me the most vocally consistent set now available. Gauvin became one of my favorite Handel sopranos when I heard her on Curtis’ Tolomeo set. Clear, warm and wonderfully phrased, hers is my favorite Morgana on record. Her decorations on Tornami are unusually restrained and tasteful, respecting the melody rather than turning the aria into an opportunistic showpiece. But I find myself returning to her slow arias more often… pieces which I had often skipped over on repeated listenings to older recordings. Beaumont continues a tradition of fine Ruggieros and in many ways stands equal to Della Jones and Berganza. Prina takes second place by a hair to Hickox’ Kuhlmann. Kobie van Rensburg is the finest Oronte on disc, finally making these arias interesting and worth repeat listenings.
Di Donato is for me ideal as Alcina. She combines the poise and line of Auger with the thrillingness and color of Fleming. I love a light mezzo in many of Handel’s soprano roles. My favorite Cleopatras on disc are Troyanos and Kozena.
Speaking of which, I’d love to see this cast and conductor finally give us a vocally consistent recording of Giulio Cesare. Di Donato as Cesare, Gauvin as Cleopatra, and may I suggest Ann Hallenberg for Sesto please.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yk9YZfqay0
Ok, I can’t leave the GandBG discussion alone…I think this is officially worse than Kerms, IMO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chofHEQNgTM
I love the concept, but the singing bugs me. I think it’s because most of the top notes are out of tune. It’s Anna Christy, I think. I do actually think it’s pretty funny though, and right dramatically. I mean, Cundegonde is nothing if not a narcissist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNoNDJOAq4s
Then there’s this doozie in which she sings notes I am pretty sure I have never seen in the score.
If any one is still interested in discussing Alcina, which I love, I am wondering if anyone is familiar with the set conducted by Bolton. I would love to have them all for comparisons sake, but for now I think that i will have to stick with my Christie since I got it for free.