Dessay's “Cleopatra”! US: amzn.to/2hXusIP Canada: amzn.to/2ikfRdr Natalie Dessay records Cleopatra's aria "Se pietà di me non senti" from Handel's "Giulio Cesare". Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Le Concert d'Astrée.
I was listening her when I decided to be an opera singer. I was not even able to breath properly but she was touching my heart... Now I'm a graduated opera actress, even won a competition and trying to build a career to myself and she can still touch my heart and make me amazed by her voice.
No words....truly NO WORDS are enough....my goodness....this woman is the very definition of the perfect artist....being so good as to have a voice that has a "mechanical" precision and control is one thing but.....having a "mechanical" precision and control AND adding so much expression and emotion through the voice....is what makes you the ultimate Opera Singer....I thought in 3 years i came to know Mrs. Dessay but....for once more she surprised me...
I fell in love with this aria 45 years ago - but even more now with this wonderful interpretation. Dessay's control and her restrained and nuanced trills and turns are extraordinary. Haim and the orchestra support her with balance. The overall sense of love of the music, without concern for bravura, makes this the best I've heard.
My favorite soprano. Her voice rings as clear as a bell and her tone is just perfect. I could listen to her all day, I love her interpretation of this piece! Thanks for posting!
MrGashden Every one has different taste in music. Everyone has different opinions etc.. It's okay to disagree or hate it but, you should learn to respect someone's preference.
Here she is still with a healthy voice despite two surgeries. if you see her live performances you understand why she worn out, she lived and performed each performance as it is were her final one. Such delicate instrument cannot cope too long with that treatment....but what a wonderful experiences and generosity. Not too many singers can make you cry and feel like she does.
C est un en chantement que d entendre N Dessay, mais aussi, Haendel ce compositeur qui vous emmène a. L apogée de la musique baroque servi par la. Non moin s merveileuse Emmanuelle haim et son sublime orchestre je sais j emploie beaucoup de superlatifs mais c est tellement merite
Utterly sublime! This lady is new to me, another stunning find on you tube. She sings with her entire body, not just the voice but her whole being. Wonderfully expressive, a supreme example of real uninhibited expression in song.
I love her voice but personally I don't think it's very suited to this particular song. For my taste, she is at her best when singing something like Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille (check it out!)
beautiful singing and wonderful Handel...the solo bassoons add so much color to the texture of the aria, specifically the baroque bassoon sound... please listen and enjoy...Handle truly understood coloring of sounds and texture in his writing...
A flawless rendering, IMO. She glides effortlessly through these beautiful melodious Handel passages. An open, in-the-mask, fluid, pearl-like sound that I rarely hear in Handel performances.
Mais, comme c'est beau et prenant. Que d'émotion. Voix magnifique, rare en France. Quel bonheur d'écouter Nathalie Dessay, de vibrer avec elle. Fabuleux.
This was an amazing interpretation of an incredibly difficult aria. Dessay's voice is perfectly suited to this role, and her interpretation is wonderful. That said, no one sings this like Beverly Sills. No one.
Ultimate Soprano ............. her vocal qualities (external movements notwithstanding) just adds to her musical interpretation which IMO stirs any with any modal sensitivity in their souls to tears.
Her voice makes me feel the emotions, this beautiful piece and her incredible voice touch the deepest side of my heart... Many memories come to my mind.
Have you listened to her singing Morgana in Handel's Alcina? This was one of my first encounters with Ms Dessay and that initial impression has never left me; not only her vocal mastery but her natural flair and characterful ways with this role are amazing. Listen to her singing 'Tornami a vagheggiar'; there are two versions available on here at the moment - the live version is enchanting! Enjoy!
I discovered Natalie Dessay on youtube and I became a huge fan since then. I really recommend 'Nuit d'Etoiles' from Debussy, or "Les oiseaux dans la charmilles" that Natalie sings perfectly. The documentary (with english Subs) about her vocal cords operations if quite moving and let us enter in her life, which is I think very intimate and touching. As many comments say, her voice is pure, such a pleasure to listen to. I am so happy I found tickets for her recital in Bordeaux in May 2019, can't wait to witness the performance of my favorite artist !!!
I heard this aria so many times sung by many different, stunning singers including in theatre. The piece itself never fails to touch me thanks to clever Händel. But this redition by Dessay is special! The emotional outpour in the second A part makes me tear up and shiver every time. It's the most genuine interpretation I ever heard. It's like she became Cleo in that moment. Phenomenial.
The Great Dessay. Only in these times would I discover all of these marvelous singers including Miss Dessay. I first heard her on RU-vid playing Morgana in Alcina. Her acting was as gorgeous and charming as her singing.
We are all blessed whenever beautiful people come together and create beautiful music - for beauty do not confuse with mere appearance rather read it as ‘gifted and talented’, therein lies true beauty. √
Simplement superbe. Du grand art : voix juste, et magnifiquement posée sur les notes, respiration massive, fortes émotions,... on ecoute encore et encore... et on en redemande
It's very common for other Baroque singers, too... I see it often with Philippe Jarrousky and other countertenors, so I think it may have to do with intonation (as most period ensembles play about a step lower than modern pitch) but also as you said maintaining a good vibrato in a drier space
Hearing Natalie Dessay is thrilling. She has such a pure, clean, sweet voice. It touches my heart every time I listen to her sing. What a graceful exquisite woman!
I'm not normally a great Handel fan, but this aria is really exquisite and touching. It being sung by the wonderful Natalie Dessay obviously helps :D One could hardly wish for a more beautiful voice.
Though one can hear this is the end of her career.. I personally think the variations are great (quite an achievement, as they are rather daring). With them she gets you rather quickly through this very long aria. With other singers, it sounds like 15 minutes, here it's over as fast as if it were 4.
Magnifique.Emporté totalement tant par la performance de Natalie Dessay que par le Concert d'Astrée. Beaucoup de commentaires quant à ses mouvements... Pouvoir observer, ressentir comment Natalie impulse,vit intérieurement cette musique est une chance. On la sent totalement investie, de corps et de coeur et je préfère bien voir cette spontanéité, ce naturel plutôt qu'une cantatrice engoncée dans dans des codes figés et froids.C'est ici, la vie qui résiste et pleure face à l'ombre de la mort..
Actually, thats how Dessay behaves when NOT on show. When she is recording or rehearsing, she always gesticulates, and very heavily so. When she was asked about it she stated that because of her immense love for acting and because she focuses much more on it rather than music, she has to do these gestures because it makes it easier for her to better feel the music and externalize it. This is how she is used to do it. One can only imagine how hard it is for her to sing in public and restrain it.
@Sbordomus Well, in terms of singing, she's not my absolute favourite, but she is my favourite VOICE...I love her timbre. About her "air swimming"...this is a unique thing she does only when recording...she says it's because she is normally busy acting onstage (and she does get busy!) so she "compensates for the drama" when recording and when she thinks no one's watching...but we are, of course! :) In concert, she's motionless - very few gestures and very elegant. :)
Natalie is amazing. Gesticulating? It's not mere gesticulation, it is emoting with the content of the piece. I admire this in her presentation and find it really interesting. I will never be videoed, but, I sing the same way! So, Ha!
Velazquez2011 Thank you for taking the time to recommend some of your favorite arias from Natalie Dessay for me.I promise to place them all in my favorites and listen to them at least several times each as I realize that many of the truly great songs have a depth that cannot always be appreciated with minimal listening. Thanks, Kurt
