from: Virgin Classics
List Price: $18.98You Pay Only: $14.99 You Save: $3.99 (21%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 5099951436520
Format: Enhanced
Label: Virgin Classics
Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Virgin Classics
Release Date: February 05, 2008
Sales Rank: 3273
Studio: Virgin Classics
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - If the girl didn't send me to the moon......
...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 ... Read More
Rating: - Splendid coloratura work
As I understand it, Natalie Dessay recently underwent surgery for nodes on her vocal chords. Hence, I was quite interested to listen to this CD, to see if this had affected her obvious gifts as a coloratura soprano, one of those high-flying phenomena. I even compared how she sounded here to some of her earlier recordings; for the most part, I don't really hear much of a difference (but my ears are quite untutored).
She reigns as one of the premier coloratura sopranos of the current era. I'm not sure that she ranks with Sumi Jo, but she surely ranks ahead of most others of her species. And her awesome high notes (listen to her in "Fruhlingstimmen," the Strauss waltz; that final note must be G or possible even A above high C? Not quite Mado Robin-esque, but pretty impressive--and musical at the same time). . . . Here is a sampling of cuts from this CD.
"E strano!. . .Sempre libera." This segment from Verdi's "La Traviata" is a wonderful work. She begins this nicely, in "E strano!," an aria sung well and affectingly (from videos that I have seen, she appears to be a good singing actress). How about her performance in the cabaletta, "Sempre libera"? She seems in command of this piece, and her singing is quite satisfactory indeed. There is a bit of harshness here and there, but not a critical problem. A solid high note to close out. Overall, nicely done.
"Vien diletto." If I were to create a collection of my favorite cabalettas from opera, this piece from Bellini's "I ... Read More
Rating:  - Natalie Dessay
I bought this recording to hear the amazing coloratura of Natalie Dessay specifically displayed in stunning bel canto vocal arias from Italian opera.
Rating: - Brilliant Soprano
This is just an outstanding recording. Thankfully, the future of opera is safe with the voice of Ms. Dessay. The lovely DVD of her Lucia "mad scene" is just grand. A noble addition to my library.
Rating: - Impressive
I found the singing very impressive, but not as strong as other female vocalists, time will improve the overall tone.
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