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At the Paris Opéra in early 2011, Natalie Dessay takes on a new starring role: Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, now the most popular of all the composer’s stage works. The many facets of the Egyptian queen – captured by Shakespeare in the phrase “infinite variety” – are depicted in a sequence of contrasting arias, both lyrical and brilliant, making the character a superb showcase for the French soprano’s talents as a singing actress.
Conducting the impressive cast and the period-instrument orchestra Le Concert d'Astrée at the Opéra – and on this new recording of excerpts from Giulio Cesare – is Emmanuelle Haïm, who first collaborated with Dessay in the late 1990s; both artists were involved in a Paris production of Handel’s Alcina, Haïm as répétiteur (for William Christie) and Dessay in the sparkling role of Morgana. Since then, the two have developed a close working relationship which has produced a number of Virgin Classics recordings, including several works by Handel: cantatas (in a collection called Delirio), the Dixit Dominus and the oratorio Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Desinganno, a recording which left the French magazine Diapason “looking forward to Emmanuelle Haïm’s next exciting Handelian adventure."
Conducting the impressive cast and the period-instrument orchestra Le Concert d'Astrée at the Opéra – and on this new recording of excerpts from Giulio Cesare – is Emmanuelle Haïm, who first collaborated with Dessay in the late 1990s; both artists were involved in a Paris production of Handel’s Alcina, Haïm as répétiteur (for William Christie) and Dessay in the sparkling role of Morgana. Since then, the two have developed a close working relationship which has produced a number of Virgin Classics recordings, including several works by Handel: cantatas (in a collection called Delirio), the Dixit Dominus and the oratorio Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Desinganno, a recording which left the French magazine Diapason “looking forward to Emmanuelle Haïm’s next exciting Handelian adventure."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Natalie Dessay is one of great delights of the opera world today and her recordings have all been excellent. This however ,in my opinion , is her best disc to date. Her voice is so suited to the music. My only hope is that if a production of Giulio Cesare comes to Royal Opera House they cast Natalie Dessay . The conductor (Emmanuelle Haïm) and Orchestra (Le Concert d'Astrée) bring the music alive. This disc is 65 minutes of sheer joy.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a lovely disc from Natalie Dessay. She is a marvellous singer with a truly beautiful voice and I think she uses it to excellent effect here. The disc is devoted to arias and duets by Cleopatra from Giulio Cesare, introduced by the overture and with two vigorous Sinfonias interspersed. It also includes some arias which Handel wrote and then discarded in favour of others for a different dramatic effect, but which are very well worth hearing.
Dessay sings with real emotion and feeling in every piece. She meets the huge technical challenges of Handel's music and the extraordinary ornamentation with an apparently effortless virtuosity and I found her range of powerful passion, tragic lament and sweet meditation all very convincing. Coupled with the very fine playing of Le Concert d'Astrée under Emannuelle Haim and excellent recorded sound the effect is consistently engaging and really magical in places.
I suspect your response to this programming will depend on your attitude to opera on disc. I understand and respect the view of many that operas should be heard in their entirety but personally, although I love to see full productions of operas, I often find them quite hard going on disc and very much enjoy programmes of selections like this. If you share my view, I am sure you will enjoy this disc as much as I do. Very warmly recommended.
Dessay sings with real emotion and feeling in every piece. She meets the huge technical challenges of Handel's music and the extraordinary ornamentation with an apparently effortless virtuosity and I found her range of powerful passion, tragic lament and sweet meditation all very convincing. Coupled with the very fine playing of Le Concert d'Astrée under Emannuelle Haim and excellent recorded sound the effect is consistently engaging and really magical in places.
I suspect your response to this programming will depend on your attitude to opera on disc. I understand and respect the view of many that operas should be heard in their entirety but personally, although I love to see full productions of operas, I often find them quite hard going on disc and very much enjoy programmes of selections like this. If you share my view, I am sure you will enjoy this disc as much as I do. Very warmly recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Fabulous stuff from Natalie Dessay
17 Mar 2011
Format:Audio CD
This is a lovely disc from Natalie Dessay. She is a marvellous singer with a truly beautiful voice and I think she uses it to excellent effect here. The disc is devoted to arias and duets by Cleopatra from Giulio Cesare, introduced by the overture and with two vigorous Sinfonias interspersed. It also includes some arias which Handel wrote and then discarded in favour of others for a different dramatic effect, but which are very well worth hearing.
Dessay sings with real emotion and feeling in every piece. She meets the huge technical challenges of Handel's music and the extraordinary ornamentation with an apparently effortless virtuosity and I found her range of powerful passion, tragic lament and sweet meditation all very convincing. Coupled with the very fine playing of Le Concert d'Astrée under Emannuelle Haim and excellent recorded sound the effect is consistently engaging and really magical in places.
I suspect your response to this programming will depend on your attitude to opera on disc. I understand and respect the view of many that operas should be heard in their entirety but personally, although I love to see full productions of operas, I often find them quite hard going on disc and very much enjoy programmes of selections like this. If you share my view, I am sure you will enjoy this disc as much as I do. Very warmly recommended.
Dessay sings with real emotion and feeling in every piece. She meets the huge technical challenges of Handel's music and the extraordinary ornamentation with an apparently effortless virtuosity and I found her range of powerful passion, tragic lament and sweet meditation all very convincing. Coupled with the very fine playing of Le Concert d'Astrée under Emannuelle Haim and excellent recorded sound the effect is consistently engaging and really magical in places.
I suspect your response to this programming will depend on your attitude to opera on disc. I understand and respect the view of many that operas should be heard in their entirety but personally, although I love to see full productions of operas, I often find them quite hard going on disc and very much enjoy programmes of selections like this. If you share my view, I am sure you will enjoy this disc as much as I do. Very warmly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Superb
18 Mar 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this about a month ago and have been listening to is consistently since then. It is, simply, delightful. Dessay's voice is so lovely, so limpid, yet so brilliant at the same time that she makes a perfect Cleopatra. In my experience, only Beverly Sills equals her and Sills did not record all of the arias. Dessay's ornamentation is especially unique and wonderful, suprising and satisfying.
I suppose my only criticisms of the album are that Haim's conducting is a bit fast and hectic at times and that "Non disperar", Cleopatra's taunting aria sung to her brother Tolomeo (which does so much to establish her character at her first entrance) is not included.
I suppose my only criticisms of the album are that Haim's conducting is a bit fast and hectic at times and that "Non disperar", Cleopatra's taunting aria sung to her brother Tolomeo (which does so much to establish her character at her first entrance) is not included.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Emmanuelle Haïm and Natalie Dessay present Cleopatra
19 Nov 2011
Format:Audio CD
Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt, HWV 17), commonly known simply as Giulio Cesare, is an Italian opera in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym who used earlier libretto by Giacomo Francesco Bussani set in music by Antonio Sartorio (1676). The opera has gained considerable stage presence in the past few decades, primarily due to the popularity of Beverly Sills in her heyday at the New York City Opera who brought this wonderful opera to the attention of the general public as a work of great musical beauty but also one of fine dramatic impact.
That French conductor and harpsichordist Emmanuelle Haïm is at the helm for this recording of all of Cleopatra's arias and duets from this opera guarantees that the recording will be successful. She has become on of the most important conductors of Baroque music, a position recently supported by her brilliant debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an all Handel evening. She gives this score the lilt and the underscoring drama that it needs to convince the listener. Natalie Dessay is a long time collaborator with Emmanuelle Haïm and the experience with each other shows here. Dessay is one of the most appealing and poetic and vocally gifted singers of the Baroque and beyond. She seems as though on stage she would be the perfect Cleopatra. Here she delivers her assignments with complete ease - at times too complete ease in that the inherent drama in her arias tends to a bit hampered with the same sound production; the various temperaments of the infamous Cleopatra meld instead of standing as individual moments. But in all the recording is a rewarding experience and should Dessay and Haïm perform this opera on stage the physical presence and innate drama of both of these great artists would likely be brilliant.
We can hope that Emmanuelle Haïm and her ensemble Le Concert d'Astrée will elect to record other of Handel's operas with the new young and immensely gifted Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva. THAT would be an experience that would be dazzling! Grady Harp, November 11
That French conductor and harpsichordist Emmanuelle Haïm is at the helm for this recording of all of Cleopatra's arias and duets from this opera guarantees that the recording will be successful. She has become on of the most important conductors of Baroque music, a position recently supported by her brilliant debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an all Handel evening. She gives this score the lilt and the underscoring drama that it needs to convince the listener. Natalie Dessay is a long time collaborator with Emmanuelle Haïm and the experience with each other shows here. Dessay is one of the most appealing and poetic and vocally gifted singers of the Baroque and beyond. She seems as though on stage she would be the perfect Cleopatra. Here she delivers her assignments with complete ease - at times too complete ease in that the inherent drama in her arias tends to a bit hampered with the same sound production; the various temperaments of the infamous Cleopatra meld instead of standing as individual moments. But in all the recording is a rewarding experience and should Dessay and Haïm perform this opera on stage the physical presence and innate drama of both of these great artists would likely be brilliant.
We can hope that Emmanuelle Haïm and her ensemble Le Concert d'Astrée will elect to record other of Handel's operas with the new young and immensely gifted Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva. THAT would be an experience that would be dazzling! Grady Harp, November 11
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