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Track Listings
| 1. Der Hölle Rache |
| 2. Recitativo: Vanne t'affreta... |
| 3. Aria: Ah se il crudel periglio |
| 4. Aria: Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben |
| 5. Aria: Tiger! Wetze nur die Klauen |
| 6. Aria: Dal tuo gentil sembiante |
| 7. Recitativ: Welcher Wechsel... |
| 8. Aria: Traurigkeit ward mir zum Lose |
| 9. Aria: Martern aller Arten |
| 10. Recitativo: Solitudini amiche |
| 11. Aria: Zeffiretti lusinghieri |
| 12. Arie: O zitt're nicht (from Die Zauberflöte K620) |
Product Description
BBC Music Magazine
Sopranos in Mozart's day were expected to move easily between roles we would now label soubrette, lyric or coloratura. Today specialisation rules; and it is hard to think of any present-day soprano who could embrace the contrasting demands of these Mozart heroines as completely as Natalie Dessay. The evenness, agility and diamantine precision of her coloratura are phenomenal. But she never relies merely on technical virtuosity. Dessay brings a hard, imperious edge to the Queen of the Night's arias - with a real glint of venom in 'Der Hölle Rache' - and an easy elegance to the coloratura showpiece in the teenage serenata Ascanio in Alba. At the other end of the spectrum she sings Pamina's 'Ach, ich fuhl's' as an intensely private, almost dazed expression of grief, veiling her naturally bright tone. Equally memorable are the two arias from the unfinished Zaide, the minuet-lullaby 'Ruhe sanft' shaped with exquisite tenderness (and immaculate poise in those cruel octave leaps), the G minor 'Tiger!' provoking Dessay to furious indignation. And she rises magnificently to the challenge of Konstanze's solos in the Entfuhrung arias, suggesting passion as well as desperation in 'Traurigkeit', and in 'Martern aller Arten' compensating for any lack of vocal weight with the sheer spirit and jewelled brilliance of her singing. The contribution of the OAE, if longer on energy than poetry, is lithe and keen-edged, with splendidly rasping horns in the more vehement numbers. 'Taste', 'Fire', 'Flexibility', 'Sweetness', 'Grace of Execution' - these were the qualities especially prized in singers of Mozart's day. On this showing Dessay, like Lucia Popp before her, has them all.
Performance *****
Sound *****
© BBC Music Magazine 2001
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dessay delivers,
By Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Natalie Dessay ~ Mozart Heroines (Audio CD)
In this collection, Natalie Dessay delivers exactly the splendid coloratura ornamentation that the listener will hope for. Some have criticized her performance of the more lyrical pieces, like the Pamina and Konstanza arias, complaining that her voice is rather light and lacking somewhat in the lower ranges. I simply did not find that a problem. It may not be quite what you are used to but, if you are open to it, it's a joy to listen to. Her genius in the Lucio Silla aria, and in the Fawn's aria from Ascanio, which demand just her style of virtuosity, is unquestionable. You must listen to this CD, just for them. The orchestra, under the direction of Louis Langree, is superb throughout -- never intrusive or overwhelming, always supportive. A good collection, including some lesser-known arias, this is highly recommended.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshingly attractive,
By nikdontas@yahoo.co.uk (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Natalie Dessay ~ Mozart Heroines (Audio CD)
In an interview in "Le Monde de la Musique" magazine, refering to this recording Dessay explained among other things, how she recorded the extremely difficult "Lucio Silla" aria, in parts. Well, recording is an art in itself and I personally don't have many problems with that. Especially if the singer has the qualities of this excellent french coloratura soprano. The voice is even throughout the whole range, her high notes are a joy to listen to and her agility is out of this world. Not everyone can sing these particular arias with such panache and be expressive at the same time. She is less mannered than Gruberova and has a fuller voice than Auger. Her approach is complementary to both aforementioned and, to my mind, seems to be the most satisfying in this field today. Certainly worth listening to!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews) 27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Small blots on a stunning landscape,
By Ed Beveridge - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Natalie Dessay ~ Mozart Heroines (Audio CD)
It's rather interesting that of the reviews available on this site, two give this recording the lowest possible rating and two the highest. How can this be? I found this a deeply satisfying disc although if pushed I wouldn't say it was as awesomely stunning as her French recital. But perhaps - dangerously - we are beginning to take Dessay and others like her for granted. Probably she is less well-suited to some of the pieces on this disc than she is to french coloratura roles but she is still leaps and bounds ahead of just about anyone else singing this repertoire today. She is an artist we need to cherish rather than run down with snotty notices - the operatic world today wouldn't be the same without her. That said, there are problems with this recital. Of all the roles she sings here, the Queen of Night sounds less thrilling than the others - the tone lacks brilliance and the tuning is occasionally suspect - even though it's a role she can sing standing on her head. I rather preferred her wistful, gently sung Pamina (phenomenal control) and it makes me impatient for her to take the part into her repertoire. Constanze is already in her repertiore and her rendition of the arias here are well in character. Much is made of her relative lack of thrust at the bottom of the stave but very few others have the absolute command at the top, again not something we should take for granted. She certainly turns in a spirited performance - as she does in the "Tiger" aria from Zaide. The sensuous "Ruhe sanft" from this latter work suits her well, though neither aria fills me with longing to see it staged, with or without Dessay. No, as we learnt from her thrilling "Mitridate" recording, virtuoso fireworks from Mozart's early works are what suit her best. So we have the fiendish "Ah! Se il crudel periglio" from Lucio Silla, described by Edita Gruberova (and she knew exactly what she was doing) as having some "excruciatingly difficult coloratura". Not here; Dessay makes light of the contortions Mozart demands of her and throws in a few altissimo high-jinks of her own. Ditto the Fawn's aria from "Ascanio" - not the most interesting piece in itself, until Dessay turns it into an ever-more breathtaking display of her phenomenal technique, These two numbers are easily worth the price of the disc. Finally, we are taken to another, much calmer place - Ilia's act three aria from Idomeneo. Recit and Aria are lovingly, sensitively sung. This is another part she could really make something of on stage. Langree's tempi are always apt and the OAE make what to my ear is a period appripriate sound - it's certainly not big-house Mozart, anyway - and generally support their soloist admirably. No, in spite of the nit-picking above, I would recommend this disc most heartily, because it shows an expert doing what she does best - and that's got to be worth hearing.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Virtuosity and intelligence,
By M. Tietjen "tietj" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Natalie Dessay ~ Mozart Heroines (Audio CD)
This is the album that fans of French soprano Natalie Dessay have waited for ever since the release of her first recital disc, which consisted of Mozart's lesser known concert arias. Dessay may be the best coloratura of modern times, and fans of coloratura singing will be pleased with the arias from Lucio Silla and Ascanio in Alba. The latter is ten minutes of sheer virtuosity, and Dessay tosses out high F's and above as easily as Mado Robin or Erna Sack, and with more musical intelligence than either. Her F's also sparkle in the two arias of one of her signature roles, the Queen of the Night from Die Zauberflote, a role she despises although you wouldn't know it from this disc. The famous Revenge Aria is taken at a dangerously fast tempo, but Dessay (and the orchestra, which is fantastic throughout the album) keeps up easily. And to show that there is more to her than mere coloratura agility, she also presents Pamina's aria from the same opera, giving a performance as deep and moving as any I have heard. Her high note on "Ruh" is amazing. The two arias from Die Entführung aus dem Serail are also very well performed, and almost makes one wish that she had also included "Ach ich liebte," perhaps in the place of one of the Zaide arias. But all in all the CD is excellent, and once again proves that Natalie Dessay deserves credit as more than just a coloratura phenomenon. One more thing: are the male faun from Ascanio in Alba and the evil Queen of the Night really deserving of the title "Heroines?" 7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The coloratura of our generation!!,
By "amcdfan1" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Natalie Dessay ~ Mozart Heroines (Audio CD)
Mere words can not express what a joy it is to listen to Natalie Dessay. This French coloratura has been sweeping the world for a few years now as the definitive Queen of the Night, and even though she's retiring the role, we have it preserved here for life. She is un-matched in what she can achieve above the staff. No other soprano today can sing high E's and F's that are as full and round as Natalie Dessay's. Even Joan Sutherland at her peak couldn't have come close to the sheer beauty of Natalie's notes. Her mid-range, as she described in an interview with Opera News, is still under construction; however, she still brings warmth and emotion to the arias of Pamina and Zaide. The highlights of this album are the two Queen of the Night arias and Constanze's aria, "Marten allen Arten" from Seraglio. I will forever be a fan and will look forward to any recording she ever makes in the future. Brava Natalie!!
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