Search - Natalie Dessay - Greatest Moments on Stage on DVD

Lots of fun

Steven A. Peterson | Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL) | 01/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is a nice acquisition. The coloratura soprano, Natalie Dessay, is filmed in some memorable roles--and singing some very interesting music. The audience and its reactions add a good touch.

The DVD begins with her singing "Fruhlingsstimmenwaltzer" by Johan Strauss, Jr. as a segment of a production of "Die Fledermaus." She enjoys singing; her technique is excellent, with good vocal effects, such as a trill, florid effects in her singing, and a nicely sung high note at the end.

Other interesting "cuts"--the "Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammermoor (here, sung in French). She depicts Lucia very nicely, suggesting her misery and madness. And the singing is ravishing. She begins tearing her clothes off as she approaches the French version of "Spargi d'amaro pianto." The first time through, the emphasis is on the character, with some nice vocal effects. The repeat does not have the same level of ornamentation as in her CD, "The Miracle of the Voice," but the scene is touching as a result of her characterization.

The two "greatest hits" of the Queen of the Night, from Mozart's "Die Zauberflote," follow. "O Zittre Nicht" is the first, followed by the even more daunting challenge of "Der Holle Roche." Sounds kind of strange to hear the first sung in French and the second in German, but Dessay sings these well in either language. In the former, she nails the top note cleanly. In the latter, she handles the challenging string of top notes with panache.

Interesting aspects of this DVD. There are three different versions of "Olympia's Song" from Offenbach's "Contes d'Hoffman." Nice vocal technique including some exemplary trills and other ornamentation. Interesting characterizations of Olympia as well. In addition, two versions of Zerbinetta singing "Grossmachtige Prinzessin" from Richard Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos" appear. Both are well sung.

An interesting cut is "Glitter and be gay" from Bernstein's "Candide," also appearing on her "The Miracle of the Voice" CD (and compare with another nice version of this by Sumi Jo on her excellent "Virtuoso Arias" CD). Dessay exhibits very nice vocal technique, appears to be having fun with the music, and the audience certainly seemed to enjoy themselves.

One nice thing about this work is that one can see the singer "at work" as well as hear the singing. This adds a more multidimensional element to the DVD. In the end, very entertaining. This shows the breadth of Dessay's corpus; it also illustrates her vocal technique and her characterization of the roles that she plays. Well worth taking a look at. . . ."

Seeing is Believing

James Brown | Chicago, USA | 03/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say? Natalie Dessay, her superb voice notwithstanding, must be seen as well as heard. This compilation beautifully documents her first ten years on the stage, and is an excellent introduction to her considerable talents. The only, even remote problem with the DVD is that the scenes are in no discernable order--I'd have preferred them to be chronological.

Her early performances (tracks 1,5,7,9) are excellent, restrained but not stiff. She really hits her stride in the mid-90's (tracks 3,12,13), bringing warmth and a superb comic sense to the roles. The remaining tracks showcase one of the world's best singers at her peak, and prove that she's as good with a dramatic role as with a comic one.

I particularly liked the two contrasting interpretations of Zerbinetta. The conventional interpretation (track 11) is a worldly Zerbinetta trying to cheer up Ariadne by fondly recounting her vast experience with men--another one always comes along. The world weary Zerbinetta (track 2) was new to me. Same words, same music, but she now commiserates with the princess on the unreliability of men--can't live with them, can't live without them. This kind of nuance has to be seen not just heard."

Great compendium of baubles - and a bunch of Olympias

M. S. Katz | Bayside, NY, USA | 02/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dessay is a great performer and this DVD has an assortment of baubles, with a bravura rendition of Strauss' Voices Of Spring setting the pace right out of the gate. There are numerous versions of the Olympia's Doll Aria from Tales of Hoffman sprinkled throughout, my personal favorite the outdoor performance featuring gigantic dancing dolls (people on stilts inside) and Dessay in a Shirley Temple style tutu that the wind just won't leave alone. A really fun DVD!"

Star soprano with all the high notes

Robert Petersen | Durban, South Africa | 02/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You would never imagine all those high notes coming out of such a tiny body! And yes, she is tiny. I have had the good fortune of meeting and hearing Natalie Dessay singing Ophelia at the Chatalet Opera House and she really packs a punch vocally! This DVD is a great collection of her most memorable stage roles, with her comments before each track. Her rendition of Der Holle Rache, with the dialogue before is absolutely fantastic!"