I have just started listening to opera seriously and I have to say I am just blown away by the caliber of talent amongst most opera "divas." Natalie Dessay is certainly at the top of that list!! Thanks so much for uploading this!! So much passion!
@daniloxx I remember reading somewhere that this is specifically Dessay's own interpretation on her part - she doesn't feel the Queen of the Night is a villain, and acts as such (as opposed to Damrau's version).
@@flannerymonaghan-morris1317 Je partage votre point de vue. On a ici l'incarnation d'une mère possessive donc abusive, magnifiquement interprétée par Natalie Dessay !
Just unbelievable! I heared a lot of very good performances on this part of the "Zauberflöte" but she is really fantastic. great voice an additionally great acting!
@reinehcreinehc I was in the opera house, I've always been a fan of the magic flute. Then the lead singer [I forget her name, I'm sorry] sings this aria. My hand to god, it felt like Mozart himself was talking to me. The best musical experience of my life. This is music for the ages.
i agree! natalie dessay preforms this song in a different way than most other preformers do, and makes you think twice about the REAL intentions of the queen of the night! very cool!
Guys, it's an opera. Not a musical, not a theatre, it's an opera, what means that the acting is not important, but the singing is. An aria is not a 'song', especially this one. It's an artistic masterpiece, so stop saying her acting isn't good.
I have just recently discovered this artist...and,I have to say that her expression is amazing. It's also amazing that she can do all of those actions and not have her pitch suffer.
Fantastic performance, from a technical, musical and absolutely from a performance perspective. For a technical performance I prefer Christine Deutekom, but Dessay really knocks it out of the park here for all other parts
Agreed, a fine and absorbing interpretation highlighting the sublime music of this particular opera and the courage of Mozart to go beyond the rigours of the Viennese conventions of the day.
In one of the comments, the user Dibyajyoti Deb said that he prefered Lucia Popp's version of the aria over Damrau, Dessay and Edita. I went to search for Lucia Popp, and I'm in love! She sings much slower, but her voice is so perfect!!!!!
I love Dessay's performance! One of the things I like about it is how she resolves the contradiction of the aria itself: the hateful words in a bright coloratura aria. Dessay does it with her facial expressions, singing the melisma as if she's screaming insanely.
(3) Perfection is virtually impossible over a live performance of hours, so we in the audience should focus on immersing in the performance as much as possible, and avoid the game how many errors can I find. Beyond this, no text or score, a particular form of text, has or is able to have a unique interpretation. Read on philosophy of text. Our directors and performers must choose one interpretation, and present it to the best of their abilities. Damrau, Dessay, Miklosa, Gruberova do it well!
She has a great voice, and listening to this is a bless. Unfortunatelly - my opinion - the performance depicts a fragile Queen. I think that is the shock we have here. Damrau was lucky enough to have a Director that understood what this Aria is all about: Power at no cost and hate of Men. But if you just listen, Dessay is perfect. I love her voice.
I think she has a slight edge over Damrau in the voice department. But Damrau is still my favourite for portrayal. She's so menacing and batshit insane, it really sticks with you.
Yes, I think she wants to say: "I love you, but I HAVE TO forsake you if you dont do this for me." She has to increase her daughters love for her to make her do it; just scolding at her wouldnt strengthen her motivation. And, in line with the Queens nightlike character, maybe its all calculated caresses... I like it!
Meravigliosa! Tutte le note cantate perfettamente, legature, intonazione perfetta e uno smalto perfetto nel canto sul fiato. E il timbro ? Per me è splendida!
You mean Deutekom. Cristina Deutekom is one of the best Queens of the Night ever, I especially love her renditions of "O zittre nicht". But the best Queen in "Der Hölle Rache", for me personally, was Lucia Popp. Not only the power she had, but also an extremely beautiful voice.
Nun ja, wenn wir um den Vergleich nicht rumkommen: Die Gruberova sang auch dieses Tempo, aber deutlicher und ausdrucksvoller. Und das schon 30 Jahre früher. Meine subjektive Meinung.
i agree with haykatsi0o dessay seems extremely tense when she hits the high f's. also, i don't like how she shook her hands and head during that sequence. although her voice is great, her singing does not look effortless, which i think is very important for performing arts.
@DoryanGrey18 wrote: "it's an opera, what means that the acting is not important" Agreed, but only when opera is put into it's proper context. However, in the current context, I think people expect the acting because, unfortunately, we live in a very visual culture. Most people grew up watching TV/movies and so they expect good acting, although it's not their fault that they don't know about opera in it's proper context This is where modern education fails utterly. Just saying.... :)
well the first two times, you say: verstoßen SEI auf ewig, verlassen SEI auf ewig, and then: zertrümmert SEI'N auf ewig. maybe she didn't pay much attention to that or she forgot... if you don't speak german, i don't think you'd notice it was wrong!
A mio parere son brave entrambe, poi che il loro canto e la loro interpretazione siano diverse è logico, son due soprano diversi! Questa Regina della Notte, interiormente appare più combattuta tra la sua decisione di ripudiare la figlia e l'amore che prova per essa. La Regina della Notte della Damrau no è più decisa e determinata!
@@joeleferri8026 Secondo me dipende molto da come si percepisce la parte dell'acuto: forse per i gusti, oggi pare allegra ai più ma io ci sento piuttosto il pianto disperato di una madre (cosa che la dessay interpreta alla perfezione, secondo me) che non la risata isterica di una pazza omicida. Però forse è solo un modo di leggere l'opera, dovrei approfondire😅
Haha, I love her for that! This is her comment on moving while singing: "Definitely, because if you want to sing without moving around, all you have to do is give concerts." It's from her interview with Operanet.
After watching this video i have reconciliated with Dessay. I've always thought she is one of the greatest but too light-weight in the acting for this role. She is not the cruellest Queen of the night (Damrau is for sure) but i love the way she performs here. She is expressing the conflict of her wish for vengeance and her love as a mother. Brava Dessay!!
Though Dessay's acting leaves much to be desired, her impeccable voice, both nimble and effortless, shines brilliantly in this aria. My only complaint is that she performs it too sweetly. Stephie Pahlavi Zan
I believe that it is the best interpretation of the queen of the night in the network. When I saw this Natalie's interpretation for the first time the eyes filled me with tears, I believe that it expresses pefectamente the surrealistic and emotional environment of this Mozar's aria. The best ;)
I love Natalie Dessay! She is an amazing singer and what an energy! I love her voice her technique and interpretation. This is the best version since Christina Deutecom! And she was the best in my opinion! FANTASTIC NATALIE!!!!
Oh dear! Dessay is the best Köning since Edita Gruberova! I've been waiting a new Köning for so long ! :D Dessay has also very good dramatic skills: she has created a strong character with convincing psychological aspects. And her voice has huge scale: she sings the high notes without difficulty or hoarseness (which is very common to other singer to this role..) Love her!!!!
My favorite version. Damrau creates a better and more menacing character, but she struggles too much with the high notes. Dessay sings them with such ease and perfection that it's just overwhelming.
If Damrau struggles in the high notes then Dessay struggles with the whale song till the high notes. She does not has power at all, her voice on mid notes is incredibly boring, and the higher notes is not as powerful as Damrau's are.
@@direitonoturno2248 you just need an audition help. Dessay reaches the higher notes with no cut when Damrau reaches her voice limits. This is quite clear, just ear. I Heard Damrau in differents register session and she struggle each Time to reach the higher notes when Dessay passed it so easely
Daniel Ramírez de Gastón: I agree that both Dessay and Damrau are amazing. But, I have been really looking at them closely in this role the past several says and I have to say what I feel. Perhaps it is just the direction they were given, but I much prefer Damrau's interpretation. Dessay has a beautiful voice, and she makes this sound so easy, which we all know is not the case! But theatrically, it doesn't make sense to me. She plays it as if it's killing her to tell her daughter to kill Sarastro, that it's breaking her heart to disown her child if she doesn't murder someone. And it doesn't work for me. It goes against the text she is singing. She says, more or less, "Kill this man. If you don't do it, I will disown you, breaking all natural bonds between a mother and child. This man must die at your hands, or you will mean nothing to me." She's asking her daughter to choose between a man, and her own mother. And, to me, it just doesn't seem in character to be so overwrought with guilt and pain, or even shame, for someone who could be so cold blooded as to plot a murder such as this, and ask that it be done in such a way, by her own daughter's hand. This is only my opinion, but I just feel Damrau nails the interpretation. She's pissed off and it shows. She is dedicated to her cause and will let nothing stop her, even the maternal bond, the bond of nature! Theatrically, it makes more sense to me.
I totally agree with you. And if I may add, their physical characteristics also play a part in the impression. First, Damrau has a bit of a heavier voice, and she's sort of Bulky, with those piercing ice blue eyes, while Dessay has a much brighter. «inoffensive» tone and a tiny stature. She could probably not scare a sparrow if she tried, she looks too nice. She's more fit to play nice roles.
I saw a few sopranos doing the speaking part of this scene smiling, that didn't make much sense. I read the Libretto and it clearly says that they're supposed to embrace, Damrau seems to ignore the script and it makes sense to me. When I watched the full opera there's a part where the dialogue goes something like this: QON: Die eigeweiten? Pamina: Ja (and then even the singer playing Pamina realises she should probably have said she doesn't know where Tamino is, because her mother would be less angry. I call it the 'oh shit!' moment in the opera). I don't remember who played Pamina, it's the one with the ROH... (Yes I know my German sucks!)
@@murderoustendencies I thought Diana Damrau did a great performance of Europa in Salieri's Europa Riconosciuta (an opera that should be performed more).
I love this. Ranks among the very best. Great interpretation. Opera is musical theatre at its best. In all theatre, performers need to transport the hearts, minds, souls into an ecstatic virtual reality experience of the fantasy portrayed in the libretto. Singing, acting, charisma, involving the audience are all very important. It has to be a total experience. Opera requires very high standards of singing, but it cannot be effective unless it moves hearts and souls of the audience.
Am I the only one that think that this work is waaay better than Damrau's one ? Damrau's acting is childish. What you depict as a bad acting about Dessay's one is way more sophisticated madness. In fact I think Dessay fits better to the music by Mozart, when Damrau fits better to the libretto by Schikaneder.
Absolutely stunning. Just an incrdible voice and superb acting too. OK she's not pure evil but she is believable and remember she is not trying to convince a stranger - but her own daughter so she plays on that. I think she's great. Thanks for the upload.
Damrau's performance is absolutely the best. Not only because of her voice and acting but the whole production. Dessay is brilliant, but I like the savagery of Damrau. What I think is wonderful and awesome, that we can listen to these great divas, and argue about their excellence. They are all divine, I wish I could do one thing as brilliantly as they did.
How come on this video at around the 1:33 mark she says something like: "You're no longer my girl", but in the movie "Amadeus" the singer says something like: "Speak to me, Papa.", and "My father's curse".
Luv you Dessay. Truly a pleasure to listen to :) She acts it really well too, although she kinda looks like she has Parkinson's XD but it's still really good 2:07 to 2:27 is probably my favorite part
(1) Opera by its nature, requires great singing technique and faithfulness to the score at a very high level as pre-requisites. However opera also requires performers faithfully portraying the libretto to the audience, using great acting skills, which should give the illusion that in every respect they are the characters that they portray. They need to be aware of how the audience is responding using the feed back to improve the way they portray their characters.
@Aaron Lerma I agree with you. Way too many lyric coloraturas try to tackle extremely dramatic coloratura roles. I think that Dessay took on too many dramatic roles, and ruined her voice. If you listen to her singing arias like Blondchen's aria, Durch Zartlichkeit und Schmeichelen from Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail back in the mid '90s though, Natalie Dessay sounds amazing! You're right her high Fs so sound weak here, but that's because the Queen of the Night role does not fit her vocal fach.
I just admire this women so much. Having to sing this difficult aria in front of a whole audience and cameras, carrying the weight of the whole thing, since people always expect to listen to a perfect rendition. They all deserve to be admire. If I had to stand on stage in front of an audience I could only get to fart at most, which I'd do surely, since I'd be dead nervous.
Las cosas no son blanco o negro, ni Zarastro es el mejor ni la Reina es una mujer malvada; es una madre preocupada que busca una salida. Impresionante como siempre la voz de Natalie, ese timbre especial hace que para mi sea la mejor para este papel.
What a Magnific voice! I've just listen to both Dessay's and Damrau's interpretation . I personally think that Damrau is much more charismatic but she hasn't Dessay's voice (Dessay is like a puppet in there). The best would be both in one! Think of a Damrau's charism with a Dessay's voice^^
I agree wiyh you when you say she's amazing! I love her in alot wholes, but in that I do not like her! I prefer the Luciana Serra interpretecion, she is the best in that whole, she is the best in the two quen's whole! Perhaps someday Natalie will be like her, but I really not belive in that becouse Natalie do not be a tipe belcanto's voice, like she said, she's an actriss, bt that interpetecion do not take me! Sorry!
I agree, she was screaming and hollering, over dramatic. If anyone wants to see a pleasantly shocking interpretation of this watch Diana Damrau. Search for Diana Damrau as Queen of the Night II.
I have just started listening to opera seriously and I have to say I am just blown away by the caliber of talent amongst most opera "divas." Natalie Dessay is certainly at the top of that list!! Thanks so much for uploading this!! So much passion!
@daniloxx I remember reading somewhere that this is specifically Dessay's own interpretation on her part - she doesn't feel the Queen of the Night is a villain, and acts as such (as opposed to Damrau's version).
This is the first time I've ever seen the Queen show some compassion to her daughter during this scene. Amazing.
I think there is evidence in the libretto that she truly does love her daughter, if in a VERY fucked up (and scary/very overprotective) way...
@@flannerymonaghan-morris1317 Je partage votre point de vue. On a ici l'incarnation d'une mère possessive donc abusive, magnifiquement interprétée par Natalie Dessay !
It works so well not only with the aria but with her character. It seems like 99% have been misinterpreting this aria.
Just unbelievable! I heared a lot of very good performances on this part of the "Zauberflöte" but she is really fantastic. great voice an additionally great acting!
@reinehcreinehc I was in the opera house, I've always been a fan of the magic flute. Then the lead singer [I forget her name, I'm sorry] sings this aria. My hand to god, it felt like Mozart himself was talking to me. The best musical experience of my life. This is music for the ages.
i agree! natalie dessay preforms this song in a different way than most other preformers do, and makes you think twice about the REAL intentions of the queen of the night! very cool!
The thing she makes on 0:56 , that is amazing.
The echo or the B flat
B flat? If it's the highest note that you're talking about, then i'm pretty sure that's an F.
Sorry on 00:56 those are c's
@@icozibico the highest note is F#6
Love it, great to see that people still like music like this
Perfect. Sehr sauber Klang und Gesang. Vielen dank. Eine Freude zuzuhören
Guys, it's an opera. Not a musical, not a theatre, it's an opera, what means that the acting is not important, but the singing is. An aria is not a 'song', especially this one. It's an artistic masterpiece, so stop saying her acting isn't good.
I have just recently discovered this artist...and,I have to say that her expression is amazing. It's also amazing that she can do all of those actions and not have her pitch suffer.
Fantastic performance, from a technical, musical and absolutely from a performance perspective. For a technical performance I prefer Christine Deutekom, but Dessay really knocks it out of the park here for all other parts
Agreed, a fine and absorbing interpretation highlighting the sublime music of this particular opera and the courage of Mozart to go beyond the rigours of the Viennese conventions of the day.
J'avoue ne rien y connaitre en matière d'opéra mais ça m'as vraiment donné des frissons !
Bravo Nathalie tu es formidable !
In one of the comments, the user Dibyajyoti Deb said that he prefered Lucia Popp's version of the aria over Damrau, Dessay and Edita. I went to search for Lucia Popp, and I'm in love! She sings much slower, but her voice is so perfect!!!!!
I love Dessay's performance! One of the things I like about it is how she resolves the contradiction of the aria itself: the hateful words in a bright coloratura aria. Dessay does it with her facial expressions, singing the melisma as if she's screaming insanely.
what emotion!
(3) Perfection is virtually impossible over a live performance of hours, so we in the audience should focus on immersing in the performance as much as possible, and avoid the game how many errors can I find. Beyond this, no text or score, a particular form of text, has or is able to have a unique interpretation. Read on philosophy of text. Our directors and performers must choose one interpretation, and present it to the best of their abilities.
Damrau, Dessay, Miklosa, Gruberova do it well!
She has a great voice, and listening to this is a bless. Unfortunatelly - my opinion - the performance depicts a fragile Queen. I think that is the shock we have here. Damrau was lucky enough to have a Director that understood what this Aria is all about: Power at no cost and hate of Men. But if you just listen, Dessay is perfect. I love her voice.
I think she has a slight edge over Damrau in the voice department.
But Damrau is still my favourite for portrayal. She's so menacing and batshit insane, it really sticks with you.
Yes, I think she wants to say: "I love you, but I HAVE TO forsake you if you dont do this for me." She has to increase her daughters love for her to make her do it; just scolding at her wouldnt strengthen her motivation.
And, in line with the Queens nightlike character, maybe its all calculated caresses... I like it!
Meravigliosa! Tutte le note cantate perfettamente, legature, intonazione perfetta e uno smalto perfetto nel canto sul fiato. E il timbro ? Per me è splendida!
Edda Moser and Diana Damrau, because they are both native German speakers
You mean Deutekom. Cristina Deutekom is one of the best Queens of the Night ever, I especially love her renditions of "O zittre nicht". But the best Queen in "Der Hölle Rache", for me personally, was Lucia Popp. Not only the power she had, but also an extremely beautiful voice.
OMG!!! She can realy high with her voice!!
great singing
Nun ja, wenn wir um den Vergleich nicht rumkommen: Die Gruberova sang auch dieses Tempo, aber deutlicher und ausdrucksvoller. Und das schon 30 Jahre früher. Meine subjektive Meinung.
sempre la migliore
i agree with haykatsi0o
dessay seems extremely tense when she hits the high f's. also, i don't like how she shook her hands and head during that sequence. although her voice is great, her singing does not look effortless, which i think is very important for performing arts.
Muy bien tenga su like
she has such a voice :o
MASTERPIECE! MASTERPIECE!
Jajajaja. El chantaje maternal en acción. Me encanta!!
she sings in german language. In the bottom is the french translation
the girl playing Pamina is gorgeous!!
meravigliosa...
The Queen of Night is like Batman, best in black than in blue. She looks more like Our Lady of the Graces than the original evil Queen.
oigan!!!
esta es la de Chimera de la pump it up NX!!!!
Ke loco!!! WIIIII xD
DAMN. Nice rendition.
@DoryanGrey18 wrote: "it's an opera, what means that the acting is not important"
Agreed, but only when opera is put into it's proper context. However, in the current context, I think people expect the acting because, unfortunately, we live in a very visual culture. Most people grew up watching TV/movies and so they expect good acting, although it's not their fault that they don't know about opera in it's proper context This is where modern education fails utterly. Just saying.... :)
She's fidgety. Brillant voice! Maybe the director wanted that kind of body motion...idk, every director is different
Or diana Darmau, if I spelled her name right.
well the first two times, you say:
verstoßen SEI auf ewig,
verlassen SEI auf ewig,
and then:
zertrümmert SEI'N auf ewig.
maybe she didn't pay much attention to that or she forgot... if you don't speak german, i don't think you'd notice it was wrong!
I love hearing her easy high voice, but I wish she would hold still.
i agree with tuberaider100. dessay is it
ooooooo ooo ooooooooooooo ooooo oooo ooooooooooooooooooooooo oooo o o o oooooooooooo
GRANDISSIMA
@ToAcUt
i assume you write "terrible" meaning "awesome"...
Ok that was bizarre, hearing German, reading French an thinking in English. LOL
+ I'm thinking in spanish at the same time XD.
Hhhhhhhjj8oo
a glitch in the matrix … 😉
It seems to me that they tried to make the Queen of the Night a less cold character. I like it, it's more sentimental and natural than Damrau's.
Stop comparing Dessay and Damrau. They're both amazing.
A mio parere son brave entrambe, poi che il loro canto e la loro interpretazione siano diverse è logico, son due soprano diversi!
Questa Regina della Notte, interiormente appare più combattuta tra la sua decisione di ripudiare la figlia e l'amore che prova per essa. La Regina della Notte della Damrau no è più decisa e determinata!
I prefer Cristina Deutekom, such a beautiful woman
shes better tho
@@joeleferri8026 Secondo me dipende molto da come si percepisce la parte dell'acuto: forse per i gusti, oggi pare allegra ai più ma io ci sento piuttosto il pianto disperato di una madre (cosa che la dessay interpreta alla perfezione, secondo me) che non la risata isterica di una pazza omicida. Però forse è solo un modo di leggere l'opera, dovrei approfondire😅
im german and i understand the lyrics better than her singing :s
Am I the only one who thinks this costume is utterly ridiculous and seems like it could be dyed red and used for a Queen of Hearts character ?
yes you are
Yeah you are pretty much the only one...
no this is hands down the worst costuming for the queen of the night I've ever seen.
Reminiscent of Glinda the good witch.
just you
Wow, there's the color and musicality you seldom hear in this aria! She put uncharacteristic warmth and humanity into the role as well. Bravo! piece
Haha, I love her for that! This is her comment on moving while singing: "Definitely, because if you want to sing without moving around, all you have to do is give concerts." It's from her interview with Operanet.
This woman is GREAT! The first time ever I've been moved by this aria. She makes dramatic sense out of the coloratura. She's no. 1.
Dessay seems so genuinely furious and upset. I love he interpretation!
After watching this video i have reconciliated with Dessay. I've always thought she is one of the greatest but too light-weight in the acting for this role. She is not the cruellest Queen of the night (Damrau is for sure) but i love the way she performs here. She is expressing the conflict of her wish for vengeance and her love as a mother. Brava Dessay!!
Though Dessay's acting leaves much to be desired, her impeccable voice, both nimble and effortless, shines brilliantly in this aria. My only complaint is that she performs it too sweetly.
Stephie Pahlavi Zan
Perfect tempo and voice level....She is THE ONE~!!
Brava~! Dessay is my Favorite Queen of the night!
I believe that it is the best interpretation of the queen of the night in the network. When I saw this Natalie's interpretation for the first time the eyes filled me with tears, I believe that it expresses pefectamente the surrealistic and emotional environment of this Mozar's aria.
The best ;)
Natalie Dessay es una soprano magnifica!!!! Que maravilla de cantante, una de las joyas de la opera mundial!
I love Natalie Dessay! She is an amazing singer and what an energy! I love her voice her technique and interpretation. This is the best version since Christina Deutecom! And she was the best in my opinion! FANTASTIC NATALIE!!!!
I love her "I... I can't even..." exit lol. I loved her performance.
Oh dear! Dessay is the best Köning since Edita Gruberova! I've been waiting a new Köning for so long ! :D Dessay has also very good dramatic skills: she has created a strong character with convincing psychological aspects. And her voice has huge scale: she sings the high notes without difficulty or hoarseness (which is very common to other singer to this role..) Love her!!!!
O M G !!! This is the most beautiful sound, gives me goose bumps, moves me to tears
The staccato is amazing... Insane Mozart
I can believe some one can do that with a human voice.
My favorite version. Damrau creates a better and more menacing character, but she struggles too much with the high notes. Dessay sings them with such ease and perfection that it's just overwhelming.
Gui Porto Damrau struggled??? Oh common! Her pitch and timing were perfect. Those high notes are fully resonant.
If Damrau struggles in the high notes then Dessay struggles with the whale song till the high notes. She does not has power at all, her voice on mid notes is incredibly boring, and the higher notes is not as powerful as Damrau's are.
@@direitonoturno2248 you better check your ears.
@@direitonoturno2248 you just need an audition help. Dessay reaches the higher notes with no cut when Damrau reaches her voice limits. This is quite clear, just ear. I Heard Damrau in differents register session and she struggle each Time to reach the higher notes when Dessay passed it so easely
Daniel Ramírez de Gastón: I agree that both Dessay and Damrau are amazing. But, I have been really looking at them closely in this role the past several says and I have to say what I feel. Perhaps it is just the direction they were given, but I much prefer Damrau's interpretation. Dessay has a beautiful voice, and she makes this sound so easy, which we all know is not the case! But theatrically, it doesn't make sense to me. She plays it as if it's killing her to tell her daughter to kill Sarastro, that it's breaking her heart to disown her child if she doesn't murder someone. And it doesn't work for me. It goes against the text she is singing. She says, more or less, "Kill this man. If you don't do it, I will disown you, breaking all natural bonds between a mother and child. This man must die at your hands, or you will mean nothing to me." She's asking her daughter to choose between a man, and her own mother. And, to me, it just doesn't seem in character to be so overwrought with guilt and pain, or even shame, for someone who could be so cold blooded as to plot a murder such as this, and ask that it be done in such a way, by her own daughter's hand. This is only my opinion, but I just feel Damrau nails the interpretation. She's pissed off and it shows. She is dedicated to her cause and will let nothing stop her, even the maternal bond, the bond of nature! Theatrically, it makes more sense to me.
I totally agree with you. And if I may add, their physical characteristics also play a part in the impression. First, Damrau has a bit of a heavier voice, and she's sort of Bulky, with those piercing ice blue eyes, while Dessay has a much brighter. «inoffensive» tone and a tiny stature. She could probably not scare a sparrow if she tried, she looks too nice. She's more fit to play nice roles.
I saw a few sopranos doing the speaking part of this scene smiling, that didn't make much sense. I read the Libretto and it clearly says that they're supposed to embrace, Damrau seems to ignore the script and it makes sense to me. When I watched the full opera there's a part where the dialogue goes something like this:
QON: Die eigeweiten?
Pamina: Ja (and then even the singer playing Pamina realises she should probably have said she doesn't know where Tamino is, because her mother would be less angry. I call it the 'oh shit!' moment in the opera).
I don't remember who played Pamina, it's the one with the ROH...
(Yes I know my German sucks!)
@@murderoustendencies I thought Diana Damrau did a great performance of Europa in Salieri's Europa Riconosciuta (an opera that should be performed more).
I love this. Ranks among the very best. Great interpretation.
Opera is musical theatre at its best.
In all theatre, performers need to transport the hearts, minds, souls into an ecstatic virtual reality experience of the fantasy portrayed in the libretto. Singing, acting, charisma, involving the audience are all very important. It has to be a total experience. Opera requires very high standards of singing, but it cannot be effective unless it moves hearts and souls of the audience.
Am I the only one that think that this work is waaay better than Damrau's one ?
Damrau's acting is childish. What you depict as a bad acting about Dessay's one is way more sophisticated madness.
In fact I think Dessay fits better to the music by Mozart, when Damrau fits better to the libretto by Schikaneder.
Superbe Natalie ! Une vraie actrice qui chante... c'est pour cela qu'on l'adore car elle rend à l'opéra toute sa dimension théâtrale !
This is one the fastest tempos for this aria I've ever heard! Go Dessay!
Yes, i find it very appropriate to the anger she is supposed to feel :)
Absolutely stunning. Just an incrdible voice and superb acting too. OK she's not pure evil but she is believable and remember she is not trying to convince a stranger - but her own daughter so she plays on that. I think she's great. Thanks for the upload.
Damrau's performance is absolutely the best. Not only because of her voice and acting but the whole production. Dessay is brilliant, but I like the savagery of Damrau. What I think is wonderful and awesome, that we can listen to these great divas, and argue about their excellence. They are all divine, I wish I could do one thing as brilliantly as they did.
I like the batshit wild interpretation
EDIT: Voice department is also amazing :o
How come on this video at around the 1:33 mark she says something like: "You're no longer my girl", but in the movie "Amadeus" the singer says something like: "Speak to me, Papa.", and "My father's curse".
Acho que foi a melhor intérprete dessa aria que eu já vi. Ela é excepcional!
Haha: at 0:56 "Meine Tochter nimmer mehr" Sprotch!
Gehässig ist das. Sie singt dies einmalig und endlich gefühlt stimmig mit der Rolle einer Mutter.
Luv you Dessay. Truly a pleasure to listen to :)
She acts it really well too, although she kinda looks like she has Parkinson's XD but it's still really good
2:07 to 2:27 is probably my favorite part
It was the villain that sung this? Wow, I expected it to sound more like poor unfortunate souls.
(1) Opera by its nature, requires great singing technique and faithfulness to the score at a very high level as pre-requisites. However opera also requires performers faithfully portraying the libretto to the audience, using great acting skills, which should give the illusion that in every respect they are the characters that they portray. They need to be aware of how the audience is responding using the feed back to improve the way they portray their characters.
@Aaron Lerma I agree with you. Way too many lyric coloraturas try to tackle extremely dramatic coloratura roles. I think that Dessay took on too many dramatic roles, and ruined her voice. If you listen to her singing arias like Blondchen's aria, Durch Zartlichkeit und Schmeichelen from Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail back in the mid '90s though, Natalie Dessay sounds amazing! You're right her high Fs so sound weak here, but that's because the Queen of the Night role does not fit her vocal fach.
Amazing voice.I've seen a couple of different versions on stage, all very good....but this is simply ...WOW!
I just admire this women so much. Having to sing this difficult aria in front of a whole audience and cameras, carrying the weight of the whole thing, since people always expect to listen to a perfect rendition. They all deserve to be admire. If I had to stand on stage in front of an audience I could only get to fart at most, which I'd do surely, since I'd be dead nervous.
In my vocal lessons, when I kneal it also helps me hit thehigher notes. My teacher says that it helps because your body is more relaxed and free.
Stop comparing dessay to damrau,remember damrau idolizes natalie so much so staph staph comparing
Las cosas no son blanco o negro, ni Zarastro es el mejor ni la Reina es una mujer malvada; es una madre preocupada que busca una salida.
Impresionante como siempre la voz de Natalie, ese timbre especial hace que para mi sea la mejor para este papel.
Love how rounded she is as a performer.
And i looooove the costumes. The best I've seen around here for this opera.
Des français ???
What a Magnific voice! I've just listen to both Dessay's and Damrau's interpretation . I personally think that Damrau is much more charismatic but she hasn't Dessay's voice (Dessay is like a puppet in there). The best would be both in one! Think of a Damrau's charism with a Dessay's voice^^
It's Dorothea Röschmann. I have a few videos of her from this production up on UA-cam, and there are some more videos of her on here too.
Fine hrm and it's the director's fault with respect to the mountain-dress XD
Can't fault Dessay on her technical skill.
That moment at 0:55-1:00 is so timeless and so well-executed it makes me teary-eyed.
Beautiful voice. Fire this costume designer!!!!!
I think it's on her "Miracle d'une voix" album...
I agree wiyh you when you say she's amazing! I love her in alot wholes, but in that I do not like her! I prefer the Luciana Serra interpretecion, she is the best in that whole, she is the best in the two quen's whole!
Perhaps someday Natalie will be like her, but I really not belive in that becouse Natalie do not be a tipe belcanto's voice, like she said, she's an actriss, bt that interpetecion do not take me!
Sorry!
I agree, she was screaming and hollering, over dramatic. If anyone wants to see a pleasantly shocking interpretation of this watch Diana Damrau. Search for Diana Damrau as Queen of the Night II.