"Cara speme" (Angelika Kirchschlager, "Giulio Cesare")

[mozartinaa]

It's not possible to describe this beauty.

[olympicfreak678]

I didn't know Glenn Close sang Cornelia. lol

[chiaros]

@Bozzyworth: I prefer David Daniels by far in this - voice, timbre, beauty, tone, pace. There's a sound clip (no vid) of him singing this on Youtube.  His 1999 version on the "Handel Operatic Arias" CD is my go-to rendition.

[serenaluce]

@chiaros Well, I appreciate your taste. I think I have this very recording you mention on my CD. Perhaps it's a special anniversary edition, a 2-CD set released last year for Handel's jubilee? It's wonderful. But tastes differ and I still prefer Spanos's versions on YT , especially the latest one where he sings it in a pure male soprano which is IMO shows the best of all a teenage son. I recommend you to listen to it on plavos's channel and compare. Both Spanos's and Daniesl are just stunning!

[serenaluce]

It's so slow! I near fell asleep! Also she can't be "a wonderful Sesto" and "really a boy" as she is a woman, and this is a man's role! It doesn't convince me at all, as she is a woman and sounds as a woman! Sorry. The best version of this aria is Nicholas Spanos's! This is really wow, perfect and great! I compared. Cencic's audio version is very good too, but the middle part is missing...

[Bozzyworth]

You have no idea what you're talking about. I worked on this production and of all the aria's sung in it is the one which was the most memorable for it's sheer beautiful singing. The modern conventions of opera don't allow for many men to sing this, so a woman plays the "trouser role". @serenaluce

[serenaluce]

@Bozzyworth Actually, it's you who doesn't know what you are talking about. I don't care where you work. I expressed my opinion on what I HEAR in this rendition! It's too slow! Modern opera is all screwed up if they still persist in this weird fashion to hire first of all WOMEN IN TROUSER ROLES and discriminate CTs. Don't you think that this strange practice should be changed? First of all opera directors should be interested in GREAT CTs in such roles, and if there aren't enough only then women

[Bozzyworth]

@serenaluce To change this practice would either mean reintroducing castration or if that is not acceptable then abandoning this genre of opera all together. How many counter tenors could sing with as brilliant a tone as a castrato. And of course they are all acting...

[serenaluce]

@Bozzyworth Why abandom this genre of opera if we have just wonderful countertenors now with advanced technique that are still closer to castrati though have different vocal characteristics? But what about logic even in opera? Women are also only an APPROXIMATION and can't replace castrati, but you accept them without any doubt, and question men?! CTs still have this special MAGIC what makes them closer to this "brilliant tone". But women are "castrated castrati" as they don't have this magic!

[Bozzyworth]

@serenaluce All valid points. I think I was reacting to you saying it was too slow and not magical in its own right. I suppose I got on my high horse because being there, knowing how special her singing was in this production that I wanted to tell you otherwise. In a way, a woman's voice will be more like a boy's as a boy wouldn't have developed their adam's apple by this age, no?

Regarding tempo, are there any other videos on here that you prefer?

[serenaluce]

@Bozzyworth I respect your point of view but I can't agree with you that a woman's voice better suits to show a teenage voice. Sesto is a BOY, teenage SON! I hear that only a man's voice is closer to a boy's! A woman can sound only closer to a DAUGHTER! It's still a different COLOUR! Best CTs can lighten their voices, sing higher to sound APPROXIMATELY as boys even with their Adam's apple. It doesn't matter that women don't have it, they still have female body and have women's set of expressions

[Bozzyworth]

@serenaluce And yes, I have heard those voices.

[serenaluce]

@Bozzyworth So, you still prefer women pretending that they are men to real MEN, singing heavenly and who are closer to castrati? I guess you should know that at the time of castrati all female singers, even the best ones were only CHEAPER substitute to them as they can sound in the same range very superficially but never could REPLACE their QUALITY! They have different physiology, e.g. Adam's apple is missing. All the same they sound as WOMEN in disguise ! So, this woman is a perfect boy?!...

[serenaluce]

@Bozzyworth Dear "worker on this production", you are actually trying to tell me that you understand more what is "sheer beauty" only because you are a professional and worked with this Kirschlager? Don't be that arrogant! Do you know that beauty of singing is in the ear of the LISTENER? Have you heard Spanos, Cencic, Daniels in this aria? Then YOU don't know what SHEER BEAUTY is! There's special MAGIC found only in HIGH MALE VOICES which NO women have! But you are a desperate traditionalist!..

[Altivelzian]

Lorraine Hunt's version from the Peter Sellars production is just perfection - check it out on the upload by Alcina69. God bless her - I think Lorraine was one of the greatest singers ever to walk this earth.

[vincik80]

bellissima esecuzione....

[modigliani1964]

thats true Angeika

[blakebunyard]

Wow. Did anybody else notice that this performance was done in baroque pitch? Compare to the performance with Lorraine Lieberson.

[hillevifan]

yea lorraine hunts is better

[orsolina]

You are right! It's in 415, half tone under then actual pitch.

[alejandra379]

what a mix: such sweet and moving sounds are the frame for thoughts of revenge... very baroque.

[Gudrun74]

Good point alejandra, crazy and ingenious at the same time. Handel, the master of drama!! And Angelika a wonderful Sesto. I'm personally not a huge fan of DVDs (well, I don't have a TV set), but I heartfully recommend her Handel recital CD with a couple of Sesto arias, her interpretation made me finally fall in love with Sesto.

[Dramaturg05]

Wow!!! That's great!! Angelika Kirchschlager is so georgeous!! I love her voice and her acting makes me breathless. She is really a boy!! Wow!! Congratulations!

[FuzzyCerts]

Wonderful performance. As I type this, I'm uploading Tuva Semmingsen's version of the same aria from the Royal Danish Opera's 2005 production with Andreas Scholl - it's nice to see a different version (I've only ever seen/heard the Danish production).

[PhilipWChiu]

Oh wow - been searching forever for this recording... short of buying the DVD... thank you so much!

[mariandelochs]

You're very welcome...and the DVD IS worth purchasing (I feel that way about few opera DVDs) - very highly recommended!

[PhilipWChiu]

True enough. It is quite an abnormally good production.