Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings "Let the Bright Seraphim" - Handel

[harmoniamusicae]

whatever envious people may say: she is perfect here

[calaftheeast]

Her voice is created for baroque. Simply great. I am so used to Sutherland sticking that glorious high note at the end, that it sounds somewhat weird hearing the aria without it.

But who cares? I love her musicianship. Brava.

[theblueangel28]

thats my Lady!!!

[mountainsong100]

A comment on pitch. I believe that A 440 was not the normal pitch of Handel's day.. but about A 435 which would have pitched this pice a little lower and a bit easier for the coloratura range. As Dame Joan said in an interview, it's hard to sing in the upper range and enunciate words...true... but preserve the vowel sound.

[melonpanda]

did she mess up her lines at 2:25 on "uplifted"?

i didnt expect her coloratura to be so clean though, definitely a piece of gem!

[anthonylau85]

Excellent singing and orchestration.

Anthony Lau (Vancouver, Canada)

[MadameBorgi]

Me encanta esta voz y esta mujer, pero no es su repertorio le pasa como a la Fleming resbalan las agilidades....

[goknur1977]

Love it! Beautiful style and perfectyl within Handel. He coloratura is excellent, much much better than Renee's She doesn't compromise tempo. Can keep listening to it over and over.

[olympicfreak678]

I'm guessing she'll be singing it next year at the royal wedding? =)

[Tenortalker]

How little her voice has changed over the years. Without doubt the most distinctively beautiful soprano voice of her generation. There was an innate musicality to her singing and she knew how to stick to the repertoire that she sang best.

[flowersings]

Beautiful!! Although, I would have preferred it a step or two lower. 

[xander7ful]

@flowersings Yes, she's a bit sharp, which is better than being flat. You probably mean a key or two lower and I agree.

[SarahCloud9Ska]

@xander7ful Seeing as how she's not a coloratura soprano, that is normal for someone with a lyric voice such as hers to be sharp because of the placement of the voice into the mask... (Believe me, I have the same problem. :-/ )

[franciscogonsalez]

Kiri is GREAT, I love her!

Does anyone if this show is on DVD?

please I need to know it!!!

thanks a lot for this very wonderfull video

Frank

[bassfanne45]

I'm terribly sorry, but the trumpet player is not very good. He's flat and his intonation is quite bad.

[AsksOneThing]

@bassfanne45 I think the problem here is that the trumpet player is not of the same calibre as the singer. The trumpeter is more than adequate, but Kiri is superlative. Yes, I did notice a few places where his playing took away from the magic.

Of course. I'm fresh off listening to Gruberova/Marsalis, so my ears are spoiled to pretty much every other combination!

[blackleatherrain]

Wow, the tempo's really just a couple hairs under hectic, isn't it? Yet, she handles it like it's a child play. She'a obviously enjoying herself.

[bandchickusus]

kiri te kanawa is one of my favorites, but have you heard edita gruberova sing the same piece? AMAZING!

[kaleonani77]

Boy she makes it seem an easy sing! Go ahead girl!!! Ms. Coloratura....

[pianomags]

@kaleonani77 Yeah *sigh* doesn't she just!

[DarienFithos]

so really who wouldn't kill for her coloratura? This is one of the most agile, supple voices i have heard. Kathleen Battle might be able to go faster, but her production is so thin it's almost a crime.

Not that you'd need such a...thick? sound on the melismas, but the effect is so much different to hear it come from Kiri Te.

[suzanneetmoi]

Lovely, as usual. Brava, Dame Kiri,Brava!!

[MsTarantan]

It is wonderful is not it? I really love her. Great..!

[kangadillo]

What a miracle to be able to do that. I could just faint! Sheer beauty!

[kgarmaker123]

One of my favorite singers.. I love this woman, her voice, her technique.. She is IT

[SeDade333]

L'attacco dell'orchestra è sbagliato. Tromba deboluccia. La Te Kanawa è decisamente più a suo agio con Mozart.

[xpt20x]

There is something weird going on. I think the recording is popping/skipping slightly. Either that, or the orchestra sucks big time lol. There's a couple times she clips her words, but over all, this is a pretty good performance on her part. Anyone notice she looks a lot like Allison from the sitcom "The Medium"? lol

[doubtletreble]

it's popping...just the *teeniest* bit

[AriD2385]

Te Kanawa's performance is great...the trumpet not so much, though.

[2THEBLUEANGEL8]

well sing it Kiri!

[anglicansag]

The trumpet is lamentable in this otherwise superlative rendition.

[ImpossiblyLost]

creamy perfection. if you want to learn how to sing and you have the ear and aptitude this is the voice to find within you. so full of meaning-- meaningful desire for these Cherubim to touch their immortal harps. God is comming at the invitation of Queen Kiri. Voice of the century, along with Domingo's. Last comment. Version on the record is smoother, complete and less heavy

[saxamaphoneguy1]

You are so right. Kiri and Placido are so in a league of their own, perfect voices.

[ImpossiblyLost]

thank you sax man

[Tigermuc]

Even a more mature voice of Kiri than at the Royal Wedding when she became worldfamous with this aria!

[beagle4u]

nothing can compare! i hope/pray she see this post. i've youtubed many, but You can't compare. Fab exib!

[Babejuda]

Amazing performance. Brava!

[lacyrmosa]

OMG.  just beautiful. Brava! BRAVA!!!!

[nichtsleezy]

WAY TO GO, KIRI!!! JUst beautiful!!!!

[blUdz18]

WOW! Absolutely amazing! New Zealand's finest!!!

[Operaman41]

I will tell you how she breathes, she takes her breath from the Ribs, and then she supports from the very lower abdominal called the Hypogastric muscle area it has nothing to do with diaphram it just flattens out when you breath

[coopandre]

Unless I'm missing something, I imagine that she contracts the diaphragm to allow for miximum lung expansion, and that she controls the rate at which she relaxes the diaphragm to prevent too much air from being expelled too quickly...don't you think?

[romarius2005]

yes, because her voice is way larger then what you are hearing. Personally she should have left this piece up to Kathleen Battle.

[ImpossiblyLost]

If she had just left it up to Miss Battle, then she might not have been knighted "Dame Kiri te Kanawa, which came shortly after singing Seraphim at the behest of the Queen, for the royal wedding --now would she. Nuff said.

[romarius2005]

Please-it's just a title. It's not that damn serious. I like Kiri Te Kanawa in some things-Arabella, Countess, etc., but I don't believe that her voice sounds right with how the way the orchestra is playing...sounds rather dull.

[ImpossiblyLost]

uuhkay. tell ya what. you sing it for me, Sir romarius, as well as Battle, and I'll take back everything I ever would have ever said about 'cha. Who's dull? Flemming, Battle, KTK? I don't think so.

[romarius2005]

hmm...seems like we have a serious critic here lol seems like it's not getting us any kinda recognition for anything lol. For one it would be impossible for me to sing in her key unless I would transport it down to my key. I am a tenor leggiero with a range of low G to High G. Second, there is a recording of Battle singing this song...sounds glorious if I must say. I am not bashing Kiri. She has a lovely voice.

[romarius2005]

As I said before if you weren't paying any attention, the orchestra is playing erratically, and she is toning down her sound. I wish that she would have sung it more freely

[ImpossiblyLost]

I got it! You. Me. It would soound baby. And we'll fire that orchestra. I am a lovely lyric, non LOL

[romarius2005]

if you have the Realtek audio manager, listen to it with Concert hall acoustics....her voice really rings projection ;)

[ImpossiblyLost]

OK , wish I did.

[stenesk]

I am of the humble opinion that "Quarry" suits this performance rather well - whereas in "Concert Hall" mode Te Kanawa's voice suffers a deluge.

[swanningaround]

Impossibly. I think she would have made it to dame still. Mind you the likes of Dame Julie (Andrews), Dame Shirley (Bassey), Dame Joan (Sutherland), Dame Elisabeth (Schwarzkopf) and Dame Kiri (Te Kanawa) don't really need these silly titles. Their great talent speaks for itself. Maybe there should also be Dame Kathleen (Battle). However, I don't think she needs this title either. She is up there with the stars also.

[orthohawk]

@swanningaround: Actually, "Dame Kathleen" is not possible. The others have that title to indicate they have recieved the accolade of knighthood (in the Order of the British Empire), "Dame" being the female equivalent of "Sir" (as in Sir Neville Marriner, et al). Miss Battle is not a British citizen so very unlikely to ever be knighted.

[oceans80]

@orthohawk Dame Kiri and Dame Joan are not British citizensis (to my knowledge), but their home countries are members of the Commonwealth that allow their citizens to accept British titles. Canada is also a member of the Commonwealth, but does not allow this, so you will never see a Dame Meesha Brueggergossman, or say, a Dame Celine Dion. I doubt the US allows it citizens to accept such honours from other countries either.

[x0xmwax0x]

how does she manage to sing so well in a dress that resistrics her diaphram?

[normaportal]

Magnífica!!!

[janineyxo]

wow. who else wants to be her?

[zacharybr]

Try Dame Joan Sutherland

[saxamaphoneguy1]

She has such perfect control over her voice. It's incredible how she seems to just easily maneuver around her entire range. A+ Kiri, you'll always be at the top of my list :-)

[lasalleman]

Where the bright Seraphim in burning row

Their loud uplifted angel-trumpets blow,

And the Cherubic host in thousand choirs

Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,

Hymns devout and holy psalms

Singing everlastingly:

And keep in tune with Heaven, till God ere long To His celestial concert us unite,

To live with Him, and sing in endless morn of light.

From: At a Solemn Music

by John Milton

[yodavidnavarro]

Beautiful!

[CrystalFlames]

I want her voice.

This is a pretty kick-butt song.

[SpagbowlSpagbowl]

Kiri's breath control is super weak, however, it is this observers unbiased view that the performance of the trumpeter was super cool, and well worth a second watch.

[LizN90]

Weak breath control? Kiri? Umm...no. She has phenomenal control. I will agree that this is not her very best performance of this aria, but not weak breath control.

[DiVeronica]

wow the trumpet player sucks

[hotlipsab]

Uhh, no. "Wynton" most certainly does NOT play it on a B-flat horn on the Battle recording. No trumpeter on earth plays it on a B-flat unless they are a complete fool or isn't good enough to warrant owning the proper instrument to perform it on, which is either a natural D trumpet, a modern D trumpet, or a piccolo trumpet in A. Thought you might like that clarification. Best. - Andrew

[Applejack70]

The tempo was rushed and that did not give the singer a proper chance to interpret the piece appropriately and as she would have wished, I'm sure. I sang this in the cathederal choir years ago and listening to this was much disappointed by the result. Why on earth do so many conductors have to do things so fast and spoil everything?

[LizN90]

Look at the other youtube versions of this. She always breathes there. She doesn't breathe in the middle of the runs like some of the other singers do.

[gloophy2]

I agree...you either make one choice or the other. I don't think her breath support is week...she chose to breath there and not during the runs. The tempo is not rushed either...this is not an opera aria...it's much more characteristic to sing it at a faster tempo- you can't let it get slow and heavy.

[LizN90]

Where is she breathing wrong? I don't hear it.

[TheAleph74]

Love Kiri but this is not her forte. The 1985 version is better though.

[RevdRichard]

Dame Kiri is (for me) absolutely the best performer of this piece. Shame about the trumpet - why on earth not get a decent baroque trumpeter??

[oomidooo]

her voice is not suited for this kind of music, the coloratura is really horrible.

[musiqe07]

Dame Kiri really is great, but where is the ornamentation? Is that not a baroque Da capo aria? I know here it's only solo performance, but had this been the entire work I would have been BORED!

[jojijoji88]

A trumpet geek chiming in.

I think I prefer the sound of a piccolo trumpet for this rather than the D trumpet he's using...

Trumpet geek leaving escorted by the chirping of crickets...

[hollysu2593]

I concur....the piccolo trumpet has a nicer timbre and a crisper sound. Good call :D

[onceaking]

This is nice, thank you for taking your time to post it so we who love her can enjoy her lovely presence and beautiful voice.

Thanks again

[damekirilover]

You're welcome. I just love and adore her too much.......

[fundfreq]

Not a perfect fit for the voice, but still nice.

[swanningaround]

That was at the last night of the proms in about 1991, wasn't it? She sang Rule Britannia and was dressed in the New Zealand flag, as per this video.

[kellyjkeenan]

Perhaps there is a section elsewhere in the video which displays the New Zealand flag, but Dame Kiri certainly is not draped in it at this point of the evening, I can aver.

Kiwi Kiri Whanau.

[paulotomaso]

the stars on her skirt were to represent the flag. what does "Kiwi Kiri Whanau" mean?

[africa234]

Thank you an amazing voice

[dipatti]

Heaven's doorstep. :)