Handel - Hercules "Where shall I fly?" Joyce DiDonato

[acanthe83]

c est trop outre a mon gout , le timbre en devient vraiment laid

[monteverdi79]

when I heard this first time I was in amok, euphoria and excitement.

[jgdmol4l]

she is amazing. Her acting is first rate here...anyone can do comedy and sound pretty but this..ah THIS is drama.

[jgonnerman85]

Damn, girl!

[babymeggie411]

I love her voice! I think she sings this better than anyone I've heard!

[Sebhelyesarcu]

And incredibly out of tune...

[CountertenorJ]

@Sebhelyesarcu Could you be specific as to where this happens, please?

[Sebhelyesarcu]

Hmmm,let's see:first at 0:40,and then at 1:10,1:48...I know she wanted to sing it so dramatically,but the result frightens me more than it amazes.

[CountertenorJ]

Ah. Well, then you know it is purposefully not in tune. That is a big difference from saying someone is just singing out of tune due to lack of skill or ability. The result is MEANT to frighten. Listen to the words and try to understand the meaning. Opera is musical drama. If ya don't like the drama part of it, buy CDs.

[Sebhelyesarcu]

I think Händel didn't want the singers to differ from his instructions.If you see the partiture,you can see that it has already got enough violence in it,and there is no need to change it.Who knows what makes an aria better,Händel,or Ms.DiDonato?

P.s.:And if the singers want to frighten me in a theater,I'm going to piss off...

[CountertenorJ]

Sadly, the singers of that era were known for tantrums, fits and even fist-fighting on stage. Drama was second nature to them. The castrato Guadagni (for whom Haendel wrote many works) was known much more for his acting prowess than his singing prowess. I think Ms. DiDonato makes a better actress than black specks on a page any day. This is Opera Seria. It is meant to be serious (and scary)...not happy and bubbly -- that doesn't happen for another thirty years.

[CatalinaDM56]

Good point.

[bubblykings]

This is so incredibly dramatic!!!!!

LONG LIVE HANDEL!!!!!

[JRZGRL55]

How do we know how Handel wanted this sung? Did he want it "lavish" or did he want it to sound like someone was had truly gone mad? The good news is that we live in an age when we can have it any way that we personally want it. I have compared the recordings that I have of both Joyce & Lorraine (Joyce's is from "Furore", Lorraine's from "Lorraine at Emmanuel", interestingly both are on Track 14) - they are simply different and both are amazing. I love them both - wish Lorraine was still here.

[mentafari]

monster!!!

[llum82]

where I can obtain the score?

[trousermezzo]

This rendition should be enjoyed with the staging, also available at YouTube. I agree she is a fantastic actress but also a great singer! Although I have to say this is not my favourite version of this aria. A bit too witchy to my taste.

[Competenzia]

too witchy indeed...

[hillevifan]

She's great..but no one can beat lorraine hunt

[Gigglingatagas]

It's a little histrionic-heavy for my taste, although I do love her. After hearing Stephanie Blythe lavish her rich tone on this aria, it's hard for me to handle this kind of production.

[aurele65]

Je n'aime pas cette interprétation de Joyce qui est une chanteuse que j'apprécie pourtant beaucoup. Elle en rajoute beaucoup et tombe dans le naturalisme excessif. C'est entièrement surjoué. Mon interprétation favorite est celle d'Ann Hallenberg (allez l'écouter sur le blog Licida) pour plusieurs raisons (très bon investissement dramatique, pas de surjeu et expression des sentiments du personnage avec justesse, voix que j'aime beaucoup).

[acanthe83]

Je suis entièrement d'accord avec vous : beaucoup de sons en deviennent laids et il y a des problèmes de justesse et de rythme.Où est passée la musique dans tout cela?

[jhvorotin]

Incredible acting! Can one do better than this? I don't think so. She pushes her voice too much so we hear gulps and cracks, but I'll say it's for the sake of passion, fury, emotions, in the service of amazing acting.