Diana Damrau - sings modern coloratura

[sweetpepper36]

3:25 ouch

[mumularatona]

she is amazing, this is veryveryvery difficult to sing

[lennibernstein]

Perfect!

[anyany]

this is strange...



[lucrezian]

This is an opretta version of Orwell's 1984. Love it.

[chevrox]

The music really isn't that bad. At least it's not atonal. And she's just the cutest thing, reminds me of Beulah Balbricker :)

[retoricalanswers]

I love this! i love the glimpse we are getting of this character! almost like an evil dictators right-hand-man. she is so evil and knows she has control. I wish I could see the whole opera and witness the character develop. what is this???

[tggold]

There are just some fantastic moments in this piece. I'll try to explain and maybe people will understand that this isn't just "noise".

Some cool parts:

1:35-1:50 Clear imitation between The orchestra (citizens) and soprano (in dialogue.) Interesting wave construction, fantastic drop of orchestra. Note the use of repeated notes throughout the piece and relation to final cadence.

Perhaps my favorite: 3:30-3:45 which gives the melodic material that is used in the "modern march" that follows.

[gustopheles]

I can't imagine why she's dressed like the village idiot (and that hair...), and I am neither a fan of this type of music or of Damrau, but she's got a good voice. I couldn't get through the video, though - the choreography is laughable.

[retoricalanswers]

did we ever figure out what this is?

[breakaliciouskid786]

this is not my cup of tea, but she makes it amazing!

[LorraineCash]

I don´t like the music at all, but Damrau is always amazing!!!

[dabija123]

Flawless in every respect. Damrau is Damrau. She IS the identity principle.

[Maranedy]

What the hell is this? But whatever this is, Damrau is Damrau. She would still be looking mesmerizing no matter what she is made to sing and act.....

^^

[Yasminimani]

wow! this is completely insane. I hope she gets paid double :)

[kacvirgo]

Inspiring!

[KriBlackRoson]

this is so damn great

[chevroxx]

I keep coming back to this weird music!!!

[6sushi66]

Who wrote this or how opera is it,please?

[lesclaypool27]

una ópera en inglés... basada en 1984... ahora si lo he visto todo. esa mujer es todo un fenómeno, waw! y si bien en mi opinión la música no se escucha del todo mal, no es de mi agrado. por todos los comentarios sobre el split y eso imaginé que abría el split y cantaba a la vez xDDD

[Iksnafetsnamor]

I am soooo impressed! Strength, clarity along with acting AND THE SPLITS!!!!! Congratulations Ms.Damrau!

[peque1204]

No me gusta la ópera en ingles!... no es idioma para la ópera.

[andipaolo]

SHE SINGS BEAUTIFUL, BUT THE PERFORMANCE, IT´S REALLY HORRiBLE AND AWFUL!

[williamgayleysimpson]

This is totally weird!!!

[scottwoo79]

amazing damrau

[ElisabettaVS]

What the hell?! She can still sing while exercising? She can do everything! Modern classical and classical music.

[raigekimaru]

whoa

[gerdislouise]

Never mind.

[gerdislouise]

Could someone tell me what this is she is singing?

[enrym86]

is "1984" a new opera by lorin maazel based on george orwell book about the big brother ;)

[anunaka1]

congratulations!!! my dear, you are great!! I am amaised!! You are a complete artist!!The opera is courageous in subject!!!

[jenny47922]

The music is not quite to my taste, but knowing 1984, it's fitting. Very fitting.

[CantoSemper49]

this is bloody brilliant!

[chevrox]

She never actually touched her own toes, lol!

[marzanjp1]

gross...... I mean Diana is AMAZING!!!! but this modern shit is nasty

[CatalinaDM56]

If you read 1984, you wouldn't think it is ridiculous.

[MisterSoprano]

She's great. Is that Simon Keenlyside at the back?

[yappity]

Well I think this is ridiculously brilliant. To hit the notes like that while excercising all over the place.

Plus it really fits the character from the novel. Pity we don't get to see a few more shots of Mr. Keenlyside trying to keep up.

[gefriolsaeme]

Great performance. Saw her at the Wigmore Hall - she did six encores!!

And the music is brilliant. Isn't it a British Government political broadcast? Oh sorry I'm wrong it's 1984...

[JRZGRL55]

Actually for the record - Karila Matilla has a mean split - but I don't think she's done it while performing.

[JRZGRL55]

Diana Damrau is amazing. You may not like the music, you may not like her costume, but you have to admire not only her flawless technique but her incredible energy and acting skills. She is mesmerizing no matter what she does.

[klaaudio16]

hehehe this is ridiculous

it shows me shes a true artist

[Heartlessiceboy]

God she is singing amazingly,a perfect coloratura....doing a spagat! and all that you people can comment if she is wearing a fat suit?

Caballe or Horne never weared a fat suit and two of the most greatest singers ever...Just as miss Damrau is going to be considered in years to come.One of the greatest

[kngiht84]

Does Caballe really need to wear a fat suit ? (Sorry)

[satualm]

is she wearing stuffed up clothes or she's just chubby ?

[chevrox]

the music isn't so bad after listening to it several times...

[flaze3]

this discordant music really fits the theme of Orwell's 1984, but it's not pleasant to listen to.

[ShayndelGirl]

Diana does'n wear a fat-suit. She always been al little chubby if you also watch other clips fro her like "glitter and be gay".

But that doesnt matter. She is a great opera singer and entertainer. Even when she is chubby or not. peace

[edengirl17]

hmmmm...she is a bit but not like in this...I think they have put her sth

[doctorezrab]

WOW amazing singing and physical flexibility I love Diana Damrau. I have never seen an opera singer do a split before.

[edengirl17]

hihi..Di is not that easy to recognize in this outfit...lol

Awsome performance!!

[PuffsPlusWithLotion]

what language is this?

[PuffsPlusWithLotion]

lol duh its english. nvm.

[rahulsoul]

ha ha

[eugemad]

ok... beside the unbelievable singing and technique (especially in such a weird and difficult modern coloratura!!) . . . she is bloody flexible like a ballet dancer or whatever!!! Oh my God. And she doesn't even has to, she just respects her body. How can't you NOT admire her and feel smallin front of such...such...oh, I better stop talking.

[damfanrau]

the real spirit of the gym teacher from "1984"...please read the book.-besides, only a TRUE ARTIST can leave all prejudice behind,respect of her body.I love her , all of her.-

[gyorgy11]

The aria is only 5 min. long but seems so much longer ... heh heh. Damrau still gets my vote. She has pudged up a bit on her new Donna CD cover too.

[mf2101]

Will we still sing this in 200 years, like we still sing Mozart?

[SonoPortoricano]

I hope not. Dear God, the music is horrible. Though, Diana is amazing of course.

[tggold]

While I respect personal opinion, to call the music horrible is pretty ignorant. Just because you don't personally understand the music doesn't mean you should bash it.

I enjoy it. It's not even that out there, you can pretty much hear everything going on.

[strauss12345]

@tggold I believe this "music" is indeed horrible no matter what you say. Diana Damrau is a good singer, but no matter who sings this, it is going to sound terrible. You may say that people just don't "understand" this music, but rather, nobody wants to "understand" such a cacophonous disaster of a song. This music is just the worst thing I have ever heard, and I do believe I have a right to "bash it" the way people have a right to bash music that I like.

[lolnoname]

@strauss12345 and I believe it was written to be bashed :) If you know what I mean :)

[FranKoPepez]

Wow, she is fatter than the times I have seen her before... but she sings awesome, and dances and acts very good...

The music is very strange, but not bad. What kind of music is it?

[Satirike]

Heheh she is wearing a fat suit for the role ;p

Hm, it's modern music..Maazel.

[PuffsPlusWithLotion]

that must make a woman feel good about herself, that she has to wear a fat-suit for a role.

[dopepenguin]

what aria is this?

[tCrOMez1990]

i think the extra weight is partially because the clothes are designed that way, cuz she is fairly petite

[sambruno3]

good lord, she gained some kilos there :(

[skitzo429]

Im not sure shes really that much bigger, shes always had some curves if you watch some of her other videos, shes always had a booty, i think the difference is that she just never wears things that are quite that unflattering haha shes normally performing in big elegant gowns and stuff.

[Nater389]

She's a little chunky thing. Packing some major ass. Watch those splits. Great singing too, however I could not watch a performance like this. The music is not appealing.

[rvsd44]

my goodness...what a versatile singer. i've seen her other clips but none is surprising as this one. truly an amazing artiste!

[lamsalgado]

Not also my cup of tea, but she is astonishing nevertheless. Besides her singing gifts, nobody is more powerful as her in these roles, IMHO. At least from everyone I´ve seen. She performs fab in "Glitter and Gay" of Bernstein, here in YT.

[Hilakos]

I like the music. :\

[PhoenixFlowerSophia]

What is the name of the play?

[HenryStaples]

The opera written by Lorin Maazel is "1984" and is based on George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty Four". The music isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I think I could get used to it. Diana Damrau's voice and acting are incredible. I've always imagined her as being tall and slim; perhaps she's tubbed-up a bit for this role

- hs

[jazzylianne]

Is there anything this woman cant do?? not only is she an AMAZING singer but she can ride horses and do the splits!!

[sopranosd]

@jazzylianne I know what you mean -- she is just awesome!

[qyzuf]

@jazzylianne

and sing at the same time?

[damfanrau]

if this role demands this kind of playing,i don`t think they will get another soprano to play it...

[asisecanta]

Iride Martínez has one it as well.

[damfanrau]

I`m sorry,I don`t know her.Have you seen her playing this?

[asisecanta]

Not I haven't but I think she has done this role last year at La Scala. By the way, if you look "iride martinez" here on youtube, you can see a couple of clips with her (Zerbinetta, Lucia Cleopatra, Gilda, Il mondo della Luna...) She's brilliant!

[damfanrau]

OK.I took a look on Zerbinetta.She seems to be good and I will be "watching her"...Anyway I am Dam"FAN"rau...

[Guaranabxl]

this is an awful modern creation.though I love Damrau

[ThatDavidGuy]

I LOVE that ridiculous costume. It makes the vid ever more fun to watch!

[zafireh]

great! incredible! i don´t like the music, but she does such a great job!!!!!!

she´s the best living singer that we have in the world!!!

[Chakalonero]

im posting my new pics

[Twinkietoots]

This is the versitility of the true artiste !!!

What a voice !!!! Her presence on stage is astounding and the clarity of hervoice and force of her body language are amazing .... I am happy I have "met" her ...... through the variation of her roles ....

[Glissando2007]

Great voice...but would someone please explain to me what the heck is going on here? I'm kind of...confused and...wait. Is this 1984? George Orwell? Ok. But I'm still confused.

[Satirike]

Yes it is an opera based off of the book 1984.

So remember when there was that gym instructor on tv and the main character was trying to touch his toes?

[charliefdom]

Wow...she can do the splits....tha's one more point in my book....hehehehe

[jontenorboy]

What's this about her being fat. She has an average build. And the music is contemporary. It's best to be open about all that. It really is the future of opera.

[Satirike]

/sigh

of course it's just padding on the costume..and even if she was fat she sings like a bamf.

[wolkowy1]

Very interesting and hard to sing. Brava for Diana Damrau! Thanks for uploading.

[mistrato]

Mrs Damrau fat ?...are you out of your bloody minds.....do you know what fat is?...she's solid alright...and does not need a sandwich for sure....she looks like a woman and not a little girl or a guy....but maybe that's the problem.

[joanabanyeres]

Vraiment je n'aime pas cette vidéo. madame damrau si fameuse ne me plaît pas du tout. cette voix est la voix de millions de jeunes chanteuses et n'a rien d'agréable ... un bon parrain elle aura.. Pourquoi ces cris. elle devrait chanter mieux son "caro nome " et perdre un peu de poids.. je ne comprends rien a cette notoriété.

[Satirike]

lol tu es un peu mechante, n'est-ce pas?

elle ne dois pas maigrir.. le coutume fait 'le grosse'.

desolee pour mon francais - je suis toujours etudiante.

[LeNozze44]

Damrau's not that fat is she?

[DessayBestSinger]

she isn't

[RaWrZzZz]

WTF MANNN???shes not fat at all. and her voice is like...gods gift

[jorgeandresossa]

me gustaria saber que es eso una opera un musical, el compositor es que no lo conozco

[Tiagoerg]

Its a famous conductor actually... i didnt quite knew that i wrote music...specially a opera...i dont quite disliked...but some melodies in the music makes me hate it xD. But its a nice aria, that explores the coloratura voice...and Damrau makes it SOOOO much more easy to see, listen and feel. Its a prodution, in my point of view that requires more than the simple singing, the acting is crucial for the audience seduction

[cherrydalehell]

I really really dislike the music but Damrau's singing is fantastic.

[Latitude2007]

Should have proper dress. That camel toe is frikkin distractíng.

[Sukisha76]

That voice at 3:05, is that Jeremy Irons? What was this production? Its slightly odd. Diana Damrau is gorgeous though as usual.

[asisecanta]

Yes, Jeremy Irons performed a recorded role in this... opera (well, sort of LOL)

[gramana]

BRILIANT!

[cachaflita]

the music is wonderfull. please someone tell me the name of the opera and composer.

gracias

[poseidondude65]

it is massanet's 1984

[altodivo]

Ummm..Maazel's 1984?

[poseidondude65]

yes he is the composer of the opera. the opera was based on the book by orwell

[poseidondude65]

i just realized what i wrote... sorry working on hw on massenet at the same time had him on the brain

[asisecanta]

Interesting music marvelously performed by Damrau

[coopandre]

Brilliant!!

[agnellodei]

Why can't modern composers write beautiful music like that of Bellini or Handel? The only ones I've heard that could write seriously for opera are James Horner and Mark Mencina.

[asisecanta]

Try John Corigliano. He is great

[Musiq20]

OMG, this is absolutely genius!!!

[ariano19]

SHE IS AN ARTIST!!!!

[mattyslipp]

Wait... for those of you that seem to think that's her actual body, you're wrong. She's wearing some padding!

[montecarlostar]

:o the full split omg

[galine13]

dommage, on ne sait pas ce qu'elle dit... c'est toutefois très impressionnant! elle est aussi à l'aise avec le chant qu'avec la gestique (grand-écart facial!!!)

[sonqualnave]

That's show that karita Mattila is not the only soprano who succeed to do splits!! hehehe

[maryjivinjane]

Oh my God this is amazing...

[lakme76]

un incubo!

[maggeo78]

La musica è bruttina, ma la damrau è tutt'altro che un incubo... Una delle migliori soprano in circolazione!

[Gigglingatagas]

OMG, I would totally lose so much weight if I had Diana Damrau as a personal trainer.

Yes please!

[Bobbyo60]

Know many sopranos that can hit a high c while doing the splits??

That was amazing!!

And yes, she has trimmed down a bit since then, but the body does fit the role.

[rullstensas]

Oh! An opera of George Orwell's 1984! Big Brother and all that! Excellent! And I do love Diana Damrau! So mean looking in that gym teacher's outfit!

[gtelloz]

is it the outfit...or , was she chubby??

[xDARKESTxSOULx]

Wow, what excellent control she has!

[segattacicova]

Someone knows what is this piece?

[tarnishdhalo]

You can tell this is from Damrau's earlier days. I'm just referring to her appearance rather than her vocal style and technique. She has always been phenomenal. I just HATE what they dressed her in...she looks like some scary butch lesbian!

[hillevifan]

she's supposed to be a gym teacher so that comment is adequate to desribe what she looks like

[beteltree]

the butch "gym instructress" costume is appropriate then no? This is Maazel's "1984" after all. ;) But seriously her character reminds me of the communist youth troupe leaders I grew up with in Vietnam

[Manuelnc]

No solo es una excelente cantante sino una gran interprete y TAMBIEN GIMNASTA!!!!!lol Por Dios es una genia!!!

[chevrox]

if only i could understand what she's saying

[CHerbek]

Um, wow, this is just amazing. The music, the singing, the staging. I need to see this!

[DoinItClassy]

I was NOT expecting a full split out of Diana fuckin' Damrau.

woah. just woah.

[2BETUBE]

The fat suit is an illusion; Diana is in amazing physical condition. The only thing more amazing is the control she has over her voice. I don't like this production, I do like her voice VERY much.

[altodivo]

Ummm...there is no fat suit. I've seen her live and thats her body shape. Its fine. She is believable in any role, and an amazing singer. AMAZING.

[Crystalbellvoice]

I know not the name of this opera, but it seems as if someone deeply rooted this in Orwell's 1984. The way she keeps mentioning Big Brother after 4:00 just tells me that someone tried to take part of that and arrange it.

I rather enjoyed it, but I try to make sure that all I listen to isn't just Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, etc. We all need a healthy dose of something our ear might not be so attuned to just to expose us.

[hillevifan]

It is Lorin Maazel's Opera 1984.

[Crystalbellvoice]

I knew it had to be that omething closely related! Thanks!

[hillevifan]

Is this available in any way (i.e. CD or DVD)?

[Marlifan69]

For someone to say this is not good, is obviously one who has minimal, or no knowledge of music. As Stravinsky would say, "first go study music, before listening to mine". If one lives his entire life only listening to Mozart, it's quite dificult to recognize something that has acctualy been thought during the creation process.

[jamesgeist]

In a recent interview she mentioned how she loves sports and how athletic opera singers have to be. She admits that there are some exceptions.

[Operaphile]

RANDOM!!! But...I actually like it...GASP!!! The character reminds me of "Miss Trunchbull" from Roald Dahl's novel, "Matilda". Woah, Diana is flexible in not just her voice!

[jamesgeist]

I wish she were my gym teacher. Diana is great here, just like she almost always is!

[jamesgeist]

Anybody realize that she confuses her left and right? I'm kidding of course...it's just funny that she says "left" and goes to the right. I'm sure Ms.Damrau knows her left and right in a multitude of languages.

[Berserk798]

lol you're right. Of course, maybe when the person is demonstrating they're supposed to do that--so it's the left and right from the follower's perspective.

[dutchtallguy]

I would have loved to hear ms. Diana Damrau display her skills in some more traditional opera role's. This is truly a performance for the happy few....

[dchemaly396]

I do not know neither the composer nor the opera (opera? singspiel? musical?). It is not appealing at all. This aria could ruin any coloratura's voice. The composer should review the structure of the aria and re write it to make sure the voice does not suffer or the vocal chords do not overstress. I sense no one could sing this two nights in a row.

[g4thz]

There is a healthy way to sing any piece of music. I don't worry about Damrau's cords... it's obvious that she has the skill and training to prevent injury.

[sevoflurane]

I think this is great! I regret not going to see it!

[dchemaly396]

Yes she has great skills, and I love her art very very very much, but this piece is even riskier than Zerbinetta's monologue. I trust Diana knows what she is doing.

[Lilith89ibz]

Ok, I didn't want to post this video but I see you've done it for me... LOL At least you haven't post the Drunk Woman! lol The singing and the acting is amazing (it's Diana, of course), but I wouldn't listen to the music either... I liked Keenlyside also, but it's always Diana who saves the show ;)

[nordfriese81]

who would have thought that she´s so fit, physically? i SO love her

[AliceBathory00]

Diana is great... hmmm... tho I don't really understand the opera, but well, big brother is watching you! Hahahaha XD