I've heard better voices (that is not to say she isn't amazing, she is), but her emotion in this just makes it for me. When he sings "Ah! Edgardo mio!" my heart just breaks.
meno male che la Callas non c'è più. . Vi immaginate cosa poteva dire di questa interpretazione. Sarebbe meglio che la Scena della Pazzia non venisse mai più rappresentata nè incisa: nessuno mai, neppure in futuro potrà eguagliare quella della Callas, e cercare di farlo porta solo a scarne, deludenti, sforzate ed anche orribili tentativi di imitazione dell'INIMITABILE!!!!!
One of the best performances of this difficult and complex, but the same time magnificent role. She managed to avoid a simple theatrical role and delivered a deeply sensitive presentation with her exceptional voice.
I think this is one if not THE best of Natalie's Lucias! It's so sweet, so young, so Lucia (as I see this role, of course) Thanks for posting this amazingly beautiful performance of the bravissima Natalie!
Loved it.! What a nice surprise it was to discover Lucia was on PBS this past Sunday! Even though it was a gorgeous day, I couldn't tear myself away from the television!
@65willows It's called a glass armonica.. Deesay refuses to do the scene without it.. the aria was written during a time before it was went out of fashion, it was believed to drive people crazy.. wich is fitting for the scene. I am a purist and believe the scene should not be done without it.. a flute just doesnt quite do it for the scene..
@jellolova I could not retrieve all of your message, but thank you so much for posting additional Dessay parts. I would appreciate subscribing to your site. My husband suffered a debilitating stroke and while he is bi-lingual, his second language is Spanish, not Italian, so it is very helpful for him to watch with English subtitles. Thank you again.
Interesting! The YT trolls have been posting for years now about how she has no voice anymore, her acting is bad and getting worse, and blah, blah, blah. But Dessay goes on from triumph to triumph. She does what she wants to do and keeps on being Natalie! I love her. Her best Olympia was fantastic and her various Zerbinettas were great, but what he is doing now is, to me, better and better.
@MrHbc3 YT people are way too critical, and some of them look for impossible standards - some abstract combination of all greats of the past in which one singer has better voice color, another - better trill, yet another - acting ability. No single person stands a chance. Or they try to go into "my singer is better than yours" type of war, as if one can't like different singers. At this level, a lot is the matter of personal preference.
@jewelmarkess I do agree with that. Some are sincere, some even know a lot about music. IMHO most of the more critical people are not sincere and don't understand very much. And then there are, of course, the trolls. They seem to me to not be very nice people who have neuroses that I do not pretend to understand. I am not even at all clear where the dividing lines are between the various kinds of critics and the worst trolls.
Thank you for your comment. I know very well that Elina is a mezzo and the Mad Scene is not for her voice mo. what I attempted to say is that, on youtube, every person who likes a female singer, to exalt her, uses to compare to Anna and try to detract from Anna. Some of them have said things like this: My singer is better and more beautiful than Anna. Even in the video of Natalie's Mad scene, there are many similar comments.
@matthieusarah glass harmonica, but because of its general unavailability, the part is written for flute. but donizetti's original conception was for glass harmonica
I find it strange that to highlight any contemporary singer, it has to say she is better than Anna Netrebko.
I have seen comments that Elina Garanca sings better and is prettier than Anna. Nino Machdaise if it is a true soprano, and Anna is not. Now I see that to exalt NatalieDessay have to say that her.
But something has to be Anna, that anybody may have reference her to say that other is better.
@jfsanin I think you are confused a bit. Elina Garanca is a mezzo soprano, so she should really not be compared to sopranos. She doesn't sing this aria. Anna Netrebko is a soprano, but she is a lyric soprano. Natalie Dessay is a lyric coloratura soprano which makes it easier for her to sing all of the trills and ornaments and high notes in this aria, as Lucia is written for coloratura soprano. Nino Machaidze is lyric coloratura soprano too.
WOW!! I have been looking forward to seeing this for ages, have just seen it and it was soooo fantastic!!! Natalie was incredible and so inspiring for a young singer!!! Thank you Met for broadcasting this and other amazing operas!! :D
I saw them today from the MET ....Joseph Calleja was the best vocally. Great baritone and Bass. Dessay did a great Job, but in the mad scene it was a shame that she didnt sung with the flute, the result was that the audience just get applauses in the end of the act, not after the first part of the mad scene.....and in the a capella section .....in the end she was not perfectlly on tune....
WOW!! I have been looking forward to seeing this for ages, have just seen it and it was soooo fantastic!!! Natalie was incredible and so inspiring for a young singer!!! Thank you Met for broadcasting this and other amazing operas!! :D
I just saw it today at the auditorio luis elizondo in monterrey, mexico, live from the MET in HD, it was PERFECT, i just loved the way natalie song this scene, she is complettly awesone =)
Just saw it at the Met on Wednesday - it was just superb. Natalie and Joseph Calleja were simply phenomenal....That performance will stay in my memory forever.
It would be lovely if anyone could post footage of these broadcasts of Dessay's Lucia this year in 2011, it would be great to hear how her voice and interpretation has evolved in 4 years!! :D
@sam1322xx I saw it on March 8th and must agree with you! I left the opera wanting more! At the end I turned to my dad and said "It was too short!!!" hahaha
I saw her yesterday. Her performance last nite was better than this one... which just proves that she's getting better and better and better. I was in awe at the clarity of her voice and the octaves she sang in ONE BREATH.
@bigdigger87 It's not available for purchase, sadly. The March 2011 Met Lucia (featuring Ms. Dessay) will be part of their Met Live in HD series and (one hopes) eventually released on dvd.
il dolce suono is perhaps my favorite aria and this particular performance is exceptional...Ms. Dessay captures madness well and I found her movements and immersion to be classic.
@epiksonik Amen to that. @shaylybri Also that. The combination of the glass and her voice gives the scene a really haunting quality. It's like the ghost of her sanity has enchanted the crystal to sing.
@lovegerard4ever Natalie claims to be the best ever in this role. There are many great versions of this aria. Callas was a great soprano, she is dead, we cannot exactly see/hear her live in opera. If we all stay at home with old recordings, not only we'll miss on the magical beauty of listening to unamplified voices and the whole opera experience, but then all opera theaters would have to close. Also, don't forget, this is a live opera performance not a recording.
@jewelmarkess I don't stay at home with old records... I go often to the Opera (I live in Paris, so I can see beautiful operas at Bastille). Surely Dessay plays this role very well, but to me, Callas version is better (on records I say). Scuse my bad english, I'm french.
@lovegerard4ever Callas is more expressive than probably anybody, so I can see how you prefer it. They are very different though - in voice color, power, timbre. But I do see your point.
@jewelmarkess I very much doubt that "Natalie claims to be the best ever in this role". She may or may not have been, but it would be tremendously unlike her to say such a thing.
@MrHbc3 I am sorry, I think it was a typo on my part. When I got your comment I thought "did I say that?", then I checked what I wrote. I meant to say the opposite - Natalie doesn't claim to be the best. I was replying to someone who claimed Callas was better, so I was trying that Natalie doesn't claim to be the best, and that we cannot keep comparing to the greats of the past. But... must've been late at night, so I messed up the comment completely and said the opposite of what I meant.
@valkyrio Good ear. It's a glass harmonica or armonico using the same idea as water-filled crystal glasses played with the fingers. A number of composers wrote pieces for it including Mozart. It was viewed as inducing heightened emotional states in those who played and listened to it and was associated with madness, so an appropriate choice for this scene. Often a flute is substituted for the armonico in "Lucia".
@thriftyscotswoman "Simply horrid"? I know what you mean. When those Italians get ahold of a perfectly sweet family story by Sir Walter they have to start tragedizing. Do you prefer Scottish Opera?
Excellent performance ... please guys ... have a look at the mad scene with Mariella Devia who is even better than Dessay's.... that's her best role. I can tell you that she was hugely acclaimed at La Scala. Maybe we should a bit get over the world stars and look for excellence, not sensationalism like Sumi Jo and co... Please check Mariella Devia Mad scene and then let me know .
Thanks for posting. I recently saw Cleveland opera's performance of Lucia and it was amazing. There was a meet the conductor cocktail reception and he spoke of how Natalie Dessay is one of the only sopranos who can actually sing in the octave that Donzietti had intended. I'd never heard her sing until this, so thanks. I'm realy looking forward to the Met's production of Lucia this spring.
Look what she's doing when they sing the line "She is as she's risen from the grave!" It's sort of comical! Yes, she looks more like a zombie here! LOL!
In fact, she doesn't even look crazy at that moment, but rather she's cleaning up the murder weapon like most murderers in a movie... Hahaha...
Natalie Dessay, in her continued progress towards greater artistry, still doesn't know what opera is about
In recent years, Dessay's top notes have been shrieky and metallic, cold, effortful, and generally unpleasant to the ear. The disdain she has for top notes is therefore understandable. She tends to compensate with buffoonish histrionics, overacting the pieces of meaning she gleans from the (mostly bankrupt) text.
Oh que Voz que artista increible se acuesta, se tuerce, corre su voz no se cambia ni se nota el minimo stress y que agilidad y limpio suena los altos tonos. anodada es una excelente Koloratursopranista ....wow Wow WOW
Now, I'm hardly an expert on the subject, but I fell in love with this opera (specifically, this scene) a few months ago, and have been looking for a performance I like...this was spot on for me! I've heard A LOT of different recordings and performances, but this one, in my opinion, is the best yet. Thank you so much for uploading this!
thank you so much, thecelticspirit, me too! I'd rather know what it's all about and since I don't speak Italian - and I totally agree with your wish for a DVD of Dessay's Lucia AT LAST!!! But NOT of a stupid production like THAT one! People dressed like that and getting Valium shots don't get into this kind of mess to start with - what's wrong with nice period costumes, great singers (or the best = Dessay) and a decent production without the wannabe "genius" of some stupid EGOMANIAC director
You're very wecome, glad you appreciated the idea ^^ I kinda like this production too, even if there're some flaws. The mad scene is incredible! Dessay is incredible!
Are you refering to Zimmerman's production of La Sonnambula? I really like it, even though it's not perfect. Maybe it's because of the singers ^
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Best Lucia ...hahahahahaha..............bullshit!
In my opinion Mrs. Dessay isn't a great singer since 2000. I think her voice is too thin, she wobbles too much and her high tones are too spiky and without depth and it reminds me of the last school choir singing of my daughter.
I believe, today she sings only in the second class like Callas in the past and Nathalie, it's time to say goodbye opera stage!
The fans can hear you 1000 years on YouTube but for the new opera audience you're too bad!
operathash, I know that the fact that Dessay's voice is unattractive and is weak and childish, does not mean anything to you. Dessay's acting is bad, if not for music one will never distinguish between her Amina and Lucia. Oh, I forgot Dessay is ugly - that should be a plus! So, she got a "proper" training, so why then Dessay was booed at La Scala? Because people in Italy know a thing or two about beautiful singing, they mostly value the voice, and there Dessays perfect training meant nothing!
Can you stop posting over and over the same comment on every video ??? I think we got your point ! And can you stop being disrespectful toward artists who are giving their live to their art ? You plead everyone to stop bashing Netrebko, but look at yourself when your talking about Dessay... This is so childish, I just don't believe it.
thecelticspirit , I would like you to go to Anna Netrebko, a great soprano pages,
and read some of the commnets that Dessay fans had left there during the last 4 years and then my commnets will really look childish. Or do you think that only Dessay deserves respect and only Dessay gives her life to the public?
Of course not. I've already explained myself about that : every artist should be respected for what he/she does. I don't like Netrebko's Lucia, but I would never say she's shit. It's just that she does not touch me. What I don't understand is your attitude : you say that Dessay fans are disrespectful, but you do the same toward Dessay. Respect works both ways.
I think Dessay is a great Lucia, in my opinion she is the greatest!!! I can not understand why at the MET they have recorded Lucia with AN!!! Netrebko is a good singer and the greatest singer-entrepreneur... Simply Lucia is not for her!!!! She should choose in a better way her repertoire...
This is exactely what I was thinking. Dessay's Lucia was far more touching and convincing than Netrebko's. Netrebko has a great voice, but this is not her repertoire : I really like her Violetta, but Lucia, no way. And I listen both MET's and Vienna's versions... Definitely not for her. (sorry, Netrebko's fans ^^)
maggeo78 , I do not intend to change your mind, but do you know that Netrebko's Lucia (not Dessay's) was shown on public this April television for 4 days in a row as "Great performances at the MET"? What they broadcast here on youtube is very low quality clips and one cannot judge by that.
This is definitely NOT about success. It's not because something is said to be a "great performance" that it actually is. It could simply be marketing. Anyway, for me, success means nothing. I want emotions first. And I don't give a damn if a singer is famous.
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maggeo78 , I never knew that la Scala may appreciate grown up sopranos with childish voices. Natalie has good technique but without a decent voice her technique means nothing. Dessay's Lucia is an overkill, her acting is bad; her singing may be technically correct but it is extremely boring and her acting is the same everywhere. And yes, let's wait for Netrebko's Lucia in la Scala in 2011!!!!!!!!
maggeo78 , you would not believe how much basing is going on Netrebko's Traviata pages. Actually they bash her everywhere. I am at lost, why do they hate her so much? Because she is successful and beautiful? Netrebko is one of the best living sopranos. Why people are so hateful?
I don't know why people hate her. I think she can not sing Lucia, but I think she is a great Violetta. The Traviata in Salzburg is surly one of the best Opera in last years like Lucia with Dessay at the Met or die Zauberflote with Damrau at ROH.
The most important thing is to say what you think with respect for others and for the singers...
I don't think she's hated because of her success/beauty. I totally agree with maggeo78, she can't sing Belcanto. Well, not for the moment. I'm sure she would do far better things without overacting/lack of nuances. Her Violetta is to me her best performance. You should respect Dessay as I respect Netrebko even if I don't appreciate what she does, because singers deserve to be respected for their work. They are also human.
Actually they are so different, comparing them is delicate, I'm convinced they both shows talent for different things, that's all, no need to be discourteous.
I have to tell you. You are one of the few people on here who understands that. Even if you aren't a fan, the singer puts out so much work that really... they deserve respect. It takes years to learn this stuff. I love Netrebko. I love Dessay. I don't think I don't like any singer. To me, no one really competes with Joan Sutherland, but that's a personal preference. They're all amazing in their own right.
@sorkin777 her voice (Netrebko) is a little hard on the ears to some... not everyone loved Callas either... personally I like both Netrebko and Dessay, but certain operas that they've sung, I prefer Gheorghiu the most. Based on the opera or song, I have a certain voice that I like the most.
Esplendorosa escena de la locura...Escénicamente es fantástica...y la coloratura es hermosa...esos sobreagudos.!!! Por eso Dessay es tan querida para mí !!! Mírenla completa !
I've heard better voices (that is not to say she isn't amazing, she is), but her emotion in this just makes it for me. When he sings "Ah! Edgardo mio!" my heart just breaks.
extremeXjapanophile 5 days ago
meno male che la Callas non c'è più. . Vi immaginate cosa poteva dire di questa interpretazione. Sarebbe meglio che la Scena della Pazzia non venisse mai più rappresentata nè incisa: nessuno mai, neppure in futuro potrà eguagliare quella della Callas, e cercare di farlo porta solo a scarne, deludenti, sforzate ed anche orribili tentativi di imitazione dell'INIMITABILE!!!!!
TheFioresi 1 week ago
:D
crisnemesisjackel 3 weeks ago
She's amazing.
casia777 2 months ago
One of the best performances of this difficult and complex, but the same time magnificent role. She managed to avoid a simple theatrical role and delivered a deeply sensitive presentation with her exceptional voice.
shimonros1 2 months ago
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moiypt 2 months ago
She's a wonderful acress and great singer too. Amazing!
moiypt 2 months ago
She is fabulous in this role-- I don't think anyone can do this scene better, or at least I can't imagine it.
leoniemikele 3 months ago
Best rendition of Lucia Ive ever seen
jaina1992 3 months ago
Wonderful!! I will be seeing this opera at the Kennedy Center in DC on November 12.
Irishike 3 months ago
is it soprano????
CagedWind 4 months ago
@CagedWind Yes, it is. This is a lyric coloratura soprano which is a highest soprano voice with a lot of agility.
jewelmarkess 4 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I hate this soprano...is terrible...
wotanBrunhilde 4 months ago
I think this is one if not THE best of Natalie's Lucias! It's so sweet, so young, so Lucia (as I see this role, of course) Thanks for posting this amazingly beautiful performance of the bravissima Natalie!
Lecafeconcert 5 months ago
I saw the original recording of this, she is amazing in every way. ♥♥ Easily one of my favourite singers and operas.
MercyPiano 5 months ago
Listen to MADO ROBIN
MrSkylark1 6 months ago
Brilliant actress as well as singer.
sassycassiestar 6 months ago
she is terrific in the role. enjoy the performance, don't make yourself sick dissecting it........
44abelly 6 months ago 6
Natalie IS Lucia...!
al10506025 6 months ago
Loved it.! What a nice surprise it was to discover Lucia was on PBS this past Sunday! Even though it was a gorgeous day, I couldn't tear myself away from the television!
eddiecat 8 months ago
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eddiecat 8 months ago
This was on PBS Great Performances today and seeing it was overwhelming. Thank you for posting this mad scene. The glass harp is awesome!
65willows 8 months ago 5
@65willows It's called a glass armonica.. Deesay refuses to do the scene without it.. the aria was written during a time before it was went out of fashion, it was believed to drive people crazy.. wich is fitting for the scene. I am a purist and believe the scene should not be done without it.. a flute just doesnt quite do it for the scene..
Chivalryaintdead 5 months ago 2
@Chivalryaintdead Oh, thank you for making the distinction, and I agree that it adds a definite sense of "otherworldliness".
65willows 4 months ago
@65willows glass harp?
jellolova 4 months ago
@jellolova I could not retrieve all of your message, but thank you so much for posting additional Dessay parts. I would appreciate subscribing to your site. My husband suffered a debilitating stroke and while he is bi-lingual, his second language is Spanish, not Italian, so it is very helpful for him to watch with English subtitles. Thank you again.
65willows 3 months ago
This was on PBS Great Performances today and seeing it was overwhelming. Thank you for posting this mad scene.
65willows 8 months ago
she always plays crazy well...
jomoses07 8 months ago
Interesting! The YT trolls have been posting for years now about how she has no voice anymore, her acting is bad and getting worse, and blah, blah, blah. But Dessay goes on from triumph to triumph. She does what she wants to do and keeps on being Natalie! I love her. Her best Olympia was fantastic and her various Zerbinettas were great, but what he is doing now is, to me, better and better.
MrHbc3 8 months ago
@MrHbc3 YT people are way too critical, and some of them look for impossible standards - some abstract combination of all greats of the past in which one singer has better voice color, another - better trill, yet another - acting ability. No single person stands a chance. Or they try to go into "my singer is better than yours" type of war, as if one can't like different singers. At this level, a lot is the matter of personal preference.
jewelmarkess 8 months ago
@jewelmarkess I do agree with that. Some are sincere, some even know a lot about music. IMHO most of the more critical people are not sincere and don't understand very much. And then there are, of course, the trolls. They seem to me to not be very nice people who have neuroses that I do not pretend to understand. I am not even at all clear where the dividing lines are between the various kinds of critics and the worst trolls.
MrHbc3 8 months ago
One of the best performances I've ever seen
IlincaLirael 10 months ago
Good God... that's scarier than The Exorcist.
Lightstrikers 10 months ago
Tutti voi che parlate bene di questa performance di Natalie NN CAPITE NIENTE DI OPERA!
Puritani1 10 months ago
Thank you for your comment. I know very well that Elina is a mezzo and the Mad Scene is not for her voice mo. what I attempted to say is that, on youtube, every person who likes a female singer, to exalt her, uses to compare to Anna and try to detract from Anna. Some of them have said things like this: My singer is better and more beautiful than Anna. Even in the video of Natalie's Mad scene, there are many similar comments.
Natalie is very good but let Anna quiet.
jfsanin 11 months ago
I wanna see this soo badly!!
For those of you who seen it. Your lucky!! ^_^
DeeVonTeese025 11 months ago
Can anyone tell me if in the original score, the aria is supposed to be accompanied by a flute or by a glass harmonca?
matthieusarah 11 months ago
@matthieusarah glass harmonica, but because of its general unavailability, the part is written for flute. but donizetti's original conception was for glass harmonica
Terrapin9614 10 months ago
My life is now closer to complete since I saw her on March 19th. AMAZING!
tokumbo 11 months ago
I find it strange that to highlight any contemporary singer, it has to say she is better than Anna Netrebko.
I have seen comments that Elina Garanca sings better and is prettier than Anna. Nino Machdaise if it is a true soprano, and Anna is not. Now I see that to exalt NatalieDessay have to say that her.
But something has to be Anna, that anybody may have reference her to say that other is better.
jfsanin 11 months ago
@jfsanin I think you are confused a bit. Elina Garanca is a mezzo soprano, so she should really not be compared to sopranos. She doesn't sing this aria. Anna Netrebko is a soprano, but she is a lyric soprano. Natalie Dessay is a lyric coloratura soprano which makes it easier for her to sing all of the trills and ornaments and high notes in this aria, as Lucia is written for coloratura soprano. Nino Machaidze is lyric coloratura soprano too.
jewelmarkess 11 months ago
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WOW!! I have been looking forward to seeing this for ages, have just seen it and it was soooo fantastic!!! Natalie was incredible and so inspiring for a young singer!!! Thank you Met for broadcasting this and other amazing operas!! :D
birdy09xx 11 months ago
I saw them today from the MET ....Joseph Calleja was the best vocally. Great baritone and Bass. Dessay did a great Job, but in the mad scene it was a shame that she didnt sung with the flute, the result was that the audience just get applauses in the end of the act, not after the first part of the mad scene.....and in the a capella section .....in the end she was not perfectlly on tune....
But I had a nice time whatching this Lucia!!!
Joseph Calleja is like having a Modern Gigli!!!
OrpheuCe 11 months ago
WOW!! I have been looking forward to seeing this for ages, have just seen it and it was soooo fantastic!!! Natalie was incredible and so inspiring for a young singer!!! Thank you Met for broadcasting this and other amazing operas!! :D
birdy09xx 11 months ago
I just saw it today at the auditorio luis elizondo in monterrey, mexico, live from the MET in HD, it was PERFECT, i just loved the way natalie song this scene, she is complettly awesone =)
homerosalazar 11 months ago
Just saw it at the Met on Wednesday - it was just superb. Natalie and Joseph Calleja were simply phenomenal....That performance will stay in my memory forever.
limeberry7 11 months ago
It would be lovely if anyone could post footage of these broadcasts of Dessay's Lucia this year in 2011, it would be great to hear how her voice and interpretation has evolved in 4 years!! :D
Drelnis 11 months ago
I just saw this on March 4! It was AMAZING
sam1322xx 11 months ago
@sam1322xx I saw it on March 8th and must agree with you! I left the opera wanting more! At the end I turned to my dad and said "It was too short!!!" hahaha
pompompink 11 months ago
@sam1322xx I saw this March 19th! IT WAS AWESOME! I loved it.
OperaGhostObsession 11 months ago
fisrt off...I think Dessay is a pure gift to opera ...but a genuine question ...does anyone else find her vibrato a little wide???
jenson7720 1 year ago
@jenson7720 Yes i think her vibarto is wide. But thats cool because that makes her more unique ;)
spenzur 11 months ago
Very nice, but no one did it with the power, beauty or vocal splendor and agility of Sills.
Southerland goes all flutey, and Callas voice is too dark and ugly.
ericscam2 1 year ago
I saw her yesterday. Her performance last nite was better than this one... which just proves that she's getting better and better and better. I was in awe at the clarity of her voice and the octaves she sang in ONE BREATH.
thesparklingdiva16 1 year ago
Like this if the Fifth Element brought you here
blackbeard246 1 year ago
I just watched the 2009 Met Opera version on DVR again tonight. Really great.
This one has some funky camera work.
DivideByeZero 1 year ago
This is really beautiful, but I prefer Sumi Jo in this role
EdenVandeCamp 1 year ago
I love this opera, I'm actually going to go see it with my french class. The group is in Hawaii but they're very good.
RoCkbunny769 1 year ago
Where can I purchase this production of Lucia. I keep finding her in a French version but not the Met. I really, REALLY want it. a link please
bigdigger87 1 year ago
@bigdigger87 It's not available for purchase, sadly. The March 2011 Met Lucia (featuring Ms. Dessay) will be part of their Met Live in HD series and (one hopes) eventually released on dvd.
regulargonzalez 1 year ago
il dolce suono is perhaps my favorite aria and this particular performance is exceptional...Ms. Dessay captures madness well and I found her movements and immersion to be classic.
epiksonik 1 year ago
@epiksonik Amen to that. @shaylybri Also that. The combination of the glass and her voice gives the scene a really haunting quality. It's like the ghost of her sanity has enchanted the crystal to sing.
plaguedthing 1 year ago
i LOVE that they used the glass harmonica instead of the flute!!!
shaylybri 1 year ago
good use of a glass harmonica!
dustangelanderson 1 year ago
es la mejorrrrrr !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
carlaisabelc 1 year ago
muchas gracias por este video ,lucia es maravillosa...!!!
luisoyarzuna 1 year ago
Como todo lo de esta maravilla de mujer, esta Lucía está excelente !!!!
quetepique48 1 year ago
Callas's version sounds better
lovegerard4ever 1 year ago
@lovegerard4ever Natalie claims to be the best ever in this role. There are many great versions of this aria. Callas was a great soprano, she is dead, we cannot exactly see/hear her live in opera. If we all stay at home with old recordings, not only we'll miss on the magical beauty of listening to unamplified voices and the whole opera experience, but then all opera theaters would have to close. Also, don't forget, this is a live opera performance not a recording.
jewelmarkess 1 year ago
@jewelmarkess I don't stay at home with old records... I go often to the Opera (I live in Paris, so I can see beautiful operas at Bastille). Surely Dessay plays this role very well, but to me, Callas version is better (on records I say). Scuse my bad english, I'm french.
lovegerard4ever 1 year ago
@lovegerard4ever Callas is more expressive than probably anybody, so I can see how you prefer it. They are very different though - in voice color, power, timbre. But I do see your point.
jewelmarkess 1 year ago
Comment removed
epiksonik 1 year ago
@lovegerard4ever
your poor attitude is also very french lol ..just kidding.
epiksonik 1 year ago
@jewelmarkess I very much doubt that "Natalie claims to be the best ever in this role". She may or may not have been, but it would be tremendously unlike her to say such a thing.
MrHbc3 8 months ago
@MrHbc3 I am sorry, I think it was a typo on my part. When I got your comment I thought "did I say that?", then I checked what I wrote. I meant to say the opposite - Natalie doesn't claim to be the best. I was replying to someone who claimed Callas was better, so I was trying that Natalie doesn't claim to be the best, and that we cannot keep comparing to the greats of the past. But... must've been late at night, so I messed up the comment completely and said the opposite of what I meant.
jewelmarkess 8 months ago
Anyone know what the instruments are around at :45? It sounds like crystal water glasses
valkyrio 1 year ago
@valkyrio Good ear. It's a glass harmonica or armonico using the same idea as water-filled crystal glasses played with the fingers. A number of composers wrote pieces for it including Mozart. It was viewed as inducing heightened emotional states in those who played and listened to it and was associated with madness, so an appropriate choice for this scene. Often a flute is substituted for the armonico in "Lucia".
sospello 1 year ago
semplicemente sublime.. ora cerco la versione della Callas, solo la divina potrebbe fare di meglio..
lubianoful 1 year ago
Anyone else learn of this opera from reading Madame Bovary? Thumbs up for real music and real literature in any case :)
hempgru4 1 year ago
omg......such emotion.......too awesome
i think her dress is pretty sexy too...
mistyken 1 year ago 10
@mistyken Watch Dessay's performance of this scene in French!
nettraaa 6 months ago
Natalie Dessay is scheduled to perform this opera for the Met HD broadcast in many movie theaters on 3/19/11.
attyschack 1 year ago
Wow, the veil falling like a ghost....
envysiblegirl 1 year ago
glass-harmonica
sortabli 1 year ago
I really like. she's not like the BEST singer I've ever heard, but she has the whole package.
charstar1989 1 year ago
can anyone tell me where in the play this part is? act I, II, or III?? i have the score and can't find this song!!!
charstar1989 1 year ago
@charstar1989 Last act.
jewelmarkess 1 year ago
@jewelmarkess thank you!
charstar1989 1 year ago
@charstar1989 Act 3
regulargonzalez 1 year ago
Really nice performance, the Subs are just good!... Thanks a lot for posting this!
rayschalch 1 year ago
I....am tearing....this is magnificent....
VKatze 1 year ago
I saw Diana Damrau in this production and she was out of this world.
ksmithsoprano 1 year ago
She's amazing.
Luindriel 1 year ago
Who plays Edgardo in this performance?
Villazonlover1 1 year ago
a wedding dress, the knife, lots of blood....and that falling veil, so much tragedy: I like :)
lethe077 1 year ago
Simply horrid!
thriftyscotswoman 1 year ago
@thriftyscotswoman "Simply horrid"? I know what you mean. When those Italians get ahold of a perfectly sweet family story by Sir Walter they have to start tragedizing. Do you prefer Scottish Opera?
MrHbc3 8 months ago
ME ABURRE
bellini7verdi 1 year ago
el proximo mes al teatro arena de Avanches se presentara esta opera..me podrian decir de que se trata...?
German63albatros 1 year ago
Excellent performance ... please guys ... have a look at the mad scene with Mariella Devia who is even better than Dessay's.... that's her best role. I can tell you that she was hugely acclaimed at La Scala. Maybe we should a bit get over the world stars and look for excellence, not sensationalism like Sumi Jo and co... Please check Mariella Devia Mad scene and then let me know .
mikewarwick87 1 year ago
Who plays Raimondo?
briantelekinetic 1 year ago
I love natalie sooo much! WOW
neoclassicalsop 1 year ago
Impressive ...
solwrappednpaperlips 1 year ago
Impressive
solwrappednpaperlips 1 year ago
What a wonderful actress she is! *speechless*
dfgrbtr 1 year ago
Thanks for posting. I recently saw Cleveland opera's performance of Lucia and it was amazing. There was a meet the conductor cocktail reception and he spoke of how Natalie Dessay is one of the only sopranos who can actually sing in the octave that Donzietti had intended. I'd never heard her sing until this, so thanks. I'm realy looking forward to the Met's production of Lucia this spring.
DMBKristen41 1 year ago
Lily Pons is preferable
MrSkylark1 1 year ago
Her acting is fantastic as well as her voice
BarbieReview 1 year ago
OH MY GOD!!!! i love this one.....
chryssanthemum 1 year ago
Look what she's doing when they sing the line "She is as she's risen from the grave!" It's sort of comical! Yes, she looks more like a zombie here! LOL!
In fact, she doesn't even look crazy at that moment, but rather she's cleaning up the murder weapon like most murderers in a movie... Hahaha...
norisv 1 year ago
Sieglinde's Diaries
05 August 2008
Natalie Dessay, in her continued progress towards greater artistry, still doesn't know what opera is about
In recent years, Dessay's top notes have been shrieky and metallic, cold, effortful, and generally unpleasant to the ear. The disdain she has for top notes is therefore understandable. She tends to compensate with buffoonish histrionics, overacting the pieces of meaning she gleans from the (mostly bankrupt) text.
09avenger 2 years ago
Thanks for posting these consecutively so I don't feel like a retard searching for the other parts.
rlee1976 2 years ago 12
lol you're welcome ^^
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
Oh que Voz que artista increible se acuesta, se tuerce, corre su voz no se cambia ni se nota el minimo stress y que agilidad y limpio suena los altos tonos. anodada es una excelente Koloratursopranista ....wow Wow WOW
kalifumpa 1 year ago
She is amazing !!!!!!!!!!!
Es asombrosaaaaa!
SamanthaVoce 2 years ago
Natalie Dessay is fab in Donizetti operas..especially La Fille Du Regiment..:)
JoshuaBerryHaha 2 years ago
Thank you for the subtitles. How she makes it look and sound so easy!
minadario 2 years ago 2
1:20 ... depth* not depht... i actually paused it and stared at the screen for a solid 30 seconds untill i realised what was wrong with the subtitles
hidenfreedom 2 years ago
@hidenfreedom ha
BarbieReview 1 year ago
Captivating
HannahGrace333 2 years ago 7
Does anyone know when this was performed?
KitanaiBaishunfu 2 years ago 3
Look at the description...
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
whoops... haha
KitanaiBaishunfu 2 years ago
@KitanaiBaishunfu "
Natalie Dessay as Lucia performing the aria "Il dolce suono" Metropolitan Opera, NY, 2007."
people must hate reading.....
onotuoedaul 2 years ago
man she did this scene like nobody else!!! brava!
webbersarahlover 2 years ago 13
Now, I'm hardly an expert on the subject, but I fell in love with this opera (specifically, this scene) a few months ago, and have been looking for a performance I like...this was spot on for me! I've heard A LOT of different recordings and performances, but this one, in my opinion, is the best yet. Thank you so much for uploading this!
nowthatwasfun 2 years ago 2
Begin at 6:00, the peak of the mad scene
rueyyen 2 years ago
thank you so much, thecelticspirit, me too! I'd rather know what it's all about and since I don't speak Italian - and I totally agree with your wish for a DVD of Dessay's Lucia AT LAST!!! But NOT of a stupid production like THAT one! People dressed like that and getting Valium shots don't get into this kind of mess to start with - what's wrong with nice period costumes, great singers (or the best = Dessay) and a decent production without the wannabe "genius" of some stupid EGOMANIAC director
47viviane 2 years ago
You're very wecome, glad you appreciated the idea ^^ I kinda like this production too, even if there're some flaws. The mad scene is incredible! Dessay is incredible!
Are you refering to Zimmerman's production of La Sonnambula? I really like it, even though it's not perfect. Maybe it's because of the singers ^
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
She is currently the best Lucia!
NEL5s 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Best Lucia ...hahahahahaha..............bullshit!
In my opinion Mrs. Dessay isn't a great singer since 2000. I think her voice is too thin, she wobbles too much and her high tones are too spiky and without depth and it reminds me of the last school choir singing of my daughter.
I believe, today she sings only in the second class like Callas in the past and Nathalie, it's time to say goodbye opera stage!
The fans can hear you 1000 years on YouTube but for the new opera audience you're too bad!
mtnmanjtt 2 years ago
operathash, I know that the fact that Dessay's voice is unattractive and is weak and childish, does not mean anything to you. Dessay's acting is bad, if not for music one will never distinguish between her Amina and Lucia. Oh, I forgot Dessay is ugly - that should be a plus! So, she got a "proper" training, so why then Dessay was booed at La Scala? Because people in Italy know a thing or two about beautiful singing, they mostly value the voice, and there Dessays perfect training meant nothing!
aklev77 2 years ago
Can you stop posting over and over the same comment on every video ??? I think we got your point ! And can you stop being disrespectful toward artists who are giving their live to their art ? You plead everyone to stop bashing Netrebko, but look at yourself when your talking about Dessay... This is so childish, I just don't believe it.
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
thecelticspirit , I would like you to go to Anna Netrebko, a great soprano pages,
and read some of the commnets that Dessay fans had left there during the last 4 years and then my commnets will really look childish. Or do you think that only Dessay deserves respect and only Dessay gives her life to the public?
sorkin777 2 years ago
Of course not. I've already explained myself about that : every artist should be respected for what he/she does. I don't like Netrebko's Lucia, but I would never say she's shit. It's just that she does not touch me. What I don't understand is your attitude : you say that Dessay fans are disrespectful, but you do the same toward Dessay. Respect works both ways.
thecelticspirit 2 years ago 2
Lets wait for Netrebko's Lucia in la Scala in 2011!!!!!!!!
I'm Italian and I tell you that Dessay is a perfect Lucia in singing, speaking and acting....
maggeo78 2 years ago 2
Finaly someone respecting both artists !Thanks :)
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
I think Dessay is a great Lucia, in my opinion she is the greatest!!! I can not understand why at the MET they have recorded Lucia with AN!!! Netrebko is a good singer and the greatest singer-entrepreneur... Simply Lucia is not for her!!!! She should choose in a better way her repertoire...
maggeo78 2 years ago
This is exactely what I was thinking. Dessay's Lucia was far more touching and convincing than Netrebko's. Netrebko has a great voice, but this is not her repertoire : I really like her Violetta, but Lucia, no way. And I listen both MET's and Vienna's versions... Definitely not for her. (sorry, Netrebko's fans ^^)
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
They are not simple fans, but blind fans ;DDDDD
maggeo78 2 years ago
Definitely. One can't have a normal conversation with them without being insulted if one does not worship Netrebko.
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
The best way to show it to them is to have netrebko's voice dubbed over an ugly and fat woman. They will hear her scream with no overtones.
heartstrings76 2 years ago
heartstrings76 , if one is having halluciations that is of couse possible.
See some help.
sorkin777 2 years ago
maggeo78 , I do not intend to change your mind, but do you know that Netrebko's Lucia (not Dessay's) was shown on public this April television for 4 days in a row as "Great performances at the MET"? What they broadcast here on youtube is very low quality clips and one cannot judge by that.
sorkin777 2 years ago
I know, I've seen it in HQ... and I still prefere Dessay....
Sorry but AN is not my Lucia...
I love her in others roles, but not in this...
The fact that they shown her and not Dessay or Damrau for me doesn't mean that she is a better soprano.
Maybe it can mean that she is more popular.
maggeo78 2 years ago 2
This is definitely NOT about success. It's not because something is said to be a "great performance" that it actually is. It could simply be marketing. Anyway, for me, success means nothing. I want emotions first. And I don't give a damn if a singer is famous.
thecelticspirit 2 years ago
Dessay's Lucia was shown at Times Square and people at the streets stopped.
NEL5s 2 years ago
Xa,Xa, Xa
aklev77 2 years ago
This sorkin is crazy and has a fixed mind about netrebko.
NEL5s 2 years ago
Klaszimuss just mentioned Dessay has never been booed in La Scala. What a lie. Sorkin is crazy. Just gotta ignore.
NEL5s 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
maggeo78 , I never knew that la Scala may appreciate grown up sopranos with childish voices. Natalie has good technique but without a decent voice her technique means nothing. Dessay's Lucia is an overkill, her acting is bad; her singing may be technically correct but it is extremely boring and her acting is the same everywhere. And yes, let's wait for Netrebko's Lucia in la Scala in 2011!!!!!!!!
sorkin777 2 years ago
I will wait for a Traviata of her.... But not for her Lucia.... Sorry, but I think she is not for Belcanto!!!!!
maggeo78 2 years ago
maggeo78 , you would not believe how much basing is going on Netrebko's Traviata pages. Actually they bash her everywhere. I am at lost, why do they hate her so much? Because she is successful and beautiful? Netrebko is one of the best living sopranos. Why people are so hateful?
sorkin777 2 years ago
I don't know why people hate her. I think she can not sing Lucia, but I think she is a great Violetta. The Traviata in Salzburg is surly one of the best Opera in last years like Lucia with Dessay at the Met or die Zauberflote with Damrau at ROH.
The most important thing is to say what you think with respect for others and for the singers...
maggeo78 2 years ago
BRAVO!!!!
leoperarm 2 years ago
I don't think she's hated because of her success/beauty. I totally agree with maggeo78, she can't sing Belcanto. Well, not for the moment. I'm sure she would do far better things without overacting/lack of nuances. Her Violetta is to me her best performance. You should respect Dessay as I respect Netrebko even if I don't appreciate what she does, because singers deserve to be respected for their work. They are also human.
MegaCawotte 2 years ago
Actually they are so different, comparing them is delicate, I'm convinced they both shows talent for different things, that's all, no need to be discourteous.
MegaCawotte 2 years ago
I have to tell you. You are one of the few people on here who understands that. Even if you aren't a fan, the singer puts out so much work that really... they deserve respect. It takes years to learn this stuff. I love Netrebko. I love Dessay. I don't think I don't like any singer. To me, no one really competes with Joan Sutherland, but that's a personal preference. They're all amazing in their own right.
Frienze7 2 years ago 3
*stalk*
rexlatino 2 years ago
Comment removed
dangmills 1 year ago
Comment removed
dangmills 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@sorkin777 her voice (Netrebko) is a little hard on the ears to some... not everyone loved Callas either... personally I like both Netrebko and Dessay, but certain operas that they've sung, I prefer Gheorghiu the most. Based on the opera or song, I have a certain voice that I like the most.
Carmen: Callas,
Tosca: Gheorghiu,
Lucia: Netrebko,
Lucia Borgia (whatever it's called): Sutherland,
Lakme: Callas,
Giulio Cesare's Sesto: Magdalena Kozena
you get the picture
dangmills 1 year ago
don't bother waiting to hear NeTRASHko's DVD- Natalie ROCKS
operadoc 2 years ago
operathash, you can keep your ugly and voiceless creature to yourself, nobody is bying Dessay's DVD's (or CD's) anyway !!!
sorkin777 2 years ago
Esplendorosa escena de la locura...Escénicamente es fantástica...y la coloratura es hermosa...esos sobreagudos.!!! Por eso Dessay es tan querida para mí !!! Mírenla completa !
franciscobarn 3 years ago
Did you get any of the performance on Saturday by Anna?? I saw it on HD
I really want to hear, il dolce suono, i think Anna sung the first part as a nod to Vitas, it had a sort of pop feel.
Chivalryaintdead 3 years ago
No, I don't have it. I think you'll have to wait for the DVD, because there are only few excerpts of her HD performance .
thecelticspirit 3 years ago
Yea that is sad, she did something there that might piss off some purists but I thought it sounded amazing!
Chivalryaintdead 3 years ago
thank you for posting this!!
missyeira 3 years ago