Contralto (Lumineux) Marie-Nicole Lemieux

[Tsunade3Sannin]

bella voce. why isn't she talked about? she belongs right up there with the likes of mingardo and stutzmann just to name a few. ill def take lemieux any day over that ghastly sonia prina.

[JRZGRL55]

I love it when classical music lovers get into online fights about who is (or isn't) the better singer and what constitutes a mezzo.vs. a contralto & countless other spirited discussions. I think Marie-Nicole is an amazing singer but I also think she sounds like a countertenor not a true contralto e.g. Ewa Podles or Kathleen Ferrier. Or a contralto I adore, Sara Mingardo. But for these Baroque roles Marie-Nicole is perfect.

[aussiechickdiana]

Try Marian Anderson for a true, warm/dark contralto voice.

Listen to her "Crucifixion" and you will know you have heard A contralto at her finest.

diana

[DCFunBud]

This woman can really sing. She reminds me of Bartoli.

[XVampireRawrrX]

I think I have a Contralto voice range because I can sing from way down on the scale up to middle C, and I fail at high notes .-.

[oceanodefuego1]

Creo que es más mezzosoprano la señora Lumineux. Me recuerda mucho a la gran mezzosoprano rossiniana Marilyn Horne.

[OLIVCHEN77]

BRAVA! SHE MUCH BETTER THAN PRINA

[MrSkylark1]

This lady should listen to EULA BEAL, who knew how to sing

[ladomi7962]

Exceptionnal artist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AstigCentenG]

such dark tone voice...

[796824]

She should listen to EULA BEAL and

KATHLEEN FERRIER to discover the ART of SINGING

[CountertenorJ]

@796824 Or...OR...YOU should listen to the ART of SINGING of several other artists besides the two dead singers you listed (whose artistry will nonetheless survive) and understand that music and tastes change. I'm sure the castrati of the era in which this aria was written would hate most people's singing of it since then.

[dacor31]

She sounds more contralto than Mezzo ! Anyway I'm going to read her biography on Internet.

Anyway I love her voice !

[RiceKruspey]

beautiful

[toni7777ful]

If people discuss the vocal range of a particular singer it doesn't mean they are narrow - minded as lucihila says, for a narrow- minded person it'd be enough to simply enjoy or not enjoy the music.

[vankyre4]

miren no se hagan rollo, las contralto pueden alcanzar notas agudas no solo las soprano o las mezzosoprano, pero sigue siendo contralto y ya.

ella tiene una voz muy limpia

[toni7777ful]

@vankyre4 tiene usted razón

[taniaipmmusic1]

@vankyre4 dacordo

[lucihila]

I can't understand.. people are atill solving stupid problem how to call singers.. mezzosopranos x contraltos. It's a narrow-mindedness. More important is quality of singer's voice, if you feel the music through her singing.. or not?? Don't pontify and enjoy music. Or try to sing alone.. you will see that the PROBLEM of singing is somewhere else.

[taniaipmmusic1]

@lucihila it's realy important to know de tipe of each person voice, a contralto it's a heavyest voice then mezzo and a contralto that sings a mezzo song can't give same entoation

[OlDoinyo]

To complicate matters, I suspect contraltos tend to be encouraged to market themselves as mezzos because that gives them much more repertory and better career prospects. A number of "mezzos" I have heard appear in fact to be "closet contraltos."

[CountertenorJ]

@OlDoinyo This is one of the reasons I try to make sure all of my singers just sing stuff appropriate for their voice, regardless of fachs and titles.

[pianomags]

@lucihila you're right. I imagine these expert singers and all thwir trainers know very well where their voice sits best naturally and we would do best to admire and learn. But some do insist on having their opinion aired to the world, however uninformed, amateur and , um, off the mark. It's a way of being onvolved in the circus around the artist. But it's only a personal opinion and really doesn't matter that much to anyone else.

[dulcineavampiresa]

@lucihila Calling soprano, mezzo or contraltos is like using termns like violin, viola or cello in a score. Is necesary for classical singing because people are also musical instruments and not everyone has the same colour, tesiture, sound, etc. What I'm trying to say is that is not the same to use a violin than using a cello or a contrabass. So it would be a mess if we don't use those terms.

[LuniaVideo]

@dulcineavampiresa The sad truth is that opera snobs use such arbitrary knowledge and minutia to showcase who has the largest e-penis, instead of just sitting back and enjoying the music. Some people revel in their own pretentiousness.

[dulcineavampiresa]

@LuniaVideo That's right. Women are not sopranos, mezzos or contralto to degrade anyone. It's needed for the composers and that's it.

[highnote32]

I'm hearing a dark and low Mezzo rather than a Contralto.

[gigies007]

i think that she could actually be a mezzo-contralto, a voice between a mezzo and a contralto... anyway she sounds great

[shakingguy]

very nice but its so obvious that Lemieux is not at all a contralto voice ! nice mezzo soprano. And if you want to listen real contraltos, go to listen Kattleen Ferrier, Marian Anderson or Nathalie Stutzman.

[CountertenorJ]

@shakingguy I think you're just giving names to give names. The only one in that set that I really feel has a true contralto voice is Marian Anderson. The others sound like lower mezzos, at best, to me. Hell, even Jessye Norman can kick out a low D (listen to her "Der Tod und das Maedchen"), but she's no wear near contralto-land.

[guenwyvar99]

@shakingguy

I agree,esp re Kathleen Ferrier. Listen to her timbre & compare to Lemieux. Ferrier's is darker & more substantial esp in the mid to lower range.

[TourneledosRossini]

Elle a un timbre de soprano. En travaillant sa voix, elle peut devenir soprano.

[MPSnoopy117]

You know, I don't really like the contralto voice range. I love it in female opera but in general I find it to be a throatier sound. I don't know, just not my favorite. However, this woman is excellent!!!

[sssv8]

execelente!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[toni7777ful]

I thought a contralto voice should sound lower, very close to tenor, not like that!

[HydraxSly202]

Contraltos are between tenors and messo-sopranos. It is often possible to have a wider range, they can go higher or lower. For me, I can hit very low notes but the high notes I struggle immensely with. They hurt! But deep voices and notes are almost natural to me. It just varies.

[DancingSpiderman]

I really enjoyed my grilled cheese sammich, cold from the fridge, and a 40 oz plastic cup of Yerba Mate while listening to this beautiful voice.

[highnote32]

She is definitely a Contralto. She definitely doesn't have the timbre of a Mezzo-Soprano.

[tenor003]

Ne te permet pas de juger!! elle sais se qu'elle est tu n'as rien a dire!!

[rayangreene]

When she broke through, I wasn't particularly moved by Marie-Nicole's voice, but since then the voice's got much deeper and more dramatic. She's truly become a tremendous singer. Not as brilliant as her idole Maureen Forrester and definitely in the right direction.

[esthergravel01]

Elle est définitivement une contralto, mais son registre est plus large un peu comme s'il télescopait le mezzo... Quand elle parle elle est même si aigüe qu'on pourrait croire qu'elle parle "soprano" :).

[esthergravel01]

Elle est définitivement une contralto, mais son registre est plus large un peu comme s'il télescopait le mezzo... Quand elle parle elle est même si aigüe qu'on pourrait croire qu'elle parle "soprano" :).

[olialto7]

I thought Jaroussky was, actually!!

[noryan34]

Je pense qu'elle est un mezzo d'ombre et de lumière, une personnalité dynamique mais un contralto pour ce répertoire serait plus une Marijana Mijanovic. Cherchez-la et constatez que sa ligne de chant est plus sombre, plus corsée et ce, même dans les vocalises.

[milo4escorpio]

i think she is a mezzo..... with excelent dark voice.....

[mariasarda]

Vrai timbre de contralto aux graves non forcés, aériens.

[olialto7]

Idon't find myself particularly moved by this voice, although the performance is very good. Am I missing something?!

[baroquegeek]

I do not know why people "dissed" you for your opinion. I find that I do like her voice. I do not know if you heard her on her Handel Italian cantatas (I think that is it) CD. It is coupled with some instrumental chamber works of Handel too. It would be interesting to hear what you think. If you still don't like it then it is not a voice for you. Cheers and happy listening!

[olialto7]

Perhaps I'll give it a go, Thank-you! I actually enjoyed her singing on the second listen, so it just goes to show, first impressions aren't always the most accurate.

[Operaman41]

My GOSH, there is NO mezzo about her she is truly a Contralto!! and It is truly a beautiful voice!!

[lmspr]

I could listen to this voice all day. Wonderful.

[persthlm71]

have seen her in Paris debuting at the Theatre Champs Elysees alongside the great Larmore in Orlando Furioso - she was full of life and sang beautifully despite her nervousness. The 2 brought the house down followed an exclusive reception at a restaurant nearby. What a memorable night that was! Hope to hear more of her!

[tynzer]

omg... a fantastic voice... *closes eyes*...

so rich and textured.. warm and vibrant.. gorgeous sound

[tara7king]

A coup sûr un beau mezzo, pas une couleur assez grave pour être considérée contralto ; allez écouter surtout marian Anderson ou encore Ferrier..

[frenchcaronte]

Oui, la voix est très belle...

Concernant sa tessiture au naturel, je parie MEZZO-CONTRALTO, ou plutôt VOIX INTERMEDIAIRE entre MEZZO-CONTRALTO et CONTRALTO.

Pour l'instant le caractère en est plutôt lyrique que dramatique. Avec sagesse...

[lapalooza]

Une superbe voix québécoise que j'ai eu l'infini honneur de connaître à l'époque où elle n'étudiait pas encore en chant, et déjà elle avait une voix émouvante, riche et était très talentueuse.

Marie-Nicole, tu es fantastique et jamais je n'oublierai les prestations qui m'ont fait littéralement aduler ta voix.

[leretour23]

I didn't know her I've heard her sing on TV earlier today, she's amazing. Tres beau travail Marie-Nicole.

[wbuno]

This sounds lovely but I have to say her voice is even more ravishing when one hears her in concert.

[raigekimaru]

her sound is surprisingly warm and light for a contralto. A couple of her notes even sounded like a soprano. An absolutely lovely sound.

[cantabillus]

J'avoue que j'admire enormément la voix,la technique et l'interprétation de cette cantatrice!Je suis son "fan".J'apprécie bien sa discographie.A cette voix lumineuse les meilleurs voeux!

[mariasarda]

Ah ! Enfin une mezzo française ! Brava ! Continuez, et ne vous laissez pas dammer le pion par des rossignols sans âme, ceux que préfère le système médiatique actuel, sans consistance et mou. Vous avez de la personnalité, affirmez-là !

[freespiritQC]

En fait elle est Québecoise, formée par la même professeur que Karina Gauvin.

Le Québec a aussi produit l'excellente Dominique Labelle.

Des voix à découvrir!

[mariasarda]

Vous avez raison ! Que de belles voix trop rares sur les scènes encore ! Ce professeur connait bien les voix pour les former ainsi, dans le respect des tessitures ! J'ai pas toujours connu ça, moi !!!

[freespiritQC]

Comme disait quelqu'un ici, c'est souvent dans les salles de concert d'université que l'on peut encore entendre de belles voix pas encore maniérées, déformées par les demandes inhumaines du marché d'aujourd'hui. Mais certains réussissent à sauvegarder leur art, au prix de la célébrité...

[mariasarda]

Totalement d'accord. L'unicité qui fait une voix exceptionnelle est mal acceptée par le consensus mou. Tout doit pouvoir être digéré par TOUT LE MONDE. Eh bien, non, on ne peut pas plaire à tout le monde, et c'est tant mieux. Le problème, c'est que le lobby du "toutpareil" sacrifie ces belles exceptions sous prétexte qu'elles ne sont pas "vendables". Résultat : les voix les plus originales passent à la trappe.

[climatechangekills]

Tout à fait d'accord, mais j'ai un doute quant à la tessiture je ne suis pas sure qu'elle soit vraiment mezzo! L'aigue ne demande qu'à éclater et briller, je crois que c'est un beau dramatique ou spinto ;)

[madamemimi29]

magnifique

[mcmizat]

Can't wait for the New Vivaldi Nisi Dominus/Stabat Mater (Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Philippe Jaroussky, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Ensemble Matheus) from naive classique. The US release date is February 26!

[andreasscholl]

She sings on the French album a song from Reynaldo Hahn..verry sweet!

Like to buy this disk ones.

And Chloris thats the name of that song is also greatly sung by Jaroussky.

[CauldronBard]

i have that album .. and as the title says is an exquisite hour. Hahn's cycle is beatuful sung by Lemieux.

[niklausse]

she has a gorgeous dark voice!

[CauldronBard]

yes she has indeed, i absolutely love her recordings of orlando and griselda, i also adore her solo album of french melodie!