I think this is stunning! I have never heard this seemingly difficult aria sung with such verve, passion, ease and vocal pyrotechnics. And after singing all the other demanding arias too. Most of all, she really seems to enjoy it thoroughly. Who could resist such an amazing performance?
Pleasing to see a good audio-visual performance rather than just audio. Certainly a better rendition of this aria than several others available: thougthful interpretation, solid tone, more tightly controlled technique and vibrato than most, even a hint of masculine timbre. Opera directors, not having castrati available nowdays, better try to hire Susan (or an artist equally as good) for this role. Worth watching more than once.
Susan Graham makes me question the existence of god, I used to be sure a supreme power couldn't exist, but given Ms. Graham's voice one has to legitimately postulate divine intervention as a cause.
No matter how many other videos I watch on youtube, this still ranks as my all time favorite. I must have seen it 100 times by now, but Ms. Graham never ever gets tiring.
It's funny you should mention DJB, I just found her Dopo Notte about a week ago. Absolutely stunning, I can't decide if I like DJB or SG better... I guess it's one of those things you don't need to decide on, they both excel beyond comparison in their own ways.
Opera is rockin', no other art form allows for this kind of vast compendium of stunning art from one song.
@gondorado1 it is very good too, but the mezzo here is Susan Graham, so let's watch her video, ok? remember, Susan Graham is the mezzo here, not DJB...
I saw this production in SF. Susan Graham was amazing. What bothered me most about this production was the boring and drab sets - seriously, they were sleep-inducing! Do you see that drab green marbalesque side curtain fixture? Well so did the entire audience the whole way through the opera!
I agree those sets are very boring, though at least it's not distracting... you don't see nude women flying, crocodiles, peacocks, everything moving and distracing from the singers... disgusting trend! The singer has to be the focus, always!
@OperaClips And I agree with you. Natalie Dessay once said in an interview that her idea of opera was practically a bare stage with maybe a piece of furniture or so and the singing actors. Incidentally one of my favorite "tube" scenes was with Susan and Natalie in a rather bare bus station waiting room in Zerbinetta.
I'll admit, Handel can get a bit repetitive. As my opera professor said: "It's the curse of Handel that his thought process was: 'well it was fun once, so let's do it again!'". But with such a rousing, heart felt, and truely spirit raising performance by Graham, she could have sung it 50 times and I would have still loved it.
Lois, I'd be eager to know which aria is similar to Dopo Notte?! Or do you mean the repetition within the aria? Well that's what we call a baroque da capo aria. Where I agree with you: a good Dopo Notte (= a very rare thing!) can be heard at least 50 times in a row. Handel rules.
As one who cut my operatic teeth on Dame Janet Baker's stellar performance of this aria, I am thrilled to hear a modern-day singer like Susan Graham sing it with such aplomb. American opera lovers should be very proud of Susan Graham!
Brava! What a fantastic performance! Susan Graham is one of the hardest working singers in our business and she deserves all the accolades she is garnering.
Wow, her coloratura has improved so much! So thrilling to hear a such huge round voice run freely while filling a big house. I guess she's invincible now... Well, it would've been simply perfect if she'd hired a Baroque ornament consultant.
I'm yet another guy who was there in the audience and who must profoundly thank you for having recorded this stupendous performance so that I can revive it for my eyes and ears over and over again. How sad if Susan's amazing and charmed presentation of this aria were to only exist for me in my imagination! Thanks a ton.
And I was blessed and privileged to be at this performance on July 6. Sorry to plagiarize, ariodante76, but I certainly agree that this performance was the most amazing I have ever heard. They talk about the need to suspend disbelief when following operatic story lines, but the real challenge in seeing this live was to believe that a person could sing this extremely difficult music so beautifully and passionately over the course of a 3+ hour opera. Thank you for posting this!
No need to apologize at all- I'm glad you share my sentiments. As an aside, I'm glad the SFO production eased the physical requirements on Susan Graham. In the production staged here in Houston, she had to sing Scherza Infida while slowly sliding backward off a suspended cupola!!! (I'm not kidding)
Yike! Perhaps she has had a cupola exclusion in every contract post Houston. Regardless, for a good part of the SFO Scherza Infida, Graham was lying in various positions on the floor and continued to project both a glorious sound and the despair of her character. The audience was transfixed.
I was BLESSED and PRIVILEGED to see Susan Graham in her role debut as Ariodante at Houston Grand Opera a few years back. This is the greatest operatic performance I've ever witnessed.
Absolutely fantastic. Heroic singing.
charleswhiterhodes 3 weeks ago
Now, that's a VOICE
luca777 1 month ago
le da capo n est pas tres reussi et parait vraiment improvise c est dommage car la voix est superbe
acanthe83 7 months ago
J'admire vraiment quand un chanteur arrive à rester musicale malgré les millions de notes qui défilent!!
cat4home 1 year ago
fantastic!!!
briviona 1 year ago
GLORIOUS !!! I cannot think of any other word to describe it :)
floridante2k 1 year ago
Wonderful!! The best version after listening Di donato.
cantanteporsiempre 1 year ago
Brilliant!
Ozoperamummy 1 year ago
Just Amazing, her voice comforts and fills the room! She's amazing! I saw her live @ the Met once and I was blown away!
lipera 1 year ago
Wonderful, but wondering if all those opposite octave leaps are correct style
KARINADIVA 1 year ago
Just found out she's gonna do Serse at Houston opera with Sonia Prina as Amastre! This is gonna be good!
olympicfreak678 2 years ago
She's perfection; she can do no wrong! I love her!
7inga7 2 years ago
I think this is stunning! I have never heard this seemingly difficult aria sung with such verve, passion, ease and vocal pyrotechnics. And after singing all the other demanding arias too. Most of all, she really seems to enjoy it thoroughly. Who could resist such an amazing performance?
catrynn 2 years ago
@catrynn:
You would be correct. It IS very difficult.
rumezzo 2 years ago
Pleasing to see a good audio-visual performance rather than just audio. Certainly a better rendition of this aria than several others available: thougthful interpretation, solid tone, more tightly controlled technique and vibrato than most, even a hint of masculine timbre. Opera directors, not having castrati available nowdays, better try to hire Susan (or an artist equally as good) for this role. Worth watching more than once.
sfkcbf 2 years ago
Susan Graham makes me question the existence of god, I used to be sure a supreme power couldn't exist, but given Ms. Graham's voice one has to legitimately postulate divine intervention as a cause.
No matter how many other videos I watch on youtube, this still ranks as my all time favorite. I must have seen it 100 times by now, but Ms. Graham never ever gets tiring.
Loismustdie26 2 years ago 3
Watch this same aria sung by Dame Janet Baker. It a gift from God.
gondorado1 1 year ago
It's funny you should mention DJB, I just found her Dopo Notte about a week ago. Absolutely stunning, I can't decide if I like DJB or SG better... I guess it's one of those things you don't need to decide on, they both excel beyond comparison in their own ways.
Opera is rockin', no other art form allows for this kind of vast compendium of stunning art from one song.
Loismustdie26 1 year ago
@gondorado1 it is very good too, but the mezzo here is Susan Graham, so let's watch her video, ok? remember, Susan Graham is the mezzo here, not DJB...
lipera 1 year ago
There's no other singer like her! I absolutely LOVE her!
ligiamonteiro0 2 years ago 7
Dame Janet Baker.
gondorado1 1 year ago
I saw this production in SF. Susan Graham was amazing. What bothered me most about this production was the boring and drab sets - seriously, they were sleep-inducing! Do you see that drab green marbalesque side curtain fixture? Well so did the entire audience the whole way through the opera!
magpieonjupiter 3 years ago
I agree those sets are very boring, though at least it's not distracting... you don't see nude women flying, crocodiles, peacocks, everything moving and distracing from the singers... disgusting trend! The singer has to be the focus, always!
OperaClips 3 years ago 3
@OperaClips And I agree with you. Natalie Dessay once said in an interview that her idea of opera was practically a bare stage with maybe a piece of furniture or so and the singing actors. Incidentally one of my favorite "tube" scenes was with Susan and Natalie in a rather bare bus station waiting room in Zerbinetta.
MrHbc3 9 months ago
What an exciting performance!!
DueTrombe 3 years ago 3
Wow... it's great to hear a singer that great.
actionsrlouder 3 years ago 5
This comment has received too many negative votes show
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyawn...
pweny 3 years ago
I'll admit, Handel can get a bit repetitive. As my opera professor said: "It's the curse of Handel that his thought process was: 'well it was fun once, so let's do it again!'". But with such a rousing, heart felt, and truely spirit raising performance by Graham, she could have sung it 50 times and I would have still loved it.
Loismustdie26 3 years ago
That wasn't Handel. It was a whole period in music history which was based on repetition. I can't believe you heard that from a professor.
MaciasEnglish 3 years ago
Lois, I'd be eager to know which aria is similar to Dopo Notte?! Or do you mean the repetition within the aria? Well that's what we call a baroque da capo aria. Where I agree with you: a good Dopo Notte (= a very rare thing!) can be heard at least 50 times in a row. Handel rules.
Gudrun74 3 years ago
I was referring to the repetition within the aria, and so it is called a da capo aria, thanks for the term. Go Handel
Loismustdie26 3 years ago
As one who cut my operatic teeth on Dame Janet Baker's stellar performance of this aria, I am thrilled to hear a modern-day singer like Susan Graham sing it with such aplomb. American opera lovers should be very proud of Susan Graham!
florgano 3 years ago
Brava! What a fantastic performance! Susan Graham is one of the hardest working singers in our business and she deserves all the accolades she is garnering.
cantorandopera 3 years ago 2
Wow, her coloratura has improved so much! So thrilling to hear a such huge round voice run freely while filling a big house. I guess she's invincible now... Well, it would've been simply perfect if she'd hired a Baroque ornament consultant.
vitellia 3 years ago
BRAVA!!!!!!!!!
CDNjen 3 years ago
why has she not recorded more Handel. Alcina is all there is at the moment...
altodivo 3 years ago
Amen to that. She could give the Von Otter a run for her money!
ariodante76 3 years ago
Ann Sofie would still rule the roost.
altodivo 3 years ago
Hopefully she will record a Handel arias disc while her voice can still handle it (no pun intended haha)- I would love to hear her Sesto
hillevifan 3 years ago
Both arias are on her IL TENERO MOMENTO album (both gorgeous, if a little restrained), and the DVD of the Paris production is EXCELLENT.
altodivo 3 years ago
you are right, she is restrained on that particular recital disc, nothing like what you get from her in the theatre
ariodante76 3 years ago
Thanks so much for making the recording!
jonjon71 3 years ago
I'm yet another guy who was there in the audience and who must profoundly thank you for having recorded this stupendous performance so that I can revive it for my eyes and ears over and over again. How sad if Susan's amazing and charmed presentation of this aria were to only exist for me in my imagination! Thanks a ton.
axl170 3 years ago 2
And I was blessed and privileged to be at this performance on July 6. Sorry to plagiarize, ariodante76, but I certainly agree that this performance was the most amazing I have ever heard. They talk about the need to suspend disbelief when following operatic story lines, but the real challenge in seeing this live was to believe that a person could sing this extremely difficult music so beautifully and passionately over the course of a 3+ hour opera. Thank you for posting this!
22and5 3 years ago 2
No need to apologize at all- I'm glad you share my sentiments. As an aside, I'm glad the SFO production eased the physical requirements on Susan Graham. In the production staged here in Houston, she had to sing Scherza Infida while slowly sliding backward off a suspended cupola!!! (I'm not kidding)
ariodante76 3 years ago
Yike! Perhaps she has had a cupola exclusion in every contract post Houston. Regardless, for a good part of the SFO Scherza Infida, Graham was lying in various positions on the floor and continued to project both a glorious sound and the despair of her character. The audience was transfixed.
22and5 3 years ago
I was BLESSED and PRIVILEGED to see Susan Graham in her role debut as Ariodante at Houston Grand Opera a few years back. This is the greatest operatic performance I've ever witnessed.
Thank you so very much for posting this...
ariodante76 3 years ago 2
Hey, thanks for posting!!!
skthom3 3 years ago 2