Added: 4 years ago
From: Lilith89ibz
Views: 291,280
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (239)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • It is such a delight listening to her and her interpretation of this beautiful aria. And it's so sad that it isn't available on any kind of video. Brava Diana. You rule!

  • negative votes must have been put by jealous sopranos that can't reach her ;)

  • Bravissima !!! Voce meravigliosa ! Finalmente una voce non tanto scura per questo ruolo ... scusate , è solo la mia opinione , ma la preferisco così ...

    Very good !!! Wonderful voice ! Finally a voice not so "dark" for this role ... excuse me , my opinion , but I prefer so ...

  • Me encantaría poder ver el video de esta presentación. Verla cantar es mucho más emocionante que solo escucharla. Anyways, gracias por subir la grabación. El video es lindo! Haha Damrau se ve taaan bonita <3

  • she absolutely nails it!

  • es la mejor!!! no hay otra igual!!!! la mejor cantante de opera de la historia

  • Absolutely a great singer. Yes, with an impeccable Italian diction. Love this version, soprano or mezzo, who cares? Why do why people worship at the altar of Netrebko when someone as like Damrau could sing better?

  • @fashionablesixties Don't compare these singers, please. They have different ranges :)

  • @fashionablesixties They hardly share any of the same roles. Maybe a couple. Damrau is a coloratura, Netrebko is a full lyric with some coloratura ability but not nearly at the level of a coloratura soprano.

  • la sua pronuncia italiana inoltre è perfetta!!! e sono italiana ;-)

    And her italian pronunciation is impeccable, i'm italian :-)

  • I love her interpretation of the recit! If I had those crazy (and gorgeous) high notes, I certainly wouldn't hold back either! :)

  • 3:30 Juan Diego Florez with glasses! Gotta love it!

    I like her interpretation. Wish we had the video, though.

  • That 'vin-cero' in the high register, at 2:32 is to die for. I LOVE it.

  • Saddly there`s no actual video recording of her singing the aria, but by only listening to it and you can feel how in the character Diana was; her happiness, passion, each and every nuance of emotion. I`ve listened a few more sopranos singing 'Una voce poco fa' and I admit - she just owns it!! (I don`t like the thin, sour timbre of Callas)

    A few years ago somewhere I read some critic calling Netrebko 'the new Callas' How can that be said in the time of Damrau, I can`t understand.

  • @Transoxiana94  very well said...

  • Anyway, this is lovely and delightful. This baloney I am reading in other posts about mezzo-schmezzo, soprano keys. It makes no difference. It's either a good singer or a bad one. I never minded Sills' version, even while being a die-hard Callasien. Sills brought a kind of well, bubbly (excuse me) vivacity and stupendous fioriture. On the other hand Roberta Peters, a "housewife" soprano at the Met, was sickening, as was Kathleen Battle, so saccharine and idiotic in their musical taste.

  • Ma che pronuncia stupenda!!

  • Haha, this applause can only be from the Met!! :-P

  • @LordMgls Yes, even if I hate Sher's direction and staging that muffled the orchestra, I still love her at the Met.

  • Actually, it is not just "una voce poca fa" that is changed. All the other keys remain the same, but the sopranos add higher embellishments (and occasionally take a low lying phrase up higher). More importantly, ALL the ensembles are changed. In the score Berta (maid) has the soprano part and Rosina the alto. When Rosina is cast as a soprano, they trade parts in the ensembles (Berta is cast as a mezzo).

  • brava! gut.

  • grande dmrau !

  • i love her voice

  • Bravaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa­aaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

    La amooooooooooo!!!!!!!

  • might be the recording, but has this been transposed up to ~F major for her? Is that ok in a production, we're  all arguing about it here :)

  • Yes, this is the soprano version, so it is in F. However, it is not really 'transported' but 'rewritten higher', if you know what I mean xD I think the mezzo and the soprano version are quite different, but not only on the pitch. Typically, a soprano will add more fiorituri than a mezzo. Rossini wasn't too happy about it but ended up accepting it! :)

  • its true. over time, the aria has been transposed for sopranos.

  • haha that's funny cuz I've been trying to learn ithe first 8 lines for a few hours from this video and I can only sometimes hit that a on the second lindoro. I was stressing about it, but now I realize I can do the original version. :)

  • @Lilith89ibz um pianomags wrote transposed, not transported and transposed means rewritten with corresponding notes on a different scale. In this case, for a soprano. I am not music expert, but I am pretty sure pianomags used the terminology correctly.

  • @bobbleheadedbudgie I am Spanish, and we call it 'transportar'. I meant 'transpose'. Doesn't make any difference.

  • @Lilith89ibz It's only "Una voce poco fa" that is changed, taken up a step, when a soprano plays Rosina- the rest of the role is exactly the same for a soprano or a mezzo. The fiorituri is a matter between the conductor, who has the last word(!) and the singer!

  • @suzanneetmoi Is that so?Thanks! :)

    PS: Did I ever answer your messages? Hm.

  • wonderful,one of the best sopranos who sung this,but la divina callas is unbeatable!

  • BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

  • impresionante

  • lilith do u know what she was doing in the beginning and people laughed??

  • I have no idea, I haven't seen the video :(

  • I was also wondering about that.

  • Questa interpretazione è virtuosistica e bellissima!Mi piace moltissimo la dizione di canto che ha Diana Damrau non è chiusa come altri soprani e le parole si capiscono tutte!Bravissima!

  • the same fantastic as Elina Garanca is. :)

  • Except that Garanca sucks donkey shit.

    Garanca has a beautiful tone, and impressive technical ability, but her Habanera feels like a lullaby and it left me wanting a warm milk. The Habenera should leave you feeling a lot of things: angry, turned on, confused, excited, but tired is not one of them. It's the sign of talent, but no artistry.

    Just because it sounds good on a superficial level doesn't mean it's good on the whole.

    Damrau can do both, amazing talent, and artistic vision.

  • Poor Garanca! She may not be as expressive as Diana, but she's definitely a great singer. I think you got too harsh, there.

  • @Loismustdie26 There's no need to be crude just because a particular singer may not be to your taste. There's far too much of that on these postings. Those, like me, lucky enough to have seen Garanca's Carmen at the Met recently would find it hard to agree with you on her interpretation. It wanted for nothing - she was superb.

  • brava!!!! mi piace molto aigue sur enfin une vrai coloratur dramatique natalie dessay fais pale figure a coté d'elle!!!!

  • This is what we can take as a correct interpretation in all senses.

    Orchestra and voice fine tunned.

    Brava!!! 5*

  • de las mejores versiones de esta aria. que buena

  • I think that Angela Gheorghiu's performance it very interesting as well: watch?v=fcYn60zeOS0

  • No one sings it like her!!!

    Aaah- now there's a REAL soprano, a true singer who knows the art of singing in its completion. She makes the pitches fly. =)

  • I tend to like the mezzo Rosina's better. Of them, Joyce di Donato reigngs supremes as far as I'm concerned. That said, I love Damrau and think she may well be the best soprano singing today. Unfortunately, that's not saying much, so I'll say she's probably one of the best sopranos in long time. If she takes care of her voice and sings the right roles she'll be up there with Tebaldi and others in the end! BTW, is she singing this in the original mezzo key? It doesn't seem as high as others.

  • No, this is the soprano key, trust me xD And it's spelled "DiDonato", btw ;) Thanks for commenting!

  • Damrau is much better than Tebaldi. Tebaldi went flat when she would hold notes and she tried to sing roles that were too dramatic for her.

  • It seems a little odd to compare Damrau to Tebaldi. They are just too different to be compared to each other. Maybe you can compare Damrau to Sutherland, Moser or Popp, I guess.

  • @tonyhan0903 I agree with you... Damrau is Coloratura and Tebaldi is Puccini and Verdi's heavy roles

  • I had the privilege of working with Joyce, and you are right. She is FLAWLESS! And just so freaking SWEET!

  • Quelle merveilleuse chanteuse mais quel orchestre de merde!! bourré de fautes et de justesses!!

  • Even the Met orchestra has bad days!

  • omg Totally my favorite soprano now. I can completely understand every single syllable she is singing. o_o

  • WOW. She makes me want to be an opera singer!

  • brava!

  • DD is amazing, I love her timbre, her agility, her intelligence and everything...

    why are still stupid people worshipping the likes of Netrebko when the likes of this soprano are around???

    I will never understand

  • @luisortmul I don't particularly like Netrebko either. I love Damrau as a Coloratura. She is superb for Mozart and the heavier repertoire.

  • @luisortmul

    I HAVE BEEN ASKING MYSELF THE SAME QUESTION FOREVER!! netrebko is soooo over stated! she is only where she is because of her looks. her singing lighter roles like lucia r just awful! her voice is wayyy to heavy to manage the passages.

  • I love how she sounds like she's laughing the whole time.

  • Damrau is amazing, and I really like her version of this aria, even if I prefer Callas version, but anyways, both are amazing!

  • yo tambien!

  • Cual es esta grabacion?

  • Es del 2006 en el Met ^^

  • yo quiero cantar asi!!!

  • ¡Y yo tambieen!

  • Todos queremos ser Diana :( lastimosamente solo ella puede

  • Yo no he hablado de ser Diana, blancopatri, sino de poder cantar como ella. Afortunadamente, con esfuerzo y trabajo se puede conseguir.

  • Un artista nace o se hace? No creo que mucha gente pueda llegar a ser como ella, ni siquiera con mucho esfuerzo. Las cuerdas vocales son las que son, y no hacen lo que uno quieras por mucho que se esfuerces. Una mezzo no va a cantar de soprano porque ella quiera, por ejemplo. Decir que se puede conseguir ser como ella me parece una visión muy optimista del tema xD

  • Creo que no me ha entendido bien, Lilith89ibiz. Yo digo que la técnica la puede conseguir cualquiera, por muy poco aptas que sean sus cuerdas vocales para el canto. Otra cosa es el tipo de voz que uno tenga. Obviamente, por mucho que se quiera, ningún bajo llegará a la tesitura del tenor.

  • En lo de la tesitura tienes razón, pero no creo que la técnica sola sirva para ser buen cantante. También hay que tener oído, y no todo el mundo lo tiene. Y si tienes unas cuerdas vocales poco aptas para el canto, no puedes cantar aunque tengas un control absoluto sobre el diafragma. No sé, no creo que todo el mundo pueda ser excepcional sin tener una buena voz con la que trabajar desde el principio.

  • Bueno, tal vez excepcional sea demasiado para una persona de medios muy limitados, con respecto a la voz. Pero creo que podría llegar a cantar bien en cuanto a técnica. Es mi humilde opinión.

  • hemm ... podrias explicarme bn como esta esa onda de las cuerdas? .... yo soy soprano y un maesto me ayuda con la tecnica vocal ... pero no soy pro ni nada XD de hecho estudio Fisica ^^ pero amo cantar, y no entiendo bn .... como pq esta definido el limite de la ultima nota q puedes alcanzar? q es lo que lo determina?

  • stupid people.i vow to her majesty :)

  • I admire and follow her with passion,...

    However, and I may be wrong, her voice does not sound very homogeneus in the lower notes of this aria...

    And what about the variations in this aria when sung by different singers? Which one is better/the original?

    (I am always open ready to learn, so do not hesitate to give me a hint! )

  • Well, that is because she is a really high soprano, and the range she is more comfortable in is the middle and higher one. Anyway, this was a couple of years ago, now her lower register is way more solid :)

  • Oh, and about the variations, what's written in the score is more of a guidelines on which every singer builds her own fiorituri, more than something fixed. That's why they are variations! ^^

    There is none considered 'better', because it depends on how it suits the singer's voice. Anyway, if you buy the score, you can read the original :)

  • Thank you very much for your kind explanation.

    I am quite young, and just an inexperienced opera listener.

    thank you for posting this video!

    just a shame I couldn't see her in Bilbao in february.

  • Oh, well, I'm younger xD You are very welcome :)

  • what an amazing talent - and my favorite queen of the night!

  • I just adore Diana. I also find it so refreshing that her technique and talent speaks for itself, people must recognise her greatness as a singing actress.

  • I think she is simply the most charming soprano alive. Her voice is so pretty in this! Despite not being able to see her fantastic acting (I'm assuming, since her acting is always on point), it's nice to focus on her voice...such personality!

  • I wish I could see the acting.

  • great!

    But Rosina usually is sung by a mezzo, isn't it? (and the aria a little lower - a semi-tone or so?)

  • Yes, that's right. This is the soprano version of the aria :)

  • It even sounds better like this, in my opinion...

  • AWESOME.

  • Bravissima!! anche nel ruolo della regina della notte....fantastica!

  • I like this version!!! :D

  • Love her "singing laugh" at 5:04 :) Great Rosina, and fantastic production. Too bad there's no video of this, I would have so loved to see her acting.

  • she makes the stage her bitch. an AMAZING stage actress (not to minimalize her singing).

  • This woman is great!

    However, I must say I have enjoyed Callas' version more... there's something about Maria Callas' version that , at least to me, feels really touching in comparison. The first time I heard it I got the goosebumps and it got to me. It sounds quite controlled: nice high notes but in general it doesn't sound so "high-pitched"... if you know what I mean. So, yeah Damrau is amazing but this interpretation... I don't know...For some reason, I prefer Callas version.

  • i agree with you. i can feel the emotion of rosina when callas sings it.

  • Maria Callas and Diana have different voice types, Callas was a Dramatic colotura, which means that high pitches are much much easier for her to control, diana is on the side of a heavy lyric colotura, so shehas a big voice, but i mean when you look at callas's work, its no where near as exciting as dianas, dianas technique is sooo much better than callas, also this is a live performance recording, everything we hear of callas is prerecorded, barely anything left of her being on stage.

  • you inappropriately have compared Callas to Diana, technically you can't do that because today's music works go so far, both recording system or stage's sound system. Anyway Callas does not have any "chance" to train her singing anymore, not even a chance to listen to Diana's work, but Diana has chances to listen to Callas (probably techniques were applied) anyway, Callas has been the best of her period.

  • Diana is simply gorgeous! She has a vitality that is hard to find like that! She incorporates the character. Ela dá vida ao personagem e é de convencer muito bem! Estou maravilhdo com ela. Descobri esta voz a pouco, e não paro de escutar. That's is something I feel it lacks the great majority of sopranos, namely, Netrebko. Diana is a great singer indeed! :)

  • she is absolutely fantastic!!!!

  • Love Diana^^

    Why the hell the audience's laughing at the beginning??? I wanna know!!! xD

  • No idea xD Something she did, I guess. She's a great actress :)

  • I already explained this....there's the sneeze and then she checks if the old guy is asleep by poking him.

  • I really like her version of this. She's definitely one of my favorite sopranos

  • Way to soprano the aria up, Diana! How amazing is she!? Love this, love her.

  • i am a absolutely damrau fan.

    but stay objective. we shoud not forget all the

    the other great sopranos and mezzospranos

    that do this role in a singular way.

    may be damrau will be one day our assoluta,

    i long for it, but i will never forget the former assolutas

  • I'm totally a fan of her.

    I mean... How can anybody keep from falling in love with her? She's quite possibly the best soprano ever.

    At least, in my opinion she is!

  • Lots of energy, I just want to sound like that!

  • Damrau is in a complete league of her own when it comes to vocal power. Her voice has got some meat on it!!!!!

  • I wish this was a video... I really do.. God I love Diana..

  • Join the club! ;)

  • O wow, this made me cry! I want to do this. The power to put so much emotion into song is supernatural

  • OMG it's....it's perfect...

  • elle est tant une ange xD

  • adorable i love damrau she's so sweet and talented

  • I have been falling more and more in love with Damrau as a soprano. Her charm and talent are undeniable. She is one of the most versatile sopranos of today.

  • how can she sing it and sing queen of the night?

  • Because she's amazing, that's how lol

  • that is absolutely correct

  • both roles are for coloratura-sopranos (ok, the original Rosina is one step lower, but she sings it in soprano-version).

  • A half step lower, not a full step! But yes!

  • Actually, every recording that I have heard of Callas, she does it in E. Don't quote me on this, but the one Callas altered the key on was Casta Diva - I think.

  • I love this singer... hace tiempo que no escuchaba con tanto agrado esta aria.

    Como la Callas no hay! Ohh right!

    Han escuchado a la Gheorghiu en esta aria? puaj!

  • As far as I remember, Cecilia Bartoli sang this aria in key of Eb, when it is originally written as F?

  • No, the aria is originally in E Major, but Sopranos always take it up to F Major. Cecilia definitely sings it in E Major.

  • Well, Callas didn't sing in mezzo key. There's no such thing as mezzo key when it comes to singing live on stage.. Callas had a dramatic soprano voice and Rossini meant the aria for his soprano to be sung by that voice timbre. People of course can sing it anyway they like, and depends on the color of their voice. Every thing is good and legitimate...

  • I'd just like to point out that the role of rosina was written for a contralto (originally) but rossini later changed it for a mezzo. Today it is most common for a soprano to sing it.

    None is better than the other its all personal preference.

  • ahhh. but the definition of "mezzo" in Rossini's time is different than it is now. Mezzo's back then were probably more of what we call dramatic soprano's today. Mezzo's were supposedly to sing EVERYTHING... in every fach imaginable. So I've been told by students of the real old school teachers.

  • No, I think it was a certain mezzo required, what we call mezzo sfoggato(Maria Malibran), with great agility and wide range... the only one that comes to mind now is Cecilia Bartoli who's got the agility as well as the amazing range.This isn't for a dramatic soprano...well it's surely proving ground for those who can...I'm one but I can't sing Rossini.

  • this role was written for contralto, the woman who it was written for was the same one who originated the contralto lead of la cenerentola, which has low Fs. This is the "soprano version" in a higher key, most sopranos sing it in this key.

  • Maria Malibran was a soprano sfogato, wasn't she? So was Maria Callas. Cecilia Bartoli is another example, although without a too large voice. Am I mistaken?

  • atzedeno1: You´re absolutely right: soprano´s versions seem to be always better than mezzo´s. Only mezzos like Cecilia Bartoli are worth listening to in this aria (and I don´t know many mezzos of the same quality of Cecilia)

  • ever heard Marilyn Horne?

  • Joyce DiDonato is pretty good

  • Nono, Joyce DiDonato is great ^^

  • I totally agree!

  • as a mezzo I must say, I like this area better, when it´s sung by a soprano!!! It has too be Virtuous, than it gets the right character!

  • That's what I think too ^^ Thanks for commenting!

  • I am one of the greatests fans of Damrau, I LOVE HER, but I agree, the true Rosina is Callas.

  • Hm, I guess it depends on whom you ask xDDD

  • She is very very good, but I do prefer Maria Callas's Rosina...

  • Callas's version is the standard for a soprano singing this role, I can assure you that Diana listened to Callas's version before doing it herself :P

  • Callas sings it in the mezzo key

  • Callas! You know...

  • Callas sings the soprano version of Rosina, of course!

    (The only mezzo role that Callas performed in a studio recording is Carmen.

    She has also recorded some mezzo arias; Eboli's aria "O Don fatale" from Verdi's "Don Carlo" and Dalila's aria "Mon coeur s' ouvre a ta voix" from Saint-Saen's "Samson et Dalila").

  • yeah, I've heard Cecilia perform a high E on two different recordings of "Ah tuo seno fortunato" which proves that a high F would be feasable but would not be consistent. Though a singer may have the notes to perform a role, their tessitura may lie lower making it a smart choice of her not to perform the queen. I'm a tenor with a soprano high C but that doesn't mean that I'm going to sing this aria just as Cecilia has smartly decided to stick to her strength as a lyric mezzo

  • i agree with you 100%!

    i think Damrau is the best soprano Rosina ever!!!!

  • Aah, quel Piacere di sento questa Qualita, sono felice!!!!!!

  • Dude, this sentence has no meaning in italian!

  • who is sneezing like that?

  • why are they all laughing at the beginning??

  • We would know if we could see the stage :P

  • She's checking if the 'guard' /butler/ waiter/ servant is asleep. Then the maid sneezes, and Damrau crosses to stage left, to the desk. I think. Or maybe to the couch.

  • Yes, she crosses to the couch and collapses with a smile.

  • Berta, the servant.

  • With music it's something completely different because you have to 'tell' other people how you feel the music and the words. That's what may change a bit the score in some cases, althought who wrote the score didn't want it that way.

    Sometimes happens that the composer doesn't understand his/her own composition until someone plays it. For instance, this happened with Horowitz's interpretation of the second piano concerto of Rachmaninov, who said that Horowitz played it better than he did.

  • I agree absolutely with you!

  • Hey Lilith, cómo te fue en el concierto?? Supongo que estuvo maravillosa... =D

    Disculpa tanta confianza, pero he leído tantos comentarios tuyos que pareciera que hablo contigo... ^^

    Y al parecer, compartimos gustos en sopranos... Damrau es mi favorita :P

    A ver si nos puedes decir cómo te fue en el concierto =D

  • Tengo intención de escribir una crónica pública en los foros GTLtornT y Una Noche en la ópera :)

  • Perfecto!! Cuando lo tengas pones el link o al menos dices para buscarlo =)

  • De acuerdo ^^

  • Yes, the best soprano rosina.

  • The tempo choices in this are really strange.

  • Er... Are they? What do you mean?

  • usually for coloraturas the tempo is a pinch faster, but it could just be the staccato of the orchestra you're hearing on parts, because in some older recordings they just left it without staccato and played it more legato which can create a slower sound at times.

  • Her interpretation is completely different from Teresa Berganza's, but I love both equally.

    One question, is this song done by both sop and mezzos just in different keys?

    I ask because there is a myriad of women from different fachs doing this song.

  • Yep, there is a soprano version, which Diana is singing here, but it's different each time it's sung (sopranos always add and change things to create their 'own' aria). Then there is a mezzo version that works just like the soprano one, but it's a bit lower. And the embellishments are different too, of course.

    There's been a 'little' argument in this vid's comments about which one was written first. I really don't know, but I couldn't care less. I just love them both! ;)

  • a few corrections for you:

    most importantly: the mezzo key (E) was written first as rossini's wife was a contralto, and he wrote most things for her voice, that's why in the original score there isn't even a high B in this aria, just a G#.

    second, none of the ornamentation for this aria is written in anywhere, even in the coloratura key (f) it's the same base, and many of the ornamentations go in both, as some are just traditional.

    finally, rossini personally hated lots of add-ons.

  • It does'nt seem Diana not in the photos not in voice

  • I can swear she is :)

  • Qué lástima... gracias igual

    Pd: te prometo que si algun dia llego a conseguir en mi pais un DVD de ella, te voy a ayudar a subirlos a youtube (todavía no tengo ninguno)

  • Jajaja Gracias ^^ Yo la voy a ver en Madrid el día 19!!!!!!! :D Estoy hiper nerviosa XD

  • Lilith: Soy yo, nuevamente, pero en este caso en otra ópera. Quería saber si existe alguna posibilidad de que tengas y me envíes el verdadero video de este aria (tengo el presentimiento de que debe ser increíblemente gracioso).

    En caso de que no lo tengas, gracias de todos modos. Hasta pronto!!

  • No se grabó la versión de Diana, sólo la de Joyce DiDonato (que también es genial, por cierto). A mí también me fastidia mucho, pero qué se le va a hacer.

  • I loved it! but I think that nothing can change my opinion about the best Rosina: Callas!

    Me ha encantado! pero creo que nada cambiará mi opinión sobre la mejor Rosina: Callas!

    (Ya sé que Callas no cantó la Reina de La Noche xd)

  • Menos mal que ya me conoces y te adelantas XDDD

  • si, como se dice en francés, 'Je prends mes précautions!' =P