Dessay performs "The Bell Song" from "Lakmé"

[lovejesustv]

Wow just wow that was amazing!

[SuperFlekica]

fantastic voice!

[FrozenMermaid666]

Natalie Dessay is incredible! How could someone not love her voice? :-O

[simonp50]

Absolutely beautiful, modern music has much to learn

[RhymeWirePoetry]

Phenomenal !

[akherousia]

That G-sharp was definitely amazing

[LeCoconut]

@akherousia It's technically an Ab ;p

[akherousia]

@LeCoconut now i know that, 4 months ago i didn't :) but thanks

[snplrcjls]

cuando vuelves a chile estimada

[LohengrinT]

at her prime one of the greatest coloratura sopranos who ever lived, probably the greatest Lakme ever along with Sutherland - in our days a sad spectacle

[panchamkauns]

05:54 HOLY MOTHER OF GOD that was NOT the high note I was expecting!!!!!

:O

[Nbtn86]

@panchamkauns gis 

[acitipo]

Fantastica!!!!!!!! Bellisimo timbre!!!!!!! sobreagudos colosales!!!!!!!

[FoxyGrandpa]

@bconsitt check out premiereopera. they have this and many, many other recordings for sale.

[johnb340]

Lovely! Best coloratura around...

[spokes64]

I must say that Dessay is the best in this aria. Her highs are relaxed and full, with beautiful vibrato.

The shaky camera work in this video, however, is another story...one has to take Dramamine to watch it.

[thomastmwc]

@spokes64 agree!

[whizbang47]

Thanks for this FG, she really shows us what she can do here! This is going to be a 'my favorite!' right now.

[MrCareypeck]

While I love Dessay and her high note is insane - she never goes the limit. Callas threw herself into every line. She sang withut holding back and that is what made her the legend she was. Give me heart every time!

[flicfan416]

That a -flat is ridiculous. And people think callas had a better upper register. HA

[thomastmwc]

@flicfan416 I don't grasp the tone...are you criticizing/complimenting ? Haha sorry...

[kgarmaker123]

@flicfan416 They are two different voices.. Callas was an assoluta, a dramatic coloratura.. she could sing everything... Dessay is a coloratura,period.. She is not going to stray into the dramatic repertoire.. Her voice is too small. And the A flat is not written!

[chanteusse]

I love how light her voice is and yet still very bright and clear!

[TheLudann]

Natalie Dessay has a very good vocal technic, super.

[sloobaa]

flipanteee!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[suzie106]

Anyone know what note she hits at 5.46? My God, what a voice!!

[BaritonoG]

It's an High Ab... But the quality is awesome so it sounds like another octave up XD

[tenor003]

c'est un contre-sol ;)

[petshopgirl72]

Beautiful Although I feel the recording is not good.

[Lukejoker3]

natalie only natalie =)

[maudetorterat]

the best singer :)

[cc1454]

Amazing

[farr0222]

I hate this woman. of course I speak out of pure jealousy. I love her voice, and WISH I had the same talent. BUt I dont, so Im content with listening to her voice. I love it!

[KamilkaOz13]

im pretty sure anyone who has the vocal range to sing this automatically deserves a huge amount of respect

[velazquez2009]

I don't agree, nor does Dessay herself. When you have the notes in your voice, it is no earning, but the technique and interpretation is where respect starts.

[JockamoGoon]

wow...that's a high Aflat. wow

[PoemSetToMusic]

I was humming this beautiful aria the entire time. After Price, Dessay is my favorite soprano. Just love her!! The control she has. She is above all a communicator the main goal of singing.

[Opreaismylife10692]

Beautiful, but the vid quality hurts my eyes.

[keara79]

Miss Dessay's vocal range is amazing! Beautifully performed!

[monpitt500]

Petite mise au point Lepamplemousse: Elle a perdu ses extraordinaires aigus et chante souvent sous les notes. De plus pour l'avoir entendue en personne 2 fois en 8 ans je puis vous assurer qu'elle est loin de l'excelence qu'elle nous avait montrée durant ses premieres annees de carriere. Lucia,Traviata... ne sont pas pour sa voix. En lucia par exemple la vois est souvent sous les notes parce que grossie. A propos, je possède l'audition absolue ainsi que le diapason fixe. Faux,c'est faux.

[guiradobrasil]

Well, it's really a pity people are always trying to find faults and compare singers... I find her great, I don't find her trills laughable at all, quite the contrary, and the ending is simply stunning in my humble, not highly professional opinion :o)

[monpitt500]

Parfairement d'accord avec vous Lepamplemousse. Une grande artiste qui possède ce genre de voix qui n'existe que chez les Français. Malheureusement sa voix s'est détériorée à cause des rôles trop lourds pour sa voix qu'elle a acceptés. Lucia Traviata etc..

[Sedrethka]

Sa voix ne s'est pas "deteriorée" , Natalie est au summum de sa carrière et a triomphé tout au long de l'annee 2008 a new york , londres , chicago.. avec l'age elle a simplement perdu de la facilité dans les suraigus mais aussi gagné en intensité dans les registres inférieurs ..

et c'est beaucoup mieux comme ça :)

[NewMinako]

Elle a tout simplement eut des polipes sur les cordes vocales d'où une lourde opération pour sa voix. Mais je suis entièrement daccord, Natalie est toujours au sommet surtout maintenant

[hulysse2000]

she is c "colorature"

[paddymusic]

this is really one of the best i have ever heard...such accurate coloraturas!!! i'm a big fan of maria callas but i prefer natalie dessay in this!!

[lb2101]

I have such a love hate relationship with her. She is technically very proficient, but her diction is nothing short of terrible and she can be so sterile. Lucia Popp is far superior IMHO. Man, that G was astounding though. =)

[elsr5]

OMG!!!!!!! this woman is an alien....no one on earth can sing like this! Brava!!!!!

[tenorismo]

Love her to death

[musiqmarquis]

This was quite a rendition! That G#...man...I loved it. For those of you who complained, it sounded like a G#6 coming from a human is going to sound. What else would you expect it to sound like?  Also, she's a high coloratura, what do u expect? She's gothigh notes and uses them. I wish she still was singing like this...

[lokitrix]

Doesn't she sing like this anymore?

[musiqmarquis]

Her roles are changed is what I mean.  She still sings with the artistry that she has always had, and the sensitivity. The G sharp is at 5:44 by the way.

[sloobaa]

I think she had problems with her vowel chords and had to be quirurgically interviewd

[dchiapello]

In defense of slooba (though not the spelling!), it is true: she had a polyp and a cyst on her vocal cords and surgical intervention was necessary. The New Yorker printed a profile on her sometime in the past year or so; it's worth checking out. I think Dessay is incredible. I saw her in La Sonnambula in Santa Fe a few years ago, and her stage presence is on par with her singing.

[TheAleph74]

Come on haters! She was amazing! Brava! This is the Natalie that I want to remember (as oppossed to the one singing now at days).

[EmiJulianna]

I am not too fond of the really high coloratura voice, however i thought this was fantastic. i like this G the best.

[peti74]

G sharp, dear.

[lokitrix]

Where was the G sharp?

[peti74]

at 5:44

[sicuro75]

Her added high notes are like that of a screachy little girl.

[sicuro75]

She should have omitted that high note at 5:43-45 that she tackled too forcefully with her delicate legiero instrument and it sounded rather distressed.

[FierceLibra]

Sicuro, true it is an optional higher passage that Dessay chooses to perform, however, it is not without precedent nor is it unexpected. In the conductor's score of the actual opera, the passage displays a (italicized small print)run up to G# above the recommended E natural. Furthermore, here on YouTube, check out Mado Robin's similar interpretation (although horribly executed). Keep in mind Mado Robin performed it 50+ years ago. The higher notes option is definitely for those with highest range

[agnellodei]

Is it really written? I thought the highest note in opera in general was the high G in Massenet's "Esclarmonde".

[123Niche]

In Lakme, just the high E is written. The highest note written was in Esclarmonde, and also in the aria popoli di tessaglia (mozart).

[yodavidnavarro]

Was written with a G6, but pitched with old instruments. Nowadays would be an F6

[796824]

Suggest listening to LILY PONS to hear how this SHOULD be sung

[hazard562]

I MEAN IVE "ALWAYS" WANTED TO ASK

[hazard562]

ive alwaysed wanted to ask...do they use microphones?

[kpamina]

no, we dont

[ezayi]

But the rest was very beautiful. A pity that she isn´t singing like that anymore. But a very good singer!

[ezayi]

I find those added high notes such a bad taste and out of place.

[543johnson]

This performance should have been on DVD. Dessay is convincing vocally and physically as the young Lakme, as opposed to the only current DVD with a much older Sutherland, though her voice is still great.

[FoxyGrandpa]

You can get the DVD on premieropera.

[Hasselhoffhater]

For real?

[thecelticspirit]

Is it the same quality or better ?

[FoxyGrandpa]

I don't own the DVD, but I would assume it's the same, because their description says it's a theater archive copy. I found this full production online and downloaded it.

[thecelticspirit]

Oh, ok then, I think I'm gonna do as you did. Is it difficult to find online ?

[mf2101]

She hits high G!!

[DanyelHawkes]

spellbinding.

[username14657]

I have not found a better voice; I have looked, too!

[username14657]

Divine!!!

[postman1008]

Listen to Eglise Guttierez doing the same aria.

[operaeater]

she's fantastic here. her trills are laughable though.

[Cavatina21]

HOLY CRAP. That was an A. *gapes stupidly in a state of absolute awe* WOW... OK, forget the Queen of the Night, that was crazy but totally awesome! :)

Et je ne parle pas francais tres bien (je l'etudie au lycee), mais parce que il me semble que beaucoup de gens francais regardent ce film, je voudrais dire ici en francais que Natalie Dessay est une de mes chanteuses favorites - elle est magnifique!

[sebos014]

laissons la video a des pro.

je vais pas voir n dessay avec une camera.

manque de respect

[lepamplemousse]

tu ne connais pas les circonstances... et puis, on n'aurait pas Callas à Mexico en 1952 s'il n'y avait pas eu les pirates!!!

[isinglouderthanu]

I think Natalie Dessay is a gift from another universe! i mean, who can SING like that! She surely is the voice of today, and the voice of what true opera should be.... To me, its Sills, Damrau, Dessay...

[erthzebeth]

J'aime tant sa voix. on dirait un fil d'or parcouru d'une vibration qui s'éfile jamais. toujours beau toujours juste.

[PecsMstr]

How slow she takes it - this cuts the dramatic side. I think the runs would be to hard for her at a faster pace.

[Fillefjonkan]

Do you know what a conductor is? LoL

[PecsMstr]

You are not actually placing the entire blame of tempo on the conductor are you? Do you know what a singer is?

[Fillefjonkan]

Yes I know very well what a singer is. In this case as in most cases the conducter is to blame. Have you ever worked with a conductor? Have you worked with one in a opera production? In a big house?

I´ve heard dessay do these "runs" in a faster pace. :)

[PecsMstr]

You are so judgemental. I have been a professional singer since my professional debut at 17 with the Florentine Opera. And you?

[Fillefjonkan]

As am I and I´m now even more surprised by you´re comment - if you are so experienced as you claim... And for the record I replied to your first comment because YOU were judgemental posting such an ignorant comment about Natalie Dessays ability.

[PecsMstr]

It amazes me when a person uses the word "IGNORANT" - a very judgemental word. So you are a 24 year old professional singer? Really?! Where?

[Fillefjonkan]

You should seek an anger management program. You seem to have issues since you can´t stick to what we where discussing. Read the comments again and see who of us are so wanting to judge. I don´t need to tell you my name or where I work. I am here to watch operavideos not to prove myself to you or anyone else on the internet. Fact remains that your first comment was IGNORANT and judgemental.

Have a nice life and good luck with your anger. =)

[PecsMstr]

Angry? I'm laughing. Good luck with your attitude.

[Fillefjonkan]

Yes I know very well what a singer is. In this case as in most cases the conducter is to blame. Have you ever worked with a conductor? Have you worked with one in a opera production? In a big house?

I´ve heard dessay do these "runs" in a faster pace. :)

[RossiniSoprano]

On the 3 Dessay cds I have, I have noticed that she does slow tempos on *many* things. She seems to like to 'place' all the notes very carefully, and never just lets go. The conductor can't be blamed for her personal artistic choices.

[RossiniSoprano]

She tends to take things slow A LOT! Have you heard her Doll Song? On one cd I have, everything she sings is slow.

[LuisTavinho]

Is she a human being?*

[ian1856]

Glorious singing!!!!!

[zurriuss]

Magic!!!

[nicevidbro]

does somebody knows the year of this performance? thanks!

[nicevidbro]

oh 1995, thanks hehehe

[silsan8]

Impresionante voz y técnica. ¡Bravo!

[marcoorcouto]

Ela é brilhante, quase uma figura sobrenatural. Timbre, postura de palco, e segurança, além da técnica impressionante!!

[jjcbss]

My god, superb

[visceralchemistry]

i don't like her scoopage.

sounds a little R&B.

[europelove]

goosebumps...

[TheChosenOne613]

...*is speechless*

[LittleWanderingChild]

[agrees]

[primadonna82]

I really like this performance.

Her high 'G' is right on the pitch, BUT

it does not sound pleasant, I must admit.

It has nothing to do with the aria, and it's a forced squeal.

[l0veles]

ah not what i was looking for but still amazing

[uniqueattack]

In the opera Peter Pan, she will sing Tinkerbel.

[Hasselhoffhater]

Are they really doing that?

That would be sweet!

[boris1281]

I think that she is absolutely unsurpassed in this part, not even by Rubin!!! An outstanding E!!!

[tallamande]

thats true unsurpassed

[mizzfit24601]

J'adore Où va la jeune indoue et Natalie Dessay! Tres, tres, bien!!

[janejones11]

I don't like most leggerios but Dessay is an exception. Her timbre is silvery and beautiful, the aural equivalent of pixie dust :) The high notes here are just lovely and the coloratura is excellent.

[adachii0210]

amazing！！！！！

[Nudelwudel]

this song is so amazing...and the voice too...

[Lenedit]

she's the best lakme i ever seen!

[operamusiclover]

God,so beautiful!I don't like to compare because everyone has his own voice,but I must admit that in terms voice,Dessay is much better than Mado Robin.The aria is very beautiful in terms of melody,but Dessay's voice is more beautiful than Robin's voice,and that makes always the difference.Very beautiful!CONGRATULATIONS!I have 3 questions:

1-Is Dessay a contemporanean singer?

2-What is the last high note,wich is sweetly and escelently sung?

3-What's this aria about?:D:D:D:D

[hollabelle]

:) Yes dessay is a contemporary singer, she is still quite young. The last high note is a E flat above high c. In this aria, Lakme is retelling the legend of the daughter of Parias. The very high parts of the song are supposed to represent bells ringing. I hope that's helpful! :)

[jamieh290968]

The final high note is an E above high C, not an E flat.

[peti74]

That's right, the very last note is an E above high C. Although this is not the highest note of the aria. In the middle (around 5:44) she sings a high G in the cadenza. :)

[peti74]

Oops... G# indeed.

Sorry.

[tallamande]

have you heard sometime maria callas . she sings this with the sime tempo

[citruspunk]

G#7. Mother ******. I hate her, but then again we all love Dessay so much.

[crazyjack876]

It is a G6. And YES she is amazing!

[jvinikour]

absolutely g sharp (the piece is in E Major).

[Lohengrin33]

INdeed a high G at 5 44

[Fillefjonkan]

Some of your comments are so stupid! "Move faster!" Haha Natalie doesn´t decide what tempo she´s to sing in a performance like this, with a big orchestra. Have you guys ever heard of a conducter. haha! Very often people have different ideas of tempo and dynamics, besides it´s not a race anyway...

[hollabelle]

i love this version but she really needs to take it faster. She can do really fast coloratura, i don't know why she doesn't.

[tkellnerus]

Jesus Christ! That's a high G# at 5:44.

[openaby]

c'est affreux!

[tkellnerus]

Je ne comprends pas. Je suis americain. Je ne parle francais tres bien. Le mot "affreux" veut dire "tres mauvais" n'est-ce pas? Elle a chantée un sol dièse. C'était incroyable!

Qu'est-ce qu'est affreux? Mon blasphème? La chanson? La note?

[Chevereaunicolas]

Comme d'habitude Natalie est parfaite !

[796824]

Listen to MADO ROBIN whose singing was spontaneous as all great singers must be.

[Consensualinjustice]

I think her voice is brilliant and I wish I had half the talent she does. She's great!

[Hako2004]

She is more at ease with the highest notes....which are half the size of Sutherlands at in her prime. But in the middle voice, and on the trill, Sutherland is much more comfortable.

[garconfrancais01]

i love dessay but i have to agree, i dont like her interpriation of the song here. On this particular day she decided to do it this way for some reason. Anyone who has actually heard her do this, which i have in the other fashion she does it in, knows that she is utter heaven. If you listen to her do this, verse sutherland, she is much beter and has more ease to her voice.

[tallamande]

much better ........ much better than this she must be the anbelivable

[pmilotay]

Perfect. However, it's time to learn other names as well. First of all: Magda Kalmár. I captured this aria with Kalmár from Bartók Rádió cca.two years ago. The spoon fell out of my hands... Still better than Erika Miklósa.

[Robibi84]

In this song she is distracting a wild cat from her love. She is essentially giving up her life for his. I believe she captures the passion perfectly here!

[gleyse]

parfait contre fa diése

avec beaucoup de finesse

[Hassolffhater]

She was great at this aria but Mady Mesple was perfection in the aria.

But those who know the show well, what is the song talking about?

[cegestes]

yes Mady Mesple was amazing

[Richiesutherland]

Lovely opening cadenza, but the rest is disgraceful. Mechanical, slow coloratura, no hint of drama, thin voice, inept use of the language (and she's French!), metallic, edgy high notes, not even a hint of a trill. Worst of all, she shows her appalling taste by interpolating a terrifically ugly G#. Can she listen to this and not blush?

[Iareto]

What a hater! Slow coloratura was a choice she made here. She can move just as fast as loads of other famous sopranos. She trills quite well actually also. Her French is beautiful and her sound is beautiful. Who would you suggest as a replacement?

[openaby]

no she cannot move faster

[Iareto]

Yes she can. You haven't seen videos where she has evidently, but she can move extremely fast. She doesn't run like Joan or Edita, but she sure can run faster than lots of sopranos. Check out more videos of hers. It's there alright.

[lepamplemousse]

Je l'ai vue sur scène dans Lakmé à Marseille en 1997.Ce petit bout de femme a réussi à emballer le public marseillais, d'habitude grognon et connaisseur. Elle était déjà une grande chanteuse à l'époque mais je ne l'avais entendue qu'au disque, et je me méfie des enregistrement. J'ai été conquis PAR LA VOIX, PAR LE PHRASÉ, PAR LE JEU D'ACTEUR, bref, ému au plus haut point. Rien ne justifie des commentaires de cette nature.

Cette vidéo est certes médiocre, mais la performance est exceptionnelle.

[kleshamusic]

look my "lakme" remix...

find kleshamusic on youtube and share the groove

[multitudinous1]

Bell, bella, bellissima. The only competition is Audry Luna, less ethereally beautiful and precise, but her deeper tones add to the excitement. Both up there with Casals playing Bach.

[selahangel]

Ummm...perfection? That's all I can think of right now. Amazing rendition.

[tenormcgee]

when she sings that high Ab in the doll aria i almost died...she's one of my favorites!

[brolobear]

Dessay is fabulous in this but, honestly, was the high G# (yes, G sharp!!) really necessary? I also love Mady Mesple's version (she owned the role for quite a few years) and I saw Ruth Welting do a great job with the opera in Dallas many years ago.

[hermitcrab1112]

Amazing.

[valgrel2]

1995, Paris, Opéra Comique

[donatello1]

This has to be the best live performance of the Bell Song I've ever heard. She floats that high E like nothing. BRAVA Dessay!!! P.S. What year was this???

[ramir0705]

I'm a real faithful fan of Dessay, and seems like I'll stand like this for the rest... But she's kinda crazy. Is there a high G in the second coloratura sequence? Man, she do that and don't go off pitch in the lower notes, it's amazing! She's not human! She's some incarnation of Finale music notation or a digital keyboard, aaaah!

Bravo, bravo bravoooo!!!

[sleeplacker]

Hahaha! Nice one!

[syrinx79]

This is fabulous! As for others who do/did a pretty good Bell Song, Sumi Jo, Joan Sutherland, ELizabeth Parcells, just to name a few.

[Iareto]

Also Elizabeth Futral. She is awesome.

[barmanjoe]

And lets not forget Lily Pons from the early ones. I've got a recording of Lily doing the Bell song, and it is just sublime. :))

[Hassolffhater]

Do you know where I could find a recording of her?

[bruceagogox]

Elizabet hParcells bell song is to die for!

[Puppyizzy]

i keep watching this over and over. wow. unbelievable. i dont know how anyone could have done this any better. that was perfection.

[divinemediocrity]

No wonder women weren't allowed to sing in early church... they were so much closer to God what with voices like hers.... bravissima...

[Robibi84]

Utterly PERFECT! This is by far the most controlled performance of the Bell Song I have yet heard. Her finale note sent chills down my spine. OUTSTANDING!!!

[jacobsimon]

The ultimate version of the Bell Song was by the young Lily Pons.

[zamyrabyrd]

Hey, a high E is a piece of cake if you can sing a G# third higher...one of the best performances...she also takes her time...but why not...this song is mainly narrative... ZB

[puccinilover]

at 5:44 I was like ooo did mado robin come out of nowhere!!!