Spargi d'amaro pianto - Diana Damrau

[Basileiha]

This has nothing to do with god, She is brilliant herself.

[quidamesh]

woooooooww!!! perfect!!!!!....XD

[classicalgalNYC]

Beautiful tone... just sublime! Diana 5 stars =D

[DesiFuyuko]

She is God blessed. Definetely was born for Opera, not just singing, but acting perfectly as well

[branko1b]

she has a powerful and expressive voice on the lover register (not ugly, not croaky, or wimpy - as the most) - her delivery is immaculate, all the notes are there and words are not twisted, or their parts sacrificed: very moffesque (as in, almost, like Moffo)

if one really has to compare (the contemporary singers mentioned here) Dessay is, in my opinion, a step down, Netrebko is a very pretty young woman, but not more comparable to Sandra Bullock than to Damrau

[seetsebea1]

graeat, strong personality. one of the future grat stars on operas heaven

[sopranosd]

I agree. I don't mean to slam her, but it is sometimes actually painful to watch Sutherland perform, and often the singing isn't very good. (probably due to the non-acting. Emotion enhances vocal beauty.) To me her voice had a weird color and her high range did not live up to its press.

[branko1b]

i do not agree entirely - for me Sutherland's Lucia is far from the best - BUT, her control of the high notes and the volume of vibrato, (say as in 'il dolce souno') does make her unique and quite remarkable - her voice has quite a nice colour and timbre when not in' coloratura mode' - she IS one of the greatest singers of 20eth century

this is a 'Damrau thread' why dragging Dame Joan in here?

btw, as much as we know now, Damrau might easily turn out to be the best singer of 21st century

[jtg10795]

@sopranosd Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

[wotansings]

@seetsebea1 well someone wiho sings in the Met, Salzburg Festival or Covent Garden and is a recording artist already IS a great star? No?

[jocmuc1]

bitte, alle die hier ihre kommentare abgeben,

vergesst nie, dass diana damrau erst mal ihr rollendebüt an der met gesungen hat. wartet doch mal ihre lucia ab, die sie entwickeln wird.

für mich ist sie schon heute eine assoluta.

[Lilith89ibz]

Für mich auch! Dankeschön für Deine Bemerkung :D

[jocmuc1]

and in the future she is getting much better i think

[Nobody297SRS]

she sings really good, gets into the character nice, but i guess i'm not really not used to a voice like hers singing lucia. i enjoy the older recordings more and right now my favorite lucia is callas, the recording conducted by karajan.

[bellanotte23]

I saw her sing this at the Met last year and it was amazing! She is a phenominal performer and I adore her as Lucia!

[Lilith89ibz]

Don't worry. nothing has been said to offend Diana xD It is just a matter of your preference for her way to sing it.

[Lilith89ibz]

Imo, Coburn's voice is WAY too light coloured for Lucia. I really prefer Damrau's.

[CatalinaDM56]

I love Diana. I really do. She is my favorite modern soprano...but I don't enjoy her timbre and Lucia in the same sentence.

[Lilith89ibz]

Well, she has a very personal Lucia. Maybe you'll learn to love her someday? :)

[CatalinaDM56]

Knowing my love for Diana, most likely :D

[Lilith89ibz]

*Relieved* Thanks goodness! ;)

[Excellounge24]

I understand people for not liking Damrau as Lucia. I like her stronger/darker coloured tone in the middle and lower parts. But in the higher parts she can sing with more agility I think. So there's room where she improve to get more out of the role I guess. But there are far worse interpretors of the role out there ;)

[anybodyealse]

I love Damrau, I think is amazing how she makes it seems somthing easy to do

but the voice and everything is so GREAT

I just ask isn't any video of her Lucia??

I saw one a long ime ago and it wasn't so good the quality

[Lilith89ibz]

No official videos, unfortunately... :( You probably saw a live recording by someone who was in the audience.

[oboereed1109]

My daughter heard this live at the MET last fall. She called me the first time at intermission saying she had never heard anything like this. She got to hear it a second time. After the second time, she went to the stage and met Diana, who turned out to be a lovely warm woman.  I'm blown away by her singing!

[krazeefilz]

Agreed. She is definitely underrated. One of the best current coloraturas we have now. Everytime i see a list of best sopranos from various sources, her name seems to be missing!....why??.... Such voice, charm and charisma should be acknowleged!

[edengirl17]

totatally agree

[mummacole]

Diana is the most underrated opera star of this era ....she is brillant

[ildivino83]

While I still prefer Dessay, I will admit that was F*cking amazing!  Brava, Damrau! I can't wait to hear and see more of you!

[SergeiBelousov]

All these ratings are so stupid! Damrau is among the best sopranos that will be remembered in the history.

[jmsmth14]

Thank you! I'm glad someone else has opened their eyes to understand. Damrau is amazing and most people simply aren't getting it. Maybe it's because she doesn't look like Netrebko despite being an attractive woman. She is by far the most underrated opera star of this era as you said!

[rrrrrrrrrrrrrrroo]

I think this is changing. It takes a lot to be recognised in Opera as a great, Diana is becoming recognised as a great on a larger scale, at a pretty rapid rate. Her work will remain, so time will be the key to her recognition. No one can deny her talent, her performances speak for themselves. She deserves the recognition i feel she will get, sooner than later.

[andara1987]

Well, to my mind Elena Mosuc is even more underrated, but Diana doesn't get half of the appreciation she deserves.

[Fairpavel]

This here is great! I prefer it to her Mozart heroines!

I have heard this countless times and Damrau brings it so... new, she leaves a vivid impression.

I hope she'll keep getting better!

[operadoc]

this is excellent - of course I always love Dessay in this role- Why they Met gives into the glamourization of opera and showcases mediocrity like Netrebko is abhorent. She does not compare to either Dessay or Damrau- just looks better in lingerie- this is OPERA not POP-ERA

[Lilith89ibz]

She does not even look better in lingerie anymore xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[edengirl17]

muahhahahhahahahhahaha...lol..­.muhahahahhahaha:)))))))))))))­)))) that was so funny

[edengirl17]

I have nothing against Netrebko but Dessay and Damrau are the queens when it comes to interpreting Lucia.

Simply amazing both!!!!!!

[musikphantom1881]

I do not think that any of them have the right fach to be the supreme Lucia. Netrebko seems to be a lyric soprano with decent coloratura abilites, and both Damrau and Dessay are lyric coloraturas. Joan Sutherland is the quintessential dramatic coloratura and therefore the best Lucia in my humble opinion

[Lilith89ibz]

Well, Sutherland's top note was a high E, which made her not as comfortable as Dessay or Damrau in the upper register. Netrebko's top note, even if she doesn't admit it, it's a high D. Dessay is a full coloratura, not a lyric coloratura. And Damrau is not really a lyric coloratura but a full lyric with coloratura. There's a subtle difference that makes her perfectly suitable for the role of Lucia. Besides, Sutherland's acting was inexistent. Imo, both Dessay and Damrau are better for the role.

[flicfan416]

@Lilith89ibz Not at all. regardless of whether or not Joan could hit a note higher than E natural, her E flat was stronger, better pitched and executed than either Dessay or Damrau. Listen to Joan's recording of Santo di Patria. she has coloratura that goes as high as E natural, two interploated E flats and several dips to the low register.

[Lilith89ibz]

@flicfan416 I listened to it and it is indeed a fantastic recording. That said, I do not agree with you. Notes can't be 'better pitched'. They are either on pitch or not on pitch, there are no grades for that. About the execution, Sutherland's are very good, but not as secure as Damrau's. You can hear a little oscillation in the last note, for instance. Dessay's voice just can't be compared to Sutherland's. However, I still think Diana's upper register is better.

[eugenelohks]

@Lilith89ibz @Lilith89ibz Dessay acts the best mad scene... but surely you've forgotten Callas? Damrau is amazing in the role, but she just doesn't sound mad like La Divina, and the same goes for Dessay, she LOOKS mad but doesn't really sound it. Sutherland was great in the role interms of the singing, but NOT the acting, and the final Eb isn't always spot on... Nebtrenko is absolutely irrelevant in this array of amazing singers, she doesn't really deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence...

[Lilith89ibz]

@eugenelohks Well, Callas was fantastic in many ways, but did certainly not have the beautiful voice Diana has.

[MariaCaIIas]

@eugenelohks I agree... allow me to add Gruberova or Anderson in the array of respectable -to say the least- interpretations of our times... just because they are at odds with the MET it does not mean they never existed. The MET is great but is not the Bible...

[Violetta1]

Sutherland is Sutherland and Damrau is Damrau. They are both great singers and it is just nonsens to compare them. everyone is unique! and technically they are both wonderful!

[killerbunny123123]

is it just me or she was trying to make a thicker voice here?

[Lilith89ibz]

Thick how? lol

[killerbunny123123]

well if you're used to hearing her singing wouldn't you agree she sounds a bit unusual here?

[Excellounge24]

I wouldn't say unusual. But I think I know what you mean. I think she sounds a lot warmer and darker than we are used of her.

She can colour her voice more now I think. With age the voice gets a little darker I guess. Personally I like it. :-)

[Lilith89ibz]

Oh, I agree with Excellounge24. I think you are right in that she does sound a bit different, but that is because her voice is getting a darker colour even if it is just as high. In her early recordings, her voice sounded way more light than it does now.

[killerbunny123123]

I see ^^

[tneprescintr]

Netrebko is more popular then Damrau... She has more youth appeal, and i'm positive that's one of the reasons... I live in Brazil and Damrau is as good as nothing here: NO ONE knows her. At the same time, netrebko is very popular among the public... everyone knows her story and her husband... she's the 'pop' opera singer here.

That's a real shame, though...

[Lilith89ibz]

Yeah, well, that she's well-known and popular does not mean she's the best singer... We know that.

With Diana, it was the same in Spain some years ago. But people will get to know her because she is one of the best, if not the best (the most complete, at least), singers of our time.

[tneprescintr]

I agree. i don't even like netrebko, she's not at all bad but she's better in self promotion than in singing, if you know what i mean...

I was just pointing out that EMI guys are businessmen... and they certainly thought of the sale aspect of the album.

[Lilith89ibz]

Totally agreed!

[Satirike]

i'm glad damrau isn't as popular as netrebko - we get more of her to ourselves, if you know what I mean ;-]

if i tried to track down trebby at the stage door i would die under a stampede.

[DafTak]

The mosty sad Traviata I have heard was Netrebko - although her voice is very beautiful, but yes, no coloraturaShe was so slow, se breathy and was breathing in the middle of her coloraturas.....Shame for Damrau..

[gretchenamspinnrade]

They are recording Netrebko?

I'm disgruntled at their choice.

[materialmyra]

Diana Damrau is much more versatile than Netrebko and Dessay. Purity, accurarcy and dramatic quality is by far the best out of the three!!! She IS the HEIR of bel canto...SHAME on the MET!!!

[nicevidbro]

Let me see if I got this correctly: The MET is going to release a DVD of Netrebko singing Lucia, but they are not going to release a DVD of Dessay or Damrau's Lucia? If that so, that is a SHAME...¬¬

[Lilith89ibz]

Yes, you got it right... ¬¬ Shame on the Met!!!!!

[OldHollywood1]

I saw Netrebko's Lucia yesterday night at the Met. It was the most underwhelming thing I have seen all season. I saw Damrau in Oct. and I think the Met made a BIG mistake by recording Netrebko instead of Damrau. Netrebko really was the weakest audience applause I have heard after a mad scene. She did sound beautiful during her first aria but after that mad scene we can confirm Netrebko is wrong for Lucia. Sad because i was rooting for her.

[Lilith89ibz]

Imo, she really should stick to the roles she can sing, because her voice is beautiful. She's just not a coloratura... Maybe someone should tell her?

[g420730a]

Agreed. Netrebko sang flat at the high note in Lucia. Horrible. And the colorutura technique is weaker than Damrau.

[lmncello]

Agree with that completely. One of the greatest qualities of Damrau in my opinion is that she have such a rich timber which makes her sound dramatic when need be, and still agile enough to do coloratura so excellently. AND she's such a fantastic actress. Would LOVE to see her Mad Scene.

While Netrebko is also a great soprano, I prefer her in more lyrical roles.

[Satirike]

Ah, I agree with you completely. I love Damrau's timbre! And I would of course kill to see her Lucia. I do get her Gilda, which is almost as good ;-]

Netrebko should stick to Violetta; she kills that role!

[GudrunO]

Come to Berlin, we'll have her next season with Stoyanov and Alagna.-)

[Lilith89ibz]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Need to see that!

[GudrunO]

Ich seh grad- wir müssen es gar nicht in Englisch versuchen:-).... Deutsche Oper Berlin: Mittwoch, 24.03.2010, 19:30 Uhr D-Preise: 36,- | 62,- | 87,- | 120,- Musikalische Leitung Stefano Ranzani Inszenierung, Bühne, Kostüme Filippo Sanjust Enrico Vladimir Stoyanov Lucia Diana Damrau Edgardo Roberto Alagna Ich hab schon eine Karte.

[Lilith89ibz]

Dankseschön! :D They're way cheaper than Barcelona's tickets... I hope I can make it! But a Wednesday... Ah, we'll see.

[silvr94]

yes... that's why i love living in berlin!!

[fluffynamedkimba]

me2!!! definitely seeing it....amazng lineup of programs at all the opera houses this season in berlin! :-)

[operalover9001]

Damrau is amazing as Lucia. As much as I love Dessay, I have to say that Damrau sounds a lot more comfortable singing this. However, I think that since the production was designed for Dessay, I still think that Dessay overall fits the role better. Brava to both of them. And Netrebko being filmed instead of either of them? eh...... :(

[Pywacket2]

Glorious. Damau's voice blooms at the top and gleams in all registers. Not always the case with my beloved Dessay. But time takes its toll.

[andressavidigal]

i love her! :D

[elprodigio1]

i met her when i was a cover for the 1st boy in the magic flute

[Lilith89ibz]

Ah, unfair! lol

[Jitpring]

Tell us all about the meeting.

[Satirike]

tell us everything ;-P

[Lilith89ibz]

As his account has been deleted, I guess he won't unless he has a new one and reads the comments again xDDDDD

[Axel23632]

Me encanta Diana, excelente actriz. Supongo que su Lucía fue delirante!!!!!!

[britters2010]

I LOVE YOU DIANA!!!!!!!!!

[Lilith89ibz]

Maybe you will scare her with all that enthusiasm xDDDDD

[britters2010]

I hope not. i just wanna sing like her!

[Lilith89ibz]

Join the club! ;)

[zafireh]

do you ever want to listen to a netrebko after this?

[Jabe88]

Never!

Netrebko is singing Lucia @ the Met if I'm not mistaken...

Damrau is way better

[Satirike]

Netrebko's gonna be recorded too on DVD i think - life is unfair.

[Lilith89ibz]

Yes, it is. But why is it never unfair in our favour, as Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes would say? xDDDDDDDDDDD

[Jabe88]

ehhh... Netrebko *feels like killing himself*

WHY? Stupid stupid MET...

Let's stick our hopes with Europe when it comes to Opra

[primohomme]

hahaha guess what...they want her to sing Anna Bolena and Elisabeta in Roberto Devereux and Norma! hahahaha...that would be something. Some...thing.

[harpguy18]

omg where did you hear that. First of all that would be bad. Anna maybe but norma hell no and elisabeta HELL HELL NO THE NO!

[Drelnis]

And to think we'd have all missed this great singing if Netrebko wasn't delivering a baby.

[coloraturakae]

I just saw this production tonight. She was amazing! And so was the tenor! Diana's got some great chest notes too. When she sings "il fantasma, il fantasma" and gets all Carmen on it, it's fricking great! Her high E flats fell in and out of the resonance, but when a Mercedes drives a little weird, you're still driving a Mercedes! Know what I mean?

[Luindriel]

I was there last night too - she was fabulous! And yes, the tenor was too. The rest of the cast applauded when he took his bow.

[daeviydt]

i was in the second row of the second tier... CAPTIVATING... and then I got an autograph AND picture afterward...

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

is it just me, or is her voice changing? it sounds much darker than in older recordings to me. i mean, as captivating as ever in performance (i saw lucia last saturday)... but she sounds different

[Lilith89ibz]

Yes, her voice is changing. Fortunately! One can't keep on singing the Queen forever. Her voice is definetely darker now, and more lyrical ^^

[Excellounge24]

Yes I think she can colour her voice more now. I love the more darker side of her voice. But as you listen to her new recordings of the Mozart Donna she can sing Blondchen as 'light' as can be. And listening to her Bell Song right now (thanks Klassizismus) I still think she can do that right now.

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

the date on that was 2002, if i read correctly

[Lilith89ibz]

Mhm, that's right :)

[Excellounge24]

Ok true.. that was a couple of years back. Her voice changed of course, but I think she still has those coluratura runs and notes. That's what I meant with she can colour her voice more. From her darker side to her more lighter tones.

[yodavidnavarro]

I think she has the strange quality to colour her voice (As Callas used to do) depending on the role!

[Gav640]

Just saw her in this role on Oct 10th! It was magical!!!

[ARReith]

I REALIZE this is her DEBUT in this role, but she sounds friggin nervous - especially in the sections that are more difficult. Still, she sounds glorious. I hope to catch her once during her run.

[Operaphile]

OMG!!! I think we may have one of the great Lucia's in the making here!!! Sensational!!! There were earlier parts where I thought I was listening to the young Dame Joan!!! BRAVA DIANA!!!!

[kaycee0960]

She's my favorite! I was at this performance! 8th row! Best night ever! BRAVA, DIVA!!

[Lilith89ibz]

Ohimé! So jealous!

[mikeopera]

I had just seen Dessay in San Francisco and was blown away. I flew to NY to hear Damrau a little concerned that she would compare unfavorably to the reigning Lucia and by the end of the first act I new that the world had two great (and very different) Lucia's. BRAVA DAMRAU! By the way, tenor Piotr Beczala was fabulous and Sean Panniker actually made something out of his small role.

[beatabeatrixx]

Yeah! I just discovered this, and ironically, and working on a Lucia outfit for Halloween XD

Love it love it,and though I still personally prefer Dessay's voice for this role, I am still shaken by the ever-amazing emotional quality of Damrau's coloratura.

[Satirike]

You're so fabulous Irene!

Perhaps if I'm lucky I will get to see Natalie Dessay soon [since I live near Chicago].. but no Damrau for a long while..These vids are great, I liked Il dolce suono the best because of the harmonic + flute of course. Just eerily beautiful.

[Homoclassicus]

She got much, much better than in the dress rehearsal recording I heard here in YouTube. Wow! Something - or someone - must have happened to make her so much more attuned to the Bel Canto style, a more stylish and unforced dramaticism and a more legato singing. I congratulate her for being able to improve. Now I can say she's a very good Lucia. I hope she keeps improving (especially more tasteful singing) to give us more and more pleasure.

[Satirike]

I think it's because the equipment used to record the dress rehearsal was bad. If you use a crappy recorder _everything_ sounds shrill and bad.. even the instruments.

But of course I am partial to Ms. Damrau.

:-]

[Homoclassicus]

As for her voice, it's true: here it sounds much more beautiful and less heavy. But what I mean is not the sound itself, but the style. I love Damrau, for me she's perhaps the best coloratura soprano nowadays (even more than Dessay now), but besides technique I always seek for style perfection, which is what makes technique beautiful. I just wish Damrau gets more tasteful and sensitive to the Bel Canto requirements: one can be expressive and dramatic and still sing Bel Canto. :-)

[BlkMuscGent]

Exactly. I heard the dress rehearsal recordings and thought, "Hmm. Damrau isn't stylistically comfortable with this role." Something must have happened. Perhaps she coached the role with Renata Scotto. However it happened, I'm glad it happened. Damrau is a lovely Lucia, simply the best I've heard in a long time. And that includes Dessay's Lucia.

[SsteinwayS]

OH MY GOSH you summed up my thoughts exactly. How much she's changed! For the better! Now I'm getting really excited for her Lucia again!

[chanseymad]

I saw this live it was FABULOUS...the applause wouldnt stop! it kept going i was in awe of it...it was an amazing night one i wont forget

[maggeo78]

you were really lucky.... I can only imagine her... And it's still fantastic....

Maybe she will see it in Mailand with Villazon....But I must wait untill 2011..

[LilMack549]

I'm so excited that I get to be the first to comment on this video...I listened to this the other night and am going to see Diana sing Lucia at the MET next Saturday, the 11th. I can't wait. Lilith, keep posting these gems! Thank you so much.

[Lilith89ibz]

My friends will kill you for being first and going to see her live, but don't worry xDDDDD

Thank you, for commenting. No worries, I'll keep on posting ;)

[maggeo78]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm the second

;(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((­((((((((((((((((

Please post it again XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­D

Fortuna che leporello tiene clase

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[leporello89]

¬¬ No te vuelvo a pasar nada, aprovchado...XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­DDDDDDDDD

[Satirike]

Have a great time! I hope you get to meet her :-]

If I was in your shoes, I would totally flat-out run, heels and all, to the stage door after curtain calls.

[UlfenDaddy]

That's because you're healthily obsessed... go girl GO!!! A true Diva cannot survive without a proper stalker or two... you a necessary are part of the opera equation.

[maggeo78]

You are a bit too lucky...

Well watch it for me too.............

And please let's scream to her a brava for me at the end of the mad scene.....