Ah! mio cor - Joyce DiDonato LIVE - Alcina - Handel

25 August 2009, London
Royal Albert Hall, Prom 53
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2009/whatson/2508.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2009/whatson/notes/p53_handel1.shtml

Joyce DiDonato - mezzo-soprano
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Roger Norrington - conductor

****************
Ah! mio cor, schernito sei!
Stelle! Dei!
Nume d'amore!
Traditore!
T'amo tanto;
puoi lasciarmi sola in pianto,
oh dei! perché?

Ma, che fa gemendo Alcina?
Son reina, è tempo ancora:
resti o mora,
peni sempre, o torni a me.
****************

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ah
• mio
• cor

[aschii91]

OMG! No insults for Kozena's Cleopatra! She was the best mezzo who ever sung Cleopatra! However for your joy, in the upcoming recording of Handel's Giulio Cesare with Petrou Emanuela Galli will be Cleopatra. Together with Basso as Tolomeo, Nesi as Sesto and Hammarström as Cesare

[Crindoro]

JDD IS Alcina!! Intelligent, technically assured artistry of the highest level mixed with consistently beautiful tone and keen emotional involvement: no one is beyond her in this role! BRAVA!!

[pedrofribeiro]

@operabaroque Gargling lady? Not a chance in hell.. maybe the 35th best... The best Cleopatra is clearly Kathleen Battle.

[pedrofribeiro]

@Crindoro Sorry, but Kathleen Battle, surely, is.

[bf2019]

@lalagonegaga I actually agree Simone Kermes as difficult as she is, would be a great Cleopatra, Veronica is great, as is Sandrine....Joyce here sounds strange....emotional performance is great, but something never sounds right...I love Joyce generally....also frankly Patricia Petibon has recorded some great Alcina parts, as has Vivica Genaux....mmmmm

[CiboCeleste]

Joyce DiDonato is arguably the best Alcina, although the sound of soprano cannot be overpassed. What I like in this recording is a great tempo and overall musical direction - very distint and varied, not too slow, with sections clearly defined. Minkowsky is a true master. DiDonato was a great Dejanira in his Hercules as well.

[Snuti]

@ aschii91 : Sounds like a lame team for a new Giulio Cesare RECORDING :/ They'd be fine on stage but I'm failing to see the point of recording them.

My favourite Cleopatra is Tatiana Troyanos , some of her arias are available here on youtube , check out V'adoro pupille and Se pieta :)

[thecelticspirit]

Um, somehow, I much more impressed by her performance on her CD. Here the video is clearly lacking... Anyway, I love her Alcina, and in this aria, she's simply outstanding.

[beteltree]

I like her emotional commitment. And even though the screechiness can work for this piece, given what it's about, I still feel that the music lies too high for her. Her take of some of the phrases from @5:42 on feels contrived and doesn't fit with the overall energy in the rest of the piece. I wonder if this performance would be more perfectly to my liking if it were part of a fully-staged production instead of a concert piece. OVERALL, a good performance w some I don't care for.

[operabaroque]

The best Cleopatra ? Cecilia Bartoli !!

[aschii91]

The cd has already been recorded so you can hope to hear Hammarström Cesare...I tell you I have a good source :)

[lalagonegaga]

LOL! Well, it's all just a matter of personal taste. :) And the recording you mention sounds really intriguing. Hammarström as Cesare? I'm already drooling over that idea. :) My favourite Cleopatras would be Sandrine Piau and probably Veronica Cangemi... Come to think of it, I cannot possibly believe Simone Kermes still hasn't recorded the role. She would be absolutely perfect for it. :)