Natalie Dessay - Hamlet - "A vos jeux..." (scene - part 1)

This is Ophélie's 1st aria of her great scene, illustrating the madness that is animating her. Natalie succeeds in using this virtuosity to emphasize Ophélie's dispair... Honestly, I've never heard this aria so well sung. You feel for Ophelia and don't care anymore about notes...
This is the 1st part (out of 3 posted here) of the scene dedicated to Ophelie's madness & death, in Ambroise Thomas' "Hamlet"...
Recorded in June 2000 at Paris Théâtre du Châtelet.
Conductor : Michel Plasson / Stage direction : Nicolas Joël

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Natalie
• nathalie
• dessay
• ophelia
• ophélie
• ophelie
• hamLet
• hampson
• thomas
• opera
• coloratura

[linguine99]

This is one of the greatest opera videos on the web, period. I'm not even a die-hard dessay disciple... hell, I'm not even a huge coloratura fan in the first place! But WOW. This is what we mean by combining voice with drama.

[johanna33560]

brava natalie!!! she's the best ophelie!!! i want to cry she's really ophelie, more emotion...

thanks for this

[erginakif]

@iriisblue She's sublime and her intonation is precise.

[icylakepaxphile]

i think she's good singer and actress. but overall, her acting is very forced, not so comfortable to see. her facial expression too. so i rather like to hear her voice, not seeing her acting.

[arpeggio1358]

@killerbunny123123 I agree completely. The first time I saw this video, I was blown away. I don't think anyone can touch her in this role.

[iriisblue]

This singer is smart enough to know that she needs stage business and a lot of it to distract from her consistent pitch problems and eroding technique.

[killerbunny123123]

she is BY FAR the best actress in lyric opera soprano roles....no one.....NO ONE beats the great Natalie Dessay when it comes to acting....i seriously think that the last time we saw such moving, funny, exiting, sad, dramatic or angry acting was at the times of Maria Callas....

[mefeetbecold]

Oh my, I saw this, but Natalie was sick so some German girl played Ophelie instead. Not nearly as good as this, I am sad to say. I'm glad I found this.

[RoulfYelrab]

she's not singing this role.

she got sick at the last minute.

[olympicfreak678]

She's not doing it!

[sopranosd]

I think her voice may be too steely and bright for the sadness to come through. She is wonderful, gorgeous and has an amazing voice, but I have a feeling better in German rep. Then again, her Rosina is awesome!

[WANK83]

Please watch Joan Sutherland in the same aria, in concert. No affected airs, just real voice...