G.F. Handel : Furore : Opera Arias : Joyce Didonato - Christophe Rousset - Les Talents Lyrics - 2008.

G.F. Handel : Furore : Opera Arias : Joyce Didonato - Christophe Rousset - Les Talents Lyrics - 2008.

FOR : "mahitab"

Reviews :

 www.bbc.co.uk by Charlotte Gardner 28 November 2008

Fury is not a subject that many singers would choose for their first solo aria disc; it doesn't exactly promise a relaxing listen. Plus, if you were looking to be noticed, Handel arias would perhaps not be the best choice in an anniversary year when CD reviewers' desks are buckling under the weight of a thousand and one recordings of his works. However, American mezzo Joyce Didonato has scored a triumph with this performance which not only shows her phenomenal technical talent, but verily crackles with dramatic fire. The arias are drawn from Serse, Teseo, Guilo Cesare, Admeto, Hercules, Semele, Imeneo, Ariodante, and Amadigi, so a comprehensive selection. They were recorded live with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques at concert performances in April 2008 at Brussels' Théâtre de la Monnaie. It needs to be said that this is no opportunistic anniversary recording; Handel's music has featured strongly in Didonato's onstage and recording career to date, including stage performances of the title roles of Alcina and Ariodante and a Barbican performance as Hercules' wife which earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award. Didonato's evident excitement for this music is evident in her note in the CD booklet, and the recording itself is stunning throughout. Technically, she can't be bettered. Her legato is exceptionally smooth, particularly notably in Ariodante's ''Scherza infida'', her colouratura is dazzling, her high notes perfect even in the heat of passion, and her dynamic range is a joy. It should go without saying that Didonato is a brilliant actress, as you don't do a disc of mad scene arias if drama isn't your forte, but it is still worth drawing attention to. Her portrayal of Dejanira's grief at the supposed death of Hercules is achingly convincing, not to mention beautiful. When anger is the prevalent emotion things become particularly exciting; as Handel's contemporary, William Congreve, once wrote, ''hell has no…fury like a woman scorned'', and Didonato spits venomous anger like there was no tomorrow. She doesn't fall shy of lending an element of harshness – almost ugliness – to her voice for the odd phrase either. All in all, a marvellous solo album debut.

www.telegraph.co.uk : Richard Wigmore
07 Nov 2008

The best of the new releases Handel: Opera Arias
Joyce DiDonato (mezzo soprano), Les Talens Lyriques, cond Christophe Rousset

"Furore" shouts the CD cover. True to the billing, the flame-toned American mezzo Joyce DiDonato, famous for her dazzling Rossini portrayals, presents a gallery of distraught and/or demented Handel characters vowing vengeance, summoning the furies and longing for death, sometimes all at once. As anyone who has seen her Rosina or Donna Elvira will vouch, DiDonato takes no prisoners. When Medea ( Teseo ) spits out the word trucidata - "butchered" - her sadistic glee at her rival's hoped-for destruction is shocking. Then, at the aria's end, the drained tone graphically portrays a woman broken. DiDonato's "Scherza infida" ( Ariodante), veering between despair and bitter reproach, is as mesmeric, though Handel might have bristled at the funereal tempo adopted here. In Sesto's "L'angue offeso" from Giulio Cesare, she encompasses grief, heroic resolve and - in the middle section - fanatical hatred of Ptolemy. As Juno, she sends Iris on her mission in imperious style, even if the aria's tessitura lies just below her comfort zone. And she tears into the showpiece "Sorge nell'alma" from Imeneo, despatching the coloratura with ferocious brilliance and going berserk in the extravagantly ornamented da capo. Amid so much fire-snorting, Dejanira's "There in Myrtle Shades" and "Cease, Ruler of the Day" from Hercules come as oases of elegiac calm. But derangement has the last word in a no-holds-barred performance of Dejanira's mad scene. DiDonato's wild intensity can be justified by the dramatic situation, though Janet Baker and, more recently, Magdalena Ko\u017Eená have demonstrated that you can be unhinged without coarsening the tone. Still, with fiery accompaniments from Rousset's period band, this is an exhilarating roller-coaster of a recital from a charismatic singing-actress.

www.musicalcriticism.com : By Dominic McHugh
13 October 2008
4 stars

Joyce DiDonatoConsidering her popularity and expertise as an opera singer, it's incredible that this new CD is the first aria disc of American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. It cannot have been easy to choose the repertoire, considering that DiDonato sings everything from Mozart and Rossini to Strauss and Jake Heggie, but in spite of the explanation she gives in the CD booklet there can be no doubt that the choice of Handel was influenced by it being his anniversary year in 2009. Still, this is no mere tribute disc for its own sake: DiDonato really does bring a wealth of insight and expression to these arias, collected under the title Furore. Obviously, fury is a dominating emotion through these pieces, but some of them show a subtler sort of violence, such as Medea in Act 2, Scene I of Teseo (1713). In her mid-aria recitative, the character says that Cupid has 'devised new darts to hurl against my heart, and will not heal it though the pain entreats him'. It's a wonderful text for Handel, who illustrates the enchantress Medea's lovesickness with gently pulsing strings; DiDonato conjures up her envy of her confidant Fedra, who enjoys peaceful innocence. The precision of the trills, the use of vibrato for expression and the clarity of diction are three facets of this excellent performance. No less excellent is the vengeance aria 'O stringerò nel sen' and the death scene 'Morirò, ma vendicata', which starts with a fabulously eerie empty tone, spelling the character's approaching end. Sesto's 'L'angue offeso mai riposa' from Giulio Cesare (1724) again shows how precisely DiDonato can dispatch a heavily-ornamented line, maintaining vigour throughout the five-minute-long aria and connecting directly with the image of the angry serpent in the text. The mezzo also works hard during the opening scene of the underrated Admeto (1727). Written for the castrato Senesino, it begins with a lamenting introduction from the orchestra and moves through a dramatic accompagnato to the aria 'Chiudetevi miei lumi', in which the title character hopes to die in peace. I'm a little torn when listening to this track: DiDonato explores every possibility of the text and tries to match a different sound to nearly every line, but to me it seems slightly overdone, especially in the aria. The singer fares much better in Dejanira's 'There in myrtle shades reclined', which is dispatched much more simply and allows us to admire the sheer beauty of the singer's voice; to my ears, 'Hence, Iris hence away' from Semele lies uncomfortably low for DiDonato in places, but the fiery interpretation is highly convincing. Tirinto's aria from Imeneo (1740) is one of the highlights of the disc, with some astounding breath control and thrilling tone in the higher passages. Yet again, it's amazing how much detail DiDonato can pack into such a fast aria, and the dynamic range is very wide here. Ariodante's 'Scherza infida in grembo al drudo' (1735), one of Handel's most moving creations also brings out the best from the singer, not least because of her ability to create spin in the voice and propel her way through the aria's ten minutes. Equally fine are Alceste's 'Gelosia, spietata Aletto' from Admeto and Melissa's scornful 'Destero dall'empia Dite' from Amadigi (1715). Melissa in particular seems to strike a chord with DiDonato, who clearly relishes the text about rousing the Furies from 'blackest hell'. The disc closes with Dejanira's other great arias – 'Cease, ruler of the day, to rise' and 'See the dreadful sisters rise'. In the latter, one can almost hear the flames coming out of DiDonato's mouth as she proceeds to go mad after realising she has brought about her husband's death; some of the sounds the mezzo produces are truly scary, and the recording cries out for DiDonato to assume the role onstage. If at times the singer is inclined to overegg the dramatic, spiteful arias with vocal effects that would be more striking in the theatre than on a recording, the efforts she makes to engage with the texts and create a recital of both contrast and coherence really do pay off. As accompanied by Les talens lyriques and Christophe Rousset – a sympathetic team, only occasionally marred by one or two plodding speeds – DiDonato is in ravishing form, and the diva's fanbase will surely increase even more after the release of this recording.

More infos about Joyce Didonato : Here


More infos about Christophe Rousset and Les Talents Lyrics : Here


More infos about this album : Here

Tracklist :

01. Serse (Xerxes), opera, HWV 40: Crude furie degl'orridi abissi [0:03:43.19]
02. Teseo, opera, HWV 9: Dolce riposo [0:03:13.07]
03. Teseo, opera, HWV 9: Ira, sdegni, e furore... O stringero nel sen [0:04:46.59]
04. Teseo, opera, HWV 9: Moriro, ma vendicata [0:04:46.21]
05. Giulio Cesare in Egitto, opera, HWV 17: Figlio non e, chi vendicar non cura... LAdmeto, Re di Tessaglia, opera, HWV 22: Lentamento / Orride larve... Chiudetevi Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60: Then I am lost... There in myrtle shades reclined [0:05:22.15]
06. Admeto, Re di Tessaglia, opera, HWV 22: Lentamento / Orride larve... Chiudetevi Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60: Then I am lost... There in myrtle shades reclined [0:07:32.52]
07. Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60: Then I am lost... There in myrtle shades reclined [0:04:39.69]
08. Semele, oratorio, HWV 58: Hence, Iris hence away [0:03:39.37]
09. Imeneo, opera, HWV 41: Sorge nell'alma mia [0:05:20.66]
10. Ariodante, opera, HWV 33: E vivo ancora?... Scherza infida [0:10:54.16]
11. Admeto, Re di Tessaglia, opera, HWV 22: Gelosia, spietata Aletto [0:04:59.70]
12. Amadigi di Gaula, opera, HWV 11: Destero dall'empia Dite [0:05:23.47]
13. Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60: Dissembling, false, perfidious Hercules!... Cease, rHercules, oratorio, HWV 60: Where shall I fly? [0:04:44.00]
14. Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60: Where shall I fly? [0:06:00.02]

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