Joyce DiDonato - Songs and Arias
The mezzo of the moment sets sparks flying at the Wigmore
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: George Frideric Handel, Gioachino Rossini, Michael (Dewar) Head, Reynaldo Hahn, Gabriel Fauré
Genre:
Vocal
Label: Wigmore Hall Live
Magazine Review Date: 10/2006
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 67
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: WHLIVE0009
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(La) regata veneziana, Movement: Anzoleta avanti la Regata |
Gioachino Rossini, Composer
Gioachino Rossini, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(La) regata veneziana, Movement: Anzoleta co passa la Regata |
Gioachino Rossini, Composer
Gioachino Rossini, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(La) regata veneziana, Movement: Anzoleta dopo la Regata |
Gioachino Rossini, Composer
Gioachino Rossini, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
Songs of Venice, Movement: The Gondolier |
Michael (Dewar) Head, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Michael (Dewar) Head, Composer |
Songs of Venice, Movement: St Mark's Square |
Michael (Dewar) Head, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Michael (Dewar) Head, Composer |
Songs of Venice, Movement: Rainstorm |
Michael (Dewar) Head, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Michael (Dewar) Head, Composer |
(5) Mélodies, Movement: No. 1, Mandoline |
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(5) Mélodies, Movement: No. 2, En sourdine |
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(5) Mélodies, Movement: No. 3, Green |
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(5) Mélodies, Movement: No. 4, A Clymène |
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(5) Mélodies, Movement: No. 5, C'est l'extase |
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
Venezia - Chansons en dialecte Vénetien, Movement: Sopra l'acqua indormenzada |
Reynaldo Hahn, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Reynaldo Hahn, Composer |
Venezia - Chansons en dialecte Vénetien, Movement: La barcheta |
Reynaldo Hahn, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Reynaldo Hahn, Composer |
Venezia - Chansons en dialecte Vénetien, Movement: L'Avertimento |
Reynaldo Hahn, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Reynaldo Hahn, Composer |
Venezia - Chansons en dialecte Vénetien, Movement: La Biondina in gondoleta |
Reynaldo Hahn, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Reynaldo Hahn, Composer |
Venezia - Chansons en dialecte Vénetien, Movement: Che pecà! |
Reynaldo Hahn, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Reynaldo Hahn, Composer |
Venezia - Chansons en dialecte Vénetien, Movement: La Primavera |
Reynaldo Hahn, Composer
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano Reynaldo Hahn, Composer |
Giulio Cesare, 'Julius Caesar', Movement: Cara speme, questo core |
George Frideric Handel, Composer
George Frideric Handel, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
(La) Cenerentola, or La bontà in trionfo, 'Cinderella', Movement: Zitto, zitto, piano, piano |
Gioachino Rossini, Composer
Gioachino Rossini, Composer Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo soprano Julius Drake, Piano |
Author: Andrew Farach-Colton
Michael Head’s atmospheric Songs of Venice (1976) offer fewer opportunities for dramatic fireworks, and here DiDonato displays her ability to sustain a long phrase, sacrificing precious little in terms of textual intelligibility. Her voice is in fine form, too – vibrant, firm, with a tight, expressive vibrato and a slight breathiness hinting of vulnerability.
In Fauré’s Cinq mélodies de Venise, she seems to be studiously paring down her tone, and with mixed success. “Mandoline” is delicate and sweet, and the singer ably negotiates the wandering melodic tendrils of “Green”, but in “En sourdine” and “À Clymène” she employs straight tone that sometimes droops under pitch. Thankfully, Hahn’s Venezia finds her back on form. “L’avertimento” is perky, playful, and sexy ornaments of portamento adorn “La biondina in gondoleta” and “Che pecà!”. The loudly appreciative audience receives a pair of contrasting encores – a slow, heartfelt account of “Caro speme” and an exuberant, fiesty “Non più mesta”. Throughout, Julius Drake’s affectionate, finely shaded playing is an absolute delight.
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