Customer Reviews

American Diva: Verdi, Puccini

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The term "Voice of the Century" has been impossibly overused, but Alessandra Marc belongs in that catergory of singers. At times she reminds me a little of Leontyne Price, but the voice has more power, more dramatic impact. Marc may be a true Wagnerian, and a rare one since she sings, rather than trumpets out the music. A must-have CD and one of my very favourites.

This disc is very good. After having been severely disappointed with Alessandra Marc's "Opera Gala: Dallas Symphony" CD, I found this CD refreshing and quite impressive. Marc is an uneven singer. I found her singing on the other CD quite bad. She scooped frequently, but what really bothered me was her indifferent diction and lack of dramatic involvement, which compounded my dislike for her rather ugly tone and rapid vibrato. Truth be told, I've heard that since "American Diva" was recorded, Marc's scooping has increased significantly to the point of being a mannerism, and her tone has become far cloudier. This recital shows her voice at its freshest, with beautiful dark tone. She has a unique voice. It has a rapid vibrato, but I found that on this CD, I wasn't much bothered with that vibrato as I was on the other CD. Marc's voice has a dark core from which golden overtones emanate. She is one of those rare opera singers with an instantly recognizable voice. Contrary to what many people think, she is not a dramatic soprano. Rather, she is a large-voiced spinto. Her voice is biggest at the top, but it has a rather weak and colorless lower register.

This recital contains mostly superb singing and real dramatic commitment. Her scooping is mostly kept in check here. She starts off the recital by singing "Pace, pace, mio Dio". She sings this well and has the right voice for it. She cannot adequately float the piano high B-flat at "Invan la pace", but provides a powerful, fortissimo high B-flat at the close of the aria. This high note illustrates a particular problem she has throughout the recital. It seems like she cannot control the volume of her voice on forte high notes, although this just could be the microphone's inability to capture the full power of her high notes. Moving on, she next sings "Me pellegrina ed orfana". She sings this aria quite well. The next aria is "Ritorna vincitor". She gives this aria her all, which is quite impressive. There is real dramatic bite to her singing in this aria. She next sings "O patria mia". She hits the high C at the climax fortissimo. This note is huge, and it gives the microphone a real workout. Unlike Rysanek's high C in this same aria, Marc's is a relentlessly thrusting high note. It doesn't bloom, but rather plows away all before its path. At this point in the review, I should note that her diction is pretty good, though it could be clearer. Some of it borders on mushy, but it is definitely better than her diction on the "Opera Gala: Dallas Symphony" CD. "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" is next. She sings this aria well and handles the difficult climax ably. "Io son l'umile ancella" is next. She sings this aria well, but it would have been more effective had she floated the final word, "morrà", instead of singing it loudly. "Vissi d'arte" follows. She sings this aria well. She next sings "In questa reggia". This aria shows off her awesome vocal power. The high climaxes of this aria are thrilling. "Depuis le jour" is the next item. She really has a voice that is too big for this aria, but like the liner notes say, it is wonderful to hear a voice as rich and sumptuous as Charpentier's orchestration. "Dich, teure Halle" is the last item on the CD. Marc sings it really well. I love this aria. The orchestration is lush and gorgeous and conveys all of Elisabeth's exultation.

The CD comes with very good liner notes, though they are a bit too laudatory towards Marc. The sound is quite good. The conducting is ambivalent. Much of it is too slow. Near the end of "In questa reggia", Marc waits for the orchestra to get moving before she continues singing. The orchestral playing is not spectacular, but is very able.

I highly recommend this CD.

I bought this CD purely because I had also recently acquired Jane Eaglen's recent recording of similar music. I know this isn't the forum to compare the two, but it's great to hear two such great and different voices in this repertoire in an age where we are constantly told that the dramatic soprano is a thing of the past.

The Marc Voice is an enigma. I first encountered her as Elektra and I'm pretty sure that german opera is where her talents are best spent (although she seems to spent most of her time singing Turandot these days which is seldom wise for vocal longevity). The sound is that of a dramatic voice, yes, but it has a sweetness and a slenderness that others lack. She can thus give an impression of vulnerablilty and youth which is rather unusual and a bonus in this repertory. The registers are well blended, she attacks the top fearlessly and without shrillness, and her bottom register is clear and pearly without any "bark". That said, there are some caveats here - firstly, I can't help feeling that some of this music really pushes her to the edge and the fortissimo high notes threaten to skid out of control, and she lacks a true piano.

In terms of what she presents here, her Verdi is reasonable but not the equal of less prodigiously gifted singers (Pace, pace isn't the same without a floated B flat). Her Puccini is impressive - one of the best "In Questa Reggia"s I have heard - though she gives it her absolute all which can be unnerving - and a competent Vissi d'arte. The highlight for me is the "Dich Teure Halle" at the end. It makes me really long to hear her as Elisabeth, Senta, Sieglinde. Could she ever be a Brunnhilde? Not yet - and not if she keeps on with Turandot - but it's an enticing prospect.

The cover material for this CD is unappetizing, the orchestral playing unremarkable. But Marc's beautiful voice and strong interpretative gifts are well worth a listed, si I recommend this disc.

Alessandra Marc has the most powerful high C I have ever heard in my life, and is able to sustain it. Her high notes throughout this album are superb. Her diction is slightly mushy, and her middle voice is a little bit too dark, but all in all, this is a fantastic album.

...and God has many voices. Not since Maria Callas, has there been a more powerful voice. Alessandra Marc, who (I am told) started out as a "lowly" chorus singer at the Washington Opera, rose through the ranks (against all odds) to be the American Diva that she is today (dare I say "International Diva?"... YES!) If you buy only one CD for your collection in this genre, choose this one. 5 stars!

Despite the horrible photo on the cover,Ms Marc demonstrates here on this album why she has come to be one of the leading dramatic sopranos of our time. She commands with grace the Verdi excerpts and shows a great deal of artistic and technical poweress throughout. The most exciting part of the recital is the last piece "Dich Teure Halle" which allows us to see the begings of one of the most important wagernians of our times. The recording quality is'nt the best but it's good enough. The orchestra dosen't always mantain a good balance with Ms Marc, but it dosen't take away from her performance. You simply must have this if your a fan of dramatic sopranos.

The powerful singing of this artist is well-documented here. Exceptionally fine singing by a talented dramatic soprano. Cover artist, August 1998 Opera News, where it was asserted Marc is one of only four dramatic sopranos on the scene today (the others being Voight, Eaglen and Sweet). Very impressive in performance with Dallas Symphony Orch. & Chorus autumn 1998 (recorded for future release on Dorian). The recording itself is a little bright in an overly-reverberant accoustic. However, this defect detracts little from the whole. Give this one a listen, she deserves to be heard.

This is one of my favorite CDs by my favorite soprano, Alessandra Marc. Believe me, if you want to hear a lush and powerful voice, Ms. Marc is the lady you need to be listening to. This is a great collection of popular arias that are sung beautifully here all on one disc. Also, her artistry is astonishingly meticulous.

I fell in love with American Diva the first time I played it. Alessandra's voice seduces you from the first aria, pace pace mio dio. Alessandra is a true dramatic soprano which is well demonstrated on every selection. Her high notes ring out with great clarity and power. She also sings beautiful pianissimos when required, which makes a nice contrast to her mighty notes.
Alessandra's verdi singing is the most impressive, but all of the selections on this album are fabulous. You must hear her In questa reggia, it is a passionate and dramatic reading; with the most thrilling, enormous, and climatic high notes that gave my speakers a real workout. She also sings a tremendous Dich Teure Halle, with more clarion high notes to titilate. Surprisingly for such a large voice she also sang a lovely rendering of depuis le jour, with gorgeous soft singing and delicate phrashing, and once again colossal highs!

This is a senational debut for Alessandra, on the respected delos label. This soprano sadly is highly underrated. Anyone who loves exceptionally beautiful voices with a dramatic flair, and awesome vocal resources, should add this cd to their collection immediately, before it is out of print. The sound quality is excellent and captures her voice in pristine condition, and the music to perfection.

I have heard many of alessandra marc's recordings, and I must say this album is by far the best representation of her olympian voice and vocal artistry. She never sounded as good as she does here.

This is a wonderful album. It has been carefully put together and takes the listner through a journey leaving you emotionaly torn apart and arriving at your destination refreshed and exhilirated. I experienced this same repetoire in concert and she is a wonderful performer also on stage.