Customer Reviews

Bel Canto Arias; Vivica Genaux

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On the heels of Genaux's splendid "Arias for Farinelli" album, comes this much anticipated and carefully crafted selection of bel canto arias. While her voice is absolutely spectacular for alto repertoire, it's amazingly capable of "shifting gears" into lyric mezzo soprano clef. You're bound to notice this right away. The approach is simple and elegant, blissfully free of any mannerisms or fussiness. The same can be for characterizations. This is early bel canto, so there's no need for "Lucia"'s passions. A listener can simply revel in the beauty of the music without a single moment of distraction. And the album ends with one of the most delightful renditions of too-well-known "Una voce poco fa" on record. This Alaskan native is quickly becoming the leading mezzo of today. Don't miss.

I have her Farinelli CD, as well. I also saw her on A&E some time ago. My only criticism was her excessive chin movements but, then, I don't get all bent out of shape over Bartoli's grimaces -- and the voice is the thing, after all.

As for Fach, a singer doesn't need to enjoy merely one, although many are restricted to such. What I like about Genaux, aside from the absolutely beautiful tone, is that she is NOT mannered. She has just the right take on every one of these arias. Spare me from the singers who just MUST emote all over the place when simplicity and class are sufficient.

I've had this CD since for some time and decided to see what others thought of it -- I'm always interested in other opinions.

Nancy Eckert

... but to my ears, Vivica Genaux is not a vocal star of the first magnitude, as her enthusiastic fans seem to feel, and although she has some of the gifts to be a star of second magnitude brightness, there are serious flaws in her technical spectrum. An earlier critical reviewer expressed the opinion that she should stick to the Baroque repertoire, since her voice wasn't 'big' enough for Rossini. I confess that I was thinking exactly the opposite, after hearing her "Arias for Farinelli," that she ought to seek a niche in the 19th C repertoire. Now it seems that she really does fall in the crack between. Her vibrato is too unacceptably constant for baroque, and her presence is too small for romantic. It doesn't help her case that I've heard all the arias on this Bel Canto CD sung by the greatest sopranos of the 20th C. Going head-to-head with von Stade on a selection from La Cenerentola is clearly a tactical blunder.

The first CD of Vivica Genaux' that I listened to was her tour de force of singing the works associated with the great Farinelli. This CD features her in the bel canto repertoire of Donizetti and Rossini--and she sparkles. Cuts on this CD come from the following operas by Rossini: La Cenerentola, L'Italiana in Algeri, La donna del Lago, Semiramide, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. From Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia, Alahor in Granata, and Anna Bolena.

To give a sense of her work, I'll briefly note three cuts.

"Nacqui all'affanno" from Rossini's "La Cenerentola" (or Cinderella). Her voice is wonderfully agile; she displays a rich mezzo soprano voice with good vocal range. At the outset, she shows to good effect bel canto singing, including a nicely executed trill. This work is a showcase for mezzo sopranos showing off coloratura skills, and Genaux certainly does well there. She shines in the cabaletta.

From "L'Italiana in Algeri" (by Rossini), she sings "Cruda sorte! amor tiranno!" Again, well and smoothly sung. After a slow paced, almost elegiac start, the tempo picks up. She shows the requisite vocal agility and moves easily from lower to higher notes without any strain.

From "Il Barbiere di Sivigilia," by Rossini, she sings the well know "Una voce poco fa." These days, that piece is normally the province of sopranos. However, Rossini write this aria for a contralto, as then so termed. Thus, Genaux' voice is closer to what Rossini was writing for than the voices of contemporary sopranos. At any rate, she sings well, and is able to handle the demands of this lovely and challenging work. There is a bit of harshness on one of her higher notes toward the end, but this is not a serious matter. Overall, she displays accomplished singing.

In short, Vivica Genaux is a very talented mezzo soprano, who does great work in her chosen repertoire on this CD.

If you love Bel Canto and Mezzo Sopranos, you will love Vivica Genaux!

Vivica Genaux did a beautiful job on this recording! The Rossini selection are the best, and the rest is pretty good!
She should do some arias by Handel. Anyway, she sings like an angel! It's unbeliveably fantastic! Way to go, Vivica!! I salute you!!

Vivica Genaux seems to have a lovely personality not to mention an absolutely fabulous voice both live and on disc, but some of these arias just don't work for her voice, some are just too.....well.... Bel Canto but the arias by Rossini I liked, especially
"Una Voce Poco Fa".
I also feel I should mention that Vivica is NOT a soprano
as "Sergey Tsoy "Dallas Opera"" states in his review, but rather a Mezzo-soprano.

In my opinion, Vivica is a fantastic singer and an outstanding artist. I have heard her singing live in Rossini's La Cenerentola, and it was literally breathtaking. Many sopranos sing well and have beautiful voices, but it is perhaps their choice of vibrato which makes them sound extremely out of tune, weak, irritating, and just ugh! Also, many of them sing just loudly. I am not a singer, but to my ears, Vivica is absolutely the best soprano (or at least, one of a few) whom I have heard live - beautiful, pure, in tune (yes, fortunately and unfortunately it matters, too), great vibrato, wild tempi, rock-solid consistency of musical ideas, convincing stage presence, logical, elegant, and so forth. It is all these things add together, which make a true impression. I still wonder, how is it possible to sing with such clarity, presicion, and beauty? Because it is often either, or. But she somehow combines everything, and that's just marvelous. And also, her tonal quality is so fresh and sounds really out of the ordinary. Although I have never heard her CDs, I have no second thoughts about this particular one, which I have just bought and wait with great impatience until it arrives. Brava to Vivica, for, to my mind, her type of artistry comes in a truly short suply nowadays! It is my personal opinion.

Genaux did a beautiful recording of Farinelli for Harmonia Mundi where her agile and well-schooled voice was a perfect match. Now to shift to bel canto ? A major drawback. She is a baroque singer, in the bel canto repertoire her voice sounds punny, she lacks volume both in the lower and higher register. There is an audible break in her higher notes which sound totally out-of-focus. I hope she records more Handel, Mozart, etc that is her true Fach.