Coloraturas - Opera Arias

Diana Damrau (Artist), Dan Ettinger (Conductor), Munich Radio Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra
• Conductor: Dan Ettinger
• Audio CD (January 12, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Classics
• ASIN: B002M8YLGC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,224 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Woman on the Verge.., January 14, 2010

By 

David Cady (NYC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coloraturas - Opera Arias (Audio CD)

There's nothing standard about "COLORaturaS," soprano Diana Damrau's stunning new recital disc of opera "standards." As many have noted, Damrau is the total operatic package; a seriously gifted singer with an Actors Studio understanding of how to create character. Another reviewer here noted that he preferred Joan Sutherland's version of Verdi's "Caro Nome." Well, perhaps Sutherland "sang" it better (and that's open to debate), but she certainly didn't capture Gilda's budding sexuality or her cautious thrill that perhaps this man, whose name she says as a kind of prayer, will be the one to free her from both her actual and emotional prisons. It's all there in Damrau's thoughtful, heartfelt rendition. Other tracks are just as complex and revelatory. This is the first time I've heard "Je Veux Vivre" and believed that the singer was a breathless, overwhelmed 13 year old; Damrau's Zerbinetta is wise, playful, practical and world weary...all at the same time; her Lauretta seems to be manipulating Gianni Schicchi as much as appealing to his paternal instincts. And I have never heard a funnier "Glitter and Be Gay." Damrau finds the perfect balance between parody and homage, and still manages to provide insight into Cunegonde's hilariously conflicted psyche. If the way I'm describing the performances sounds in any way academic or studied, rest assured that Damrau does all of the above without ever sacrificing the music itself. The singing is joyous, passionate and technically breathtaking. At every step of the way she is more than admirably supported by Dan Ettinger and the Munich Radio Orchestra.

If I have any quibble with Damrau, it's that her diction is at times a little too pronounced; hard consonants a little too hard, every "r" a little too rolled. Even Bartoli doesn't always sing with such music school precision. Ultimately, though, it's a very minor reservation.

For anyone invested in the future (and present, for that matter) of opera, "COLORaturaS" will be very, very welcome.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad on repeated listenings., February 2, 2010

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coloraturas - Opera Arias (Audio CD)

I have been listening to this latest CD by Diana Damrau for quite a while.
No - this one isn't vocal low camp. By comparison, Damrau's coloratura is about the current best in sopranos.
What I tend to agree is that since joining Virgin Classics, Damrau's albums fail to sustain the high quality of her earlier live recordings available in Orfeo or others.
Even so, if you concentrate on the music on the tracks, you would soon realise that Damrau has some thing different to say in each, and her characterisations are about the best in current singers (male and female included).
Her timbre may not be the most beautiful - like the later Callas, people do not simply listen for the timbre; they listen for the music, for the expression, for the joy and pathos...
I am not familiar with the Rake of Progress, and cannot comment on that one. As for other more familiar tracks, I would say that her Oscar is sterling, her Gilda affecting, her Juliet vulnerable, her Linda charming, her Zerbinetta original. Crowning all these, the aria from Bernstein's Candide, the best ever on record.
I have grown rather sick and tired with 'beautiful nonsenses' in opera these days, and would go to any length to dig back the 'good old days' when operatic singers put their characters in the forefront.
Damrau does not feign bel canto - she puts characterisation first and in the foremost. If that's not 'pleasing' enough to some connoisseur's ears, so be it.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Damrau is wonderful as ever in her interpretations. However...., January 15, 2010

By 

A. F. S. Mui "Mui" (HK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coloraturas - Opera Arias (Audio CD)

Apart from being able to just 'sing in a decent manner', German soprano Diana Damrau is a peerless vocal actress.
She is also one of the of the foremost coloratura sopranos in this era (the other being the great Italian coloratura Mariella Devia).
This album showcases Herr Damrau's pyrotechnic, as well as her ability of characterisation.
Having said that, the great pleasure that Damrau's voice carries in the earlier years is regrettably lost to a considerable extent lately, as evident in this latest release of hers. Her ability to express is cut down by the limitations in her voice, and most of the time she is being forced to employ heavy-handed pushes to her voice in order to express what's in the score, some thing that she would not have to resort to in her early years when she possessed a much fuller voice.
This phenomenon is gradually becoming apparent with her recent recordings (after she has signed up Virgin Classics). The sweetness of the timbre has been worn down considerably with strenuous roles that would wreck the greatest of voices.
Damrau has adamantly refused to take on such strenuous roles like the Queen of Night again. A very wise decision that should have made even earlier, judging from what has come to pass.
My only wish is that the voice of this wonderful artist will soon recover fully.