Danielle de Niese - Handel Arias

George Frideric Handel (Composer), William Christie (Conductor), Les Arts Florissants (Orchestra), Danielle de Niese (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Danielle de Niese
• Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants
• Conductor: William Christie
• Composer: George Frideric Handel
• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B000VKJ6TA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,659 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I do NOT understand the spite ..., October 5, 2010

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Giordano Bruno - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Danielle de Niese - Handel Arias (Audio CD)

... and intransigence of the one-star and two-star reviews of this CD! The most vituperative of the critics present themselves as musically literate, or at least as enthusiastic listeners, yet they offer judgments that show no knowledge of baroque practice. To say that Danielle de Niese's vocal technique is "utterly out of control" is utterly nonsensical; one could quarrel with some of the choices she makes with her technical skills perhaps, but one MUST recognize that she has the control to make those choices. And to declare that her tuning is faulty approaches malicious libel; her tuning is really remarkably good, considering how boldly she colors her timbre for dramatic affect. Her tuning is almost always truer, for instance, than Cecilia Bartoli's, and about as consistent as Vivica Genoux's. Whose is better? Susanne Rydén is the only soprano name that comes to mind.

Several hostile reviewers compared de Niese to Beverly Sills. That's a valid match-up in several ways, so I dug out a DVD and some aged vinyls of Sills and listened. Both singers have amazing clarino trumpet-of-judgment upper registers, and both are ready to leap fearlessly from octave to octave. But in a direct confrontation, de Niese surpasses Sills easily. Sills depended for her 'intensity' on an unvarying vibrato, like a rookie baseball pitcher who throws only country fastballs. De Niese's highly developed technique includes a battery of vibrato choices -- wider or narrower, slower or faster, constant or expanding, or none at all -- like a wily veteran pitcher with a curveball, a sinker, and a change-up to offer at the bedazzled batter. And then there's tuning. How could anyone with clean ears not notice that tuning was Beverly Sills's weak point? Dramatic flair she had, and that's probably the basis for comparison. Sills could light up a stage. Danielle de Niese can light up a whole production, as I've seen her do in live performance of La Nozze di Figaro and on both of her DVDs, of Handel's Giulio Cesare and of Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea.

There are two tracks, out of twelve, on this CD that I consider less than satisfactory: Lascia ch'io pianga from Rinaldo, and Dolce riposo from Teseo. De Niese overpowers the former and misses the 'sweet repose' of the latter. She's better at Fury and Ecstasy than at Sorrow or Tenderness. She makes a better brazen seductress than a wistful neglected lover. In La Nozze, she was well cast as Susana, while she would have been miscast as the Countess. Think what she could do with Medea! It's odd, by the way, to find fault with an "Early Music" singer for overpowering an aria, since the usual refrain is that historically informed performers sound thin or bland in comparison to the divas of the last century. I have an inkling that Danielle de Niese's flamboyant vocalization of these arias might come rather close to the style and manner of some of Handel's favorite castrati, who were applauded for their fiery 'potency' on stage.

Normally I'd probably drop a star from this rating for the unlovely singing of the two tracks mentioned, but there's so much drive and exuberance to be heard on other tracks that I choose to be gallant. De Niese has chosen, consciously I'm sure, to interpret theses arias with her maximum dramatic intensity. Some listeners will feel that she's chosen a musical personality over refined musicianship.

Added later: Let me give you an opportunity to hear just how GOOD, how controlled, de Niese's vocal technique is: listen to the first track on this CD - the flamboyant aria "Da tempeste il legno infranto" - and them listen to the last track on the CD 'Handel: Apollo e Dafne', the same aria sung by a star of an earlier generation, Roberta Alexander, conducted by Nikolas Harnoncourt. De Niese is indisputably better technically. Her intonation is more secure and more consistent. Her articulation is cleaner and yet more florid; Alexander's phrasing sounds smudged by comparison. You may also hear what amounts to an evolution of style in the orchestra, from Concentus Musicus to Les Arts Florissants, toward a distinctively baroque affect. And I think you'll hear why conductor William Christie has chosen to collaborate with Danielle De Niese; they are on the same wavelength.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handel by de Niese, June 8, 2009

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M. Hall (OH, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Danielle de Niese - Handel Arias (Audio CD)

Not having seen Danielle de Niese's production of Julius Caeser from Glyndenbourne, I don't really have much to compare this too, but I must admit that I don't find this debut recital disc to be nearly as atrocious as some other reviewers out there. It's clear that de Niese is still young and has far to go, but it's an admirable first go.

The "Da tempeste" from Julius Caesar, "Tornami A Vagheggiar" from Alcina, the Semele arias, and the arias from Teseo are probably the best. The roles of Cleopatra and Morgana allow de Niese to show off her admirable coloratura, and the Semele arias are flirty and delightful. The Teseo arias allow de Niese to show off octave jumps that are fairly impressive (though, I wonder if there was a little help from well placed microphones).

The "Laschia ch'io pianga" from Rinaldo is a bit tepid, and weirdly sung. Not quite as beautifully done as other sopranos and even mezzo sopranos have sung it in the past. However, the "Vo Far Guerra" is vastly better than the other Rinaldo aria.

All in all, this CD is probably nothing grand in terms of Handelian recordings, especially considering the contributions of Jennifer Larmore, Lorraine Hunt Lierberson, Cecilia Bartoli, and Renee Fleming (to name a few), but it certainly is not quite so bad as to be ignored, for it's a decent introduction to a new singer.

22 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a shame..., November 9, 2007

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Mrs. J. Welch - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Danielle de Niese - Handel Arias (Audio CD)

We were lucky enough to chance upon the Glyndebourne production of Handel's Julius Caesar in 2005. It was, without doubt, the best operatic show we have ever seen, a magical production, and one with a stunning new star in Danielle de Niese. She can sing and dance wonderfully, she can act and she looks like everyone's dream of Cleopatra! We managed to get tickets for the repeat run in 2006 and it was every bit as wonderful.

Not surprisingly, I bought this CD when I learnt of it. I have been disappointed. The difference between the performance at Glyndebourne and this can be heard if you buy that DVD. In an effort to show the power and versatility of her voice she has ended up with a CD where she has overdone things. How William Christie can have allowed this to happen I do not know. Danielle, ditch this and return to your former style!