Customer Reviews

David Daniels: Operatic Arias

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bowman has much too much of the flat English edge to his voice & Scholl is good, if not memorable. Asawa is, indeed, very good, but David Daniels is a truly great singer. His musicianship, technical mastery of the genre & sheer beauty of tone leaves one wanting more. I can only say further, that I look forward, with great anticipation, to his pairing with the exquisite soprano of Bejun Mehta in Giulio Cesare in Los Angeles in February of 2001 & to the release of his newly recorded Rinaldo.

I first heard Daniels at a performance of Messiah in DC. I ran backstage afterwards to meet this truly exceptional alto who had brought tears to my eyes with his performance. I was also fortunate enough to hear his DC recital and see him in Giulio Cesare at the Met, so I am comfortable in saying that he sounds as good in person as he does on this recording. It is rare for a male alto to be able to bring such expressiveness to his performances. His technique is secure and his singing of, for example, "scherza infida" is simply exceptional. I hope that we get an opportunity to hear him on some full-length operas very soon.

It is hard to imagine that there could be a finer recital disc of Handel's arias than this one reflecting the exquisite taste and powerful talent of David Daniels...unless of course, you count his splendid follow-up disc of Handel's lesser known oratorio arias released in 2002 (also strongly recommended). But the focus in this 1998 release is the rich music within six of Handel's best-known operas. Now nearly six years after its release, this recording not only holds up beautifully as an introduction to his prodigious talent, but also demonstrates his keen sense of adventure when his voice was at its most pure and unfettered.

Daniels' coloratura technique is amazingly seasoned even at this point of his career, and he approaches each aria in a singular fashion with that incredibly flexible legato that is literally breathtaking. Compare the impressive runs he employs on his rendition of "A dispitto" from "Tamerlano" to his seductive and sonorous tones on "Aure, deh, per pietà" from "Giulio Cesare in Egritto", and you get an idea of the range of emotion and technique of which Daniels is capable. Listening to the two arias from "Rodelinda" will make you recognize how over the course of twelve minutes, he has shown the two distinct sides of Bertarido - the mournful, dejected husband who goes unrecognized in "Pompe van di morte...Dove Sei?" and his enemy's savior at the end with "Vivi, tiranno".

The two arias from "Rinaldo", are also beautifully performed. Six years later, one can appreciate these versions within the context of Daniels' career, as he later recorded the title role in the famous 2000 recital recording of the opera with Cecilia Bartoli and yet again in the 2001 David Alden staging of the opera captured recently on DVD. I recommend getting your hands on all three and comparing the performances, as all are wonderful but quite different. Personally I think his voice ripened to just the right timbre in the Alden-staged version, especially during the opera's centerpiece, "Cara sposa, amante cara". Of all the stellar selections, it is really difficult to pick just one as a favorite, but his version of "E vivo ancora....Scherza infida" from "Ariodante" is especially moving in the way he sings of his plight in being humiliated by an unfaithful woman. Written for a castrato named Carestini in 1735, it is a sublime piece made all the more moving by the warm, round tones Daniels brings to it.

Sir Roger Norrington and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment provide able accompaniment on period instruments, never intrusive or jarring to the ears. It is easy to tell from this recording why Daniels received so much hype for bringing the countertenor voice to the mainstream and why his career has been so meteoric since the release of this disc. Now you can see that it was more than hype...David Daniels is the real thing.

Daniels' voice is the ideal combination of beauty, power, and agility. You'll be hard-pressed to stick with a favorite track (mine changes at least once a day).

I happened to run across this page to listen to samples and was so impressed I had to purchase the CD immediately. David truly sings with energy, feeling and conviction for his art. Truly an amazing instrument. Here he displays all the many colors one must have to impart such beautiful music that only Handel could compose. I have almost all of his CD's and find more enjoyment listening to him sing these handel arias than hearing the great voices of Patti, Ponselle, Steber, Sutherland, Fleming, etc.!!! I recommend this CD to any "Handelian" (or novice of this great music) for exquisite singing that no countertenor has been able to achieve until now.

WOW! This CD is absolutely great. I heard of David Daniels performance of Handel arias, I had also heard it from friends that had already bought it for themselves. When I first heard the first few bars of "Frondi Tenere", I had already knew from that point on, this man would be our "Modern Senesino". Although Senesino never sang "Serse" , I knew it was right. On the Famous "Largo" of Serse, he sang each bar with graceness. On the "Gulio Cesare" he really sounded like Juluis Ceaser talking of his different emotions. His voice is as if he were actually performing the opera live. In the "Tamerlano" aria, he handled the short but very difficult aria, and the "Ariodante". I swear to god, that he is our "Modern Senesino". He sang the "Scherza Infida" beautifully and with such grace. The "Rodelinda" arias, were beautiful, and well sung, he really brings out the betrayed Bertarido, and sings the "Vivi Tiranno" well. And the "Rinaldo" arias, which he has a complete recording of the opera, is sublime, he lays out each note in the "Cara Sposa" carefully and does it with almost a "parlando" kind of singing, but still maintaing his the "dolce" marks in the "Cara Sposa". The only regret is that Daniels sounds weird in the "Venti Turbini" he sounds maybe too "cupo". Overall a great recording, the orchestra is also good, Sir Roger Norrington is good at conducting the orchestra. Great recording. I hope that "Senesino" records another Handel opera. Buy this!!!!!!!!

The voice of David Daniels is an unbelievable instrument and listening to him can bring tears of incredulity.

I've had this CD for a few years now and it is one that I often play. David Daniels is a great singer and his interpretations of Handel's arias are sublime. He is one of the best countertenors currently working in the world and he has few peers - Andreas Scholl, Bian Asawa, Derek Lee Ragin, Daniel Taylor, Robin Blaze, Lawrence Zazzo, Philippe Jaroussky, Gérard Lesne, Bejun Mehta and, of course, James Bowman are his only serious rivals.

This collection is well selected and it includes popular arias as well as a few less well known ones.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is in magnificent form and Sir Roger Norrington gets magic from the various sections of the orchestra - particularly the Baroque bassoons in "Scherza infida".

This album is both a showcase for the singer and the orchestra. It is vastly superior to most Handel opera aria collections.

I unreservedly recommend this superb disc to all music lovers.

AN INTELLIGENT DAVID DANIELS PUTS TOGETHER A REALLY GOOD ALBUM OF HANDEL OPERATIC ARIAS!

David Daniels has devised this program so that it provided a view of Handel at the most significant stages in his London career as an opera composer. With his spectacular debut in England with 'Rinaldo'(1711), he established his ability to compose for the stage, and immediately followed it with 3 masterpieces: 'Tamerlano' and 'Guilio Cesare in Egitto', both from 1724, and 'Rodelinda' the next year. The unique 'Serse' (1738)is from the twilight of his operatic career, while 'Ariodante' shows a time when Handel and his London company was having difficulty competing with the rival Opera of the Nobility sponsored by the Prince of Wales.

Handel's greatest contribution to operatic history is his ability to rise above the sterertypical in his characters, endowing them with a total humanity by allowing them to experience the entire emotional gamut throught a variety of arias and recitatives. Moreover, David Daniels , being one of the finest interpreters of Handel is aware of the need not to be so blinded by the purity of the musical line as to forget what he is singing about. In fact, Handel often shaped the melodic line according to the degree a particular word was to be stressed. Handel was very aware of new devlopments, and styles and attitudes of his time, without ever betraying his own musical personality.


To my mind, Daniels is the consummate Handelian singer, and it is probably this music that he performs best! His delivery is highly dramatic as it should be, his diction absolutely flawless, his tone quality strong and sonorous; in short he is one good singer! It is indeed a very fine disc, not only because of the line-up but also because all arias are sung extremely well by him. I found myself focusing on his selection from "Serse": "Ombra mai fu". He sings this so much more emotionally and endows it with his own unique style. It's so well-done!!! My other favorite is from "Rinaldo": Venti,turbini". This displays his very skillful vocal technique in addition to his excellent diction. I really think he is the leading AMERICAN countertenor.

Daniels is a wonderful vocalist. He puts great feeling and energy into Handel's music.