"Sutherland's famed diction is much better in French than Italian. She is breath-taking as Lakme. What a vocal wonder! The bell song is "Inhuman", it's so awesome. Spectacular high E's shot out the diva's mouth like cannonballs, ravishing trills on high B. No one can trill like Sutherland, and she's the only soprano in history who could trill on a high D-flat. Too bad Decca chose not to re-release another of Sutherland'sincredible role "Esclamonde". Sutherland is the only Dramatic Coloratura Soprano of our time who can sing Esclamonde. A role written for a Brunhilde size voice with the agility of a Lakme. Decca, if you're listening, you must re-release Esclamonde!!!"
Awesome!
05/19/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Imagine the bell song being sung by the only dramatic coloratura soprano on record. AWESOME! Listen to Lily Pons' version of the bell song, great as it was, then listen to Sutherland's, you won't believe your ears! And on top of all that wonderful coloratura, Sutherland had at the time of this recording, one of the most gorgeous, sensuous voices around. Without question the best recording of this opera! I never realize how wonderful Lakme's music is until I bought this recording!"
Exotic!
Cade M. Cannon | Opelika, AL United States | 09/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a very beautiful interpretation of such a great but terribly underrated opera. Delibes creates a very exotic and enchanting work in Lakme. Listen to the strange overture and the opening chorus. The cast is excellent. Gabriel Bacquier seems to, in every one of his recordings, put in a performance of a lifetime. His Nikalantha is incomparable. He sings great and the characterization is a perfect match to his commanding presence. Alain Vainzo's Gerard is also beautifully and distinctively lyrical, and he's not a loser like Pinkerton. Monica Sinclair is another perfectly cast Miss Benson, she is so convincing and sings with such dignity. Sutherland is obviously the star of the set. Her technique is amazing. In the bell song she sounds like a bell and she sings beautifully throughout. The Flower duet is also beautifully rendered here. I am kind of sick of the opera politics too as a previous reviewer stated. For the great service Joan Sutherland has given to the world of music, she sure seems to get a lot of petty and unwarranted criticism. She doesn't scream loud enough, she doesn't sound young enough, the burning pyre in Norma isn't hot enough, she sounds to happy, she doesnt pronounce the silent "s"'s properly, her porridge is too hot, her wine isn't Corbel, she didn't use Western Union, etc. C'mon, give her a break. Some singers are great where others are not, and vice versa. We as critics should be mindful of that"
Sensational... La Stupenda struts her stuff
Andre | Twin Cities, MN | 01/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a lover of Dame Joan and her wonderful coloratura style of singing, Lakme is the perfect opera for her. It tests her skills and she performs well beyond expectation. The most prized soprano of the past century, she really knew how to put on a display of musical fireworks, and envigorate the listener. Like the other reviewers here (I'm surprised I'm only the third person to comment on this recording by the way), I agree that her Bell song here is mind boggling, and her high D just knocks you out of your seat. The rest of the opera is great too, with the well known "Viens, Mallika" duet and other great scores in there as well. The entire cast does a great job, and Bonynge conducts well. I'm a little disappointed that this recording doesn't include quite as much as of the opera as the recording with Dessay does, but it's still quite complete. This recording I still prefer over the other just because it has Dame Joan on it, and when she was in her prime, she was unstoppable. She's definitely in her prime here, and you can't go wrong... a fantastic CD for any opera lover."
This is spectacular
Andre | 06/10/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm sick of operatic politics, this is a great recording, and if you want to hear one of the most amazing sets around, buy it, sutherland in her prime has no equals in my opinion, certainly not callas"
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1
