Search - George Frideric Handel, Gioachino Rossini, Gabriel Faure :: Joyce DiDonato - Songs by Fauré, Hahn and Head · Arias by Rossini and Handel

She is the next big mezzo superstar!

Steve Wehmhoff | East Northport NY United States | 08/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A friend of mine in the U.K. sent me a copy of this CD and I was blown away. Joyce DiDonato sings with terrific style and interpretation. I believe that this CD will be the one that puts her over the top! Her voice reminds me a little of von Stade's at that point in her career and her repertoire choices were brilliant. This is a record I sincerely recommend to anyone interested in good singing and beautiful music."

DiDonato Wows 'Em at Wigmore

Bruce Varner | Chicago area, USA | 12/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an incredible CD! This is your opportunity to hear a recital (recorded live) by the hottest mezzo-soprano working today. American Joyce DiDonato leaves no doubt as to why she is in demand all over the world.



Before discussing Joyce's glorious singing, there are two other outstanding features to note. First and foremost, there is the incredible playing of collaborative pianist Julius Drake. I remember the first time I heard the term "collaborative pianist" as opposed to "accompanist". Listen to this CD and you'll know why this term is not some sort of PC variant. Joyce is an oustanding ensemble musician, and Julius Drake is her equal. Second, the engineering of the recording and the acoustics of this hall are wonderful. Thanks to the excellent acoustics and engineering, you could pretty well transcribe what she is singing.



Ms. DiDonato plays to all of her strengths in this recital. Through her incredible technique, faithfulness to the score, and dead-on dramatic instinct, she can convey whatever emotion she chooses. Ms. DiDonato programmed this recital brilliantly, with the central theme being songs about Venice. The songs have plenty of contrast, being as they are from disparate time periods. At the same time, her recital is very homogeneous and has a very nice flow.



One mark of a great singer is the ability to sing in various styles and various languages. She starts with three bel canto songs (Rossini), follows that set with three mid-twentieth century British art songs (Head), follows that set with five French Romantic songs (Faure), then six early 20th century Venezuelan songs (Hahn). To summarize, that's 17 songs in 4 different languages, in 4 different time periods and styles. I loved all of the songs, and surprisingly liked the Head cycle the best.



Then, after almost an hour of singing, Joyce reminds you why she is so in demand in opera today by singing two mezzo warhorses "Cara Speme" from Handel's Guilio Cesare (oh, now add Baroque to her styles) and finishes it off with the notoriously difficult showpiece aria "Non piu mesta" from La Cenerentola. These arias invite comparison, but trust me, no one can (or could) sing them better than Joyce.



If Amazon had six stars available, that's what I would give this CD. Please buy it, you will be so glad that you did. Opera fans of this generation are blessed to have Joyce DiDonato as the latest addition to a group of outstanding American mezzo-sopranos."