Dessay performs "The Bell Song" from "Lakmé"

Natalie Dessay Performs "Où va la jeune indoue," also known as The Bell Song from Delibes's "Lakmé." Opéra Comique de Paris. Conducted by Frederic Chaslin.

[@ursulapainter5787]

She's absolutely right to pace it slowly. What's everybody's hurry, anyway? It's one of the most beautiful arias ever written!

[@isinglouderthanu]

I think Natalie Dessay is a gift from another universe! i mean, who can SING like that! She surely is the voice of today, and the voice of what true opera should be.... To me, its Sills, Damrau, Dessay...

[@SR-jx8yu]

One of the greatest Lakmes EVER. Just an extraordinary artist

[@markbeck8384]

Lakme is a lovely opera; but very few can bring it to real life. Natalie is a wonderful actress, and looks the part; and her singing is GLORIOUS. Wow, this is in a truly rarified class!

[@Puppyizzy]

i keep watching this over and over. wow. unbelievable. i dont know how anyone could have done this any better. that was perfection.

[@spokes64]

I must say that Dessay is the best in this aria. Her highs are relaxed and full, with beautiful vibrato. The shaky camera work in this video, however, is another story...one has to take Dramamine to watch it.

[@Robibi84]

Utterly PERFECT! This is by far the most controlled performance of the Bell Song I have yet heard. Her finale note sent chills down my spine. OUTSTANDING!!!

[@simonp50]

Absolutely beautiful, modern music has much to learn

[@SandrineAnterrion]

Simon Heanue amen to that

[@isabelhuszka1321]

The best Lakmé!

[@PoemSetToMusic]

I was humming this beautiful aria the entire time. After Price, Dessay is my favorite soprano. Just love her!! The control she has. She is above all a communicator the main goal of singing.

[@ЕвгенийКичигин-л6о]

Voice Natalie, this the most beautiful in the world, from the springs!!! IN THE WORLD!!! !!! !!!

[@fernandsanchis9881]

Sublime interprétation! Quelle artiste!

[@TheLudann]

Natalie Dessay has a very good vocal technic, super.

[@akherousia]

That G-sharp was definitely amazing

[@axelzeltsch1668]

C' est vraiment magnifique

[@reginabellestar]

incredible always. greatest coloratura of our latter times. I think Dessay, Vidal are the last great light coloraturas.

[@Lenedit]

she's the best lakme i ever seen!

[@johnb340]

Lovely! Best coloratura around...

[@silsan8]

Impresionante voz y técnica. ¡Bravo!

[@elviasan5]

OMG!!!!!!! this woman is an alien....no one on earth can sing like this! Brava!!!!!

[@dchiapello]

In defense of slooba (though not the spelling!), it is true: she had a polyp and a cyst on her vocal cords and surgical intervention was necessary. The New Yorker printed a profile on her sometime in the past year or so; it's worth checking out. I think Dessay is incredible. I saw her in La Sonnambula in Santa Fe a few years ago, and her stage presence is on par with her singing.

[@lakme]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this!

[@RhymeWirePoetry]

Phenomenal !

[@martach4257]

Sublime!!!!

[@acitipo]

Fantastica!!!!!!!! Bellisimo timbre!!!!!!! sobreagudos colosales!!!!!!!

[@madoferrer1846]

jadore

[@guiradobrasil]

Well, it's really a pity people are always trying to find faults and compare singers... I find her great, I don't find her trills laughable at all, quite the contrary, and the ending is simply stunning in my humble, not highly professional opinion :o)

[@erthzebeth]

J'aime tant sa voix. on dirait un fil d'or parcouru d'une vibration qui s'éfile jamais. toujours beau toujours juste.

[@jean-danielmartino9619]

J'étais présent et Natalie DESSAY y était déjà remarquable et accompagnée par la voix belle et noble de Jean-Philippe COURTIS.

[@FoxyGrandpa]

You can get the DVD on premieropera.

[@tenormcgee]

when she sings that high Ab in the doll aria i almost died...she's one of my favorites!

[@selahangel]

Ummm...perfection? That's all I can think of right now. Amazing rendition.

[@janejones11]

I don't like most leggerios but Dessay is an exception. Her timbre is silvery and beautiful, the aural equivalent of pixie dust :) The high notes here are just lovely and the coloratura is excellent.

[@johnnie543]

This performance should have been on DVD. Dessay is convincing vocally and physically as the young Lakme, as opposed to the only current DVD with a much older Sutherland, though her voice is still great.

[@mugrad25]

Omg this lady gave so much

[@paddymusic]

this is really one of the best i have ever heard...such accurate coloraturas!!! i'm a big fan of maria callas but i prefer natalie dessay in this!!

[@marcoorcouto]

Ela é brilhante, quase uma figura sobrenatural. Timbre, postura de palco, e segurança, além da técnica impressionante!!

[@misaelferreirasilva49]

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍.

[@hollabelle]

:) Yes dessay is a contemporary singer, she is still quite young. The last high note is a E flat above high c. In this aria, Lakme is retelling the legend of the daughter of Parias. The very high parts of the song are supposed to represent bells ringing. I hope that's helpful! :)

[@adachii0210]

amazing！！！！！

[@sloobaa]

flipanteee!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[@fatherbewithme]

❤❤

[@francoisrousset82]

C'est un contre-sol dièse à 5:46 pour ceux qui se posaient la question. C'est un hommage à Mado Robin qui en chantant cet air propulsait un contre-sol dièse fabuleux.

[@brigittevoldoire7367]

Merci du renseignement, il est rare d'avoir sur youtube une intervention intelligente !

[@francoisrousset82]

Merci à vous, j'avoue que les commentaires courtois et les débats sereins manquent assez^^

[@TheAleph74]

Come on haters! She was amazing! Brava! This is the Natalie that I want to remember (as oppossed to the one singing now at days).

[@donatello1]

This has to be the best live performance of the Bell Song I've ever heard. She floats that high E like nothing. BRAVA Dessay!!! P.S. What year was this???

[@FoxyGrandpa]

I don't own the DVD, but I would assume it's the same, because their description says it's a theater archive copy. I found this full production online and downloaded it.

[@Robibi84]

In this song she is distracting a wild cat from her love. She is essentially giving up her life for his. I believe she captures the passion perfectly here!

[@Sedrethka]

Sa voix ne s'est pas "deteriorée" , Natalie est au summum de sa carrière et a triomphé tout au long de l'annee 2008 a new york , londres , chicago.. avec l'age elle a simplement perdu de la facilité dans les suraigus mais aussi gagné en intensité dans les registres inférieurs .. et c'est beaucoup mieux comme ça :)

[@SandrineAnterrion]

Buena comme beaucoup de bonnes chanteuses

[@diegorafaelgutierrez760]

Maravillosa Natalie ! El camarógrafo tenia la camara en los pies !?

[@michaelcrowleypianist]

It is a G6. And YES she is amazing!

[@ilovereginevelasquez954]

Michael Crowley G#6

[@peti74]

That's right, the very last note is an E above high C. Although this is not the highest note of the aria. In the middle (around 5:44) she sings a high G in the cadenza. :)

[@zamyrabyrd]

Hey, a high E is a piece of cake if you can sing a G# third higher...one of the best performances...she also takes her time...but why not...this song is mainly narrative... ZB

[@RossiniSoprano]

On the 3 Dessay cds I have, I have noticed that she does slow tempos on *many* things. She seems to like to 'place' all the notes very carefully, and never just lets go. The conductor can't be blamed for her personal artistic choices.

[@MistyVVaves]

Elizabet hParcells bell song is to die for!

[@suzie106]

Anyone know what note she hits at 5.46? My God, what a voice!!

[@jvinikour]

absolutely g sharp (the piece is in E Major).

[@akherousia]

@LeCoconut now i know that, 4 months ago i didn't :) but thanks

[@brolobear]

Dessay is fabulous in this but, honestly, was the high G# (yes, G sharp!!) really necessary? I also love Mady Mesple's version (she owned the role for quite a few years) and I saw Ruth Welting do a great job with the opera in Dallas many years ago.

[@Hako2004]

She is more at ease with the highest notes....which are half the size of Sutherlands at in her prime. But in the middle voice, and on the trill, Sutherland is much more comfortable.

[@LeCoconut]

@akherousia It's technically an Ab ;p

[@garconfrancais01]

i love dessay but i have to agree, i dont like her interpriation of the song here. On this particular day she decided to do it this way for some reason. Anyone who has actually heard her do this, which i have in the other fashion she does it in, knows that she is utter heaven. If you listen to her do this, verse sutherland, she is much beter and has more ease to her voice.

[@FoxyGrandpa]

@bconsitt check out premiereopera. they have this and many, many other recordings for sale.

[@apsutton336]

Hi what year was this pls

[@JockamoGoon]

wow...that's a high Aflat. wow

[@josephhapp9]

"Because she can" and that is how it should be.

[@peti74]

G sharp, dear.

[@RossiniSoprano]

She tends to take things slow A LOT! Have you heard her Doll Song? On one cd I have, everything she sings is slow.

[@divinemediocrity]

No wonder women weren't allowed to sing in early church... they were so much closer to God what with voices like hers.... bravissima...

[@Lukejoker3]

natalie only natalie =)

[@ezayi]

But the rest was very beautiful. A pity that she isn´t singing like that anymore. But a very good singer!

[@farr0222]

I hate this woman. of course I speak out of pure jealousy. I love her voice, and WISH I had the same talent. BUt I dont, so Im content with listening to her voice. I love it!

[@hollabelle]

i love this version but she really needs to take it faster. She can do really fast coloratura, i don't know why she doesn't.

[@tkellnerus]

Je ne comprends pas. Je suis americain. Je ne parle francais tres bien. Le mot "affreux" veut dire "tres mauvais" n'est-ce pas? Elle a chantée un sol dièse. C'était incroyable! Qu'est-ce qu'est affreux? Mon blasphème? La chanson? La note?

[@normanzurich2781]

On attend la version de Lakmé au McDo ou tournante chez les narco-islamistes 😮

[@peti74]

at 5:44

[@thomastmwc]

@spokes64 agree!

[@thomastmwc]

@flicfan416 I don't grasp the tone...are you criticizing/complimenting ? Haha sorry...

[@tkellnerus]

Jesus Christ! That's a high G# at 5:44.

[@LuisTavinho]

Is she a human being?*

[@kgarmaker123]

@flicfan416 They are two different voices.. Callas was an assoluta, a dramatic coloratura.. she could sing everything... Dessay is a coloratura,period.. She is not going to stray into the dramatic repertoire.. Her voice is too small. And the A flat is not written!

[@Nbtn86]

@panchamkauns gis

[@DanyelHawkes]

spellbinding.

[@peti74]

Oops... G# indeed. Sorry.

[@PierrePicard-f3d]

I like N Dessay but she sings it too slowly she is not a coloration and can't equal to Leila ben Sedira and Lily Pons.

[@flicfan416]

That a -flat is ridiculous. And people think callas had a better upper register. HA

[@sloobaa]

I think she had problems with her vowel chords and had to be quirurgically interviewd

[@celularnuevocn]

Me gusta un poco Dessay, pero comparada con Pons y otras sopranos de coloratura antiguas es un perro. Más que vibrato, oscilación; voz empujadísima; colocación baja. Es talentosa, de buena agilidad, y tiene mucha musicalidad, pero lamentablemente es una víctima más de las malas técnicas de canto lírico moderno.

[@lb2101]

I have such a love hate relationship with her. She is technically very proficient, but her diction is nothing short of terrible and she can be so sterile. Lucia Popp is far superior IMHO. Man, that G was astounding though. =)

[@ezayi]

I find those added high notes such a bad taste and out of place.

[@jimbuxton2187]

ezayi ...do you find the high Eb in traviata out of place...because it's not written, neither is the high B in la Donna mobile, the high C in Di pira Travatore, the high Ab in Si Puo, Pagliacci, and numerous others...there is a high Db in D'amour sull'ali rosse, that mostly all sopranos leave out...the Lucia Cadenza and cabaletta Eb are not written....so...is it just the ones you THINK are inapproiate, or all of them...

[@Richiesutherland]

Lovely opening cadenza, but the rest is disgraceful. Mechanical, slow coloratura, no hint of drama, thin voice, inept use of the language (and she's French!), metallic, edgy high notes, not even a hint of a trill. Worst of all, she shows her appalling taste by interpolating a terrifically ugly G#. Can she listen to this and not blush?

[@mariokalogeropoulos]

too slow!

[@bellafredina]

Boring!!! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz No colour, no depth, shallows singing! R.I.P. Leo Delibes

[@polopixel5142]

Meh. I hope 9 years later youve learned something about singing.