Natalie Dessay - Hamlet - "A vos jeux..." (scene - part 1)

This is Ophélie's 1st aria of her great scene, illustrating the madness that is animating her. Natalie succeeds in using this virtuosity to emphasize Ophélie's dispair... Honestly, I've never heard this aria so well sung. You feel for Ophelia and don't care anymore about notes...
This is the 1st part (out of 3 posted here) of the scene dedicated to Ophelie's madness & death, in Ambroise Thomas' "Hamlet"...
Recorded in June 2000 at Paris Théâtre du Châtelet.
Conductor : Michel Plasson / Stage direction : Nicolas Joël

[@TruthWielder]

Ms Dessay is an outstanding artist. She has great technique, great musicianship, and is an excellent actress. Her voice is fragile, and it would not surprise me if her career was cut short because of vocal problems. This would be a real loss, as she is a marvelous performer who gives her roles every thing she's got, every time. She's also not hard to look at. I hope she continues to perform for many years to come. J.Carbia, Miami, Fl

[@johanna33560]

brava natalie!!! she's the best ophelie!!! i want to cry she's really ophelie, more emotion... thanks for this

[@killerbunny123123]

she is BY FAR the best actress in lyric opera soprano roles....no one.....NO ONE beats the great Natalie Dessay when it comes to acting....i seriously think that the last time we saw such moving, funny, exiting, sad, dramatic or angry acting was at the times of Maria Callas....

[@HILLARYXNOELZ]

Natalie Dessay is amazing!

[@Erickdearmas]

Gracias Natahlie. Just Thanks

[@isinglouderthanu]

are you mad? can you not hear that god given talent? Can you hit an A Flat about the staff? Dessay is the finest Merlot to your Franzia boxed wine.

[@edengirl17]

Lovely..:))))

[@hannahw90hw]

i only wish i spoke french....and i hope its french cos otherwise im an idiot! this woman was amazing!

[@EricAkif]

@iriisblue She's sublime and her intonation is precise.

[@SsteinwayS]

My sentiments exactly. I wonder which one it was! Hopefully not Hamlet ;)

[@47viviane]

in a recital, it's on youtube too, but I didn't think it's soooo great. Her Lucia wasn't - unfortunately because I love her voice, but she just doesn't do fragile and sad

[@olympicfreak678]

She's not doing it!

[@andthushesaid]

An intelligent listener can regard any one of Dessay's recordings or videos as impressive. Clearly, you are either very ignorant to the many different "fachs" there are, or you're not a musician. Dessay is a light, lyrical coloratura soprano. You can't compare her to a dramatic singer because she's NOT one and she's NOT trying to be. You just happen to prefer a different voice type, so stick to your Wagner, Strauss, and Verdi.

[@James88keys]

haha I have seen the woman being carried off stage over someone's shoulder holding a perfectly supported flawless high a flat. I don't think you come to be one of the worlds leading coloraturas or can star at the met if you have poor vocal technique. Lots of singers ( even Pavarotti )get surgery. The voice isn't meant to hold down singing for hours on end that many days a week. Its not natural. They hold up as best they can but some voices are just more delicate.

[@RoulfYelrab]

she's not singing this role. she got sick at the last minute.

[@ezayi]

She does everything in the same way. It´s like seeing Lucia, Gilda, Amina, all the "inas", all the demented sopranos in one role. She has a nice voice but sorry... to me sometimes her voice doesn´t sound that fresh anymore. Sometimes it sounds old.

[@icylakepaxphile]

i think she's good singer and actress. but overall, her acting is very forced, not so comfortable to see. her facial expression too. so i rather like to hear her voice, not seeing her acting.