Natalie Dessay

Natalie Dessay is a Cantatrice French, born with Lyon in April 19th 1965. Light lyric soprano

Natalie Dessay could approach many roles operatic thanks to a vocal technique and a direction of dramatic interpretation. It is the example even of a very gifted artist whose body was not predisposed with the opera house.

Biography

Actress first of all, it plays an imp who fredonne air of Pamina in the love painter of Molière. By hearing it, one advises to him to take courses of song. She studies then with the Conservatoire of Bordeaux. She becomes chorus-singer with the Capitole of Toulouse and gains several prices, in particular with Alès.

In April and May 1992 with the Opéra Bastille, it sings the role runs but brilliance of Olympia in the tales of Hoffmann , at the sides of Jose van Dam. The production of Roman Polanski disappoints but the young singer gains a triumph, revealing it with the public. She will triumph in this role during her international career.

She integrates the troop of the Opera of State of Vienna (Austria), where she sings Blondchen in Removal with the seraglio of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Then it replaces Cheryl Studer which was to sing the three feminine roles of the Contes of Hoffmann (but had been made hoot a few months before in a verdien role). In December 1993, Olympia opens the heart of the public Viennese to him. Plácido Domingo makes share with the journalists of its amazement vis-a-vis the vocal performances without effort of the Frenchwoman.

Blondchen and Zerbinetta of ARIANE in Naxos of Richard Strauss becomes his fetishes roles. The Opera of Vienna especially assembles for it the Quiet Woman of Richard Strauss and envisages the unfinished version of Lulu of Alban Berg which it will refuse finally because the role attracts it but would ask him too much work. She does not manage to design her own Lulu and has a bad memory, having started to study the song (and the musical theory) relatively late.

With the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, she sings finally the Reine of the Night in the Magic Flute . Robert Carsen. It is almost the sister of Pamina . Natalie Dessay declares that it will agree to sing the role only in this production, because it does not want to sing roles of malicious. But it starts long series of Queens of the Night.

It makes its beginnings with the Metropolitan Opera New York, in the anecdotic role of the Fiakermilli in Arabella of R. Strauss. The artist will forsake this kind of role, pretexts with roulades. Idem for the Singer Italian of the Capriccio .

With the Op3era Comique, she interprets her first Lakmé , which she will rechantera only with Saint-Etienne little time afterwards. She dares to vocalize beyond against-F in the middle of the air of the small bells. Natalie Dessay however refuses to approach roles very small not very dramatic (i.e. which require power in the low register or the medium). She also refuses to sing the operetta, which she hates. The setting-in-scene of Laurent Pelly D Orphée with the hells in Lyon will however convince it.

She sings Ophélie ( Hamlet of Ambroise Thomas) with the Large Theater of Geneva at the sides of Simon Keenlyside. The production of Moshe/Leiser was its more beautiful scenic memory a long time. Barcelona put this production at its program of 2003-2004. Natalie likes the side shakespearien Ophélie but refuses to sing the role in English in English National Operated, where all works are given in the local language. It agrees on the other hand to sing Titania in French with the Opera of Lyon. She also sings there a resumption of the Magic Flute , like Orphée with the hells of Offenbach. She returns to Paris in 1997, but to the Théâtre of Châtelet, for the Nightingale of Stravinski, in a production of the young person Stanislas Nordey. Christine Schäfer occupies only the other part of the evening in Lunar Pierrot of Arnold Schönberg.

It is had a presentiment of to sing Gepopo in Large Macabre the of György Ligeti with the festival of Salzburg 1997. She sings again in Metropolitan Opera. Zerbinetta is worth to him praises in all the musical press. Olympia also ensures a triumph to him. After having sung the role a little everywhere, in Lyon, in Milan, she adds more and more notes not written on the partition.

She returns finally to the Opera of Paris, for the Reine of the Night which she decides to sing for the last time. She only accepts to be a little more in Paris which it misses. Her husband, the baritone Laurent Naouri, often sings in Paris.

She sings also Morgana ( Alcina of Haendel), then in the gallant Indies of Rameau to the Palais Garnier. The repertory baroque is appropriate well for its light voice and freedom to be able to add acute notes.

It also approaches beautiful the canto romantic with Amina ( the Sleepwalker of Bellini) in Lausanne and Bordeaux, and later in Vienna and Milan. In International Opera , Sergio Segalini rises against the fact of distributing the role to a light soprano.

Of mid-January 2000 at the beginning of February, it programs 5 or 6 concerts in Paris, including 3 concerts in the space of less than 4 days with the Orchestra of Paris. The musicians consider that it is madness, but it makes a point of doing it. A few minutes before the second concert, the doctor diagnoses an important voltage drop. All the concerts are cancelled in the Pleyel room. In Châtelet, it is made replace by Francoise Pollet and Marie Devellereau, and in the Op3era Comique by a singer who will also cancel, Lynne Dawson.

Natalie Dessay returned to the Opéra Bastille from March 20th, 2000 to April 6th for 5 representations of the Contes of Hoffmann , and in Capitole of Toulouse in Hamlet in April 2001, then from June 19th to 28th in Châtelet. In Vienna, she sang another “last” Queen of the Night in June 2000 but will cancel Susanne ( the Marriages of Figaro ) the summer 2001 with Riccardo Muti. In Orange, she sang in the Tales of Hoffmann for the “last time” the summer 2000.

She sings in recital in Genoa on September 16th, 2001, then sang in Geneva her first Konstanze ( removal with the Seraglio ) from October 20th to November 5th, before taking again the role with New York, at the end of 2002 or at the beginning of 2003.

In January 2001, she sang Sonnambula of Bellini in Milan. Success was with go but the singer is brought out demoralized of this spectacle that she judges completely without interest from a theatrical point of view. She will cancel the representations of work envisaged with the Met.

The Parisian season of Natalie Dessay included/understood in 2000-2001 the Viennese production of Die schweigsame Frau of Strauss to the TMP, as well as a recital on March 14th, 2001 (cancelled), and its “last Queen of the Night” in December 2000 at the Palais Garnier.

In stop for three months, it cancelled its engagements of spring 2001, that is to say Zerbinetta, Olympia, Susanna, and some concerts. It returned for its sixth “last Queen of the Night”, in Aix, where it had sung her first last Queen of the Night.

In January 2002, it approaches the French version of Lucia di Lammermoor (“Lucie de Lammermoor”) of Donizetti, at the sides of Roberto Alagna and Ludovic Tézier, version authentic of the type-setter (and nonsimple translation!) intended for the origin to present work, after rehandlings, with the French public of the XIXe century for which the habit was not yet with the execution in the original language of composition. Unfortunately, she fears that its vocal state does not allow him to ensure all the representations. The National Opera of Lyon calls then upon Patrizia Ciofi for half of the representations and this one will sing some finally more. Dessay will have sung only with the first, which were not officially recorded, and at the time of an other representation where Roberto Alagna was suffering. Therefore it is one evening with Patrizia Ciofi which was diffused by Arte and was published in DVD.

Dessay was made replace for almost all the representations of the Sonnambula in Vienna in 2001-2002. After that, it is obliged to withdraw scene for a long time. After an surgical operation aiming at withdrawing a nodule of the vocal cords to him, it rests.

Dessay was to sing three heroins of the Tales of Hoffmann with Marc Minkowski in 2002-2003 in Lausanne (production of Laurent Pelly) but was made replace by Mireille Delunsch with the first world representations of the very new critical edition of the work carried out by the musicologist, leader and authority offenbachienne if it is, Jean-Christophe Keck, which offers, in addition to a new cutting dramaturgic (restitution of final of the 4th act says “act of Venice”), of the airs removed from the slags left by the back issues, thanks to the discovery miraculous (and rocambolesque), behind the staircase of a house of the Center of France, ofa handwritten partition of Offenbach used at the time of the first representations Monegasques of the work.

At the time of the 10th ceremony of the Victories of the Classical music on February 26th, 2003, it makes a return noticed by interpreting an extract of Manon of Jules Massenet, role which it approaches on scene in 2004.

Its true return in public, at the end of March 2003 in Metropolitan Operated of New York, the watch in a great form. Its Zerbinetta virtuoso and charismatic eclipse almost Ariadne imposing of Deborah Voigt, however the preferred singer of the spectators of the Met. The spectacle was filmed.

In 2004-2005, it must sing Zerbinetta at the Opéra Bastille and take part in several concerts of Baroque music with the Theater of the Fields-Elysées. Unfortunately, it is forced to cancel its participation in Ariadne auf Naxos and is replaced for all the series by Lubov Petrova, as with the Met a few years before, for problems with the vocal cords (a polyp). In January 2005, she on television states French to have begun a rehabilitation and not to know precisely when she occurs again in public. Its return in concert takes place finally in Montreal on May 8th, 2005.

The return “to the voice” of Natalie Dessay is accompanied by a lyric reorientation. Natalie Dessay wants to express strong things on scene by banishing the incarnations which she considers without consistency (Gilda de Rigoletto for example) or the roles of which she does not want any more (the Queen of the Night, the Olympia headstock in particular). It takes also very distinct positions concerning its trade and fustigates in the press the directors who do not give him any matter to be even kneaded going, without quoting them, to condemn the attitude of certain colleagues and certain fellow-members who would not give their maximum on scene. She affirms that there remains to him approximately only one ten years to be sung and that she must make Draconian choices.

She approaches a project in synthesized images with incrustation of the interpreters based on her recording of the Nightingale of Stravinski, which appears in DVD. Then it gives up certain roles and sings the new ones: Manon of Jules Massenet with the Large Theater of Geneva, Juliette in Romeo and Juliette of Gounod in Metropolitan Operated New York, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor of Donizetti, and incarnates at the time of a Toulouse recital then Parisian (at the sides of Rolando Villazon) its first Violetta of Traviata of Verdi. The triumph is absolute. She finishes even her recital, not without humor considering what she thinks of the role, by singing a short passage of Rigoletto ( Addio… Addio ) while propelling its final note with the octave for more the big chill and happiness of the public.

Its new recordings, see it to venture on the grounds haendeliennes ( delirio ), to vocalize on the last album of Claude Nougaro ( the blue note ), to recite a tale for children (the Joujoux box of Debussy), to interpret in world creation a Ave Maria of Philippe Rombi on the original soundtrack of the film Merry Christmas and to sing the Messe in C of Mozart.

Its projects for 2006/2007 include/understand Lucia di Lammermoor with Paris, its catch of role in the Girl of the Regiment of Donizetti to Vienna and a Parisian recital with the tenor Paul Groves. But all await from now on its first scenic integral of Traviata envisaged with Santa Fe in 2009.

She saw with Game preserve-Saint-Hilaire (the Valley-of-Marne) with Laurent Naouri, him even lyric singer (baritone) carrying out an international career, and their two children, Neima and Tom Solal.

Discography

Italian Operatic arias with Franck Ferrari, Matthew Pink, Karine Deshayes, Wolfgang Klose, Roberto Alagna Europäischer Kammerchor - Sascha Reckert, knell harmonica Concerto Köln ;
Bellini: Sonnambula with Carlo Colombara, Francesco Meli, Sara Mingardo, Jaël Azzaretti, Paul Gay, Gordon Gietz orchestrates & choruses of the opera of Lyon direction Evelino Pidò;
Bach: Magnificat with Philippe Jaroussky, Karine Deshayes, Laurent Naouri, Toby Spence the Concert of Astrée Emmanuelle Haïm;
Haendel: Dixit Dominus with Ass Hallenberg, Sonia Prina, Pavol Breslik the Concert of Astrée direction Emmanuelle Haïm;
Haendel: It trionfo LED Tempo E del Disinganno with Ass Hallenberg, Sonia Prina, Pavol Breslik the Concert of Astrée direction Emmanuelle Haïm;
Natalie Dessay - the miracle of a voice ;
Operatic arias French Thomas, Massenet, Rossini, Donizetti, Offenbach, Gounod, Boieldieu National orchestra of Capitole of Toulouse direction Michel Plasson;
Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor with Roberto Alagna, Ludovic Tézier, Marc Laho, Nicolas Riding, Yves Saelens orchestrates and chorus of the national opera of Lyon direction Evelino Pidò;
Haendel: Duets arcadiens the Concert of Astrée direction Emmanuelle Haïm;
Haendel: Delirio Italian Cantatas the Concert of Astrée direction Emmanuelle Haïm;
Mozart: Heroins - Operatic arias Orchestrated off the Age off Enlightenment direction Louis Langrée;
Merry Christmas : Original soundtrack of film with Rolando Villazón London Symphony Orchestrated, the choral society Scala, the symphony orchestra Bel Arte direction Philippe Rombi;
Monteverdi: Orfeo the Concert of Astrée , European Voices , Sacqueboutiers direction Emmanuelle Haïm;
Mozart: Mass in minor C with Veronique People, Topi Lehtipuu, Luca Pisaroni the Concert of Astrée Chorus of Astrée direction Louis Langrée;
Richard Strauss: Amor Brentano-Lieder, scenes and airs of Arabella , Ariadne auf Naxos , Der Rosenkavalier with Felicity Lott, Angelika Kirchschlager, Sophie Koch, Thomas Allen, Orchestrated off the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden direction Antonio Pappano;
Delibes: Lakmé with Gregory Kunde, Jose van Prejudice, Delphine Haidan, Franck Leguerinel, Patricia Petibon, Xenia Konsek, Bernadette Antoine, Charles Burles chorus and orchestra of Capitole of Toulouse direction Michel Plasson;
Mozart: Airs in concert orchestra of the opera of Lyon direction Theodor Guschlbauer;
Offenbach: Orphée with the Hells with Laurent Naouri, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Yann Bouron, Ewa Podles, Patricia Petibon, Jennifer Smith, Veronique People, Steven Sticks chamber orchestra of Grenoble, chorus & orchestra of the opera of Lyon direction Marc Minkowski;
Orff: Dyed with carmine Burana with Thomas Hampson, Gerard Lesne orchestrates capitole of Toulouse, Orféon Donostiarra direction Michel Plasson;
Operatic arias French orchestra of the opera of Monte Carlo direction Patrick Fournillier;
Singing exercises Rachmaninov, Alabiev, Saint-Saëns, Delibes, Ravel, Granados, Proch, Dell' acqua, Glière, J. Strauss II Berliner Symphony-Orchester direction Michael Schønwand.

Internal bond

List of opera singers

Bonds

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