Karine Deshayes - air d'Urbain - Les Huguenots, Meyerbeer

Karine Deshayes sang her first Urbain in Giacomo meyerbeer's Les Huguenots, a jewel of french opera. She gives a show of both her agility and her lyric voice here, quite a perfect aria for her!
February 2011, Teatro real de Madrid.
Direction musicale : Renato Palumbo
Chef de chœur : Andrés Máspero
Marguerite de Valois : Annick Massis
Valentine : Juliana Di Giacomo
Urbain : Karine Deshayes
Raoul de Nagis : Eric Cutler
Le comte de Nevers : Dimitris Tiliakos
Marcel : Dmitry Ulyanov

[@Homoclassicus]

I'm very impressed. Her singing is very agile, accurate and (something rare nowadays) has a sense of excitement and precise rhythm that I find essential (especially in coloratura singing). Her timbre isn't the most beautiful of all, but the singing is very special. I didn't know this scene of Les Huguenots following "Nobles seigneurs", so I also thank for that. It's thrilling.

[@wabearchemedes]

Great recording, is there a complete recording?

[@luvxl]

@Homoclassicus
you're welcome :) it's the end of the first act actually, I left it so it was more coherent and showing all the talents of Karine, which I simply adore! This is from the broadcast, I couldn't be here alas, but it's the only thing I'm missing from her season :)

[@MrHbc3]

@m0e4g2 An example of the "sharpness distortion" can be heard at 5. 26.

[@MrHbc3]

@m0e4g2 Part of the problem may be in how this recording is coming through YT. Yes, some of this aria is at what is usually the very top of Mezzo range, but in a few places the orchestra itself seems to be suffering this sort of brassy distortion. Listen again for that and see what you think.

[@bodiloto]

questa è la voce del soprano lirico leggero.

[@giudiciadanna4550]

Jeanette McDonald nel film "Springs" ( che pochi conoscono..) la cantava da soprano ed era bravissima e bellissima. Qua' non mi pare.

[@m0e4g2]

@Homoclassicus. Are you using 'timbre' to define the qualities of her voice? I found her voice rich and colourful, a bit 'sharp' at the top, which allows her to have almost soprano's light tops and it is real good! This is a splendid rendition I would have liked to be there like I was in Lyon for her Charlotte!

[@giacomomeyerbeersohn]

Do you have the complete recording? I'm intereted in it. Thanks!

[@Thomas02ify]

PLEASE can we have Annick's big scene?

[@Matt75003]

The singing is good, but the words are mostly unintelligible (I say this as a native French speaker). Ironically, Eric Cutler's French is marginally better than Karine's.