La Damnation de Faust / Palais des Congrès, Strasbourg
“…to have DiDonato on hand, a Marguerite of marvellous elegance and vulnerability, close to delirium in her last scene, an emotion the whole audience could partake in when it was all over.”
“Despite the gorgeous aria “D’amour l’ardente flamme”, beautifully duetted with Jean-Michel Crétet’s cor anglais obbligato, Marguerite doesn’t have an especially large role in proceedings. But that didn’t stop Joyce DiDonato getting star billing here. Her Marguerite was mellifluously sung, cooing in the love duet, her mezzo fluttering softly at the top.”
“And then there’s Joyce DiDonato’s Marguerite – exquisitely sung with just the right plaintive tremor to hint at her prescient awareness of her tragic fate. D’amour l’ardente flamme melts the heart but remains firmly in character rather than a plushy indulgence.”
“Marguerite is a relatively small role, but her two arias are corkers. I have to confess that my ideal in the role is a dramatic singer like Regine Crespin, Joyce DiDonato brought a different approach, more intimate, more delicate. This was an intimate characterful performance, sung with plangent tone, which brought out Marguerite’s naivety and youthfulness. The converse was that there were moments in ‘D’amour l’ardente flamme’ that I wanted to sear but didn’t, DiDonato has a way of shading off high notes which gave the music a lovely shape.”
“Joyce DiDonato a abordé le rôle de Marguerite de La Damnation au Festival de Pâques de Baden-Baden sous la direction de Sir Simon Rattle il y a 4 ans. Son chant sensuel et solide sur toute la tessiture, d’une clarté affirmée, apparaît constamment expressif… Elle brille de façon irrésistible dans la ballade du Roi de Thulé (avec l’accompagnement d’un altiste hors pair, Benjamin Boura) et plus encore dans son deuxième air D’amour l’ardente flamme… la cantatrice force le respect et exerce même une certaine fascination.”
Ôlyrix
“Comme à Baden-Baden en 2015, Joyce DiDonato incarne une somptueuse Marguerite, plus intérieure peut-être, plus rêveuse, plus mélancolique (« La Ballade du Roi de Thulé ») mais toujours aussi incandescente et engagée (le duo avec Faust ou « D’amour, l’ardente flamme »). Le fin vibratello confère à ses aigus un supplément d’âme et de ferveur.”
Res Music