Dido and Æneas
Financial Times“This new recording has a star in Joyce DiDonato and, for all that the performance as a whole is of high standard, she dominates the proceedings wherever she appears… Dido’s lament, the opera’s most celebrated number, is sung with a concentration that grips in every phrase.”
“DiDonato est magnifique d’introspection, de legato, de nuances, filant les longues lignes de cette cantilène, où la mélodie semble errer sur une basse imperturbable, puis explose comme en un cri sur « yet would », avant que les reprises de la phrase ne s’allègent chaque fois davantage, la voix se faisant diaphane, jusqu’à une fin morendo, où l’ensemble des cordes vient la soutenir. Un air qui est tout entier prémonition de son lamento final.”
[DiDonato is magnificent in her introspection, legato and nuances, spinning out the long lines of this cantilena, where the melody seems to wander over an imperturbable bass, then explodes as if in a cry on “yet would”, before the repetition of the phrase becomes lighter each time, the voice becoming diaphanous, until a morendo ending, where the strings as a whole support her. An aria that is a premonition of her final lamento.]
“DiDonato is at the top of her game as the Queen of Carthage, apparently distilling every nuance she uncovered from working on Berlioz’s incarnation into twenty minutes of music. She begins in profoundly introspective mode, the voice barely a whisper as she confides in Belinda about her secret melancholy – but her characterisation can turn on a dime, flaring into white-hot passion as she ruminates on Aeneas’s attractions. This volatility pays still more dividends in the final confrontation with her lover, which moves from forlorn tonelessness to scorching rage in the blink of an eye – and that great closing Lament is heartbreakingly done, more private meditation than grand farewell.”
“…DiDonato’s interpretation goes beyond those two readings, charting the Dido’s emotional upheaval with unerring mastery. Her astonishing vocal prowess (in which the voice is never ‘scaled back’ to fit an idealized Baroque sound) dispatches every technical hurdle with ease, focusing our attention on the unfolding emotional tragedy. ”
“En cette rentrée des classes, difficile de passer à côté du bouleversant Didon et Enée qui vient de paraitre chez Erato/Warner Classics. Cet album tient en effet du miracle. Menée par Maxim Emelyanychev et l’Ensemble Il Pomodoro, l’équipe réunie ici a tout pour séduire : une Joyce DiDonato idéale en Didon, le formidable Énée de Michael Spyres, la Belinda si délicate de Fatma Said, un trio de Sorcières assez incroyable (Beth Taylor, Alena Dantcheva, Ana Piroli), pour ne rien dire de l’Esprit de Hugh Cutting… Pour plus de détails sur ce disque, nous vous renvoyons au très détaillé compte-rendu de Charles Sigel. Notre indéniable disque du mois !”
[As the new school year begins, it is hard to overlook the deeply moving Dido and Aeneas, which has just been released by Erato/Warner Classics. This album is nothing short of miraculous. Led by Maxim Emelyanychev and the Ensemble Il Pomodoro, the team assembled here has everything it takes to charm: Joyce DiDonato is perfect as Dido, Michael Spyres is a formidable Aeneas, Fatma Said is a delicate Belinda, and the trio of Witches (Beth Taylor, Alena Dantcheva, Ana Piroli) is quite incredible, not to mention Hugh Cutting as the Spirit… For more details on this disc, we refer you to Charles Sigel’s very detailed review. Our undisputed disc of the month!]
“I have long admired Joyce DiDonato for her intelligence, musicianship, and artistry, as well as for her beautiful voice and perfect technique. She had previously recorded “Dido’s Lament” with the same conductor and orchestra, and it has figured in her concert repertoire. Here, we get an excellent interpretation of the full role. The brief action of the opera is bookended by two songs for Dido, both in a slow tempo over a ground bass. DiDonato uses the first of these songs – Ah! Belinda I am pressed with torments – to set the tone of anguish with which she will conclude the second of the songs – When I am laid in earth. She lingers on the words “I languish” yet summons up plenty of power on the phrase “Yet would not have it known.” She is fierce in her final confrontation with Aeneas, then dies beautifully in her famous lament.”
“A recording that can immediately be considered among the best of the field — and there are many! DiDonato’s highly detailed interpretation of Dido’s declamations and laments more than make up for the occasional diction slips of the all-Italian chorus. The addition of percussion to the orchestra, Emelyanychev’s theatrical pacing, and a few tastefully chosen repeats all add surprise and delight.”
“This new recording of Purcell’s pocket masterpiece Dido and Aeneas features veteran mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in the title role… Her Dido is passionate and strong. She sings beautifully (and touchingly) when appropriate—as in, for example, “Ah! Belinda I am pressed with torment” and, of course, the famous Lament. But it’s her passion, especially in the confrontation scene with Aeneas, that comes over most strongly, making this one of the most dramatic Didos I have heard.”
“DiDonato’s performance displays all of her familiar virtues: impeccable musicianship, clear diction, and intensity of expression without any over-emoting or falling into bathos.”
Parterre