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專輯介紹:
問問店老闆，他也說還沒有聽過，再看看CD上面的廣告，說NY Times“一把吸引凡人和神仙的嗓子”。雖然媒體往往作大，但是NY Times 都這樣說，姑且花一百幾十塊見識這一位新晉歌手的風采。 回家上網，原來這已經是美女第三張個人CD。這位出生澳大利亞的荷蘭和斯利蘭卡的混血女郎，後來移居美國，在LA 長大，幾年前演出Handel 歌劇Julius Caesar 中埃及豔後Cleopatra 一鳴驚人，風情萬種，能歌善舞，演能唱能跳，一舉手一投足都引人入勝。Opera 界中有人說她是最Cool 的女高音，也有評論家說這一位是Opera 界的Viagra （偉哥），起死回生，讓沉沉默默的歌劇界帶來一股生氣。 環球是生意人，更從這路線把Niese包裝，搭配一流的服裝，攝影，甚至法國名牌Van Cleef & Arpels的首飾，令人眼前一亮，好一位帶青春氣息的美艷親王，更是令人期待。本來期待越高，可能失望越大，這一位應該是“表演型” 和“花瓶型” 的歌手，應該是DVD 絕對比CD 來得討好，在錄音室，很難到達現場的境界和高度，沒有了現場的氣氛，小小瑕疵也會聽得出來，加上唱Baroque，要求精純，和諧更是挑戰。 聽了兩次，認為這CD可以推薦。也許不會拿唱片大獎，但我猜會很暢銷，首先是新面孔，漂亮的面孔，選曲更是選了正如唱片標題的巴洛克之最美的段落，Decca 也一語雙關，Beauty of Baroque 代表歌曲，更代表把Niese 捧為巴洛克美人。。。。妙妙妙。 這CD 的選曲從Bach， Handel，Monteverdi，Porgolesi 更選了我很喜歡的Dowland 的兩首本來用Lute 伴奏歌曲，樂隊是Harry Bicket 的The English Concert，Bicket 的Baroque，這幾年紅透半天，我曾經介紹過兩張Handel 的女聲CD，也是由他指揮。Decca 更請來Countertenor 的紅人Andreas Scholl 來助刀，和Neise 合唱三首。 把CD放進唱盤，一開始是Dowland 的兩首，剛好和我喜歡的Battle 的Pleasure of your company 的首兩首一樣，Niese 歌聲嘹亮，伴奏是古典吉他，彷佛聽Battle 的CD。仔細比較，有所分別，Neise 處理採取比較強調個別字眼，起落之際有歌劇般戲劇性的影子，例如【Come Again】裡面的一個【I】, 【What if I never Speed】的Come，Come，Come，都咬的較重，Vibrato 好像也多點。Dowland 歌曲的古典中帶有淡淡的憂鬱 ，Niese 用了這個手法來表達她描述的“Immersion in Emotion”，值得一提。她的聲線也和當紅的Battle 不一樣，Battle 更為清脆，Niese 則則在中低音較厚。 這個聲音的特點，在Handel 的Ombra mai fu 【綠葉青蔥】顯露無為。Niese 又採用了另一個方式，首先她採用了Handel 這齣名詠嘆調的Alto Key，第二採取比較平鋪直述的唱法，以簡單來表達美麗，我比較Liberson 這女中音唱的版本，兩者分別頗大。記憶中曾經聽過Battle 也採取同樣方法，但是調子太低。Niese 的唱法，恰到好處，她的老師和製作人，也值得一贊。 Niese 的Handel 的確是現在樂壇的新發現，和Scholl 合唱的Handel Rodelinda 里的Io t’abbraccio，有柔情，有激情，郎情妾意的告別，得到充分發揮。Monteverdi 的二重唱 Pur ti miro，Niese 的嬌媚，Scholl 的Countertenor 柔柔的聲音，更是迷人，加上後面的三件樂器，古典中提琴，古鍵琴和Theorbo 的伴奏，更是發燒佳品。把Niese 的聲線捕捉得好不夠，要聽到Scholl，聽到Theorbo 的低頻好，更要聽到Viola da gamba 的聲音。 CD裡面最後三首，Pergolesi 的Staber Mater 的一首，和巴赫的兩首Cantata，我認為比起她的Handel 稍為不如，Niese 還是採取較為戲劇化的演繹手法，有美麗的歌聲，也有變化。但主觀地我認為巴赫的音樂，可以更為平實，在平凡中聽到完美，在音樂的背後，音樂家讓信徒向主的崇拜目的。這裡Stabar Mater 和巴赫的Cantata 應有的的聖潔之氣，稍為欠缺。再加上德文應該不是母語，要唱巴赫平順自然，絕不容易。 個人最喜歡的是比較少聽到的Handel The Triumph of Time and Truth 中的 Guardian angels, Oh , Protect me。這裡是Niese 大展身手，樂器伴奏不多，耳朵聽到是精純無比的歌聲，要說是天使的聲音，不如說是和天使的對話。在另一次金融風暴來臨之際，這歌曲更像為天下人的祈禱，歌詞奉獻給大家。 Guardian Angels, oh, protect me, And in Virtue’s path direct me, While resigned to Heaven above. Let no more this world deceive me, Nor vain idle passions grieve me, Strong in faith, in hope, in love. Niese 這張 CD，可以說是如題Beauty，Beautiful Voice，Beautiful Music，Beautiful Singing 和Beautiful Face。 美妙的音樂，美的聲音，美的嗓子。藝術方面的成就不敢說，但因選曲好，音樂好，娛樂價值甚高。雖則錄音也只是水準之作而已， 我也會經常拿來聽，因為一個字--【美】。 這一位令我想起Battle 的新手，有潛質的Lyric Soprano，假以時日，能唱法更為多元化，有好的經理人，將會是現代化的Schwarzkopf，大紅大紫必可期待。 Performer: Andreas Scholl Orchestra: The English Concert Conductor: Harry Bicket Audio CD (January 10, 2012) SPARS Code: DDD Number of Discs: 1 Label: Decca Records ASIN: B004M8Y4Y4 COMPOSER: John Dowland (other composers in brackets after works) TITLE: The Beauty of Baroque TRACKS: Come again sweet love doth now invite. What if I never speed? (Dowland). Serse : Ombra mai fu. Samson : Let the bright Seraphim (Handel). Dido and Aeneas : Thy hand Belinda - When I am laid in earth - Dido's Lament (Purcell). Acis and Galatea : Heart the seat of soft delight (Handel). L'incoronazione di Poppea : Pur ti miro. Scherzi musicali : Quel sguardo sdegnosetto. Rodelinda : Io t'abbraccio. The Triumph of Time and Truth : Guardian angels (Handel). Stabat Mater : Stabat Mater dolorosa (Pergolesi). Cantata Weichet nur betrubte Schatten BWV202 : Sich uben im lieben. Cantata Was mir behagt ist nur die muntre Jagd BWV208 : Schafe konnen sicher weiden (JS Bach). ORCHESTRA: English Concert CONDUCTOR: Harry Bicket ARTISTS: Danielle de Niese Andreas Scholl Danielle de Niese: "Beauty of the Baroque" spacer Arias by Bach, Dowland, Handel, Monteverdi, Pergolesi, Purcell. The English Concert, Bicket. Texts and translations. Decca ?478 2260 DeNieseCD This is a surprising performance. For an artist as closely associated with the stage as Danielle de Niese — especially after her bathing scene as Cleopatra in Glyndebourne's Giulio Cesare — cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach make unlikely repertoire. Several works on this disc come from the early Baroque, and one composer, John Dowland (d. 1626), dates to the Renaissance. Yet these early selections, often in a plainer style than Handel's, find the soprano at her most alluring. In some respects, de Niese is not a typical Baroque virtuoso. She brings less of a clean, instrumental quality to her singing than specialists such as Arleen Auger, Emma Kirkby or Cecilia Bartoli. Instead, one hears more vibrato, frequent covered tone and a habit of smoothing rather than brightly articulating passagework. Ornaments are subtle, with more quick mordents than sustained trills. These traits make her a limited partner, at least technically, to the pealing trumpet in Handel's prototypical display piece "Let the Bright Seraphim." Where she truly excels is in the more gentle, persuasive melodies — often insinuating and seductive — of Dowland's romantic/erotic songs and the music of Monteverdi (or, in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, music long attributed to him). She exploits opportunities for rubato and expansion, stretching and coloring the long vowels of the English composer's "Come again: sweet love doth now invite" and spicing its consonants in a manner that is almost suggestive. She brings the same beguiling fervor to Monteverdi's playful "Quel sguardo sdegnosetto," from Scherzi Musicali, and especially to the concluding duet from L'Incor­o­nazione, in which she manages to blend warmly with the excellent Andreas Scholl. What most marks de Niese's singing throughout this program is a fresh, personal quality. The listener senses the force of vivid character traits, which can make a cantata sound operatic. Some ears might prefer more of an effortless, dulcet upper register to crystallize the spirituality in "Guardian angels, oh, protect me," from Handel's Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, words sung by the allegorical figure of Beauty. What we hear here is more heated, a passionate yearning from an earthbound voice. The same mood prevails in her warmly rendered aria from Acis and Galatea,and in a version of a Bach cantata excerpt known in English as "Sheep May Safely Graze," in which the heavy organ obbligato and slow tempo only exaggerate the soprano's sultriness. In the duet with Scholl from Pergolesi's Stabat Mater,the countertenor excels at dark mourning, with his depressed pitch on droning phrases; de Niese offers a welcome complement in the brief work's emotional climax by soaring to a full-throated, passionate G on "dolorosa." At times the program seems almost casually assembled, with no recitatives to introduce arias and a reliance on familiar music — "Ombra mai fu," from Handel's Serse, in the alto key, and Dido's lament from the Purcell opera — regardless of suitability to the singer. The English Concert under the expert Harry Bicket provides brilliant, flexible accompaniment. There is an especially infectious energy in the pacing and phrasing of one of the Bach numbers, "Sich üben im Lieben," from cantata 202, with delightful oboe playing by Katharina Spreckelsen. The buoyant rhythms here, like the soprano's warmth and impish text-pointing, are enough to banish any concerns about period style. spacer DAVID J. BAKER
引用
Soprano Danielle de Niese gives her boundless energy to this album of all-Baroque arias. Her warm sound and rich timbre are her hallmarks, along with her lively stage presence, as those who have seen her performances can attest. These qualities are unmistakably evident here. In "Let the bright Seraphim" the music never sags or lags anywhere, for she feels it. Sometimes, however, De Niese gets overdramatic when it is not necessary. "Come again" shows that her emotions are genuine and not manufactured, but the excess becomes distracting. Her vibrato is fast, and sometimes the voice thins out in it, as well as in the melismas (which are, to her credit, on time and in place). It is when she exercises restraint and has longer, lyrical lines that she is at her best on this album. "Thy hand, Belinda… When I am laid in earth" is one example where it's easy to hear the beauty of her voice. The same goes for "Heart, the seat of soft delight," which has a lovely smoothness and a mature sound. She exercises good control in the melismas, and the result is a gem of an aria. Her duets with countertenor Andreas Scholl are all solid and well done. The purity of their voices matches well, as one can hear in both Monteverdi arias, and Pergolesi's Stabat mater (with its heartbreakingly beautiful string introduction) is simply gorgeous thanks to perfect control in both voices. One could conclude that De Niese's straight tones are also her forte. Supporting the voices is the musically solid, graceful ensemble, the English Concert under the direction of Harry Bicket, whose understated elegance deserves praise. De Niese saves the best for last: two arias from Bach's cantatas. Here, De Niese is like a different artist; it is instantly clear that the German repertoire suits her wonderfully. In "Sich üben im Lieben" she captures a perfect bouncing rhythm and accents, and one truly feels her emotion; compared to other pieces where she seems to be emoting dramatically, this piece moves the listener. "Sch?fe k?nnen sicher weiden" also demonstrates this emotional honesty, and recalls Kathleen Battle in its sweetness; it is like a pastoral breath of fresh air. De Niese is a veteran singer and performer, but at the time of this 2012 album, it is probably fair to say that she is still developing and is likely to grow into an even more impressive artist.引用（釋義）
【DECCA】Beauty of the Baroque 巴洛克之美(De Niese迪妮絲)迪妮絲的聲音有一種顫抖、柔弱的特質，很像當年凱薩琳．芭托的豐腴版，也因此搏得紐約時報「足以誘惑天神與凡人的嗓音」之讚美
澳洲女高音迪妮絲是少見從小就立志朝歌劇界發展的歌唱家，在澳洲贏得兒童歌唱比賽後就搬到美國，以求能在這裡獲得更好的歌唱教育並拓展歌劇事業。
父母原籍斯里蘭卡，她在斯里蘭卡住到十多歲才遷居澳洲，因此也是音樂史上第一位斯里蘭卡裔的女高音。迪妮絲九歲就拿下澳洲電視節目的兒童才藝比賽冠軍，靠演唱高難度的惠妮休士頓歌曲奪得高額獎金和平台鋼琴。為了培養她，父母刻意帶她遷往洛杉磯，十五歲在洛杉磯歌劇院登台演唱，並讓她在電視節目中表演，更因此在十六歲拿下艾美獎的肯定。熱愛歌唱和演藝事業的她，隨後更成為大都會歌劇院最年輕的選秀歌唱家，十九歲就在該院演唱《費加洛婚禮》，並立即受邀演唱拉威爾歌劇的頭角，一鳴驚人。
她企圖心十足，積極朝歐洲拓展歌唱事業，尤其是英國和荷蘭兩地為她近年全力經營的重心；不但在荷蘭首演現代歌劇，也接唱《悲慘世界》音樂劇，還於電影《人魔》中扮演碧翠絲一角，同時也在荷蘭參加爵士音樂節，極獲當地樂迷的喜愛。近年迪妮絲全力投入巴洛克歌劇的演唱，並連續於2010與2011年分別灌錄了韓德爾、莫札特和巴洛克的曲目。她與古樂學家威廉．克利斯蒂等人多次合作，在歐洲各地演唱韓德爾、拉摩、蒙台威爾第等人的歌劇，同時也以演唱莫札特歌劇在荷蘭劇院大受好評。
2005年迪妮絲在英國葛蘭德博恩音樂節上演唱韓德爾《凱撒大帝》中埃及豔後一角，憑著扮相和歌藝與演技征服了台下觀眾，一夕成名，並立刻吸引笛卡唱片與她簽約，她也以笛卡唱片做為進軍歐洲的主要推手。這張專輯是她的第三張專輯，片中不僅再次演唱她拿手的韓德爾作品，也跨越純歌劇領域，拓展至巴哈詠嘆調和英國巴洛克作曲家如普賽爾和道蘭等人的歌曲。迪妮絲的聲音有一種顫抖、柔弱的特質，很像當年凱薩琳．芭托的豐腴版，也因此搏得紐約時報「足以誘惑天神與凡人的嗓音」之讚美。專輯中她特別邀請到德國假聲男高音修爾為她跨刀，兩人合作了三首二重唱。
專輯曲目:
01. Come again; sweet love doth now invite Dowland02. What if I never speed? Dowland
03. Ombra mai fu Handel Serse
04. Let the bright Seraphim Handel Samson
05. Thy hand, Belinda…When I am laid in earth Purcell Dido and Aeneas
06. Heart, the seat of soft delight Handel Acis and Galetea
07. Pur ti miro Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea
08. Quel sguardo sdegnosetto Monteverdi Scherzi musicali
09. Io t’abbraccio Handel Rodelinda
10. Guardian angels, oh, protect me Handel The Triumph of Time and Truth
11. Stabat Mater Pergolesi Stabat Mater
12. Sich üben im Lieben Bach Cantata, BWV 202
13. Schafe k?nnen sicher weiden Bach Cantata, BWV 208
