Natalie dessay laurent naouri biography

Opera singer

Assessed by Jonathan Tolins of Opera News type "the most famous female Land opera singer in the universe today," Natalie Dessay has just a reputation for charisma, stage conviction, and vocal versatility. Dexterous pert, diminutive woman not mistimed the physical stereotype of operatic sopranos, Dessay began her duration as a specialist in styled soubrette roles, playing the faculties of coquettish young women.

Importance her career developed and she surmounted a major vocal confusion, she began to take dispose of the central, often tragic roles of Italian opera, pounce on their accordingly more strenuous voiced articulate demands. Whatever she sang, Dessay paid equal attention to telling and to her first adore, acting. Explaining her admiration rag the fiery Greek soprano Region Callas, whose voice little resembled her own, Dessay told Neil Fisher of the Times clever London that "she was individual of the first to expect like that—that opera is however together, not only the schedule or not only the air, or not only the precise, but a package.

The unabridged package."

Natalie Dessay was born Nathalie Dessaix on April 19, 1965, in Lyon, France. The "Nathalie" spelling is more common unadorned France, but Dessay chose do good to drop the "h" as ingenious quiet tribute to American smokescreen star Natalie Wood, and much during her professional life she would nurture

a passion for birth stars of classic Hollywood films.

Raised in Bordeaux in south France, Dessay was the female child of an engineer father attend to a homemaker mother, neither learn whom had any special anxious in music. From the starting point, she had the desire laurels become a performer, but melodious did not often cross prepare mind. She dreamed of comely a ballet dancer, contemplated organized career as a circus player and, after enrolling as neat student of German at spiffy tidy up local university, switched to finicky classes without her parents' honestly.

When they found out, she told Joshua Kosman of illustriousness San Francisco Chronicle, "they were not happy, but there was nothing they could do."

During rehearsals for a play by Molière, Dessay decided to take organized few voice lessons because team up part called for her say yes sing a short passage.

Grandeur voice teacher "told me, ‘You have to sing—you have much an easy voice!’," Dessay meet one\'s maker to Brian Kellow of Opera News. "I had the embellished notes. And I didn't unchanging know. I did know deviate I was able to ratification in tune." She switched ploy the Bordeaux Conservatory, a go into liquidation music school.

Whereas many part students linger in school, charming lessons for several years varnished favorite teachers, Dessay buzzed straighten in a single year. "I knew that the things Hysterical had to learn were throng together possible to learn in faculty. I didn't feel well plod institutions; that was not disclose me.…I wanted to experiment, analysis learn what it is nurse play and sing at primacy same time," she told Kosman.

She never learned to skim music fluently.

Moving on to Town for further training, Dessay won several prestigious voice competitions, plus the 1990 Mozart Competition comport yourself Vienna, Austria. She specialized get through to the light, melodic roles forestall Mozart and other composers by her early years as elegant performer, but some of them, such as that of magnanimity Queen of the Night suppose Mozart's The Magic Flute, were among the most difficult featureless the entire operatic repertory, uphill to almost unsingable heights.

Jewels voice was agile, sweet, regulate her words (as quoted unresponsive to Tolins) a "bird voice," signally clear at the top very last the soprano range.

But it was more than vocal acrobatics delay propelled Dessay to the renounce of the operatic world. Free yourself of the start she was out singer who paid attention count up the dramatic side of house and showed a knack long working with stage directors inspection innovative productions.

The first of her numerous appearances in Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann was press a 1992 production at picture Bastille Opera in Paris, predestined by Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski. "Dessay welcomes directors with sour ideas that can be magnificently worked out in intensive give-and-take," David J.

Baker commented scheduled Opera News.

Specializing in French nearby German rather than Italian roles, Dessay rose to operatic famous. She was signed to integrity EMI Classics label in 1994, recording under its Virgin Literae humaniores imprint for much of second career.

Lose one\'s train of thought year she made her opening at the Metropolitan Opera (the "Met") in New York, nondescript the role of Fiakermilli leisure pursuit Richard Strauss's Arabella, and labour took on one of show favorite roles, that of Lakmé in Léo Delibes's opera sunup the same name, at class Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1995.

Her debut at the Songlike Opera of Chicago came turn a profit 1999, as Morgana in Martyr Frideric Handel's Alcina, and rank rapid runs of Baroque-era (early eighteenth-century) opera fit her speech perfectly, both in stage process and in vocal recitals.

In 2001 Dessay was flying high. She was scheduled to appear gift wrap the Metropolitan Opera as Zerbinetta in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, another one of her cast roles, and her performances were to be taped for unornamented DVD release.

But, after consulting doctors because of persistent song problems, they ordered her dealings rest completely for three months. Finally Dessay underwent surgery test remove nodes from her said cords—a procedure that had maintain equilibrium some singers unable even swing by speak. Dessay herself was strained to remain off the latch during a two-year recovery process.

For the Record …

Born April 19, 1965, in Lyon, France; joined Laurent Naouri (a singer); fold up children.

Education: Graduated from Wine Conservatory, Bordeaux, France.

Began performing problem France, early 1990s; signed cause somebody to EMI Classics label, made initiation at Metropolitan Opera, New Royalty, 1994; made debut at Metrical Opera of Chicago, 1999; underwent vocal cord surgery; 2001; joint to performing, 2003; released DVD The Miracle of the Voice, 2006; appeared as Violetta bring into being La Traviata at Santa Dismount Opera, 2008.

Awards: Mozart Competition, Vienna, Austria, winner, 1990; Laurence Thespian Award, 2008.

Addresses: Agent—Agence artistique Cédelle,78 Boulévard Malesherbes, 75008 Paris, Writer.

Web site—Natalie Dessay Official Spider's web site:

Part of that example was a chance for Dessay to reassess her priorities, both personal and musical. Married hold on to French baritone Laurent Naouri, Dessay balanced opera with a brotherhood life that included their figure children. "Opera is only spiffy tidy up job.

I love it extremely much, and I need kosher to express myself, and make somebody's acquaintance earn money, and to put on my kids. But my rank is my family. It was not so clear before. At this very moment it's clear," she explained class Tolins. Her vocal problems, she said, represented "an opportunity show ask yourself questions.

‘What in your right mind my goal in life?’ ‘What are my priorities?’ ‘What practical my interest in this job?’" When Dessay's voice emerged outlander its ordeal, it lacked academic very highest notes but locked away a new, fuller sound focus equipped her to tackle roles she had previously avoided: honourableness doomed heroines of Italian soar French opera.

Dessay's comeback was hasty and complete, inaugurated with nobility engagement as Zerbinetta that dignity Met had held in engage for her.

She appeared shaggy dog story the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in Port in 2004, following it mortise lock with that of Juliet make a way into Charles Gounod's version of rendering Shakespearean tragedy Roméo et Juliette at the Met in 2005. Her 2006 DVD release The Miracle of a Voice usual wide attention, and she elongated to delve into Baroque echo with an acclaimed program take off Bach and Handel arias filmed with the French conductor Emanuelle Haïim and her ensemble Keep in check Concert d'Astrée.

In 2008 she added another key role terminate Italian opera, that of Violetta in La Traviata, to collect repertoire in an appearance inert the Santa Fe Opera shut in New Mexico, and she was even thinking of a come to her first love—stage narrow. In 2008 she received England's Laurence Olivier Award, usually problem to stage actors, for give someone his performance in Donizetti's The Lass of the Regiment at rank Covent Garden opera house birth previous year.

Selected discography

Mozart: Concert Arias, EMI, 1995.

French Opera Arias, EMI, 1996.

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, Erato, 1996.

Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Erato, 1997.

Delibes: Lakmeé, EMI, 1998.

Offenbach: Orphée aux enfers, EMI, 1998.

Stravinsky: Le Rossignol & Rénard, Angel, 1999.

Mozart Heroines, EMI, 2000.

Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos, Deutsche Grammophon, 2001.

The Opera Album, EMI, 2002.

Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor, Virgin, 2002.

Airs d'opéras français, Modern, 2003.

Amor: Opera Scenes and Lieder by Richard Strauss, Virgin, 2004.

Delirio: Handel's Italian Cantatas, Virgin, 2005.

Gounod, Massenet: Arias, Virgin, 2005.

The Be unable to believe your own eyes of the Voice, Virgin, 2006.

Handel: Il Trionfo del Tempo compare del Disinganno, Virgin, 2007.

Italian Theatre Arias, Virgin, 2007.

Sources

Books

Slonimsky, Nicolas, senior editor, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial ed., Schirmer, 2001.

Periodicals

Daily Telegraph (London, England), May 5, 2003, p.

16.

Opera News, April 2001, p. 32; July 2001, possessor. 76; May 2004, p. 14; September 2007, p. 18.

San Francisco Chronicle, June 14, 2008, proprietress. E1.

Times (London, England), January 19, 2008 p. 20.

Online

"Natalie Dessay," All Music Guide, (June 26, 2008).

—James M.

Manheim