Diana Damrau - Delibes: LAKMÉ, Bell Song, Stuttgart concert, 2002 High E

Описание: THE SONGBIRD: Diana Damrau was born in 1971 in Bavaria, Germany. Her operatic debut role in Würzburg in 1995 was Barbarina. Her debut in Vienna came in 2000 as Queen of the Night, followed by Salzburg in 2001 as the Celestial Voice in "Don Carlo" and as Najade to Natalie Dessay's Zerbinetta. Soon after came a continuous series of leading roles at the major opera houses around the world, including the gala reopening of La Scala in 2004. The Met signed her up first for Zerbinetta in 2005, and she has become one of their star sopranos, premiering seven new productions.

THE MUSIC: "Lakmé" by Leo Delibes was first performed in 1883 in Paris. The work epitomizes the orientalist trend at the time through the perceived novelty of colonial English people in an exotic location, namely India. The title role, the daughter of a Hindu priest, is one of the cornerstones of the light coloratura soprano repertoire. It was written for Marie van Zandt, who became one of the foremost sopranos of the era. Lakme's Act 2 aria "Où va la jeune Hindoue" is commonly referred to as the Bell Song because the soprano mimics a set of magic chimes while telling the haunting legend of the Pariah's daughter.