Warner Classics Capitalizes On Natalie Dessay Discography

As Natalie Dessay makes the decision to exit the opera stage forever, her record label searches the archives to release a compilation pulled from her career over the last 15 years of singing Bach, Händel, Rameau, and Monteverdi with Emmanuelle Haïm and William Christie. The 2-CD set also comes with a DVD featuring Ms. Dessay in Händel's Alcina. The release is set for November 6. You can pre-order your copy by clicking here. See the complete track list after the jump.

Natalie Dessay Claims No Opera Roles Left For Her To Sing Onstage

Dynamic Duo: Dessay (left) with recital and recording partner
Philippe Cassard in a photo from their most recent release.

"French soprano Natalie Dessay gave a recent recital in London that one critic called 'sublime' and her latest CD of French art songs has been well received, but she says her fans will never see her again on the opera stage that made her famous. Dessay, the petite gamine of the French opera world, soared to fame as the mechanical doll Olympia in Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann and scared the living daylights out of her male counterparts as the mad, knife-wielding Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. But at age 50, she says the opera is no longer for her. 'I have no roles anymore, I've done everything I could do and I don't want to repeat myself over and over,' Dessay told Reuters in an interview at London's Barbican....With opera behind her, Dessay is alternating song recitals, with piano accompanist Philippe Cassard, and tours with the French pop song and film composer Michel Legrand, but her real passion is for live theater. She recently starred in a French revival of the British playwright Howard Barker's dark, one-woman play Und, about a Jewish woman whose guest is overdue for tea, and who will not accept that the reason her house comes under a series of escalating malicious attacks is because the visitor is a German camp officer. She is looking for more such roles, but in the meantime she hopes her opera audiences will look out for her in the different venues where she will still be performing. 'It turns all the time around the same thing,' she said. 'How to make people travel with me, how to tell them stories in different ways.'" [Source]

Natalie Dessay Rejoins Philippe Cassard For "Fiançailles pour rire"

The Happy Couple: Natalie Dessay and Philippe Cassard
make a musical "marriage" made in heaven for Erato. 
Pre-order the disc by clicking here.

"For their second Warner Classics album of French song - a follow-up to the Debussy CD they released in 2011 - soprano Natalie Dessay and pianist Philippe Cassard have adopted the title of Francis Poulenc's song cycle Fiançailles pour rire (A betrothal for fun). Poulenc's compact, charming and touching cycle, composed in 1939 to poems by Louise de Vilmorin, is programmed with some of the best-loved mélodies in the repertoire, such as Fauré's 'Après un rêve', 'Mandoline', and 'En sourdine', Duparc's 'Invitation au voyage' and 'Au pays où se fait la guerre', and Chausson's 'Le temps des lilas' and 'Chanson perpetuelle'. In 2013, Natalie Dessay announced that she was leaving the opera stage, but since then her inimitable vocal and dramatic talents have been showcased in the music of Michel Legrand - in concerts of his songs (and the Warner Classics CD 'Entre elle et lui') and in a semi-staged version of Les parapluies de Cherbourg (available on a Warner Classics DVD) - and in further live recitals with Philippe Cassard....On this new disc she can also enjoy the company of some old friends: in Chausson's 'Chanson perpetuelle' she is joined by the Quatuor Ebène (who welcomed her as a guest artist on their best-selling Fiction album back in 2010) and by the bass-baritone Laurent Naouri - who is, as it happens, her husband. Naouri also duets with her on the final track of the album, Poulenc's haunting 'Colloque', a setting of words by Paul Valéry. 'There can be no doubt as to Natalie Dessay's intelligence as an interpreter and her finesse as a musician,' wrote the French magazine Diapason when the Debussy album was released, also praising Philippe Cassard for playing that was 'warm and eloquent, and not prone to the

Single Lady: Dessay last month in a monologue of Howard Barker
 directed by Jacques Vincey with sets by Mathieu Lorry-Dupuy.
 She will reprise the character at the Festival Paris Quartier
d'été starting July 21, 2015.

mistiness of would-be Impressionism or to outbursts of sentiment.' 'Dessay has a real relationship with Cassard,' wrote the American magazine Opera News, 'He is the rare pianist, in Debussy's songs or in his piano music, who understands that Debussy wrote genuine contrapuntal lines that are not meant to be negated by washes of pedal.' The magic of the Dessay-Cassard partnership was captured by The Telegraph after they gave a recital at Wigmore Hall in London in 2012: 'The second half began with Chabrier's hesitantly beautiful 'Chanson pour Jeanne' [also on the new CD] and Chausson's rapturous 'Le temps de lilas'. But the highlight was Dessay's veiled and shimmering account of Duparc's masterpiece 'L'Invitation au voyage', in which her vision of Baudelaire's 'luxe, calme et volupté' dissolved into the deep velvet cushioning of Philippe Cassard's wonderfully soft-textured pianism ... Like Shakespeare's Cleopatra, Dessay makes hungry where most she satisfies. Her singing never moves straight forward; it avoids the obvious, the clear-cut, it treats words as if they were paint. And in her throat, these mélodies remain a mystery, a realm in which shadow counts for more than light.'" [Source, Source] The complete track list is after the jump.

Tenors Anyone? Opera Singers That Love The Game Of Tennis

Love All: Grigolo (left) and Flórez go head-to-head on the court during some time off from the MET.

Tenors Juan Diego Flórez and Vittorio Grigolo took a break from their current performing schedule at the Metropolitan Opera to hit the courts for a friendly game of tennis. Mr. Flórez, a Rossini specialist who starred in the MET's first performances of the composer's La Donna del Lago, posted the image of the two men on his Facebook page. This isn't the first time that the worlds of tennis and opera have come together. Two instances are here and here. And tenor Lawrence Brownlee has proclaimed his enthusiasm for tennis; soprano Amelia Farrugia keeps stamina up for the stage by playing tennis in downtime; baritone Michael Chioldi has been known to pick up the racket to stay in shape;  soprano Julianna Di Giacomo grew up playing tennis; tenor Enrico Caruso didn't fair so well lasting through one set; soprano Kiri Te Kanawa keeps busy with a myriad of sports that includes tennis; bass-baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes built his physique on the game of tennis; soprano Mary Garden had advice for her friend and tennis player Bill Tilden; and tenor Ivan Kozlovsky kept his health up with the sport. It's not the only sport that cross-pollinates opera with athletics, click here for more. See more photos of opera singers with tennis champions after the jump.

Tennis champions Rafael Nadal (left) and David Ferrer on the stage of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain.

Natalie Dessay Basking In The Glow Of Her Second Singing Career

No High Notes Required: Natalie Dessay sings with the band at Château de Versailles

"This new collection showcasing 20 years of recordings from this most versatile of artists including classical, opera and songs from musicals – includes previously unreleased track 'Bebe'. Natalie Dessay defies categorisation. Over a 20-year career the multi-faceted soprano has risen to the most diverse challenges, brilliantly fleshing out the great Romantic coloratura roles,

savouring the delights of the Baroque, and moving with equal aplomb from comic opera to bel canto and from French art song to French (and Brazilian) pop song. An uncommonly human Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, she has sparkled lovingly in Lakmé and descended into harrowing madness as Ophélie and Lucia di Lammermoor; and just as she has brought Manon to vivid life, she has experienced all Violetta’s passion and pain in La traviata. With her shining eyes, Dessay is a tiny slip of woman who radiates charisma. She has often taken a stand against operatic convention and diva clichés, impudently daring to talk about the trials of her profession, including stagefright and the frantic demands of juggling the roles of star, woman and mother. Then there is her recurring frustration at the essential mismatch between a dramatic temperament suited to the great tragic heroines and a voice predisposed to the roles of singing doll or willing victim. But though her voice has always been light, it has never been lacking in juice, and the purity of her top notes – cleaving like daggers – her quicksilver virtuosity, and her supreme musicianship have given her the power to cast an irresistible spell. It took years for her to accept herself for what she had always been. In 1997, when she told an interviewer that 'There is more

to life than top notes', people thought she was being precious; she was in fact expressing profound disquiet. Over the course of a career that imposed operations on her vocal cords in 2003 and 2005, Dessay has come to the conclusion that 'the interplay of physiological skills and characterisation is as about as thrilling as something can get.' A perfectionist who is also prone to impulse, this great French singer has brought something new to her roles through her still unfulfilled passion for the straight theatre, an art form that remains a defining force for her: it was, after all, as a student actress that she first discovered her talent as a singer. She has now succeeded in resolving the dichotomies within her, uniting her personality and her voice by choosing to move away from opera. Since 2013 she has reinvented herself with recitals of French art song (notably Debussy with the pianist Philippe Cassard), with popular song and musicals (above all in her collaboration with the pianist and composer Michel Legrand), and even with Brazilian music (in the company of three sisters-under-the-skin, the singers Helena Noguerra and Agnès Jaoui and the guitarist Liat Cohen). Her commitment to each genre has been characteristically unreserved. Of one thing we can be sure: Natalie Dessay, in all her

infinite artistic variety, has many more delicious surprises in store." [Source] And out soon is a new DVD of the chanteuse in concert: "Two icons of French song – Natalie Dessay and Michel Legrand – follow the huge worldwide success of their album Entre Elle et Lui with a DVD of the very special concert on the 11th June 2014 at the Orangerie of the Château de Versailles. This is a unique collaboration from two giants of French music. The CD release in 2013 was hotly anticipated and received great critical acclaim upon its release. Natalie Dessay brings her lyrical voice and fresh interpretations to a selection of some of Michel Legrand’s best-loved songs including 'La Valse des Lilas', 'Les moulins de mon cœur' (Windmills of Your Mind), 'Duo de Guy et Geneviève', 'Papa Can You Hear Me' and many more." [Source] Watch highlights from the concert, and see a few more photos, after the jump. 

Dessay à la Streisand: The soprano sings "Papa can you hear me?"

Natalie Dessay Promotes Popular Brazilian Music For Erato

Soprano Natalie Dessay has a forthcoming release on Erato celebrating the music of famous Brazilian composers. The main works of classical composer Villa-Lobos are represented and popular music of Antônio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, João Gilberto, and more. She is joined by singers Agnès Jaoui and Helena Noguerra, as well as guitarist Liat Cohen.

Pre-order your copy here. Watch the EPK video after the jump. 

Is Sabine Devieilhe France's Next Big Coloratura Soprano?

Can Sabine Devieilhe carry the
torch of Janine Micheau, Mady
Mesplé, Lily Pons and
Natalie Dessay?

"Sabine Devieilhe née le 12 décembre 1985 à Ifs est une soprano française. Après des études de violoncelle et de musicologie, Sabine Devieilhe sort en 2011 du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris avec le Premier Prix à l’unanimité et les Félicitations du Jury. Elle suit ainsi les enseignements de Jocelyne Chamonin, Martine Surais, Pierre Mervant, Malcom Walker ou encore Kenneth Weiss, Anne Le Bozec, Susan Manoff et Olivier Reboul. Membre de plusieurs ensembles professionnels tels que Pygmalion (dir. Raphaël Pichon) et Les Cris de Paris (dir. Geoffroy Jourdain), elle se produit dans un vaste répertoire de la musique ancienne à la musique contemporaine. Affectionnant tout particulièrement le Lied et la mélodie, elle se produit en récital aux côtés d’Anne Le Bozec. Sabine Devieilhe débute à la scène dans Lucia/Le Viol de Lucrèce au CNSM de Paris, ainsi que dans Lauretta/Gianni Schicchi (mes Jean-Michel Fournereau ) et d’Yniold/Pelleas et Melisande (mes Vincent Vittoz ) au festival Messiaen. Deux rencontres marquantes avec Jean-Claude Malgoire et Alexis Kossenko lui font aborder le répertoire baroque de Bach à Rameau, notamment aux Festivals d’Utrecht, Bruges, à l’Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing ou encore au Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. La saison 2010-11 est marquée par une nouvelle production de L’enfant et les sortilèges avec l’ONDIF (dir. David Levi), un programme Bernstein à la Salle Pleyel avec l’Orchestre de Paris, un

The soprano's debut recording on Erato captures
her baroque capabilities exquisitely.

programme Mozart avec les Solistes de l’Orchestre National de Montpellier à Nîmes, une nouvelle production de Dardanus (Ensemble Pygmalion, dir. Raphaël Pichon) au Festival International de Musique Baroque de Beaune et à l’Opéra de Versailles etc. En 2011-12, elle fait ses premiers pas dans le bel canto avec Amina/La Sonnambula avec l’Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing, fait ses débuts avec Les Arts Florissants à la Cité de la Musique avant de retrouver Jean-Claude Malgoire dans La Passion selon St-Jean de Bach avec La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy. L’enthousiasme remporté par ces premiers engagements lui ouvrent aujourd’hui de nombreuses perspectives : elle fait ses débuts au Festival d’Aix-en-Provence dans Serpetta/La Finta Giardiniera (mes : Vincent Boussard , juillet 2012) et se produit au Festival de Bruges dans un programme Mozart avec Les Ambassadeurs d’Alexis Kossenko. En 2012-13 : débuts dans le rôle-titre de Lakmé à l’Opéra de Montpellier ; tournée de concerts Offenbach avec Marc Minkowski & Les Musiciens du Louvre, Le Magnificat de Bach et le Dixit Dominus de Haendel avec Hervé Niquet et Le Concert Spirituel, divers programmes Bach avec Raphaël

This nightingale has the goods to please any canary fancier.

Pichon à la tête de Pygmalion, La Folie/Platée (dir. Jean-Claude Malgoire) et La Reine de la Nuit/La Flûte enchantée à l’Opéra National de Lyon. En 2013-14 : elle retourne à l’Opéra National de Lyon pour Constance/Dialogues des carmélites et fait ses débuts à l’Opéra Comique dans Lakmé, à l’Opéra National de Paris dans La Reine de la Nuit /La Flûte enchantée et à La Monnaie de Bruxelles dans Euridyce/Orphée et Eurydice. A partir de 2014-15 : reprise de Lakmé à l’Opéra de Toulon ; Adèle/Die Fledermaus à L’Opéra Comique, ainsi que ses débuts dans Nanetta/Falstaff à l’Opéra de Marseille et Le Feu, La Princesse et le Rossignol /L’enfant et les sortilèges au Festival d’Opéra de Glyndebourne etc. [Source, Source] Purchase the debut album by clicking here. Watch the EPK for the new album and get the complete track list after the jump.

Natalie Dessay On Future Recording And Brazilian Music Concerts

The soprano, seen here with current tour and recording partner Michel Legrand, will give a series of concerts of French melodies (also to be recorded) and then venture into Brazilian music with guitarist Liat Cohen.

"En musique classique, je ferai une série de concerts de Lieder avec Philippe Cassard au piano en mars et avril aux Etats-Unis, au Canada et en Asie. Nous enregistrerons aussi ensemble en juin un album de mélodies françaises. En mai-juin il y aura d'autres concerts de musique brésilienne avec la guitariste Liat Cohen: du classique de Villa Lobos, et des chansons brésiliennes avec Agnès Jaoui et Héléna Noguerra." [Source]

Erato Crosses Over Coloraturas Dessay And Damrau

Click here to purchase the album

Entre Elle et Lui - Après une enfance passée en adoration pour les chansons de Michel Legrand, et de nombreux concerts avec lui à travers la France ces 3 dernières années, Natalie Dessay vient d'enregistrer cet album au parfum délicieux: des chansons dans le cœur de tous les français, simplement accompagnées par Michel Legrand au piano, Pierre Boussaguet à la contrebasse, François Laizeau à la batterie et Catherine Michel à la harpe. Et si Michel Legrand chante avec elle Les Moulins de mon cœur, deux invités de marque, Patricia Petibon et Laurent Naouri, viennent flâner chacun à leur tour, le temps d’un duo avec Natalie.

Click here to purchase the album

Forever - Das gilt auch für die Sängerin selbst, sodass das Album tatsächlich so etwas wie den „Soundtrack ihres Lebens“ darstellt – mit Erinnerungen an „My Fair Lady“ aus ihrer Anfangszeit in Würzburg oder an die Jahre, in denen sie als Heranwachsende voller Bewunderung Operetten-Platten mit Anneliese Rothenberger und Lucia Popp hörte. Schon damals wurde ihr klar: „Die Operette hätte einen viel besseren Ruf verdient, denn sie erreicht nicht nur unsere Herzen, sondern sie erzählt auch von den Irrungen und Wirrungen des Lebens.“ Das Repertoire des Albums Forever reicht von Operettenmelodien von Meistern wie Lehár und Strauß über Songs von Sondheim, Gershwin, Lloyd Webber und Bernstein bis hin zu Liedern aus „Mary Poppins“, „Arielle“ und anderen Musicals. Ein Höhepunkt ist sicher „Lippen schweigen“ aus Lehárs „Lustiger Witwe“ – mit Rolando Villazón als Duettpartner. 

Full track listing after the jump for both albums, along with a special bonus feature on one diva that has covered all of this territory in the past.

Natalie Dessay Exits Opera Stage With A Bitter Vibe

The Examiner reports on the French soprano's plans to retire. She sounds in the article a bit put off by what has been an auspicious career. Read some highlights:

"In September, Natalie will be in Toulouse to sing Massenet’s Manon. It may be her last appearance on the operatic stage. 'Yes, I think so. I did my real 'debut' in Toulouse, in the chorus. I had started off as an acting student. That was my real passion. That is my real passion. It’s just a detour of thirty-three years—to finally get back to my first goal. There’s nothing left for me to sing. I’ve done most of the roles I could do. I don’t want to play Juliette. At my age? Please! Or Lucia or Adina or anything else like that. That’s why I’m quitting. You have to love your repertoire. For a while I thought it was fun, but no. On to something else.'

'Along the way,” I asked, 'who were the coloratura sopranos that inspired you?'
'There was no coloratura, because I hate that kind of voice. I never had any problem with the repertoire. My idol is, was, and will be Maria Callas. That’s not very original, but that’s it. Also Renata Scotto. I worked with her. She’s fantastic as a teacher. I like the actresses. I don’t care about the voice. A beautiful voice in a body that doesn’t act does not interest me more than five minutes. So, I’m not a good audience member for opera.' [Source]


A performance from 1995 of the soprano singing Lakme's "Où va la jeune Hindoue?" demonstrates that there was much to admire in her singing whether she loved it or not.

Dressers Featured Backstage of "Giulio Cesare" at the MET

"Dressers Suzi Gomez-Pizzo and Lou Valantasis prepare Natalie Dessay and David Daniels for their roles as Cleopatra and Caesar for a performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare, directed by David McVicar, at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Photographs by Mike McGregor for the Guardian." Watch the slide show here.

Ms. Gomez-Pizzo was also featured dressing another MET opera diva in the New York Times. Check out the photo and link after the jump.

Natalie Dessay Sings "Dr. Tom ou la liberté cavale"

Click on the above image to launch the music video.

Natalie Dessay Sings the Chanson of Debussy for Virgin Classics

Dessay: La Belle Voix. Buy the album by clicking here.

"Im ihrem Liedrecital steht Natalie Dessay ein Pianist zur Seite, der sich mit einer Gesamtaufnahme der Debussy-Klaviermusik höchste Meriten erworben hat: Philippe Cassard, von dem die Idee zu der Produktion ausging. Er hörte Natalie Dessay in Debussys Oper Pelléas et Mélisande und war überzeugt, dass sie als einzige Sängerin dieses Repertoire nicht nur zu singen, sondern wirklich zu verkörpern versteht. "Ihr Charisma als Darstellerin, ihre Energie, ihr Temperament, ihre Virtuosität und ihr Sinn für Humor sorgen für eine wirklich außergewöhnliche Interpretation". Natalie Dessay leiht in diesen Werken einer gewissen Marie Vasnier ihre Stimme – die Frau eines Debussy-Gönners, in die der Komponist verliebt war, und für die er rund 40 Lieder komponierte. Das Recital Clair de lune bietet eine Reihe von Raritäten – so das bisher noch nie eingespielte Lied Les Elfes (eine von vier Ersteinspielungen) und die Kantate La Damoiselle Elue." [Source]

Bolshoi Theatre Reopening Gala Concert - The Opera Edition

"President Dmitry Medvedev and prime minister Vladimir Putin hosted the event billed as the 'rebirth' of one of Russia’s cultural treasures, featuring opera stars Placido Domingo, Angela Gheorghiu and Natalie Dessay and ballet dancers Natalia Osipova, Svetlana Zakharova and Ivan Vasiliev. The renovation is intended to transform the 1820s theater in central Moscow from a crumbling, acoustically inadequate beauty into a state-of-the-art facility. It is believed to be the most expensive theater renovation project ever, according to Russia's RT network. Invitations for the event were sent out by the Kremlin administration and not by the theater itself and reports have surfaced that that ticket tickets have been up for grabs on the Internet for as much as $65,000. The Bolshoi administration denies any involvement in the matter. 'Could you imagine what the reaction would be if London's Royal Opera House gave up the entire theater to the presidential administration?' Russian music critic Marina Gaikovich told the Interfax news agency. The restoration has been mired in controversy from the start, overshooting the original budget over four times and missing its original reopening date of 2008 as the condition of the building was found to be far worse than first believed. Symbolically, restorers removed the Soviet hammer and sickle from the curtain, while the Soviet coat of arms has been pulled from the facade, replaced with the double-headed eagle, the Tsarist symbol readopted by Russia." [Source]

OPERA SELECTIONS FROM THE PROGRAM

Violeta Urmana: "Prastite Vy, Xalmy"
from The Maid of Orleans (Tchaikovsky)

Dmitri Hvorostovsky: "Ya vas lyublyu"
from Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky)

Natalie Dessay: "Ne poi, krasavitsa, pri mne”
lyrics by Alexander Pushkin and music by Rachmaninoff

Yelena Zelenskaya, Anna Aglatova, Yekaterina Scherbachenko, Svetlana Shilova
sing “Nature and Love” by Tchaikovsky

Irina Dolzhenko, Lolitta Semenina, Andrey Grigoriev, Maxim Paster, Boris Rudak:
"Final Scene" from Betrothal in a Monastery (Prokofiev)

Angela Gheorghiu: "Ach, istomilas ja gorem"
from Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky)

Composer Kevin Puts Will Debut His First Opera in Minnesota

Composer Kevin Puts
(Photo: Gregory Downer/Opera News)

"When Dale Johnson, artistic director of Minnesota Opera, saw Joyeux Noël, Christian Carion's 2005 film inspired by this true story, he immediately sensed in it the makings of a powerful opera. 'I was so moved by it. The singing of 'Silent Night,' the image of Sprink carrying the Christmas tree, the three lieutenants' struggle with the orders from their commanders [to resume fighting], their struggle with themselves as human beings.... Here are these young guys stuck in this horrible situation. How are they going to deal with it?' Joyeux Noël focuses on the lieutenants, the priest and the German singer and his love interest, all of whose lives are irrevocably changed by the unofficial truce. 'It felt like a very classical opera plot. They're all trying to live their lives, and there's this huge story going on around them that they can't control, and that they're being buffeted by.' The film has many potent visual images, and Johnson felt music could be used to create equivalent effects. So he knew he wanted a composer who was 'a really strong orchestral writer.' Johnson wanted a fresh voice and contacted music publisher Bill Holab to ask, ''Who's interesting? Who's got a real point of view?' And Bill sent me Kevin Puts, plus several other extraordinary young people. I was listening to Kevin's Second Symphony, and I started crying — it was so beautiful. The next day I told [Minnesota Opera's then President and CEO] Kevin Smith, 'I think I have the guy for Joyeux Noël.' He listened and agreed.' However, though Puts (Puts as in

Conductor Michael Christie
(Photo: Krista Campbell)

'Johnson puts his money where his mouth is') had written a great deal of extraordinary orchestral work, including four symphonies and numerous concertos, he had never written an opera. In fact, the composer, who is thirty-nine, had written only one piece of vocal music — Einstein on Mercer Street, a work for baritone and chamber ensemble. Still, Johnson believed in him. 'I knew he had it in him. I knew he knew how to create tension and develop a piece of music — really develop it to a climax and finish it — and that's a rare commodity.' So, like that German singer on the battlefield, Johnson took a leap of faith and offered Puts the commission." [Source] Read the whole story, including a funny anecdote about troubleshooting a bagpipe during composition, at Opera News. The Minnesota Opera will perform Silent Night on November 12, 15, 17, 19 and 20, 2011. The cast includes William Burden, Joseph Beutel, Liam Bonner, Troy Cook, Ben Wager and Karin Wolverton. Michael Christie will conduct. A full biography for composer Kevin Puts is after the jump. For more information about the opera, click here.

OPERATIC OVERTONES
One of the reasons the Dale Johnson may have felt the film was worthy of becoming an opera, was the fact that the soundtrack heavily featured soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Rolando Villazón. Listen to clips from the film to hear the extraordinary use of music to touch the hearts of so many film goers. A trailer of the film follows.

Is Natalie Dessay Working for the Santa Fe Tourism Board?

Happy Birthday: Natalie Dessay

The French coloratura soprano was born Nathalie Dessaix, 19 April 1965, in Lyon. She dropped the "h" in her first name in honor of Natalie Wood when she was in grade school and subsequently simplified the spelling of her surname outside France. Famous

A 2001 Corpus Thalis gown designed
for Ms. Dessay

in her earlier career for a very high upper extension, limpid intonation and superb coloratura, Dessay became more recognized in recent years for her dramatic and comedic flair as a singing actress. In her youth, Dessay had intended to be a ballet dancer, and then an actress. She discovered her talent for singing while taking acting classes, and shifted her artistic focus to music. Dessay was encouraged to study voice at the Conservatoire national de région de Bordeaux and gained experience as a chorister in Toulouse. At the competition Les Voix Nouvelles, run by France Télécom, she was awarded First Prize (Premier Prix de Concours) followed by a year's study at Paris Opera's Ecole d'Art Lyrique, where she sang Elisa in Mozart's Il re pastore. Also, she entered the International Mozart Competition at the Vienna State Opera, winning First Prize. She was quickly approached by a number

of theatres, and subsequently sang Blondchen, Madame Herz (in Der Schauspieldirektor), Zerbinetta and Zaïde at the Opéra National de Lyon and the Opéra Bastille, as well as Adele in Die Fledermaus in Geneva. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1994 as Fiakermilli in Strauss's Arabella. Having given over 70 performances at the MET, she has sung in Ariadne auf Naxos, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Roméo et Juliette, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Sonnambula and La Fille du Régiment. She is an exclusive recording artist of EMI Classics. Photos of Natalie Dessay are both by Simon Fowler. [Source, Source, Source, Source]

Listening highlights from the soprano's career (click the aria title to launch the music):

"Où va la jeune hindoue" Lakmé (Delibes)

"O zittre nicht" Die Zauberflöte (Mozart)

"Großmächtige Prinzessin" Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss)

"Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille" Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Offenbach)

"Il dolce suono...Ardon gl'incensi" Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)

"Oh! quante volte" I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Bellini)

"Frühlingsstimmen", Op. 410 (J. Strauss)

"Da tempeste il legno infranto" Giulio Cesare (Händel)

"Deh! torna mio bene" (Proch)