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Product Description:
Decca is proud to announce the debut solo recording from soprano Danielle de Niese who became a star overnight after her stunning performance as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne in 2005. She will reprise her signature role in the United States at the Chicago Lyric Opera beginning in early November 2007. On this album, Danielle continues to explore her love of Handel's vocal music, singing a selection of arias which perfectly showcase her wide dramatic range, charisma and fresh vocal qualities. Revered Handel specialist William Christie joins her to conduct the award-winning period orchestra Les Arts Florissants. The disc contains pieces from both famous and lesser-known works. These include Giulio Cesare, Rinaldo, Semele, Teseo and Amadigi, as well as an aria from the rarely performed oratorio Apollo e Dafne. At the age of 19, Danielle was the youngest-ever member of the Met's Young Artist Program and made her debut there as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (with Bartoli, Fleming and Terfel). Since then, her career rise has been meteoric and she has gained a reputation as an unparalleled singing actress, particularly in the Baroque repertoire where she has performed with many of its great exponents including Minkowski, Rousset and Christie.
From Amazon.com:
Danielle de Niese, who had her own TV show in Los Angeles when she was still a teenager, has grown into a lovely, alluring, gifted opera singer. The voice is substantial, her agility, impressive, her vibrato is warm and engaging. Hers is not a white, early-music sound, but she has the technique for all of early music's tricks: easy octave leaps, smooth legato backed up by excellent breath control, skill in rapid divisions sung without aspirates. She lacks the ability to sing absolute pianissimo--to spin a line in an ethereal way (as in otherwise fine versions of "Lascia ch'io pianga" and "Piangero?"). Her presence as a "performer" is vivid and intelligent. Semele's "Endless pleasure, endless love" is coquettish but warm; "Dolce riposo" from Teseo has just the right sense of desire; "Tornami a vagheggiar" from Alcina is splendid in its virtuosity. The famous "Da tempeste" from Giulio Cesare shows her at her best--here is Cleopatra finally feeling as if she's back in control. William Christie leads Les Arts Florissants in classy but spunky readings. --Robert Levine
Disc 1
1. Da Tempeste
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2. Lascia Ch'io Pianga
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3. Tornami A Vagheggiar
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4. Dolce Riposo
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5. O Stringero Nel Sen
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6. Felicissima Quest'alma
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7. Il Mio Crudel Martoro
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8. 'Vo' Far Guerra'
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9. Ah Spietato
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10. Myself I Shall Adore
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11. Piangero
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12. Endless Pleasure
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This is vocalising not singing - 
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Danielle de Niese Review
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As I believe that we should not be prejudiced against a performer just because they are good-looking, I decided to give this album a try. All I can say after listening is that Ms de Niese gives pretty people a bad name.
Her sound production is unfortunately bereft of emotional depth, as becomes most painfully obvious in the emotionally charged (or rather, not, in De Niese's version) Lascia ch'io pianga. The classic example of a simple song that is easy to sing and hellishly difficult to sing well, and her performance doesn't come close to being adequate. She has a good mastery of coloratura, but insists on varying it with inappropriate rubato. The level of vibrato doesn't bother me too much, or maybe I was too irritated listening to the utterly disinterested delivery to notice.
In terms of the media hype surrounding her, she would have fitted in well with the grand castrati of yore - it's a pity she doesn't have their level of talent to match. Maybe a (decidedly non-Baroque) cross-over album would be more suited to her talents?
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Enthusiasm, Commitment and, above all, Joy - 
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Danielle de Niese Review
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I have been listening to and performing Handel for many years. Danielle de Niese stands out from so many better known performers because of the quality of joy that she brings to her work. Her singing is committed and has a boundless enthusiasm, and, unlike several of the other reviewers here, I am convinced...entirely...by her singing of these arias. It seems that any new Handel CD at present is measured for dreadfulness against Renee Fleming's very unfortunate sortie. Danielle de Niese needs no such comparison.
I am surprised at how many commented on her physical pulchritude - yes, the unforgiving critic expects this of the modern soprano too. Such pointless silliness was never dragged out when Joan Sutherland or Birgit Nilsson were being evaluated - mercifully, one might add. And Miss de Niese sings the fioriture and runs of 'Tornami a vagheggiar...' with more freshness and agility than Dame Joan ever managed.
It was the freshness that I particularly loved in this recording, and the joy. Both, as another reviewer so aptly said, being infectious...
And the rewiewer who said he is unlikely to play this CD a second time - perhaps he would be so kind as to pass it in my direction? Thank you.
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Dreadful - 
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Danielle de Niese Review
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First off, there is no denying that Danielle de Niese is a beautiful woman. That is made patently obvious by the many glamour shots sprinkled throughout the liner notes that make her look like a young Paula Abdul. Second, her voice is not bad by any stretch. But WHAT is she doing singing Handel? Her vibrato is atrociously wide, including during runs, which confuses the melody so much that it would be difficult to actually transcribe any of her runs or ornaments; they just sound like muddy messes. Her high register is quite pretty, but she does not possess the technique required to switch between registers quickly--a must in baroque singing--and therefore when she does pop into her high range it sounds screechy. Of all the up-tempo arias on this album, the only one that "works" is "Vo, fa guerra," and that's only because once Ms. de Niece is done squawking through the aria, there is some truly fantastic harpsichord playing--although even that is done in a completely non-baroque style. I'm not saying that Danielle de Niese doesn't have a future in music, or even classical music, but she needs to stay away from baroque music, and coloratura in general. This is an even more misguided effort than Renee Fleming's unfortunate Handel album, and I never thought I would say that.
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A Disappointing Attempt to Specialize in Handel -
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Danielle de Niese Review
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This recording is disappointing. Although she may be incandescent in an opera house and appealing in the video ad for this recording, the performance is mediocre. While de Niese obviously sings with great passion and commitment, that is not enough to be ranked a great or even competent singer of Handel. You must also bring dramatic insight, nuance, intelligence, and finesse to your interpretations. Unfortunately, de Niese lacks these much of the time. Too often she is too loud and course, projects an overly wide vibrato, and executes coloratura sloppily and haphazardly. There are far superior Handel recital cds out there. Want to invest in a cd that will blow you away? Buy Sandrine Piau's _Opera Seria_ or Julianne Baird's _Glorious Handel: Soprano Arias_ (both are breathtaking all-Handel discs) instead.
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NO ONE SINCE BEVERLY SILLS - 
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Danielle de Niese Review
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has sung Handel's Cleopatra with as much attention to text, phrasing and dramatic intent than Danielle de Niese does here in two excerpts from the opera. It makes sense to "clobber" a listening audience right from the get-go with an outstanding "Da Tempeste", already an elaborately-florid aria adding just enough tasteful ornmanetation to bring it to life. What follows is an intelligent integration of opera and oratorio arias shifting among allegro, adagio, major and minor keys that keep a listener's attention.
I have read the nay-sayers here, and can understand their reservations. If you are used to the kind of textbook type historically-accurate (baroque tuning and instruments) performances of Handel's operas where the singers never go louder than mezzo-forte and hush-whisper their way through recits, then Ms. de Niese will not be your kind of performer. Remembering that opera is singing acting and not "a beautiful sound exposition" (thank you, Graziella Scuitti), Miss deNiese isn't the kind of "oh, listen to my beautiful high C" armchair singer, but wants you to experience the inherent drama in baroque opera. At the same time, she isn't all dramatic declaration either - the kind of "clinched and calculated" singing a la Bartoli. She doesn't use vocal technique alone, but as a means to an end. It's the argument as old as opera - beautiful sound versus expressive use of sound.
Christie and forces provide a instrumental backdrop that is more than mere accompiament to these arias. I, however, wouldn't have minded a substantial cut in the harpsichord solo in the "Rinaldo" aria in exchange for an additional aria.
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