Alice Coote Handel recital (3 September, Proms 2015)
Thadieu and I had a lot of fun listening (each on our side of the Atlantic) to Coote’s Handel recital (with the English Concert) at the Royal Albert Hall via Radio 3. I don’t know if you can find it on the i-player (I couldn’t) but it would be a shame if it wasn’t stored.
She started with a few teasing bars from Myself I shall adore then broke into a playful Sta nell’Ircana. A rather balanced Scherza, infida and a very slow He was despised were also there, as was the entire Myself I shall adore, with the orchestra sounding particularly buoyant, but I think the star of the night was Dopo notte.
Since it’s my favourite Ariodante aria I’ve heard a good number of renditions, with many making an impact – from fierce (Fagioli) and muscular (VK) to gently joyous (Hallenberg), bubbly (JDD) or quietly resonant (Blythe). Coote’s is closest to Hallenberg’s, more introverted than hers yet luminous – very much in keeping with (how I see) the character. Needless to say, I loved it, as I enjoyed the just right tempo.
There were also several times during the recital when I was reminded why I like the mezzo voice: intimate, warm (of course), soft yet intense. Something that I’ve long thought specific to Coote’s voice is a darkness not so much of timbre as of feeling. She can convey searing hurt just by adding pressure to a syllable.
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Posted on September 5, 2015, in audio only, baroque, mezzos & contraltos and tagged alice coote, handel, proms 2015, the english concert. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
opera, innit? 
Not to worry, it’s here.
i already sat through a 2nd round yesterday and plan on 3rd round today 🙂 . then i was searching for her “alcina” but i guess there isn’t any more except the stuttgart’s one…
Some more notes on my side too: (notes! haha! better not get caught)
– that messiah piece is way too slow
– it’s the first time i really get to know her voice! i think it takes a live performance for me to gauge. was such a pleasant sound and i was impressed how high she goes and the ease with it!
– dopo notte: introverted Ariodante who opened her (his) joy to the whole universe by the 2nd verse, you can’t help but happily joining in.
you should try to catch her live, it’s indeed such a beautiful sound. I keep being stubborn about wanting to hear a Baroque recital from her and she keeps being stubborn by singing other stuff here 😉 I thought about attending this one but the Royal Albert Hall has iffy acoustics especially if you’re not at the front.
btw, have you heard her Sesto? There is a recording from the Barbican a few years back. She’s doing a good job there as well and you get a good feel for her voice and dramatic strengths (that thing I wrote about at the end of the post).
I think she sang Ruggiero a lot yet that is the only live recording (save for the Pamplona from last year which is a technically terrible recording that I didn’t manage to sit through).
i saw her live once! as der Komposer! everything was going ok until Bacchus showed up, i threw in my towel and demanded a refund 😀 . actually that was also my first time hearing the role so was very unfamiliar. really need to hear her in Händel it seems. (was also the same for me w/ S. Connolly, the live Händel recital she gave in Frankfurt, always stick in my mind.)
That link i gave in DC after this recital, i finally caught on also how descriptive her singing is. that’s really the thing that separates a singer who will stick and those who’s just passing by (the mind).
well, but Bacchus is only in at the very end (thank you, Strauss). That’s when you make out with your date or take a well deserved nap 😉
yea, a singer has to make an impact somehow otherwise it’s just a pretty voice (that’s how I feel about Anna Stephany right now).
I heard AC in some Britten and was not particularly impressed but it might be I didn’t care about Britten’s stuff too much.
I sat through the whole thing last night in the office. I didn’t mind how slow He was despised went, it seemed very contemplative. Predictibly Myself I shall adore got stuck in my head. Once again I thought the selection was excellent. So to praphrase that tune, if I persist in listening, Handel I shall adore 😉 as opposed to up to now…
-ps meanwhile, it’s Strauss i shall adore ;), i’m amazed again how beautiful his music is.. but it does require certain singers.. he’s got this very particular way of having trailing violin with melancholy tunes after sopranos..
way of having trailing violin with melancholy tunes after sopranos..
the violins = Strauss 😉
it’s true the music is beautiful and it’s always women’s voices as at the forefront!