Hypnotize Me: Reynaldo Hahn, "L'Heure Exquise", Philippe Jaroussky Countertenor; Verbier Festival (27 July 2009)

Comments

[Crew Mantle]

And how exquisite was that???

CM seal of vocal approval.

Beautifully trained unforced technique.

If only it were not a rare occurance for a countertenor to fill a modern opera house. This is why there are so many delightful, small barouque houses in Europe. Built at a point in time to do justice to this type of voice.... and that of the castrati.

[Purity]

Is the French for gorgeous "jaroussky"? Thank you so much for sharing this, just beautiful and what a perfect way to finish Monday!

[C'estMoi]

Frankly, I never got how men singing these parts instead of women is 'doing justice' to castrati. They aint any more anatomically exact than a female contralto. Except contraltos in my opinion sound a million times better and less freaky. Countertenors may still be 'rare' but I'm already sick of them.

[Les Mitchell]

I've always had a problem with countertenors, but this particular one is absolutely exquisite. He sounds like a young boy and NOT like a mezzo soprano or contralto. It is my loss that I never cultivated an appreciation for countertenors, as it is also my loss to have never appreciated the operas of Handel. Be that as it may, with the paucity of countertenor roles in main-stream opera, perhaps it is on the recital platform that these voices can find a greater audience. This is a very, very beautiful voice, a very special vocal instrument, and a wonderful Hahn selection to hear again and again. Thanks so much, OC, for posting this beautiful and cherished video.

[Coloratura Tempura]

Reynaldo Hahn is a dream for singers, I LOVE the Susan Graham CD with his songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJIz86Mtyek

[-Ed.]

Exquisite indeed.

[deadtenors]

yeah, i love this setting and i also enjoy faure's from "la bonne chanson" - faure uses arpeggiated contrary motion in the accompaniment to create a magical effect of moonlight reflecting off the water. The sheet music even gives that effect visually. Jaroussky's discs are a winner, but this performance has a hint of pop which, for me, disrupts the beauty. my friend knew reynaldo hahn - Hahn sometimes attended her singing lessons. she would cringe whenever a radio announcer pronounced the "h" at the start of his name. thanks OC, nice start to the day

[Amber]

Gorgeous! Thanks for posting that--gives me an idea for how a countertenor SHOULD sound! Absolutely natural and normal.

[Gerard Killebrew]

A beautiful, incandescent performance of a little gem that is not heard nearly enough. I have loved this chanson since my vocal student days over 30 years ago when I attempted to it justice. Needless to say, not as well as this fine artist.

[Mary Ellens]

The performance was completely affected and very uncomfortable to watch and listen to this singer. And this is coming from a fan of the countertenor voice. This sound is completely false and that of a choir boy with poor French diction to boot. Too bad that mediocre singing full of straight tone and scooping has become what people want to hear nowadays.

[val]

Mary Ellens you should lighten up and enjoy the life more.

Thank you OC!

[mezzosoprano]

OC,
I am surprised at you! The whole thing was sung in falsetto, out-of-tune and with weird pronunciation...his Rs, for example. No, no, non ci siamo. It is a beautiful song but this rendition trivializes it.

[nick]

Just terrible! How can anyone condone such singing???

[B. B. Bruckner]

I liked it. A lot.

[Crew Mantle]

There is nothing which exposes the purity of ones technique more than a recital with piano accompaniment. Mr Jaroussky suffers not from this format.

Often times, in the modern age, the addition of video to a vocal performance will dictate the opinion of those incapable of judgement on purely vocal terms. Or there exists that slender group to which anything out of their narrow pervue is not meet. Rather than these individuals embarrass themselves unspeakably, I advise they walk away from their monitors and simply listen to the voice.

It IS about the voice... not the image, not the mannerisms, not the attire, not the....

[Thomas]

Jaroussky has a beautiful timbre. But the art of the French melody is not part of his skills... No mistery, same tone... let's go back to Susan Graham or Felicity Lott...

[Rachel]

We need more young artists like him.

[El Cajon]

I concur with the naysayers. At first I enjoyed the clip, but the scooping was a problem and the way his voice whitened toward the end made the last couple of notes painful to listen to. A pretty boy but not necessarily a pretty voice.