Jessye Norman as Cassandra in Les Troyens
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- The 15th Metropolitan Opera Performance of Hector Berllioz Les Troyens
Conductor James Levine, Staged by Fabrizio Melano
Several of the Trojan women are praying at the altar of Vesta/Cybele for their soldiers to receive divine aid. Cassandre reports that Énée and other Trojan warriors have rescued Priam's palace treasure and relieved people at the citadel. She prophesies that Énée and the survivors will found a new Troy in Italy. But she says also that Chorèbe is dead, and resolves to die. The other women acknowledge that Cassandre was correct in her prophecies and their error in dismissing her. Cassandre then calls upon the Trojan women to join her in death, to prevent being defiled by the invading Greeks. One group of women admits to fear of death, and Cassandre dismisses them from her sight. The remaining women unite with Cassandre in their determination to die. A Greek captain observes the women during this scene, with admiration for their courage. Greek soldiers then come on the scene, demanding the Trojan treasure from the women. Cassandre defiantly mocks the soldiers, then suddenly stabs herself. Polyxène takes the same dagger and does likewise. The remaining women scorn the Greeks as being too late to find the treasure, and commit mass suicide, to the horror of the Greek soldiers. Cassandre summons one last cry of "Italy!" before she collapses, dead.
Norman was a vocal force of nature. She also had one of the most beautiful and dramatic faces ever, like a Goddess. RIP Jessye.
A voice that demands respect and so beautiful. The ever great Jessye Norman. How we will love, respect and miss you forever. 😘
So sad to hear of her passing. A true great in the history of opera. Her legend will live forever.
This is the most powerful and suggestive scene i have ever seen in an opera..... Incredibly beautiful... Wonderful Norman..
Definitely one of the most badass scenes of opera. Women just waiting to mock their would-be oppressors.
Jessye Norman is not just one of the most gifted singers with one of the greatest and most beautiful voices ever- but she has all the qualities to make a performance both convincing and memorable. Magnificent.
Nous ne t'oublierons jamais Jessye Norman ! Dors parmi les étoiles qui te ressemblent !
Grâce à l'extraordinaire prestation d'un grand J.Levine, d'une sublime J.Norman, d'une envoûtante et majestueuse T.Troyanos, d'un superbe P.Domingo, d'un A.Monk enchanteur et tant d'autres merveilleux artistes, Hector Berlioz n'aura plus jamais à dire:"Ah ma noble Cassandre, ma vierge héroïque, je dois me résigner à ne jamais t'entendre!" Magnifique cadeau de la part de la Met. Plus bel hommage ne pouvait-être rendu à l'oeuvre ou Virgile et Shakespeare se côtoient. Merci ruizdechavez
I want to thank PBS channel 13 for introducing Me and my Cousin to this Wonderful Soprano Rest with Love Queen We simy adored you My only regret was only seeing you on tv not that we didnt try but at that time you were rising but we cheered you on every chance we got I know I'll never forget You
Rest in peace, dear Jessye! Thank you!
Wow the greatest Soprano the voice is heavenly acting superb what more can you ask bravo miss Norman .
Jessye Norman totally amazing singer.
A treasured memory was getting to see this production of Les Troyens at the Met, [twice!] with the great Jessye Norman as Cassandra- a truly unforgettable performance. Norman had such a spectacular voice, she filled that "barn" of an auditorium with sound! She is a legend, an immortal.
¡¡¡LA MAGNIFICA; LA INCOMPARABLE NORMAN!!! EN UNA DE SUS MAS GRAN-
DIOSAS INTERPRETACIONES. ¡¡¡QUE CANTANTE Y QUE ARTISTA DE UNA
PERSONALIDAD MAGNIFICAS!!!
In light of the rush to "re-open the country" during this pandemic, this scene reverberates in a whole new way.
Or as Cassandra sighed when offered a menu at the victory banquet being held in the shadow of that colossal wooden horse, "This may not be Florida, but you people are eating way too early."
love it!
what an emotion!!! great performance! i love the intensity of acting, the thousend colours of her voice. stunning!!!
BRAVO MISS NORMAN. AN UNDERESTIMATED ARTIST THAT DESREVED FAR FOR RECOGNITION THAN SHE HAS GOTTEN!!👏👏👏👏
Jessye simply blows all off the stage--she was amazing!!
Magnifica Aria Jessye Norman y coros magistral
She's amazing!!! 👏🌹
Estupenda Casandra,pasión ,matices, sutileza....Y una voz iinigualable.
Gracias Felipe!
A magic moment. Thanks for posting!
A very powerful performance!
Norman power and beauty are incredible.
AWESOME!!!!
❤❤❤ forever Jessye!
Merci pour votre comment. Pour les merveilleux mots : :"Ah ma noble Cassandre, ma vierge héroïque, je dois me résigner à ne jamais t'entendre!"
Agree... Thanks for your comment
What an amazing entrance
Помним. Любим. Скорбим.
Please publiced the complete opera!
The best Cassandra ever. The production does not do justice to Berlioz's materpiece, though.
If I was the lady she grabbed I would of passed out too 😭😂😂
haha yeah! go jessye!!
So many pigtails!
Her thin period.
what language is that
A.C.S.
Look at all those PIGTAILS!!!!
Une grande perte pour le monde lyrique. Sa voix résonera encore longtemps dans la mémoire collective
Norman was a very great singer but she wouldn't have a career today - thanks to the idiocy of contemporary directors -- mostly gay -- and the sycophantic general managers. They have ruined opera.
Why is being gay relevant in your comment ?
I’ve never bought her performance in this opera. At all. She sounded very strange through it all desperately trying to work her very covered sound through the lower passages in the French. She lacked the nasal quality and direct communication of the text. And frankly hardly anyone sings Cassandra/Dido with a normal large scale voice. It’s a famously weirdly cast role for sopranos/mezzos with Zwischenfach tones utterly in between. It’s better when just done by a clear higher mezzo or a clear dramatic soprano. As usual Norman turns the whole affair into a weird “a journey into resonation self- discovery”. Using her in-between voice to play round the passaggi of voice registers making it “colors” was her game. The effect is strange. Loud here and there yet hollow. Her acting was well… she looks like a large tarantula here, bug eyed and gnashing with signal sign arms, all in diagonals. Norman got away with a lot of ridiculousness that other singers would have had been laughed off the stage with. From far away it looked somewhat effective. The voice was rather cavernous toned and loudly hollow. It had an organ quality that became absurd at times. Almost like she was refusing to sing normally and decided to just “bellow” past us mere mortals.
This is terrible. The conducting is lacking any of the urgency and tension needed from the orchestra. They're all about to commit suicide and it sounds more like an evening at the WI. The tempi are far too slow and Norman's french is horrible, so it's dramatically flat. What a ridiculous ending!
Alex Daniel, I agree about the tempi, and they're supposed to plunge to their death by jumping off a cliff. But it's an opera, not real life - so we need to make considerable concessions, because Berlioz's imagination didn't! As for the French, I'm generally critical of most non-native speakers, but I was impressed by hers. The key thing here, though, was the intensity of her interpretation.
I was in the LSO chorus in the original revival of the opera by Colin Davis at a Prom in 1969. As a Berlioz fanatic, I went to three performances at Covent Garden in 1970. Anja Silja was fine, but not a patch on Jessye Norman, and the mass suicide was a complete farce, as were many aspects of the poorly choreographed production. I've got no idea what your benchmark might be, but I feel strongly that your comment is completely off the mark.
Peter Brodie My bench mark is Tonio Pappano at Covent Garden, Georges Pretre from Rome, Myung Whun-Chung from Paris and John Nelson from Geneve. Even Fabio Luisi recently at the Met conveyed a better sense of urgency and dynamism. I prefer my Berlioz to be fast and dramatic I find it speaks better.
Alex Daniel, I can't disagree with you on the urgency and dynamism of the conducting, but it seems a bit unfair to condemn Jessye Norman at the same time! I'd also suggest that there are significant passages in Berlioz which need expansive treatment, such as the love scene in Romeo and Juliet and the central four songs in Les Nuits d'Été.
Thanks for your response.
Alex Daniel As for her French being “terrible”, perhaps you should take it up,with the French themselves, as they asked her to sing their national anthem in Paris. If it’s good enough for THEM.....!
@@peteradaniel Your profile picture says all we need to know about you and your opinion . She was awarded Légion d'honneur and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France which suggests they were quite impressed by Ms Norman. Won anything lately? Ever?