Danish archive, concert given March 09, 1972 in Frederiksberg. Conductor: Herbert Blomstedt. Danish radio symphonic orchestra Denmarks Radio Concert Hall.
For me, there is NO other work; NO other performance; NO other artist; that surpasses THIS musical moment in beauty.................. It is beyond sublime..... ROBERT WHITE
Well said! As a fan who has seen and heard your live performances (in Belfast, N. Ireland in the 1980s) I have to say that your own flawless lyric voice is high on my list too, although Baker would be at the top.
what I love more about this woman is that every time she stands on a stage, she looks so natural and humble, and respects music so much that makes me cry. brava.
I dont understand why people come here and say they like other singer's interpretation better...well if you sing you know individuality makes opera very interesting....and to me I feel that she puts all her soul into this song...not to mention her wonderful techniques and control. :)
You're so right. Her version deserves as much admiration as Regine Crespin's or Anne Sophie Von Mutter's. That's so much work to do that, and their final products are so perfect. Why choosing. I don't know if you understand the words of the poem, but they are the best you can write in poetry. Our today's french is so poor.
I totally agree with you: it makes no sense to compare the greatest among the great to one another: they are exceptional, every one of them, though almost perfect in everything, is really perfect in some pieces corresponding perfectly to that music at that moment.
It's difficult to say why something moves us -- much easier to find fault, to detail what doesn't work. This performance of this song is, for me, transcendent. It takes me to another world, because Baker is so committed to being the spirit, the soul, of the rose. Think how amazing that is -- to embody so powerfully a poet's abstract idea, to be able to convey to listeners that what they're hearing is the point of view of the scent of a flower. That's what Janet Baker, on the back of Berlioz's sensitive setting of Gautier's words, achieves. Sure, she has a beautiful voice and a solid technique. But what really makes this as wonderful as it is the sheer size of her heart, which encompasses the greatness of the song and the humility of its subject.
Sublime artiste, sublime interprétation!!! Quelle intelligence, quelle beauté, quel souffle, quelle diction, quelle intériorité, quelle émotion! Divine Janet!!! Merci! Merci! Merci!
@@SimonSimon-rn3tm ?! Vous avez réuni ensemble, la voix sublime, le legato souverain, la diction remarquable, avec, à une exception près, les voyelles françaises exactes. Vous avez l'homogénéité des registres, l'intériorité de l'interprétation, l'émotion continuellement palpable, la sensibilité... Et vous n'êtes capable que de parler de son petit nez.... C'est assez navrant !
What I loved about Janet Baker is that she never---I mean "never"---lost the arch of the line in the text. And the line of her incredible voices was always burnished with such a mature timbre. She will always be the gold standard for me.
This video dated 1972 shows us a fantastic singer little remembered today, Dame Jane Baker, in this song La specter della Rose by Berlioz. Her vibrant and exciting voice, warm and penetrating and fantastic diction. Great......she deserves a greater memory
Janet Baker is well remembered as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century by anyone who knows about the art of opera/leider singing. The masses don’t remember her or even know of her existence, however no surprise there.
Janet Baker is a true communicator. I had started listening to other versions of this piece, but have given up before the end of most. They didn't tell the story, they simply sang the tune.
This a fantastic recording and very moving. Whenever Dame Janet sings "J'arrive,,,," the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. No other version does this. I have been privileged to hear Dame Janet live but only in Mahler and Elgar. My regret is that I was not fortunate enough to hear her sing this cycle live.
Every single word of praise must remain a helpless attempt of describing the glimpse of heaven we just heard. The gift she made us is beyond words. Just thankful!
Che artista sublime...molto incisiva e sempre un'ombra malinconica nella voce mediata, dalla Ferrier....che la rende Romanticamente presente con un'alchimia che media dal fatto di conoscere il bel canto italiano, e un legato spianato da manuale, come poche.Chapeau!
We throw the word great around now to refer to things that are mostly just loud, or are mere conglomerations of fake emotion. Baker is great, because she gets to the soul of things. If you are not moved by this, you have somehow lost your way on the winding road of human.
@Roy Doughty. So true. The world "Great" is just as abused as "Luxury," they lose their true meaning by being continually misused and debased. In any era there are but a handful of genuinely great singers, nowadays fewer than ever it seems, but there is absolutely no doubt that Janet Baker is one of those who can be classed this way and her recorded legacy is there to prove it.
L'art de Janet Baker est d'autant plus grand que la musique de Berlioz dans les Nuit d'été est bien insipide et les poèmes de Gauthier vraiment d'une mièvrerie insurpassable! Janet Baker : la classe! Chapeu et merci pour tout. Nul glamour que de l'art, du goût et du savoir-faire. Un exemple à suivre, assurément.
Faaaantastic piece ... the music and , oh my god , the words !!! Dame Janet Baker is such a gifted musician and singer . My first love in classical singing along with Monrserrat Caballé
Janet Baker is one of the very rare singers to have such variety of repertoire. Here she deploys an immensely deep emotion which her voice rends very well with a superb comprehension of the French text. Her sense of phrasing and legato are of rare beauty, always towards music in one of most amazing compositions by Berlioz. With intensity and integrity she conceives music and poems as a complete entity and incorporates every possible detail. Her musical accents are so intelligent & emotional that make this performance truly exceptional, especially in due of the poor literacy poems by Gautier.
Every night my rose-colored wraith Will appear at thy bedside and dance. But fear not, for I am now owed Neither Mass nor De profundis. This fragile perfume is my soul, And Ive arrived here from paradise. My destiny was to be envied, And to suffer so lovely a fate More than one would gladly have died, For thy bosom became my grave; And on the alabaster where I repose The poet there with his soft kiss
Bonté divine! Ça me laisse sans voix chaque fois je regarde cet enregistrement. Et je le déjà connais depuis des années. C'est simplement au-delà de toute expression et je ne me laisse pas de le regarder sans fin. Je pourrais faire l'éloge de toute ses capacités sublime et de cette perfection en tout les détails ici, mais pourquoi? Ça m'émeut profondément et c'est le mystère dela musique (ou peut-être dela bonne musique très bien fait)! Je connais aussi les autres interprétation des nuits d'été ici sur RUclips et pour moi personnellement celle-ci est l'heure de gloire. Et dans cet ordre des 6 chanson juste avec l'expression la plus accompli, je trouve. Pour moi ça représente justement le vrai pouvoir dela musique de toucher en plein coeur. J'adore Janet Baker et également Berlioz mais ici, au moins selon moi, ils ont obtenu quelques minutes de ciel.
I was fortunate to hear her singing this.... with piano, and in a bad accoustic, but still wonderful and memorable, and in fact the last time I heard her...x
Still the best rendition. Happy 89th birthday! Soulêve ta paupière close Qu'effleure un songe virginal ; Je suis le spectre d'une rose Que tu portais hier au bal. Tu me pris encore emperlée Des pleurs d'argent de l'arrosoir, Et, parmi la fête étoilée, Tu me promenas tout le soir. Ô toi qui de ma mort fus cause, Sans que tu puisses le chasser, [Toute la nuit]1 mon spectre rose À ton chevet viendra danser : Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame Ni messe ni De Profundis ; Ce léger parfum est mon âme, Et j'arrive du du paradis. Mon destin fut digne d'envie ; [Pour avoir un trépas]2 si beau, Plus d'un aurait donné sa vie, [Car j'ai ta gorge pour]3 tombeau, Et sur l'albâtre où je repose Un poète, avec un baiser, Écrivit : Ci-gît une rose Que tous les rois vont jalouser.
Over the years I have had so many recordings of Mrs. Janet Baker, from Barber's Sea Songs, and other pieces, yet this is a remarkable piece that really Givers her a excellent exercise of her wonderful voice.
I have at the advice of other commenters listened to oompteeen other singers and they all sing beautifully. But this is the only version that moves me so deeply.
Thank you so much for sharing this. It brings back happy memories of hearing her live in Manchester in the 70s. What you get on record is the extraordinary quality of the voice and her response to text. What you get when you see her perform is how she completely embodies what she's singing about. It communicated with extraordinary power, as it does on this film.
Having just viewed and listened to a very choppy performance ot this mélodie from Joyce DiDonato, I am pleased to have come across this version, which strikes me as a model of continuity. Brava Baker!
So Beautiful! (Dame Janet Baker is one of a few, (Angela Gheorghiu, Frederica Von Stade, Licia Albanese,) for example, that make me crumble, at the touch of huskiness and pathos that they all share in the voice. This is magnificent!
I mistakenly thought so, too, for years until I heard his Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale which Wagner himself called the summit of French music. Listen, you will neither be bored NOT pants-less, my friend
I have always love the great Dame Janet Baker since I heard her at the first time singing Bach's Magnificat. She shines specially in this kind of repertoire, showing her sublety and absolute domain of her voice and interpretation. She simply does exactly what she want, with any difficult. I'M IN LOVE WITH HER. Very thanks for post this videos. :)
HERE'S THE TEXT BOTH IN FRENCH AND IN ENGLISH: Soulêve ta paupière close Qu'effleure un songe virginal ; Je suis le spectre d'une rose Que tu portais hier au bal. Tu me pris encore emperlée Des pleurs d'argent de l'arrosoir, Et, parmi la fête étoilée, Tu me promenas tout le soir. Ô toi qui de ma mort fus cause, Sans que tu puisses le chasser, Toute la nuit mon spectre rose À ton chevet viendra danser. Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame Ni messe ni De Profundis ; Ce léger parfum est mon âme, Et j'arrive du du paradis. Mon destin fut digne d'envie; Pour avoir un trépas si beau, Plus d'un aurait donné sa vie, Et sur l'albâtre où je repose Un poète, avec un baiser, Écrivit: Ci-gît une rose Que tous les rois vont jalouser. ****************************************************** Open your closed eyelid Which is gently brushed by a virginal dream! I am the ghost of the rose That you wore last night at the ball. You took me when I was still sprinkled with pearls Of silvery tears from the watering-can, And, among the sparkling festivities, You carried me the entire night. O you, who caused my death: Without the power to chase it away, You will be visited every night by my ghost, Which will dance at your bedside. But fear nothing; I demand Neither Mass nor De Profundis; This mild perfume is my soul, And I've come from Paradise. My destiny is worthy of envy; And to have a fate so fine, More than one would give his life, For on your breast I have my tomb, And on the alabaster where I rest, A poet with a kiss Wrote: "Here lies a rose, Of which all kings may be jealous."
Merveilleux... Oui , supérieur à Crespin , à Gens , à Von Otter , à Te Kanawa : plus de passion , plus de sensibilité et de présence au texte .. ( Et puis voix plus belle , tout simplement ...)
Bien sûr qu'elle est supérieure à Gens, même ma mère le serait avec deux ou trois leçons de chant! Mais à Crespin ? Si tu n'aimes pas entendre de la voix, peut-être.
@@DiomedesDioscuro Je viens encore de réécouter la Crespin : oui , supérieure à Crespin qui chante sans passion , et dont la voix est sans saveur vraie. Mais des goûts et des couleurs ... Bon ..
@@patrickheurley2686 Peut-être, j'étais juste dans une croisade contre Baker, dont la réputation je considère excessive. Mais il est possible qu'elle chante mieux cette chanson que d'autres choses. D'ailleurs moi je n'aime pas trop cette chanson.
@@DiomedesDioscuro Ciao amico mio , Non , je ne crois pas qu'il faut parler de "réputation excessive" avec J. Baker . Le problème des voix c'est compliqué ! Si on s'en tient à la justesse technique , il y a des dizaines et des dizaines de voix qui méritent d'être appelées "des belles voix" ; mais après il y a les couleurs , les accents , l'investissement , et tout ça dépend en partie des affinités psychologiques d'un artiste - chanteur , pianiste , violoncelliste - avec un compositeur. Il y a des intelligences musicales supérieures qui permettent de comprendre aussi bien Verdi que Haendel , Mozart que Purcell etc. Et là , il y a déjà moins de monde ! Mais sans aller chercher trop loin , notre immense Cécilia Bartoli est capable de nous offrir ça ... Baker est extraordinaire , insurpassable , dans ces Nuits d'été , elle est merveilleuse dans Elgar ; pour le reste , effectivement il y a peut-être mieux , je ne sais pas ... Amicalement !
Superb, very well sung, and with the necessary sensuality. The high notes do not strain her voice. My only objection is that she makes a huge, open, tragic lament out of it. I consider her version second only to Crespin, who remains the definitive interpreter of this sublime song.
Having made myself familiar with Crespin and Hunt's renditions, I would say it's a matter of taste. Janet rivets me with the beauty of her expression and voice ;Lorraine with wonderful control ,musicality. Regine I admire more in opera than this song cycle...
Quelle est cette façon de toujours comparer les interprètes. Mmme Baker chante drôlement bien les Nuits d'été. Il est vrai que Crespin le chante divinement. Chacun a sa façon d'interpréter, et c'est bien ainsi.C'est comme visiter un pays, et dire ici ce n'est pas comme chez-moi. Que c'est détestable! Si tu ne veux pas la différence, reste chez-toi.
I grew up with the Crespin/Ansermet ....came to love Baker's Elgar....Ludwig's Mahler. Love them all....comparisons are inevitable, but this particular performance of Spectre of the Rose is sublime
C'est magnifique. On ne se lasse pas d'écouter et de réécouter Janet Baker.
For me, there is NO other work; NO other performance; NO other artist; that surpasses THIS musical moment in beauty..................
It is beyond sublime..... ROBERT WHITE
Well said! As a fan who has seen and heard your live performances (in Belfast, N. Ireland in the 1980s) I have to say that your own flawless lyric voice is high on my list too, although Baker would be at the top.
what I love more about this woman is that every time she stands on a stage, she looks so natural and humble, and respects music so much that makes me cry. brava.
Quelle beauté ! Il vient l'émotion à l'écoute de Janet Baker.
Her French is impeccable. Incredibly focused on expressing the song. Soulful, Brilliant !
Absolutely incredible - no words are adequate to describe this perfection in singing.
As a french speaking person. i can say that it's my favorite version
I dont understand why people come here and say they like other singer's interpretation better...well if you sing you know individuality makes opera very interesting....and to me I feel that she puts all her soul into this song...not to mention her wonderful techniques and control. :)
Marcus Hi, I totally agree. She is the best so far. No one even close to her eternal singing.
Beside Regine Crespin the abolute top!
You're so right. Her version deserves as much admiration as Regine Crespin's or Anne Sophie Von Mutter's. That's so much work to do that, and their final products are so perfect. Why choosing. I don't know if you understand the words of the poem, but they are the best you can write in poetry. Our today's french is so poor.
I totally agree with you: it makes no sense to compare the greatest among the great to one another: they are exceptional, every one of them, though almost perfect in everything, is really perfect in some pieces corresponding perfectly to that music at that moment.
Incredible, authentic emotion
as to me, this woman was the best singer ever
It's difficult to say why something moves us -- much easier to find fault, to detail what doesn't work. This performance of this song is, for me, transcendent. It takes me to another world, because Baker is so committed to being the spirit, the soul, of the rose. Think how amazing that is -- to embody so powerfully a poet's abstract idea, to be able to convey to listeners that what they're hearing is the point of view of the scent of a flower. That's what Janet Baker, on the back of Berlioz's sensitive setting of Gautier's words, achieves. Sure, she has a beautiful voice and a solid technique. But what really makes this as wonderful as it is the sheer size of her heart, which encompasses the greatness of the song and the humility of its subject.
Pas seulement une grande cantatrice mais surtout une grande interprète!
I have never yet listened to this rendering by Dame Janet Baker without crying.
+Eildert Beeftink And I too at 81 and male!
Terry Jones what does your gender have to do with crying. I'm so confused...?
Sublime artiste, sublime interprétation!!! Quelle intelligence, quelle beauté, quel souffle, quelle diction, quelle intériorité, quelle émotion! Divine Janet!!! Merci! Merci! Merci!
Non NOn NON
@@SimonSimon-rn3tm ?! Vous avez réuni ensemble, la voix sublime, le legato souverain, la diction remarquable, avec, à une exception près, les voyelles françaises exactes.
Vous avez l'homogénéité des registres, l'intériorité de l'interprétation, l'émotion continuellement palpable, la sensibilité...
Et vous n'êtes capable que de parler de son petit nez.... C'est assez navrant !
@@SimonSimon-rn3tm 🤡
What I loved about Janet Baker is that she never---I mean "never"---lost the arch of the line in the text. And the line of her incredible voices was always burnished with such a mature timbre. She will always be the gold standard for me.
I totally agree. This trait is true for all great artists.
My favourite Berlioz, The depth of expression and beauty of Dame Janet's singing is most moving.
this version is the perfection itself. I really had to stand at the end out of pure respect for Dame Janet Baker
This video dated 1972 shows us a fantastic singer little remembered today, Dame Jane Baker, in this song La specter della Rose by Berlioz. Her vibrant and exciting voice, warm and penetrating and fantastic diction. Great......she deserves a greater memory
Janet Baker is well remembered as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century by anyone who knows about the art of opera/leider singing. The masses don’t remember her or even know of her existence, however no surprise there.
I Love this woman..Just pure class. Magical
Janet Baker is a true communicator. I had started listening to other versions of this piece, but have given up before the end of most.
They didn't tell the story, they simply sang the tune.
No one can sing this like Dame Janet! Brava!
Crespine can. I love both
Crespin
I don't think that this has ever been equalled..........Bravo Dame Janet.
This a fantastic recording and very moving. Whenever Dame Janet sings "J'arrive,,,," the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. No other version does this. I have been privileged to hear Dame Janet live but only in Mahler and Elgar. My regret is that I was not fortunate enough to hear her sing this cycle live.
le romantisme francais, a la perfection. gauthier, berlioz, baker.
C'est ma préférée. Elle est indépassable. On peut faire aussi bien, mais pas mieux.
Grande artiste! Grande interprète! Grande sensibilité! C'est du raffinement tout pur. Et quelle magnifique musique! Merci Jolicrasseux.
Mrs. Baker sung the hell out of that! Today everyone would have applauded appreciatively.
Every single word of praise must remain a helpless attempt of describing the glimpse of heaven we just heard. The gift she made us is beyond words. Just thankful!
JB is the very best, remarkable voice and feeling
Che artista sublime...molto incisiva e sempre un'ombra malinconica nella voce mediata, dalla Ferrier....che la rende Romanticamente presente con un'alchimia che media dal fatto di conoscere il bel canto italiano, e un legato spianato da manuale, come poche.Chapeau!
We throw the word great around now to refer to things that are mostly just loud, or are mere conglomerations of fake emotion. Baker is great, because she gets to the soul of things. If you are not moved by this, you have somehow lost your way on the winding road of human.
It is true. I have heard so many versions of this piece... There are no words.
@Roy Doughty. So true. The world "Great" is just as abused as "Luxury," they lose their true meaning by being continually misused and debased. In any era there are but a handful of genuinely great singers, nowadays fewer than ever it seems, but there is absolutely no doubt that Janet Baker is one of those who can be classed this way and her recorded legacy is there to prove it.
Such a beautiful song and amazingly sung by Baker. Haven't heard a better performance.
magnifique ! je ne m'en lasse pas ! en plus la prononciation est parfaite ! chapeau !
Merci dame Janet Baker .
Annick
Breathtaking such a rich creamy voice no other singer sounds like Janet baker thanks for posting
Merveilleuse diction !
Merci Madame.🙏
Such a beautiful soul that ever existed, so impressive
L'art de Janet Baker est d'autant plus grand que la musique de Berlioz dans les Nuit d'été est bien insipide et les poèmes de Gauthier vraiment d'une mièvrerie insurpassable! Janet Baker : la classe! Chapeu et merci pour tout. Nul glamour que de l'art, du goût et du savoir-faire. Un exemple à suivre, assurément.
Flawless.
Je viens de visualiser à nouveau cette prestation. Eh bien, moi aussi, j'arrive du paradis. Tout simplement merveilleux !
C'est magnifique. Merci beaucoup, beaucoup, beaucoup madame Baker.❤
With Christa Ludwig the greatest post war mezzo for me. Just unimaginably superb.
Marvellous! Nobody does it better!
This leaves me a jibbering wreck. Simply perfect.
Faaaantastic piece ... the music and , oh my god , the words !!! Dame Janet Baker is such a gifted musician and singer . My first love in classical singing along with Monrserrat Caballé
La perfection
Absolutely fabulous
l'émotion intacte, un hymne merveilleux: ce léger parfum est mon âme...
Her Berlioz ' s Marguerite de Faust realy was hypnotic for me as I was discovering singing ... her voice is unique , made me dream so much .
A fantastic enterpretation! Janet Baker gives it all, her hart and soul. Wonderful!
Just how wonderful can a song & interpretation be!! This is beautiful, Janet Baker in fine voice.
simply great! I have no words for this phantastic interpretation.
Janet Baker is one of the very rare singers to have such variety of repertoire. Here she deploys an immensely deep emotion which her voice rends very well with a superb comprehension of the French text. Her sense of phrasing and legato are of rare beauty, always towards music in one of most amazing compositions by Berlioz. With intensity and integrity she conceives music and poems as a complete entity and incorporates every possible detail. Her musical accents are so intelligent & emotional that make this performance truly exceptional, especially in due of the poor literacy poems by Gautier.
Every night my rose-colored wraith
Will appear at thy bedside and dance.
But fear not, for I am now owed
Neither Mass nor De profundis.
This fragile perfume is my soul,
And Ive arrived here from paradise.
My destiny was to be envied,
And to suffer so lovely a fate
More than one would gladly have died,
For thy bosom became my grave;
And on the alabaster where I repose
The poet there with his soft kiss
vivemafille Right? How much more beautiful can poetry be? “And all the kings will be jealous of me.”
Un pur instant de bonheur. Quelle interprétation !
A pure moment of happiness. What a performance!
Bonté divine! Ça me laisse sans voix chaque fois je regarde cet enregistrement. Et je le déjà connais depuis des années. C'est simplement au-delà de toute expression et je ne me laisse pas de le regarder sans fin. Je pourrais faire l'éloge de toute ses capacités sublime et de cette perfection en tout les détails ici, mais pourquoi? Ça m'émeut profondément et c'est le mystère dela musique (ou peut-être dela bonne musique très bien fait)! Je connais aussi les autres interprétation des nuits d'été ici sur RUclips et pour moi personnellement celle-ci est l'heure de gloire. Et dans cet ordre des 6 chanson juste avec l'expression la plus accompli, je trouve. Pour moi ça représente justement le vrai pouvoir dela musique de toucher en plein coeur. J'adore Janet Baker et également Berlioz mais ici, au moins selon moi, ils ont obtenu quelques minutes de ciel.
Yes, Janet Baker is wonderful as is Regina Crispin
Andre Khamasmie je pense exactement comme vous. Superbe. !!!!!
Wonderful, incredible.
Wonderful ! Thank you very very much ! What a lesson, my God !
so captivating. what a sound! gorgeous. love her, love her, love her. so glad somebody posted some JB
she owns the song
I love her! Just absolutely beautiful!
On ne peut que dire, bravo madame! Quel délice! Grâce à votre voix et votre talent extraordinaire, je suis arrivé au paradis en vous écoutant.
What an amazing performance and singer... Dorothea
Her Diction is immaculate
I was fortunate to hear her singing this.... with piano, and in a bad accoustic, but still wonderful and memorable, and in fact the last time I heard her...x
Still the best rendition. Happy 89th birthday!
Soulêve ta paupière close
Qu'effleure un songe virginal ;
Je suis le spectre d'une rose
Que tu portais hier au bal.
Tu me pris encore emperlée
Des pleurs d'argent de l'arrosoir,
Et, parmi la fête étoilée,
Tu me promenas tout le soir.
Ô toi qui de ma mort fus cause,
Sans que tu puisses le chasser,
[Toute la nuit]1 mon spectre rose
À ton chevet viendra danser :
Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame
Ni messe ni De Profundis ;
Ce léger parfum est mon âme,
Et j'arrive du du paradis.
Mon destin fut digne d'envie ;
[Pour avoir un trépas]2 si beau,
Plus d'un aurait donné sa vie,
[Car j'ai ta gorge pour]3 tombeau,
Et sur l'albâtre où je repose
Un poète, avec un baiser,
Écrivit : Ci-gît une rose
Que tous les rois vont jalouser.
it makes me wanna cry... her voice is just beautiful and so inspiring...
Over the years I have had so many recordings of Mrs. Janet Baker, from Barber's Sea Songs, and other pieces, yet this is a remarkable piece that really Givers her a excellent exercise of her wonderful voice.
Absolutely wonderful!
elle a du souffle!! on peut pas faire plus lent
I do agree with you, your words are true and precise
Sublime!
Glorious as usual! Is Dame Janet ever less than great? I think not!!
I have at the advice of other commenters listened to oompteeen other singers and they all sing beautifully. But this is the only version that moves me so deeply.
Thank you so much for sharing this. It brings back happy memories of hearing her live in Manchester in the 70s. What you get on record is the extraordinary quality of the voice and her response to text. What you get when you see her perform is how she completely embodies what she's singing about. It communicated with extraordinary power, as it does on this film.
Having just viewed and listened to a very choppy performance ot this mélodie from Joyce DiDonato, I am pleased to have come across this version, which strikes me as a model of continuity. Brava Baker!
Don’t even mention Joyce in the same setence as Dame Janet.
Stunning. All is there in her. My, just without words. Merci, Madame
Grande cantante, Grande artista.
This is 100% LIVE! Not a note out of place...
How stunning, simple and deeply moving. Such singing!!!
Très belle interprétation, et quelle diction!
Magistral interpretación de Janet Baler..
So Beautiful! (Dame Janet Baker is one of a few, (Angela Gheorghiu, Frederica Von Stade, Licia Albanese,) for example, that make me crumble, at the touch of huskiness and pathos that they all share in the voice. This is magnificent!
Beautiful , stirs the heart, so at ease for all the range. All concentration of the text.
gorgeous! So is Crespin!
Bravissima! Happy 80th Birthday!
Cést tres jolie! mercie Melinanilles... toujurs!
Sp glad I discover her! Beautiful! I must hear more from her!
A great artiste at work, a truly marvelous singer.
The best....
O toi qui de ma mort fus cause!
Breathtaking...
I mistakenly thought so, too, for years until I heard his Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale which Wagner himself called the summit of French music. Listen, you will neither be bored NOT pants-less, my friend
ジャネット·ベイカーさんのばらの精が、今まで聴いた中でいちばん素敵です。
Divina!
I have always love the great Dame Janet Baker since I heard her at the first time singing Bach's Magnificat. She shines specially in this kind of repertoire, showing her sublety and absolute domain of her voice and interpretation. She simply does exactly what she want, with any difficult. I'M IN LOVE WITH HER. Very thanks for post this videos. :)
HERE'S THE TEXT BOTH IN FRENCH AND IN ENGLISH:
Soulêve ta paupière close Qu'effleure un songe virginal ; Je suis le spectre d'une rose Que tu portais hier au bal. Tu me pris encore emperlée Des pleurs d'argent de l'arrosoir, Et, parmi la fête étoilée, Tu me promenas tout le soir.
Ô toi qui de ma mort fus cause, Sans que tu puisses le chasser, Toute la nuit mon spectre rose À ton chevet viendra danser.
Mais ne crains rien, je ne réclame Ni messe ni De Profundis ; Ce léger parfum est mon âme, Et j'arrive du du paradis.
Mon destin fut digne d'envie; Pour avoir un trépas si beau, Plus d'un aurait donné sa vie, Et sur l'albâtre où je repose Un poète, avec un baiser, Écrivit: Ci-gît une rose Que tous les rois vont jalouser.
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Open your closed eyelid Which is gently brushed by a virginal dream! I am the ghost of the rose That you wore last night at the ball. You took me when I was still sprinkled with pearls Of silvery tears from the watering-can, And, among the sparkling festivities, You carried me the entire night.
O you, who caused my death: Without the power to chase it away, You will be visited every night by my ghost, Which will dance at your bedside. But fear nothing; I demand Neither Mass nor De Profundis; This mild perfume is my soul, And I've come from Paradise.
My destiny is worthy of envy; And to have a fate so fine, More than one would give his life, For on your breast I have my tomb, And on the alabaster where I rest, A poet with a kiss Wrote: "Here lies a rose, Of which all kings may be jealous."
Merveilleux...
Oui , supérieur à Crespin , à Gens , à Von Otter , à Te Kanawa : plus de passion , plus de sensibilité et de présence au texte .. ( Et puis voix plus belle , tout simplement ...)
Bien sûr qu'elle est supérieure à Gens, même ma mère le serait avec deux ou trois leçons de chant! Mais à Crespin ? Si tu n'aimes pas entendre de la voix, peut-être.
@@DiomedesDioscuro Je viens encore de réécouter la Crespin : oui , supérieure à Crespin qui chante sans passion , et dont la voix est sans saveur vraie. Mais des goûts et des couleurs ... Bon ..
@@patrickheurley2686 Peut-être, j'étais juste dans une croisade contre Baker, dont la réputation je considère excessive. Mais il est possible qu'elle chante mieux cette chanson que d'autres choses. D'ailleurs moi je n'aime pas trop cette chanson.
@@DiomedesDioscuro
Ciao amico mio ,
Non , je ne crois pas qu'il faut parler de "réputation excessive" avec J. Baker . Le problème des voix c'est compliqué ! Si on s'en tient à la justesse technique , il y a des dizaines et des dizaines de voix qui méritent d'être appelées "des belles voix" ; mais après il y a les couleurs , les accents , l'investissement , et tout ça dépend en partie des affinités psychologiques d'un artiste - chanteur , pianiste , violoncelliste - avec un compositeur. Il y a des intelligences musicales supérieures qui permettent de comprendre aussi bien Verdi que Haendel , Mozart que Purcell etc. Et là , il y a déjà moins de monde ! Mais sans aller chercher trop loin , notre immense Cécilia Bartoli est capable de nous offrir ça ... Baker est extraordinaire , insurpassable , dans ces Nuits d'été , elle est merveilleuse dans Elgar ; pour le reste , effectivement il y a peut-être mieux , je ne sais pas ...
Amicalement !
Et je maintiens que , sauf le respect qu'on lui doit , R. Crespin est "une belle voix" qui n'a pas très bien vieilli
Gorgeous voice! ♥️
Brava ♡
Seulement une fois dans la vie. Danke sehr.
Superb, very well sung, and with the necessary sensuality. The high notes do not strain her voice. My only objection is that she makes a huge, open, tragic lament out of it. I consider her version second only to Crespin, who remains the definitive interpreter of this sublime song.
I love very much this version, as well as Crespin's, but I recommend you Lorraine Hunt.
Having made myself familiar with Crespin and Hunt's renditions, I would say it's a matter of taste. Janet rivets me with the beauty of her expression and voice ;Lorraine with wonderful control ,musicality. Regine I admire more in opera than this song cycle...
Non , et pourtant dieu sait qu'on peut adorer Lorraine ...
Quelle est cette façon de toujours comparer les interprètes. Mmme Baker chante drôlement bien les Nuits d'été. Il est vrai que Crespin le chante divinement. Chacun a sa façon d'interpréter, et c'est bien ainsi.C'est comme visiter un pays, et dire ici ce n'est pas comme chez-moi. Que c'est détestable! Si tu ne veux pas la différence, reste chez-toi.
I grew up with the Crespin/Ansermet ....came to love Baker's Elgar....Ludwig's Mahler. Love them all....comparisons are inevitable, but this particular performance of Spectre of the Rose is sublime