50 Comments

  1. @hedgechair: I once had the pleasure of sitting in on one of Ms Ameling's guest lectures at the Conservatory in The Hague. She speaks four or five languages fluenty, and when she gets excited about something, she'll continue talking about it in the language the student happens to be singing… She's something special!

  2. I got her "after hours" album at an estate sale and after listening a bit I was going to throw it away. I had never heard of her and thought it was some "local" talent that was so-so. Then I googled her and found this (and wiki and other sites detailing her career. I've never liked this style myself, but she is talented.

  3. Cher Madame she was taught to use her hands in this position to enhance the breathe and control the muscles. That is part of the training and she is quite correct. It is my hope that I have helped you to get rid of hate which poisons the mind and heart.

  4. Besides her lovely voice and superb technique, I just love her interpretation. I sing this song myself, and I'm with her all the way, every phrase. The accompanist and Ms. Ameling — the tempo, retards, emphases, everything. Interpretation is so subjective, but this happens to be my cup of tea. 🙂

  5. Too much touring has taken a toll on her voice in this recording.  She sounds ready for a break.  Hope she got one!  Her anchoring is not secure, her breath ragged.  She hangs on, but she sounds tired.

  6. One of the best renditions ever! Excellent enunciation, much better than by native French singers including among the crop of current young singers!

  7. So beautiful. None of the distracting showmanship so characteristic of the mediocre artists today. Old school, yes, with the posture, but all the focus is on the music, not the performer. The difference is a plunge into the depths of spirit, and not some superficial dalliance on the surface. If you want to hear a baritone performance with this same depth and beauty, listen to Gerard Souzay's version of this same song.

  8. The difficulty in this, deceptively simple, song is that the pace of the piano can urge the voice on, and rush the tempo. I sang this for a recital, after working on the heavy weights, like Handel, and it took some time, in rehearsal, to pull back on the voice. The nature of this song is that it should feel elastic; the beginning is an awakening that is liquid and dreamy, and the end is urgent and full of despair, and the tempo should reflect this. In music history we learned that the French did not take to the new heavy operatic voice styles and developed their own, lighter, techniques, often using little in the way of 'head voice'. This 'lighter' voice is more able to trip about on the quick changes in musical direction and create the 'feel' of the French musical style. You can hear that in very old recordings of French singers. I enjoy all genres and all voice types and this one is no exception; a very lovely voice.

  9. Wow, it's a mess rythmically. Take a drink every time she casually and bluntly discards a full value on half notes! She sticks the landing, true, but at the ruthless expense of a dozen precious notes before it!

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