Soprano Natalie Dessay to perform in Korea
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Natalie Dessay
By Kwon Ji-youn
French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay will meet her Korean fans for the first time at a concert at the Seoul Arts Center Tuesday.
Dessay, who studied voice at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux, became a highly acclaimed soprano after winning a series of competitions, including the Les Voix Nouvelles and the International Mozart Competition, and performing as a chorister in Toulouse.
A number of theaters approached her during her studies at Paris Opera’s Ecole d’Art Lyrique, and she landed opportunities to sing at the Opera National de Lyon and the Opera Bastille.
Subsequently, she joined the Vienna State Opera, after which her performance as Olympia in “The Tales of Hoffmann” received a lot of praise from critics.
In 1994, Dessay made her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York, where she took on the role of Fiakermilli in Richard Strauss’s “Arabella.” But in 2001, she began to experience vocal difficulties and underwent surgery on one of the vocal chords in 2002. She returned to the stage in 2005.
Since her last appearance at the Theatre du Capitole in Toulouse on Oct. 15, 2013, Dessay has been on a sabbatical from operatic performances that will end at the end of 2015.
But she has continued to perform as a dramatic actress and chansonnier.
French pianist Philippe Cassard, whose technique is said to be close to perfect, will join her on stage at the Seoul Arts Center at the upcoming concert.