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 La Traviata (Fremont Opera) Review – A Summer of Camelias
By Philip G. Hodge – September 2010
“Last night I attended my sixth performance of La Traviata this summer, this one by the Fremont Opera. And every time there were tears in my eyes as the orchestra played the final notes of Act III.
….And when Danielle Talamantes finally appeared the audience rose as one to greet her portrayal of Violetta in standing applause.
As the orchestra was playing the overture, Ms Talamantes was demonstrating her acting skills without opening her mouth except for a near-silent cough now and then. By her facial expression and body language she told us that she was a sick woman, that she was so-o-o tired, that doing anything was difficult and probably not worth the effort, and that life was probably not worth living.
The overture finishes and blends into the opening music of Act I. Her party guests are arriving! In an instant she rises to the occasion and puts on her party face. She is all smiles and laughter, flitting from one guest to another with flirtatious looks and suggestive body language. She had already won our hearts – and then she started to sing – and we might just as well end my review right here and jump ahead to the standing ovation mentioned above. If you were there, you don’t need my words; if you were not there, my words would be wholly inadequate.
We are going to hear more about young Ms Talamantes. (I say “young” because she received her Bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in1998 and sang her first role (Yum-Yum) only 7 years ago. According to the program notes, she will be a cover for several roles at the New York Met this coming season. I certainly don’t want to wish bad luck on any of the Met stars, but let me put it this way: IF she is covering one of the roles in an opera on the Met HD schedule, and IF the singer she is covering should, at the last minute, be unable to go on for a scheduled performance, THEN I hope that the performance in question is the one on Met HD.”
FREMONT’S TRIUMPHANT “TRAVIATA”
It’s not often that a fortunate operagoer witnesses the birth of a star. This reviewer was lucky to hear an ebullient young soprano burst onto the stage of NYC’s old City Center Opera: Beverly Sills. Then, in his SFO debut, an unfamiliar tenor stunned us in “La Boheme”: Luciano Pavarotti.
Now it seems that lightning has struck again in the person of Danielle Talamantes, brilliant star of Fremont Opera’s recent “La Traviata”. You needn’t take just my word for her excellence. The winner of many prestigious opera awards, including the 2010 Irene Dalis Vocal Competition, she has been chosen to cover major roles at the Metropolitan Opera for their new season.
This lovely lithe soprano gave perhaps the most moving portrayal of Verdi’s doomed heroine in my 50+ year memory of famous Violettas. From pleasure-seeking to passionate to pathetic, she embodied all the tragic stages of a woman awakened to true love only to nobly sacrifice her happiness and die.
Even on a warm Sunday summer afternoon, an audience of “mature” listeners rose to a standing, shouting, whistling ovation (many visibly teary) as she took her bows. In accents German, Russian, and French, they could be heard expressing their astonishment at the profound emotional effect of her singing and acting.
Many praised the discerning musical judgment of Fremont Opera’s Artistic Director David Sloss, who had discovered this extraordinary artist 15 months ago, and sponsored her first Bay Area performance.
From her strong opening notes to a final dying outburst, she completely commanded the stage, with body language, facial expressions, and the tiniest hand gestures to complement her virtuoso vocal character portrayal. Never overly histrionic like some famous divas, she conveyed her feeling with exquisite restraint but great visceral impact. It’s a rare quality, and will assuredly earn her international acclaim. By Susan Steinberg, Reviewer for “The Independent” September 2010
TALAMANTES ENCHANTS AS VERDI’S VIOLETTA
“Danielle Talamentes has the pipes, the looks and the smarts for a very promising future in opera. But when you add her impressive Italian diction and acting skills to the mix, you have a bona fide star on your hands. It comes as no surprise that Talamantes will join the nation's largest opera company, Metropolitan Opera, as an understudy next spring.
Her rendition of “Sempre libera” (“Forever Free”) of Act 1—where Violetta sings of her inner conflict between her attraction to Alfredo and her desire to stay free and single—was one of the production's brightest highlights. Another stunning Talamantes moment was the aria “Morir si giovane” (“To Die so Young”) of the last scene, which left the audience breathless and reaching for the elusive Kleenex pack.” Eman Isadiar – San Francisco Symphony Examiner, August 30, 2010
“Danielle was absolutely beautiful. The voice is radiantly lovely, and she sings with consummate musicality. The audience loved her - everyone stood up for her curtain call. One of the orchestra members, who's played a number of shows at SF Opera and elsewhere, said, "Best 'Sempre libera' I have ever heard!" David Sloss – Artistic Director & Principal Conductor of Fremont Opera, La Traviata, August 28, 2010
“Four of the ten finalists this year were mezzo-sopranos,” said Irene Dalis, who herself enjoyed a successful international opera career as a mezzo-soprano before retiring to her hometown of San José in 1977. Amazingly, we had just one soprano among the finalists, but she was, indeed, amazing. Danielle Talamantes demonstrated such magnificent vocal agility and mastery that she simply took everyone’s breath away! And for the third consecutive year, our audience members showed just how knowledgeable they are by picking as their favorite the same singer who won over our distinguished panel of judges. Her winning arias were “Ombre légère” from Meyerbeer’s Dinorah and “Ach, ich fühls” from The Magic Flute by Mozart. Judges for the competition were James Caraher, artistic director of Indianapolis Opera; Lotfi Mansouri, former general director of San Francisco Opera and the Canadian Opera Company; and Christina Scheppelmann, director of artistic operations at Washington National Opera and former artistic administrator at San Francisco Opera.” Irene Dalis – General Director of Opera San Jose, May 20, 2010
"Ms. Talamantes's portrait of the jilted sweetheart, Micaëla, may have been the strongest performance of this role I have ever heard..." David Lindauer, The Capital - March 9, 2008
"Danielle Talamantes' lovely operatic voice was marvelously vibrant and nuanced." – Brahms Requiem, Cecelia Porter, Washington Post - November 18, 2007
"Sopranos Lisa Eden and Danielle Talamantes shared the spotlight in a recital for the Vocal Arts Society's Discovery Series Monday evening on the Kennedy Center's Millenium Stage, The performance's greatest flaw was that it ended too soon. Danielle Talamantes' selections showcased a more operatic side of the recital repertoire. Her remarkable acting ability, as well as her brilliant high notes, came to the forefront.... She proved appealing in comedy as well as she parodied a Donizetti diva.... Her coloratura and evenness of registers were impressive..."- Ronni Reich, Washington Post - April 2007
"Danielle Talamantes was a standout as a sassy, pert and very pretty Susanna with spot-on comic timing, She was as adept with facial and vocal expressions as she was with the lute in Act II" – Le Nozze di Figaro, Mark Estren, Washington Post - December 18, 2006
Having recently returned to her native Washington, DC area, Danielle has quickly become one of the regions most sought after soloists. She brings an incredibly luxuriant voice to the stage, matched only by her beauty and ability to emotionally connect with the audience. Appearing before sold out houses Ms. Talamantes continues to garner the attention of a number of classical music organizations, symphonies, and opera companies with their eyes set on ticket sales and attracting audiences. A special presence on stage, Danielle has the audience asking, at the evenings' end, the age old question: "when can we expect to see her again?"
Recent appearances include spring 2009 performances as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Haydn's Creation, and Mozart's Coronation Mass. Fall found Danielle as the featured soloist in Beethoven's Choral Fantasy for the National Philharmonic Chorale & Orchestra, October 2009; Gretel for Opera on the James, November 2009; soloist in Handel's Messiah for the National Philharmonic & Chorale, December 2009. The new year found her as the soloist in Brahms' Requiem, June 2010; as Violetta in La Traviata for Fremont Opera, August 19-30, 2010; as "special guest artist" for the Southeast Regional Songfest, October 20-22, 2010; soloist in Handel's Messiah for the National Philharmonic, December 10-11, 2010; and as soloist in Haydn's Harmoniemesse for the Blacksburg Choral, December 14-15, 2010
Upcoming appearances include soloist in Mozart's Coronation Mass for the National Philharmonic, February 11-13, 2011; as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte for Sacramento Opera, February 5-27, 2011 (cancelled); and as Najade (cover) in Ariade auf Naxos for the Metropolitan Opera of New York, April 18-May 13, 2011.
Opera roles include Dinorah by Meyerbeer, Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Micäela in Bizet's Carmen, Gretel in Humperdink's Hänsel & Gretel, Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Despina in Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte, and Alexandra in Blitzstein's Regina. Solo concert performances include appearances with the New Dominion Chorale, City Chorus of Washington, Oratorio Society of Virginia, Capitol Hill Chorale, Prince William Symphony Orchestra, New River Valley Symphony North Carolina Master Chorale and Norwalk Symphony.
Ms. Talamantes' recent competition honors include 1st place & Audience Choice in both the March 2010 Irene M Cooper Competition and the May 2010 Irene Dalis Competition, 1st place in the 2008 XII Concurso de Trujillo, 2nd place in the prestigious Liederkranz Competition, 4th place in the Seoul International Music Competition, 1st place in the International Lotte Lehman Cybersing and Vocal Arts Society Discovery Series Competitiona as well as advancing as a Semifinalist in the Domingo Operalia and Quasthoff Das Lied competitions. In addition, she appeared in 2007 to a sold-out solo recital, in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, as National Winner of the 2006 National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education & Vocal Performance from Virginia Tech, 1998 cum laude and a Master Degree in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College, 2001. She currently coaches with Carlos Rodriguez and Joy Schreier of Washington National Opera.
ROLES PERFORMED
NAJADE (Cover), Ariadne auf naxos, MET, April 3 – May 18, 2011
PAMINA, Die Zauberflöte, Sacramento Opera, February 2011 (cancelled)
VIOLETTA, La Traviata, Fremont Opera; August 19-30, 2010
GRETEL, Hänsel & Gretel, Opera on the James, November 2009
PAMINA, Die Zauberflöte, Prince William Symphony, April 2009
ANNA, Love's Comedy (Premier), George Mason Univ. Opera Festival, 2008
ALEXANDRA, Regina, Long Leaf Opera, 2008,
MICÄELA, Carmen, Annapolis Opera, 2008
GRETEL, Hänsel & Gretel, Nevada Opera, 2008
SUSANNA, Le Nozze di Figaro, Opera Bel Cantanti, 2006
CORILA, Le Convenienze de Teatrali, Opera Theater of Northern VA, 2006
ERSTE DAME, Die Zauberflöte, National Philharmonic Orchestra, 2005
ROSINA, Il Barbiere si Siviglia, Opera Bel Cantanti, 2005
YUM-YUM, The Mikado, Washington Savoyards, 2003
ORATORIO AND CONCERT APPEARANCES AS A SOLOIST
Coronation Mass, Mozart, National Philharmonic, February 2011
Messiah, Handel, National Philharmonic, December 2010
Danielle Talamantes In Concert, Various Composers, NOA Southwest Regional Songfest, October 2010
Elijah, Mendelssohn, Choralis, June 2010
Requiem, Brahms, Oratorio Society of Virginia, March 2010
Messiah, Handel, National Phil. Chorale. & Orch., Dec. 2009
Choral Fantasy, Beethoven, National Phil. Chorale. & Orch, Oct. 2009
Coronation Mass, Beethoven, Blacksburg Master Chorale, April 2009
Das klagende Lied, Mahler, North Carolina Master Chorale, 2009
Messiah, Handel, National Phil. Chorale & Orch., 2008
Israel in Egypt, Handel, City Choir of Washington, 2008
Requiem, Faure, Kennedy Center, 2008
Vespers of 1610, Monteverdi, City Choir of Washington, 2008
Solo Debut Recital, NATSAA Winner, Weill Hall (Carnegie Hall), 2007
Messiah, Handel, Norwalk Symphony, 2007
Ein Deutsches Requiem, Brahms, Choralis, 2007
Requiem, Mozart & Salieri, The Capitol Hill Chorale, 2005
Te Deums, Bruckner & Dvorak, Vienna Choral Society, 2004
Exsultate Jubilate, Mozart, Prince William Symphony, 2004
MUSICAL TRAINING
Voice Teachers: Elizabeth Daniels, Daniel Pratt, Nancy McDuffie, Mark Riddles.
Voice Coaches: Carlos Rodriguez, Joy Schreier, Richard Crittenden.
Conductors:Yves, Abel, Thomas Beverage, Frederick Binkholder, Stan Engebretson, Richard Fazio, Joseph Flummerfelt, Piotr Gajewski, Gretchen Kuhrmann, Grant Lewellyn, J. Reilly Lewis, Zdenek Macal, Kurt Masur, Webster Rodgers, Guido Rumstadt, Robert Shafer, Robert Shaw, Steven Sloan, Al Sturgis, Emanuel Villaume, Julian Wachner, and David Wiley.
EDUCATION
BA Degree in Music Education & Vocal Performance – Virginia Tech, 1998 cum laude; MM Degree in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy – Westminster Choir College, 2001.
AWARDS
2010 1st Place & People’s Choice Award – Irene Dalis Vocal Competition; 2010 Winner – Irma M. Cooper/Opera Columbus International Vocal Competition & People’s Choice Winner; 2010 2nd Place NOA Vocal Competition; 2009 Semi-finalist – Quasthoff Das Lied, Berlin; 2008 1st Place - XII Concurso de Canto Lirico Trujillo; 2008 2nd Place - Liederkranz Competition; 2007 4th Place - Seoul International Music Competition; 2007 Semi-finalist – Operalia Competition, Paris; 2006 Winner - Lotte Lehmann International Cyber Sing Competition; 2006 Winner – National NATSAA Competition; 2006 Winner – Vocal Arts Society Discovery Series.
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