"La Diva" by Natalie Choquette ‎(1995)

I have heard people talking excitedly about her, long before I have actually set my eyes on her - according to my friends, Natalie Choquette ‎gives a spectacular, unforgettable one-woman show and by all accounts it was something completely unique, however I never expected that I would actually have chance to see her performing live. And than it happened - I clearly remember browsing the Dutch newspapers (that was long before I actually started learning the language, obviously I understood some bits and pieces) and finding that she is actually going to have a concert in The Hague. So off, to The Hague I went, I think with two friends who were thrilled as I was.

Canadian soprano Natalie Choquette ‎is completely unique artist in a current classical music world because she has discovered a intriguing and I must say delightful manner to market herself - she is a comic diva. Obviously, there is a vocal training, talent and experience + natural gift for acting, so where hundreds of others would swoon and faint and do the usual prima donna shtick, Choquette creates characters like a spoiled diva, a Russian matryoshka doll, a olympic sportswoman, a beggar lady who in a moment turns into a sex kitten and so on. Each of her song had another character and not only that she hugely entertained the audience, she also soared to the ceiling with a magnificent voice so it was a evening of warmhearted laughter and also a beautiful music.  

Instantly, I bought this album as a memento on a unforgettable evening - apparently she has recorded much, much more both before and after this one, a quick check on her website details that Choquette is busy as ever. It seems she is loyal to her Canadian recording company, which perhaps explains why she is not more promoted but on the other hand, she has a great reputation as a live performer so that makes her always welcome on the stages around the world. The material on this album does not give away her comical talent - this is pure classical music, performed seriously like arias from "Faust", "Samson et Dalila", "Rigoletto", "Porgy and Bess" and naturally the most popular of them all, "Carmen". I have noted that she actually sounds much better in real live performance but this can also be because she is excellent live performer and there is a beauty, joy and excitement in actual performance that cannot be translated in the studio.