- 18
- June
- 2024
The Last Aria: Jodie Devos’ Untimely Passing
modified on 19 June 2024 à 14:28 Read : 4 minute(s) A A A
Jodie Devos, the dazzling Belgian soprano, has sadly left us for other realms. She passed away suddenly on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Paris, struck by cancer at just 35 years old. In just a decade, this extraordinary artist had won the hearts of the public and the admiration of her peers with a talent as radiant as it was generous.
Revealed in 2014 by winning the 2nd prize and the audience award at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, Jodie Devos quickly established her crystalline voice and magnetic charisma on the most renowned opera stages. From the Opéra Comique to the Paris Opera and the Chorégies d’Orange, the French audience was wholeheartedly captivated by this soprano’s dazzling technique and innate musicality.
Born in Wallonia, where her parents raised ducks, nothing initially destined Jodie Devos for a lyrical career. She transitioned from dance to a late training in singing at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She possessed an irresistible grace and stage presence. Her noble bearing, sparkling eyes, and radiant smile lit up the stage even before she began to sing.
https://youtu.be/D1-CbocY21E?si=QttVlhxYXsSjaJR-
It was through her voice that Jodie Devos truly mesmerized. An instrument of rare purity and agility, it combined in a single breath the diamond-like brilliance of the high notes, the rich density of the mid-range, and the deep foundation of the low notes. Her voice was capable of all the acrobatics and flourishes of the coloratura soprano repertoire while also expressing a wide range of emotions and nuances.
Her intense and captivating performance of the Queen of the Night’s aria Der Hölle Rache from Mozart’s The Magic Flute became legendary. This highly virtuosic coloratura aria showcased the agility and brilliance of her voice in the extreme high register. She also triumphed in the title role of Léo Delibes’ Lakmé at the Opéra de Tours, notably in the famous Bell Song Où va la jeune Hindoue, perfectly suited to her timbre.
Another highlight of her career was her portrayal of Olympia, the mechanical doll in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann at the Opéra Comique in Paris, a role requiring great technical mastery, which she handled with remarkable ease. In the Mozart repertoire, her interpretation of the aria Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio from Così fan tutte was considered ideal, showcasing the full extent and beauty of her voice.
https://youtu.be/p8_LAIB-w4g?si=-HhD7zyyDNdhH72B
But Jodie Devos did not limit herself to pure virtuosity roles. She was a curious and passionate artist, eager to discover rarities in the repertoire. Her highly acclaimed recordings for the Alpha Classics label unearthed forgotten treasures of 19th-century French opera, from Auber to Massenet. An exacting and generous artistic approach, driven by the desire to share these forgotten gems with the public.
Generosity and sharing were at the heart of Jodie Devos’ radiant personality. Far from the whims of a diva, she maintained simple and warm relationships with her partners, directors and conductors. Her infectious energy and constant good humor made her a beloved and admired colleague.
This zest for life and steely determination were what Jodie Devos needed to face the illness that suddenly caught up with her at the height of her art with extraordinary courage and dignity. Until the end, she sang and lived intensely, transcending pain through her unwavering artistic commitment and passion. Witnessing her embody the torments of Electra in Mozart’s Idomeneo one last time at the Paris Opera last April, short of breath but with her voice and will intact, will remain a moment of indescribable grace and emotion.
With the passing of Jodie Devos, the opera world loses a radiant and luminous artist, a lover of life and sharing, a beautiful person who takes with her a piece of the sacred flame of opera. Jodie Devos joins the eternal voices of the greatest legends of lyrical art she so admired, from Maria Callas to Edita Gruberova. And from up there, no doubt her crystalline laughter will continue to enchant the music of the spheres.
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