Liszt: Die drei Zigeuner, S.320

“one of the most important recording projects of recent years...Kirchschlager is exquisite and intensely dramatic by turns, though occasionally she could do with more weight in her lower registers. Drake is outstanding throughout.” The Guardian, 12th July 2012 ****

“Kirchschlager's rich, resonant mezzo finds beauties everywhere on this disc, from heights of drama to imtimacies of reflection, and at every turn Drake is with her. I particularly like the way they take their time in the more meditative songs, with expressive silences.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2012 *****

“Several of the songs on the disc are in effect dramatic scenas. Finding a wide palette of colours within her naturally warm mezzo, Kirchschlager is in her element...this recital should open many ears to the richness and variety of his songs.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2012

“The quality of this CD is stunning from every point of view...[Kirchschlager] has the ability to make the hairs on the nape of my neck rise...Drake makes a sensitive accompanist who is perfectly at home with both the exuberant and complex piano parts as well as the more thoughtful.” MusicWeb International, August 2012

“Diana Damrau has a fine line in floated high notes, and the lyrical songs (the majority of those recorded here) benefit from her sweet tone...Helmut Deutsch's accompaniments are of the highest quality, setting the mood from the very beginning of each song and managing Liszt's virtuoso figuration with apparent ease.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 ****

“A gifted Lieder singer with a flawlessly even and shining sound, Damrau knows exactly how to draw the listener into the drama of each song...Deutsch proves yet again what a great accompanist he is too: his insights into the atmosphere and psychology of these works are as compelling as Damrau's.” Classic FM Magazine, February 2012 *****

“The particular qualities of Damrau's lustrous coloratura lend an aura of ethereal beauty to several of her interpretations...Damrau brings a languid voluptuousness to the more famous love songs...There are times when one wishes Damrau would abandon her consistently gorgeous sound production to focus instead on a more vivid characterization of the text. In terms of pure singing, these interpretations are undeniably beautiful.” International Record Review, February 2012

“Liszt's songs are an often-forgotten part of his output. Here are 22 of them, in six languages charting his travels as an internationally renowned virtuoso. Beautifully performed.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012

“you could say that Sylvia Sass had taken the best from Callas's and Sutherland's Norma … ‘Sempre libera’, which sounds appropriately hectic, is fearlessly done (with a tender, ardent incursion from Ian Caley as Alfredo) … her vibrant ‘Suicidio’ is undeniably exciting … The Decca recording is faultless.” Gramophone Magazine

“The very first phrases of the opening aria (Turandot’s ‘In questa reggia’, no less) command attention and let you know that something rather special has arrived on the scene. And as the Puccini arias follow one another it becomes quite clear that here is an exceptional singer, distinctive in timbre, distinguished in artistry. The voice glitters rather than soothes, shines rather than warms. It is powerful, has a wide range, and is firmly placed. The tone can be brilliantly luminous (as in the Turandot aria), or may acquire a deeper kind of radiance (as in the ‘Vissi d’arte’ that follows it).” Gramophone Magazine

“Entering into every nuance of the songs’ moods, and employing a dynamic range from the merest whisper to a full-blooded climax, Sylvia Sass makes the utmost of their not very rewarding vocal line; but the success of this performance is assured by the subtle playing of András Schiff, who conjures up beautiful sounds from the swirling figurations [Bartók] … Die Loreley is an evocative scena, sung imaginatively (and with much flexibility of pace) by Sass, bringing into play a vocal quality as seductive as that of the siren herself; and her gentle singing of the serenade Kling leise, mein Lied would melt the most obdurate heart. … all the performances here are unusually illuminating and satisfying; and the recording is excellent.” Gramophone Magazine (Liszt, Bartók)

“Liszt's songs turn up far less frequently in recital than Schumann's, Brahms's or Wolf's… Ruth Ziesak's selection of 21… forms a good introduction to their varied merits, and her strong interpretative skills… stand her in good stead.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ****