Strauss, R: Morgen, Op. 27 No. 4 (Morning)

“As always with Isokoski, one either finds a certain humanity in her less-than-rounded tones - or not. Such positive qualities burn from within during songs such as 'Zueignung' and 'Morgen!'...and especially in the lesser-known 'Befreit', a performance whose subtle empathy is a summation of what has always made Isokoski such an endearing figure on the operatic landscape.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2012

“a feat of some of Strauss's greatest solo songs, all sung with high intelligence, in impeccable German, in beautiful sound (the piano especially sympathetic, well-rounded), with accompaniments from Marita Viitasalo impeccably groomed, seldom obtrusive let alone assertive, and perhaps all the better for that...Isokoski does not always seek to cultivate the voice beautiful...She is adept at picking up every nuance” International Record Review, May 2012

“Isokoski begins with disarming lightness of touch...It's easy to forget that, at its core, this is a rich, almost heroic voice, modulating its way with seeming effortlessness through the bigger numbers at the heart of the recital...Isokoski's technique has stood the test of time...Viitasalo is clearly supportive...but more of an accompanist than an equal partner.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 ****

“The intense, silvered beauty of her tone — less peachy and voluptuous than Fleming’s — and the unmannered clarity of her diction are unique in this music today...The strange Ophelia set, rarely programmed, can never have been more sumptuously sung.” Sunday Times, 24th June 2012

“Duffy's is a light, bright soprano with a stylish sense of phrasing and some rapturous top Bs in her armoury...Two stand out: the harmonically wayward 'Junghexenlied', where Duffy has the right abrasive edge and hint of witchy malice, and the radiant 'Als mir dein Lied erklang'” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ***

“She certainly gives a strong interpretation of the six Brentano Lieder, Op. 68, with Vignoles's powerful closing 'Lied der Frauen' a highlight...and both artists are equally impressive in the strongly characterised 'Junghexenlied'...Duffy is also appealing in the gentler songs, such as the tender 'Meinem Kinde', but elsewhere at times one wishes for more varied tonal colour and less climactic passion.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2012

“If the songs of Op. 68 are the most immediately compelling Lieder here, there are other treasures too...after an impeccable entry [in 'Morgen!'], Duffy embraces one of Strauss's most heartfelt melodies before darkening her silvery tone to huge effect in the final lines.” International Record Review, January 2012

“The main work here is the Brentano Lieder of 1918, and it is often said that no single soprano can perform the whole cycle adequately. Duffy manages better than most, partly because there is a cutting edge in her tone...Vignoles, the Strauss pianist par excellence, is infinitely supportive and keeps the volume down to a sensible level.” The Guardian, 10th November 2011 ****

“The technically accomplished and conscientious American Kiera Duffy has the clean, bright tone required for the more upbeat numbers such as Kling, but her Morgen doesn’t float through the ether and elsewhere she can sound a little hard-edged.” The Telegraph, 11th November 2011 ***

“Piau brings her limpid tone, refined phrasing and easy, silvery top notes to this eclectic programme, built around the themes of night, dreams and the fantastic...With virtually accent-free English, Piau gives true and touching performances of three Britten folksong arrangements.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011

“Piau's exquisite voice has a limpid quality all through its range, an evennes of tone which seduces the ear and - art concealing art - she makes her performance sound as easy as breathing...Bouchot's Galgenlieder songs,m with their skewed harmonies, off-centre melodies and dark fairy-tale lyrics, are a fascinating addition to the repertoire too, and Manoff's accompanying is a treat.” Classic FM Magazine, July 2011 ****

“surrender to Piau's gifts as a singer, the purity of her tone, with that light silvery quality that we should associate with the best of the French style, and the effortless, so it seems, spinning of a seamless legato...Everything is grist to her mill, it seems, even Britten's most English songs that she delivers with immaculate diction while sounding completely at home in a second language...this is a sophisticated and a fine artist at work.” International Record Review, July 2011

“This celebration of dreams and childhood is, on the purely sensuous level, an unending delight. Piau's sweet, unforced tone, her bright top notes perfectly integrated with her medium and exemplary diction combine to make this in many ways yet another exmaple of how well Baroque vocal technique translates into the later song repertoire.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ****

“It's a journey whose darkest depths are reached by Vincent Bouchot's use of Morgenstern's Galgenlieder (Gallow Songs), in which are encountered more surreal images – notably the inhabitants of the moon depicted "show[ing] their teeth to the sulphurous hyena" in "Moonthings".” The Independent, 1st July 2011 ***

“there's exquisite playing from Susan Manoff, and no mistaking the beauty of Piau's voice, or her hypnotic way with words. This is singing that sends shivers down your spine.” The Guardian, 7th July 2011 ****

“Joan Rodgers's singing...has bags of personality and that's the main thing...Tone-poem and elegy both start well, but have their problematic interpretative moments...The central sweep, though, is clear and impressive, the Strasbourg strings remarkably fine.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2011 ***

“Don Juan has been played and recorded so often that it might seem impossibile to conjure the music into sounding as fresh as the day it was written. Yet it happens here, with a conductor-and-orchestra team that delivers sweeping panache, needlepoint precision, and vividly characterised solo playing (superb horns!). In the brooding, autumnal Metamorphosen, the quality of the Strasbourg string-playing is if anything higher.” Classic FM Magazine, July 2011 *****

“The account of Don Juan cannot be faulted: ideally paced, with a bold contribution from the horns and strings which are virile and rich. The tension in Metamorphosen, although not low, is a little inconsistent but reaches an impressively passionate climax with good, full-bodied recording. The conductor also provides highly sympathetic accompaniments for his soloist, Joan Rodgers.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2011

“This lusciously rewarding programme opens with an admirably ardent, appropriately cocksure but always musically disciplined Don Juan, played with panache by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg...[Metamorphosen] is beautifully played, finely shaped and exquisitely internally balanced.” Sunday Times, 11th September 2011