Handel: E vivo ancore?...Scherza, infida (from Ariodante)

“This is singing of great nobility and expressive power, accompanied by instrumental work of exceptional dignity from Il Complesso Barocco. Deeply touching and highly recommended.” The Guardian, 14th November 2008 ****

“The unique warmth of tone is sounded in the first notes even of the lighter Mahler songs. But there's also a spiritual grace in her approach. Key tracks such as Mahler's 'Ich bin de Welt abhanden gekommen'; the spiritual 'Deep river'; her fervent second encore, Brahms's 'Unbewegte laue Luft' and Handel's 'As rosy steps'... place Hunt Lieberson alongside the best of Kathleen Ferrier and Dame Janet Baker, whose Mahler is matched for personality here.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2007 *****

“This mezzo-soprano had a profound musical bond with Mahler, for example, and this is her only extant recording of the Ruckert Lieder. It's a marvel … Roger Vignoles deserves praise, too, for his playing matches Hunt Lieberson in its emotional concentration and directness … "Unbewegte laue Luft" ends the recital on an ecstatic note that surely sent the audience out on a cloud. Indispensable” Gramophone Magazine

“This recital presents a remarkable singer still at the height of her powers some eight years before her untimely death … All in all, this is a cherishable memento of a very special artist” International Record Review

“Here is a mezzo who more than any of her generation bade fair to rival Janet Baker in the warmth, beauty and intensity of her singing” Penguin Guide, 2010 ***

“Here, she is heard in Mahler's Five Ruckert Lieder, the voice unfailingly beautiful, the words evocative, and in the valedictory Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I am lost to the world), serenely resigned and sadly prophetic. A glowing memento of a glorious artist” Sunday Times

“It is difficult to get through this recital without a lump in your throat … Her performance of Mahler's Ruckert Lieder, one of the finest on disc, avoids the usual morbidity and contains flashes of divine revelation ... Essential listening” The Guardian

“The sheer spiritual power, the sheer heartfelt sincerity and warmth of feeling in her every utterance is overwhelmingly moving” The Telegraph