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A must for Lucia Popp fans!

09/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2 cds full of Popp at her glorious best, using her crystal soprano with poise, sensitivity and intelligence. No one can linger on notes with such haunting, inner reflection as she could. The mixture of coloratura and dramatic arias, bouncy operetta pieces and expressive lieder makes the perfect showcase for what her voice can do. Especially wonderful are her sweet Solveig of Grieg, moody Mahler, and a perfect rendition (very rare) of Fiordiligi's killer aria Come scoglio from Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. I have never heard anyone sing Rusalka with such atmosphere and moonlit shimmer so I'm glad it's again included on a Popp cd, it's one of her stand-outs. Truly a fine collection. I only wish they had included her magnificent Queen of the Night, the most icy-glamorous, spectacularly precise Queen ever recorded. This cd has her version of the daughter instead of the mother, a poignant and heartbreaking Pamina. Lovely music from a much-missed master of her craft."

A Decade On - Still Sounding Sublime

leejohn333 | 08/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"10 years ago this coming 16th November, Lucia Popp died just 4 days after her 54th Birthday. Considering the exceptional voice, clarity, sensitivity and emotional intensity with which she performs all the songs on this album, the opera world must have been extremely shocked and saddened to lose one of its brightest and most exceptional talents, especially just a few months after the death of the great mezzo-soprano Tatyana Troyanos.As a lasting testament to her artistry, this CD represents a wide ranging repertoire from Mahler, R. Strauss, J.Strauss, Mozart, Lehar, Wagner, Dvorak and many others, showing the great diversity of voice that Lucia Popp possessed, something relatively unusual for what might be classed as a light soprano voice. She certainly knows how to use her voice to its best effect, however, and not one of the songs on this album disappoints, with the singing being exceptional throughout.She sails effortlessly through the runs of Handel's "Oh, Had I Jubal's Lyre", conveys sublime feeling in Pamina's aria "Ach, Ich Fuhl's", and I would go so far as to say that her interpretation of Dvorak's "Song to the Moon", from the opera Rusalka, is by far the best recording you're ever likely to hear. Indeed, it was with this aria that I was first intoduced to the sublime voice of Lucia Popp and without hearing the track first hand, it is difficult to describe the emotions that she manages to evoke. Like the above reviewer, I would have liked to have seen her recording of The Queen of The Night aria included, as well as something from Der Rosenkavalier, but with such a wide ranging repertoire to choose from, I suppose the music company had to draw a line somewhere, otherwise they would have had too many tracks from which to choose.The best advice I can give about this CD is just to go out and buy it! Listen to it and you will not be disappointed! I defy anyone to say that having bought it, they have been not enjoyed it immensely!"