Search - Antonio Vivaldi, Giovanni Pergolesi, Alessandro Scarlatti :: Sara Mingardo-Vocal Music

Caution! Previously released material

Kicek&Brys | USA/UK | 03/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All the tracks on this CD previously appeared in Rinaldo Alessandrini's Italian series (plus Handel's "Trionfo...") on OPUS 111 so there is nothing of interest here for those who have been collecting it religiously.Yet the price of the disc doesn't suggest a sampler release! I took it for granted that Mingardo, an artist of such a rare charisma had at last recorded a solo disc. She is one of those singers who immediately absorb our attention and brighten up even the most boring opera productions, so it is not hard to imagine that the same qualities would make her solo recital a winner. To me this disc is still a great opportunity to hear Mingardo in the repertoire she is mainly associated with, but it is a strange collection because many of the samples gathered here don't work too well outside the compositions they are extracted from. Besides, four tracks don't feature Mingardo at all which is a bit strange in a realease of this kind.Mingardo's art certainly deserves a better overview, particularly as her repertoire is not limited to the Italian baroque as this release might suggest, but until we finally get a solo disc from this marvellous contralto, this sampler is certainly worth exploring."

Superior voice/substandard sampler

isabelle a | usa | 06/21/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The ravishing voice of Sara Mingardo is poorly served in this collection of extracts from previously releases. And no texts/translations. Look elsewhere for a better portrait of this artist."