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Wonderful Karita

Markku Piri | Finland | 04/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Karita Mattila is a total package. You enjoy her whole performance, even though it's (mainly) her glittering, emotion-filled lyric-dramatic soprano voice behing the growing success. A major review of a recent London recital with an ambitious programme started with descriptions of her appearance & costumes: the tall blond Venus from the North, a new Garbo! - Catch her live, opera or concert, if you can.Madonna looked the glamorous Eva Peron in film. Mattila could have, and she's a far better actress. She makes Evita her own in Don't Cry for Me Argentina in this recording. What a Kate on stage she would make in Porter's Kiss Me Kate (a sultry, athletic tongue-in-cheek feminist): listen to Wunderbar. Not all the material is ideally suited (I Could Have Danced All Night). But in songs like Tango d'amor and Nur nicht aus Liebe winen (the bittersweet Theo Mackeben song of the Zarah Leander fame) the voice, temper, music and her enjoyment in performing are perfectly matched. The Ondine production is classy, and the Tapiola Sinfonietta orchestra supports the star in lush orchestrations. -Don't be missguided by the poorly styled cover photo where she looks a 50's German operetta singer, she's much more alive:)"