A. Gabrieli: Passe'e Mezzo

Advantages: Kasarova's personal touch. Virtuosic without showing off
Disadvantages: She doesn't keep singing forever

...This CD is a compilation of 10 operatic arias for the mezzo soprano voice. The line up ranges from the Baroque opening number to the Classical Mozart to the late Romantic Bel Canto Donizetti opera numbers. All are gloriously sung by the Bulgarian mezzo Vesselina Kasarova, and beautifully accompanied by maestro Friedrich Haider and the Munich Radio Orchestra/ Chorus of the Bavarian Radio. Vesselina Kasarova is known for her multi-coloured deep and melancholy voice (a very distinctly identifiable one at that!) and her interpretative intensity. Every note that she sings is a part of the story she is telling. Her florid coloratura (virtuoso decoration of the main melodic line) is legendary, and yet they are never gratuitous. This is a dream singer for anyone who likes drama and theatrically involved singing..... and she doesn't compromize... Read review

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Advantages: Susan Graham sings nearly everything
Disadvantages: She doesn't live next door to me...

...The American mezzo-soprano opera singer Susan Graham is in high demand at all the major opera houses of the world. This CD is a good introduction to this talented singer and her wide ranging repertoire (from the hard core operas by Haendel, Gluck, Mozart, and Berlioz to the light operettas of Yvain and Messager to the contemporary songs of Ned Rorem and Jake Heggie). Due to her strong voice and imposing physique (standing 5'10'' tall), Ms Graham is particularly successful in the 'trouser roles' where the female singer plays a male part on stage (tracks 1-6 features arias sung by 2 of her best known trouser parts). Her voice is a light lyric high mezzo soprano with effortless high notes. It is radiant, clear, and rather lighter than what one would expect from a typical mezzo (similar to Anne-Sofie von Otter's and Magda Kozena... Read review

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Advantages: Bellini's music. Gruberova, Kasarova, Bernardini
Disadvantages: Morosow

...voice without actually miming. You just hear it in the voice. Her Act II 'Ah! se un'urna e a me concessa' brought the house down... and then she tops it off with the closing aria! The young Bulgarian-Swiss mezzo Kasarova (only 27 yrs old at the time) sounds like she has this lively stallion of an upper register that she just managed to keep it under control.. very thrilling. Her opening harp accompanied aria 'Ah! non pensar che pieno' is one of the most simple and beautiful thing. This is one of the first recordings of hers and it already shows how dramatically committed she is to her character. And she is even better in ensemble numbers than in solos. It is almost eerie hearing her numbers with Gruberova. They sound like the same voice shifted a few notes upward or downward. Such a perfectly matched pair of voices that at times it's almost... Read review

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