Music / klassisk musik 1950 ->

Romances


Reviews (20)


AllMusic

2009

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James Leonard

2009

"Accompanied with deft control and exemplary sympathy by seasoned veteran Roger Vignoles, Oja's recital should be heard by those who enjoy the composers or the repertoire as well as those who simply want to hear an exceptional new singer".


The guardian

d. 10. Mar. 2022

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Erica Jeal

d. 10. Mar. 2022

"19 self-contained scenes that drip with drama ... Her tone at its fullest, all velvet-wrapped steel, gleams with enough edge to cut through anything a full-throttle Rachmaninov piano part can throw at it, and Geniušas does not give the impression of holding back ... Quieter passages bring hints of vulnerability and a more convincing tenderness than most singers of Grigorian's power can summon without the voice losing its poise ... Grigorian and Genušias will make you wonder why you don't hear them more often".


RBB Kultur

d. 4. May 2022

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Kai Luehrs-Kaiser

d. 4. May 2022

"Auf ihrem Debüt-Album singt der litauische Shootingstar Asmik Grigorian (deren Salzburger Salome vor ein Paar Jahren für Furore sorgte) ausschließlich Lieder von Serge Rachmaninov. In Berlin kennt man die Sängerin von den Berliner Philharmonikern (als "Iolanthe"), vor allem aber von der Komischen Oper (Rusalka, Tatjana). Fragt sich, ob Lieder Rachmaninovs bekannt und gut genug sind, um dem sensationell guten Ruf der Sängerin sozusagen zu genügen. Und: Ob sie eine echte Liedersängerin ist?".


MusicWeb international

2007 May

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Jonathan Woolf

2007 May

"These decade-old recordings have stood the test of time. Certainly none of the voices even Leiferkuss quite measures up to the greatest exemplars of the Russian vocal school in this kind of repertoire. But in their more equalized and equable way they present a laudably consonant front. Shelley is outstanding. The set is something of a steal".


MusicWeb international

2023 September

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Göran Forsling (f. 1942)

2023 September

"Polish tenor Piotr Beczala ... has been a star in the leading opera houses worldwide since the late 1990s ... Here, he throws his net wider and indulges wholeheartedly in the songs of Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky ... Beczala has both steel and honey at his disposal, and his mellifluous pianissimos are particularly attractive. As an antidote to the plangent quality of much of Rachmaninov's music, his muscular approach refreshes the atmosphere considerably ... If there is intensity and strong feeling in the Rachmaninov songs, there is even more of that in the Tchaikovsky section ... Beczala certainly wrings the last drop of feeling out of the songs, but he is balanced and stylish ... An utterly valuable addition to the growing discography of the songs of Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky with sensitive, deeply considered singing and playing in a world-class performance".


Presto classical

d. 25. Aug. 2023

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Katherine Cooper

d. 25. Aug. 2023

"Recording of the week: Many of the songs here make formidable technical demands on the pianist as well as the singer, and I mean absolutely no disrespect to Beczała when I say that Deutsch's playing would be worth the price of the album on its own ... Recent excursions into heftier operatic territory haven't dimmed the sunshine in Beczala's voice, and high notes - whether delivered with full-throated ardour or pianissimo delicacy - are unfailingly steady and supported".


MusicWeb international

2023 September

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Roy Westbrook

2023 September

"Overall, this is a most valuable addition to the catalogue of recordings of this marvellous repertoire".


Presto classical

d. 31. Mar. 2022

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Katherine Cooper

d. 31. Mar. 2022

"Editor's choice - March 2022: The white-hot charisma which the Lithuanian soprano brings to roles like Salome and Jenůfa registers just as forcefully in the studio as it does on stage, to the extent that every one of these songs really does feel like an opera in miniature - and Geniušas matches her for sheer magnetism at every turn (check out the postlude of 'What Happiness' for a taster)".


BBC music magazine

2009 January

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Michael Scott Rohan

2009 January

"This is a distinctly beautiful voice, with some power but no undue showiness, an often crystalline top, good diction and expressive intelligence".


Diapason

2012 mars

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Didier van Moere

2012 mars

"Rien de démonstratif dans son interprétation, seulement la noble générosité qu'on lui connaît, la tenue du phrasé, l'homogénéité de la tessiture".


BBC music magazine

2022 August

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Rebecca Franks

2022 August

"Whole worlds are packed into each of the 19 songs on this unmissable debut recital from Grigorian. The Lithuanian's soprano has a steely glint and powerful intensity, but nor does she stint on vulnerability and introspection. Geniušas is a superb piano partner".


Fono Forum

2022 Juni

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Bernd Feuchtner

2022 Juni

"Von Liedern aus op. 4 des 20-jährigen bis zu solchen aus op. 34 des 30-jährigen Rachmaninow reicht die Spanne der Lieder, die hier nicht chronologisch, sondern irregulär, dramaturgisch gereiht erscheinen. Allen gemeinsam ist das Unglücklichsein, in dem die litauische Sopranistin aber nicht badet, sondern das sie existenziell herausschreit ... Ihre Stimme wirkt nackt - wie die Seelen, die sich hier entblössen ... Mit dem russisch-litauischen Pianisten Lukas Geniušas freilich hat Asmik Grigorian einen Rachmaninow-erfahrenen Partner, der mit ihr gemeinsam die Kostbarkeit jedes einzelnen dieser Liedfunder herausarbeitet".


Berlingske tidende

d. 29. Dec. 1999

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d. 29. Dec. 1999


Jyllands-posten

d. 17. Aug. 1999

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d. 17. Aug. 1999


Politiken

d. 12. Sep. 1999

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d. 12. Sep. 1999


The gramophone

2012 April

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David Patrick Stearns

2012 April

"Hvorostovsky opens up these Rachmaninov songs with operatic fortissimos that add stature to the music as well as with pianissimos that can convey depths of quiet terror ... Vocal precision is sometimes compromised. Some of the high, softer notes fail to glow. But his long-admired breath control is, if anything, more impressive ... This is as fine as any currently available single-disc collection of Rachmaninov songs".


International record review

2012 March

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Mark Pullinger

2012 March

"This carefully programmed disc, in broadly chronological sequence, balances cool nostalgia and fiery passion. The arching vocal lines present in many of the songs suit Hvorostovsky's instrument and his delivery is fervent ... His [voice] still a full-throated, virile baritone of great beauty, capable of dramatic declaration".


The gramophone

2023 Awards

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Mark Pullinger

2023 Awards

"The Polish tenor is excellent in Slavic repertoire ... and is an enthusiastic advocate of these two composers ... He is joined by his recital pianist Helmut Deutsch for an extremely well-filled programme of 31 songs ... Beczala takes quite an operatic approach to this repertoire ... He is clearly comfortable in the idiom and displays a heroic tone ... Deutsch is a sensitive partner ... Fans of Beczala need not hesitate".


Opus

2022, nr. 111

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Axel Lindhe

2022, nr. 111

"Litauiska sopranen Asmik Grigorian är bekant för svenska operabesökare ... På den här inspelningen, med följsamt piano ackompanjemang av Lukas Geniušas, kan man njuta av hennes sopran i sånger av Rachmaninov. Efter scenframträdandena i Stockholm var båda publik och kritiker entusiastiska - och det är bara att konstatera att Grigorians mångfacetterade och hänförande sopranröst är helt rätt även i den här repertoaren. Magiskt!".


The gramophone

2022 April

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Mark Pullinger

2022 April

"'Editor's choice: "After triumphs on stage ... Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian makes her solo recording debut ... an album devoted to the songs of Sergey Rachmaninov ... She has an immediately recognisable soprano ... but what's most striking about it is the way she imbues the voice with emotion, conveying a sense of anguish vulnerability or passion. Even on disc, without the visuals, you can hear how Grigorian lives and breathes each song ... Grigorian is utterly compelling throughout ... Pianist Lukas Geniušas is an equal partner dramatically".