Diana DAMRAU

"During the past decade, German soprano Diana Damrau has emerged as a great cult diva, and these two discs, released simultaneously, tell us why. Her range and versatility make it hard to believe they are the work of the same artist. Both programmes blend the familiar with the rare. For Virgin Classics, she sings coloratura show-stoppers by Mozart, his rival Salieri and their obscure, if gifted, contemporary Vincenzo Righini (1756-1812). On the Orfeo disc, recorded live last summer, she places lieder by Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann in the wider context of high Romanticism. The arias are done with such dexterity that you tend to overlook the sameness of the material. Her choice of lieder is questionable - Fanny Mendelssohn's are dreadful, Chopin's aren't much better -but what is so amazing is the restrained, unshowy intimacy she brings to most of this recital. Liszt's Victor Hugo settings need more weight. Otherwise, she sings to perfection."

The Guardian dixit.