“…The singer is in good voice throughout and her technique is enviable as ever.”

“… one of the very best Verdi sopranos in the world … a very pleasing souvenir of her artistry in this repertory.”

“Stoyanova is very committed emotionally … Pavel Baleff does commendably with the Munich Radio players, impressing from the start.”

“… both enjoyable and impressive… [Podles] sounds thrillingly elemental, with rich tone, dramatic flair and an almost glutinous relish of the vowel sounds. Beczala has enough metal in his instrument but retains the capacity for elegance.”

“… The Polish tenor's move into a heavier repertoire than hitherto associated with him is amply vindicated in this celebratory CD...he retains the golden quality of his voice as he sizes up. The result is singing on a grand scale, impeccable in diction, tone and musicianship.”

“… Schwanewilms is arguably the finest native German interpreter of Strauss’s more lyrical operatic roles, yet despite a soprano of considerable loveliness, she can sound disengaged, particularly from the words. Here, she gives a good account of herself, especially in the closing monologues of Arabella and Countess Madeleine …”

“… she soars through them all, pearl-like, backed by the succulent purr of Cologne’s Gürzenich Orchestra, conducted by Markus Stenz.” ****

“…[Opolais's] bright soprano, with its surface sparkle, vividly portrays the intense feelings of Sister Angelica...Lioba Braun has the right dark forceful mezzo for the Princess... Nelsons paces the opera fluidly and the orchestral balance is close, making Puccini's colours come over strongly.”

“…[Kristine Opolais has] a fine lyric spinto, silvery tone, perfect for Puccini...Mojca Erdmann is a delightful Suor Genonieffa, her crystal-clear soubrette just right for this well-meaning chatterbox...[Braun's] mezzo has suitable coldness and depth...Puccini's orchestration is revelled in.”

“…a winning combination. Opolais possesses a freshness, richness and sense of urgency in her soprano that matches well with the fragility and strength of Puccini’s nun … [a] beautifully-managed recording”

“Kristine Opolais (Mrs Andris Nelsons) may not have the vocal opulence of Renata Tebaldi or Mirella Freni, or the intensity of Renata Scotto, but her beautifully sung account of this heart-rending role demonstrates that her sensational Royal Opera debut as Butterfly was no fluke...Nelsons and the WDRSO relish Puccini’s orchestration.”

“Opolais's bright, intensely focused soprano, together with her husband Andris Nelsons's equally crisp handling of the orchestral writing, gives the score a much sharper definition than usual. Not everything in her singing is idiomatically Italianate, but there is nothing remotely mawkish or sugary sweet about the performance...Lioba Braun's haughty, formidable Principessa is the perfect foil to Opolais” ****

“… Nelsons draws sensitive responses from the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus but resists the temptation to “go soft” on the story, so that the performance unfolds with inexorable dramatic sweep. Even better, Opolais uses her considerable vocal powers to draw a psychological portrait of formidable insight.”

“… He [Müller-Schott] makes palpable the feeling of panic in the virtuosic Allegro giusto and plays its espressivo with graceful yearning. The piece concludes with more impassioned playing and impossibly high broken chords off the fingerboard of his 1727 Gofriller cello.”

“…[Müller-Schott and Saraste are] inclined to approach the work as a standard romantic concerto. The tone is rich and warm, the orchestral sound founded on the strings, with wind and brass more distant. Müller-Schott makes the music sing...Saraste backs him up wholeheartedly, though the WDR Symphony Orchestra's very decent playing is short on rhythmic cut-and-thrust.”

“…These two 'symphony' concertos are hellishly demanding and Daniel Müller-Schott is more than equal to the task...A protege of Rostropovich, he's also well qualified to plumb their expressive depths. Yet my enthusiasm for this recording is qualified. The hectic, driven quality of his approach can become relentless...The Prokofiev Symphony-Concerto comes over best in a heroic if slightly one-dimensional performance.”