Milena Kitic is a young mezzo with a bright, well-schooled voice, easily produced, more potent at the top than the bottom. On this debut CD she sings lots of favorites and a few surprises (the Maid of Orleans aria is a nice treat; "O mon Fernand" in the original French is most welcome). There are moments when you wish that her sound were darker and more contralto-ish, as in Sapho's aria (which also suffers from the occasional lapse in pitch) and Romeo's opening scene from Capuleti, but the shining top makes up for that lack. She can be nicely lachrymose, as in Fidès' "O mon fils" from Le prophète, seductive in Carmen's "Habanera", and interestingly resolute, as she is in the final moments of "O mon Fernand".

Her journey into Handel, with Sesto's first-act aria from Cesare, is uninteresting, and the four-square leadership of Eve Queler helps neither here nor elsewhere. Kitic also seems to miss the point as Dalila, Mignon's aria passes by unnoticed, and she doesn't seem to be totally comfortable with either French or Italian, although the former is better. Kitic clearly has potential, and it will be good to follow her career as her voice develops more colors and her proficiency with languages progresses. The recorded sound is excellent; the orchestra plays well.

--Robert Levine