Make a note of this name: Elena Mosuc. This debut recital by the young Romanian coloratura soprano is a knockout. Recital CDs in general are usually tough to appraise because, let’s face it, regardless of how beautiful or interesting a voice is, more than an hour of it can try one’s patience. The fact that this is doubly true in the case of high coloratura sopranos makes this disc all the more special. And Mosuc is just that, with an upper extension to (if my ears don’t fail me) the A-flat above high C (hardly worth hearing and actually quite jarring and unnecessary in the middle of Lakme’s Bell Song). Her technique is stunning. She articulates every note in the final run of “Martern aller Arten”, she sings up to high D and E from pianissimo to fortissimo, she never aspirates during long, florid passages (say, in “Bel raggio”), and she even trills, as written, on Zerbinetta’s high D. Elsewhere the trill is reliable and pretty as well. All other things being equal, the voice itself is lovely, and the manner in which she caresses the words in “Qui la voce” and “Depuis le jour” bespeaks a true artist rather than a mere songbird. Mosuc has been part of the ensemble at the Zurich Opera House for 10 years and she has learned well: She is absolutely ready for prime time.
