Accompanied by the superb Staatskapelle Dresden, Finnish soprano Karita Mattila here presents eight German Romantic arias, two of which–both concert arias–are in Italian. The CD opens with Leonore’s “Abscheulischer, wo eilst du hin?”, with a strangely weak attack from the cellos. This entrance should slash and grab the attention even before the first line of the aria does, but here it’s rather bland. The recording is a bit light on treble; boosting it helps, but still, Colin Davis seems a bit too mellow and the orchestra too recessed, a situation that runs throughout the recital. Agathe’s two arias from Weber’s Der Freischütz are handsomely, introspectively sung, with lovely tone and nice inner reflection. Mattila recorded the role complete about 10 years ago and the vast improvement in interpretive ability and sheer tonal loveliness you find on this CD is a nice way to gauge a singer’s growth. Leonore’s big scene from Fidelio is suitably angry and hopeful, with Mattila’s voice an ideal instrument for the character’s predicament and for Beethoven’s wide vocal leaps. Her singing of his “Ah, perfido”, a 13-minute Metastasian rant that’s quite a test for any soprano, is thrilling, and the final moments of Rezia’s “Ocean, thou mighty monster” (sung in the original, outlandish English) are almost overwhelming in their intensity and excitement.
Two arias from Euryanthe show the character’s two sides: wildly defiant and prayerful; and a rarity–an Italian-language aria by Mendelssohn–is fascinating. When Mattila is allowed to let the voice out and sing full throttle, it’s like watching a thoroughbred filly race: it takes your breath away. Occasionally, in softer passages, she’s less riveting (and the recording’s soft-focus doesn’t help), and once or twice on this CD her pitch wavers; but these are very minor quibbles. This is an exciting release, a joy for Mattila fans and a great honor to Weber, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn.
