Press

 

“The whole programme was a testament to her intelligent and imaginative approach, drawing on arias which were not necessarily what one might have expected, but which brought together genuine musical interest with lavish opportunities to display her vocal powers.

The usual suspects in any operatic soprano recital were there – Una Voce Poco Fa from The Barber Of Seville, Je Veux Vivre from Romeo Et Juliette and, of course, Sempre Libera from La Traviata – as well as relative rarities – from Vincenzo Bellini and Giacomo Meyerbeer.

On all of these, Damrau put her unique stamp, effortlessly filling the hall with a voice which had such physical presence that it was like being drawn into a warm, colourful and intense embrace.

Add to this the occasional pirouette and a great deal of expressive hand action and everything was transformed from being an operatic aria into a vivid and compelling character portrait.

This was singing of a quality few in Singapore will have experienced first-hand.”

The Straits Times (Singapore, November 1)