 Music and Vision (UK) (6 January 2008)
"exemplary in every respect... an embarrassment of riches!... [Bonynge] brings out the inexhaustible niceties and nuances within Massenet's divinely crafted manuscripts... [Rosamund Illing] brings expressive Gallic clarity and immeasurable lyric flair to each of the nineteen tracks..." More information......
AllMusic Guide (USA) (January 2008)
"Rosamund Illing sings with warmth, purity, depth of feeling... [and] does a highly credible job of bringing this obscure repertoire to life with urgent commitment and lovely tone. Richard Bonynge, leading the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, is an ideally responsive accompanist. Performance/Sound: **** stars" More information......
Fanfare (USA) (December 2007)
"What a pleasure this disc is... exquisitely beautiful... Superb performances by a singer and conductor who understand the idiom... the sound was very rich and naturally balanced... Very enthusiastically recommended." More information...... American Record Guide (November / December 2007)
"Rosamund Illing, a most accomplished young soprano... has a fresh, pure, steady voice, and she deploys it with style and great artistry... The sound is superb, and so is the text booklet, filled with useful information and classy illustrations." More information......
Opera Now (UK) (September / October 2007)
"Rosamund Illing gives a luminous account... she has an understanding of the French idiosyncracies of Massenet's music." Orpheus (Germany) (September / October 2007)
"Richard Bonynge takes us through a journey of melodies with style and great skill... Rosamund Illing interprets the diverse characters in an exemplary manner, singing them with a soft and mellow voice that makes them sound exquisite... one can appreciate her sumptuous voice" Classical CD Review (USA) (July 2007)
"Rosamund Illing, one of Australia's leading sopranos, impresses in this music... has been remastered for surround sound, producing a highly resonant sonic picture. If you're interested in this repertory, here it is, very well presented in a luxurious jewel-box." More information......
ResMusica (France) (26 March 2007)
"Richard Bonynge's love of Massenet is a well known fact. He has carefully chosen a program of rarely performed arias which is very pleasing... Rosamund Illing is ideally suited..." More information...... ABC (Spain) (7 March 2007)
"The combination of orchestral opulence (thanks to the work of Richard Bonynge), together with the delicate melodies of the Australian soprano are particularly enchanting ***** stars" More information...... Diapason (France) (March 2007)
"Rosamund Illing - we do appreciate her full and brilliant tone - sings them with sincerity. Her voice shows many colours, her diction is refined... her charm is evident... Bonynge weaves a voluptuous accompaniment around the singer 4 Diapasons" More information...... Classique News (France) (1 February 2007)
"Rosamund Illing sings the different tessitura with ease... her diction is clear, her musicality is not in doubt... Apart from its stunning SACD technology, this recording is a must because of the excellent choice of works selected." More information...... Opera Magazine (France) (January 2007)
"Rosamund Illing [is a] faultless lyric soprano with exemplary diction... a recording which goes so resultely off the beaten track is really worth listening to. **** 1/2 stars" More information...... Gramophone (UK) (March 2002) "An indispensable CD Of Massenet rarities... worth your while to put the record straight away on the shopping list. Most of the items are rarities, some unpublished, all attractive. The performances are excellent..." MusicWeb International (UK) (November 2001) " Rosamund Illing has a reputation as a fine and versatile singer and she doesn’t disappoint in her singing of Massenet... Richard Bonynge needs no introduction: he conducts with panache and the orchestra does full justice to the rich scores... This is another well produced first class recording from Melba." International Record Review (UK) (June 2001)
" Illing has an excellent voice, capable of delicate, light touches... The recording is first rate, with the orchestra full and lush - as it must be in Massenet - but never obscuring the voice... Anyone who is enthusiastic about Massenet's music will want this CD for certain, and even those who shy away from his sometimes overblown Romantic style might find themselves in for a surprise." CD of the Week: The Age (Australia) (20 April 2000) "An accomplished and generously filled disc of Massenet arias... the quintessence of elegant French romanticism." The Financial Review (Australia) (28 December 2000) " Illing is an inspired choice for this intoxicating set. An accomplished dramatic soprano and brilliant Mozartean singer, Illing displays a wondrous instinct for these soaring, girlish songs." The Bulletin (Australia) (23 May 2000)
"a luscious drop indeed, like a fine aural sauterne... Illing's voice has a rich whipped-cream smoothness" Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (15 April 2000) "A celebration of the feminine spirit... 74 minutes of music by an acknowledged master of writing for voice and theatre, while finding much, perhaps most, of it simultaneously unfamiliar and delicious. Vandamme's production of this disc follows her organisation's excellent video documentary on Massenet's life and music." Sunday Herald Sun (Australia) (9 April 2000) "a dazzling artistic triumph for its performers... a finer memorial to Dame Nellie Melba is impossible to imagine." The Sunday Age (Australia) (16 April 2000)
"Melodrama at its most lyrical... Massenet was the musical historian of the feminine soul."
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