CELEBRATING 53,000 Classical CD reviews on-line (Sept 2016); 21,000 page views each day. Return to MusicWeb International
Ekaterina Siurina
Posted by Terence on December 9, 2023, 12:00 pm
The reviews of her recital are wildly different; my own opinion is closer to Ralph Moore's. I read in another publication, though, a review of this which was enthusiastic. What struck me was a comment that showed how out of it I have become. The reviewer stated that each generation has a superstar interpreter of (I believe) bel canto: Maria Callas, then Sutherland, then DAMRAU. DAMRAU? I have only heard her once, her Four Last Songs, and it was unlistenable. Not as bad as Netrebko's, but in the neighbourhood. I guess it's like Kaufmann's tenor; I just don't get it. (I really don't even 'get' Davidsen. I love her youtube performances in the Verdi Requiem for example, but on her own, like in the Four Last Songs and some operatic roles, she leaves me indifferent. This is partly a matter of my taste, a changing 'taste' of the times, and the fact that we now have about 70 years of good, stereo recorded legacy, and contemporary singers have that to compete with. No wonder so many go to (gratefully!) a relatively less travelled Baroque repertoire.
Re: Ekaterina Siurina
Posted by Ralph Moore on December 9, 2023, 10:38 pm, in reply to "Ekaterina Siurina"
Obviously I share your indifference to Siurina, Terence; I find her utterly unremarkable. Damrau had a brief period of deserved fame, especially with her Queen of the Night, but quickly oversang and developed a horrible wobble; she certainly never achieved the sustained eminence of those two named predecessors. I was impressed with Davidsen live at Covent Garden in Tannhäuser but not so much in her recording of Four Last Songs and I think it very much depends upon the repertoire with her.
Previous Message
The reviews of her recital are wildly different; my own opinion is closer to Ralph Moore's. I read in another publication, though, a review of this which was enthusiastic. What struck me was a comment that showed how out of it I have become. The reviewer stated that each generation has a superstar interpreter of (I believe) bel canto: Maria Callas, then Sutherland, then DAMRAU. DAMRAU? I have only heard her once, her Four Last Songs, and it was unlistenable. Not as bad as Netrebko's, but in the neighbourhood. I guess it's like Kaufmann's tenor; I just don't get it. (I really don't even 'get' Davidsen. I love her youtube performances in the Verdi Requiem for example, but on her own, like in the Four Last Songs and some operatic roles, she leaves me indifferent. This is partly a matter of my taste, a changing 'taste' of the times, and the fact that we now have about 70 years of good, stereo recorded legacy, and contemporary singers have that to compete with. No wonder so many go to (gratefully!) a relatively less travelled Baroque repertoire.