Customer Reviews

Karita Mattila Live in Helsinki

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A friend of mine sent this CD for me, and I was stunned. There are great Verdi singers in the world after all! The opera arias are all outstanding, packed with emotion, sung in resplendent tone and perfect technique (portamento, legato line, strong chest voice). My favourites on this disc are hauntingly beautiful Rusalka's aria, "Pace, pace, mio Dio" from Forza, and Elisabeth's greeting from Tannhäuser. Operetta pieces are wonderful. I don't care that much about the lighter department, but she certainly shows her versatility. Marlene Dietrich song (from Blue Angel) is more succesful than the Marilyn one.

This is a must have for every opera lover! IMO she is the most exciting opera personality in the world today. BTW - the CD program in here looks strange, my copy does not include Elsa's dream (I wish it would) or Edith Piaf song. I became a fan of her after seeing her as Manon Lescaut (I wish she would record "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" someday).

The CD is a live recording from a concert Karita Mattila gave here in Helsinki. I did not get a ticket, but listened the concert on the radio (Mattila is accompanied by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra). She was almost tireless, singing for over three hours (no guest artists).

The programme was interesting. I would love to hear Mattila as Elisabeth, Leonora or Aida, because she sings their arias beautifully. Her lyric but strong voice suits Verdi and "lighter Wagner" very well, I think. Vissi d'arte was also very good; Tosca would be a perfect role for a diva like Mattila. She sang Musetta's waltz in the concert, but it has not found it's way on the recording. The Fledermaus arias show the artist's versatility and make it clear that Mattila likes to sing operetta.

Mattila is generally better suited to opera than lied, but in Finnish music she is excellent - my personal favorite is "Flickan kom ifrån sing älsklings möte" by Sibelius. The "lighter" music is not that successfull, and I wonder why trained opera singers are so enthusiastic in performing and recording music that obviously does not fit their voices. Mattila imitated Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn in the concert, which was quite fun, but not to my liking. In addition, Mattila's encore was "Summertime" (included in the recording), a song she obviously likes very much, but sings less successfully. I think she should stick to classical music.

In summary, I recommend this recital for the opera arias and the finnish songs.

Karita Mattila has more vocal brilliance & stamina and dramatic spunk than just about any other soprano singing today and I first became aware of that when listening to this collection.
Her technique is perfect, and she has lungs of steel- not that she cannot drop the opera hat in a second and adopt a cabaret persona, as aptly demonstrated here.
That she is drop dead gorgeous, and a great actress, doesn't hurt either, but this is an audio CD and opera recital first, and she has the goods, in spades, when it comes to hardcore opera repertoire.
And what a selection it is- soaring Wagner, full blooded Verdi, fantastic Tosca, a beautiful, lyrical Song to the Moon, the three heroines from Fliedermaus- each different and absolutely spot on- plus Finnish songs and some old fashion diva selections- Marilyn Monroe's and Marlene Dietrich's songs, and for finish, Summertime. This list is as crazy as it gets, and yet somehow everything works- and how! The word sparkling is often to use to describe singing of fluffy coloratura sopranos, but that would apply- there's a sort of electrical buzz that Mattila creates: every song is exciting, utterly absorbing. This is a recording of one fully-fledged diva in a great live performance.

On the whole, this is an enjoyable live recital. Mattila opens with a very plugged-in, alive delivery of the Hall of Song aria from Tannhauser. I hope she records this in the studio, if she has not already done so.

Unfortunately, though her best roles include Amelia from Simon Boccanegra, she doesn't excel in the arias from Aida and La Forza. Ritorna Vincitor fares the worst. Her pacing is schizophrenic, her pronunciation of the vowels rather odd. Instead of choosing such a "heroic" Verdi aria, she should have turned to something more lyrical. Something from Un Ballo in Maschera, perhaps?

Pace, Pace Mio Dio fares better, though marginally. Mattila makes the most out of the lyrics, drawing much from the text, even better than some revered artists from the fifties and sixties. Her urgent singing of "fatalita" will rankle the purists. I, for one, welcome something more than mindless floating and note-spinning, a la Zinka Milanov. Karita's ability to draw even more from the text than native speakers reminds me of Edita Gruberova. However, like Gruberova, such passioned delivery comes at the expense of some covered notes and laborious approach.

Things improve dramatically with the three arias from Die Fledermaus. Most enchanting is Mein Herr Marquis. Mattila proves herself to be a ravishing coquette in this delicious interpretation. She even makes an honest-to-goodness stab at the coloratura, acquitting herself quite well, given that she is a lyric soprano.

Of the Finnish songs, the first one, The Tryst, is the best. Then, near the end, we are treated to some lighter fare. Her hommage to two other blonde sirens, Dietrich and Monroe, is spot-on. Falling in Love is my favorite of the two, with Mattila showing off a very convincing lower register.

Now, I couldn't get through Summertime with the guitar accompaniment. Still, there are enough tasty morsels in this recital to whet the appetite.

I love live recordings. I first became aware of this music several months ago. I listen to this CD quite a bit at home and in the car. I really relish her performances. And then there is Wagner's music!