Diana Damrau is almost a throwback to the "Golden Age" sopranos like Hempel, Tettrazzini, Galli-Curci, et al.; her voice sits very high and the listener never worries that she won't execute a trill or a florid run or a high note impeccably. Where she differs from those songbirds, however, is in her commitment to the music and text: She comes AC (after Callas) and cannot be happy just making spectacularly high sounds ā la Lily Pons or Roberta Peters. This is not to say that she would not be fascinating just resting on her technique, but she also creates a total character with each aria. While her Juliette and Gilda may not quite sound as girlish as some, we believe what her characters are saying and feeling. And then we hear her Zerbinetta — simply the most flavorful performance around, sung with sarcasm and sex appeal, not to mention high notes plucked out of the stratosphere as if it were the most natural thing. Her "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide has just as much "face": we know who this woman is. And a surprise is Anne Trulove's grand aria from The Rake's Progress, lyrical yet full, with increasing determination as the aria comes to its conclusion.

-- Robert Levine, Listen