"Christine Schafer possesses one of the most beautiful lyric coloratura voices of this century. Her voice is creamy, limpid, and budding with a variety of different tone colors. Her voice has a depth and a richness to it intermingled with a fresh purity of tone.The Mozart selections are lovely, especially, "Che mi scordi di te?" which Schafer sings with both pathos and brilliance. "Ruhe sanft" is sung with a sweet caress in the voice. Schafer meets the challenging demands of "Mia speranza adorata" with ease, tossing off the high Gs with clarity and managing the difficult coloratura passages without any sound of strain.The Richard Strauss selections represent some of the most beautiful singing on disc. "Wiegenlied" is sung with an impeccable legato line and is ravishingly lovely. "Morgen!" seeps with longing and dreams of tomorrow. Schafer's singing is both elegant and passionate.This disc rarely leaves my CD player. You won't be disappointed! Highly recommended."
Schafer's Resplendent Vocal and Maestro Abbado
ronald n. tan | photographer | los angeles, ca, usa | 07/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I first saw the "Mozart & Strauss" arias in Borders Books and Music, I was a bit hesitant to acquire the album. You can assumje that I had the cold feet about whether or not I will like the album or regret buying it.Two weeks later, I went back for my July acquisition for I usually buy a CD per month. I went back to Borders and there it was lying on the shelves--this time, I bought it!The album was a replendent effort of Miss Christine Schafer's vocals and the Maestro Abbado conducting the world's reowned Berlin Philharmonic! I espectially loved Schaefer's interpretation of my all-time favorite "Exulate Jubilate" & "Morgen."I am telling you, buy this album if you have the chance, you won't regret it, I didn't. Also, the recording is superb. I read in the inlet that this audio disc employed the "4DDD" method which brings out the natural sound that the artist had intented and there is no "studio magic" involved in the process of this CD.I also reccommend "Flippa Giordano," a new debut CD released in the US on July 11, 2000. The CD comnprised of famous arias given rebirth in a voice of a young, wonderful Italian soprano in training, Ms. Flippa Giordano. She perform the famous arias, "O Mio Babino Caro" "Vissi d'Arte" "Casta Diva" "Habanera" with a new approach singing in her lower registers of her voice! Truly refreshing to hear them in a different medium."
Many lovely moments, but Schafer lacks vibrancy
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/26/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Nothing can be lovelier than a recital of Mozart and Strauss arias by a gifted lyric soprano, and those that specialize in the one composer tend to be just as good in the other (Schwarzkopf, of course, but also Battle, Fleming, and Te Kanawa). Chrstine Schager makes a ice impression with her pure, appealing voice, but it seems better suited to the baroque music she specializes in. for music as romantic as Strauss's she's underpowered and rather expressionless. The same is true in the Mozart--listen to Exsultate Jubilate ans decide if she sounds either exultant or jubilant. I didn't find that she did. Abbado's conducting, however, is exemplary throughout, and the orchestra is wonderful."
Marvelous singing
G.D. | Norway | 04/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a strongly recommendable release giving you some marvelous singing from Christine Schäfer. She has a distinctive, personal style, with very little vibrato, but with such transparity and clarity it is a sheer wonder. Of course - as one might expect from such a voice - the Mozart items come off best (unfortunate, then, that this disc doesn't really contain any real Mozart masterpieces), but the Strauss items are still for the most part very good, and it is interesting to realize, when they are presented side by side, that the connections between the two composers are far more significant than the discontinuities, at least with regards to the selection of songs presented here.
The benefits gained by Schäfer's approach aren't only a clear pronounciation of the texts, but also an at times mesmerizing ability to convey their contents. The emotional and interpretive range provides particularly rewarding readings of `Non temer, amato bene' (with excellent accompaniment by Pires) - although the joyousness of Exsultate, jubilate might come across as a little understated. Among the Strauss songs, 'Morgen' is particularly impressive, in particular because of the sparing but highly effective use of extra intensity. But the artless, clear quality serves her well in most of the repertoire here even if, say, Schwarzkopf's Strauss (or more recently Isokoski's) isn't forgotten.
Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic provides truly gracious and polished orchestral textures, performed with almost equally impressive clarity of line. With a well-neigh perfectly balanced sound, this is a recording that no lover of the human voice should miss - again, it might not quite be to everyone's taste (Schäfer's career following this debut release has been most distinguished in serial and/or contemporary repertoire), but I believe no one could fail to be thoroughly impressed."