Search - Gioachino Rossini, Wojciech Michniewski :: Ewa Podles - Rossini Gala

A great singer at her best

Matthew Spady | New York, NY | 12/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are precious few opportunities to hear this fantastic singer either live or on recording, which is a pity given her unique sound and impeccably-schooled voice.One of the hallmarks of a great singer is a unique vocal quality. Such is true of Madame Podles. With the top voice of a dramatic soprano, a middle voice that sometimes resembles a counter-tenor, and a bottom voice that is almost baritonal, her sound may recall another singer's voice here and there, but ultimately, it is one-of-a-kind.In live performance, her voice has an amazingly visceral impact; she does not sound as if she is singing to you, but rather as if she is singing inside you. This recording (a live performance sung before a very appreciative audience) does not completely capture that effect; however, it does capture her incredible range, enormous flexibility, and unique vocal quality. On top of that, she phrases beautifully, each phrase having an arc of its own, but also contributing to the overall arc of the scene or aria. Wow!Several tracks on this CD duplicate material on her 1995 Rossini concert with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Morandi, from 1995. Both discs display her virtuosity, range, and interpretative ability; however, on this disc - from 1998 - her voice has more presence and more brilliance. Even more interesting, her interpretations have become sharper. A comparison of Rosina's aria, "Una voce poco fa" shows this best. On the earlier recording, all the notes are there, the diction is clear, and the phrasing impeccable, but the tone is just a bit weighty for Rosina. Not so on the later one (this CD). Here, her voice is brighter and her interpretation much more playful, in keeping with the young woman she is portraying.Both discs are valuable additions to any music library; however, if only one is possible, I'd recommend this, the later concert as more representative of Ms. Podles virtuosity and interpretative versatility."

Incredibly exciting

Matthew Spady | 10/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ewa Podles is a singer I have to admit I didn't appreciate in the beginning. Although I found no fault in her method, her technique, or her voice itself, I just wasn't sure of what I was hearing. The first thing I heard her in was a recording of Rossini's Tancredi. I have come to discover it was not her, nor her voice that was lacking, it was a very boring reading of that opera by a very boring conductor who removed all life from his singers. Since this time, I have heard her in many things. Unfortunately, unlike many who have reviewed her here, I have not had the privilege of hearing her live. I can just imagine what a treat that is. The closest I will get to that, it seems, is through this recording. It is a live recording, and has excellent sound quality. There is nothing distracting about it. I was taken back with what I heard. I was amazed by her technique, her quality of sound (which is very lovely, fully, resonant, and powerful), her interpretation, and her phrasing. I have never been so thrilled by a singer excepting when I heard Marilyn Horne in person, and Maria Callas when I was a very small child. For a recording to affect a listener like that is something. Podles does a super job in this music, and well, excepting Marilyn Horne, I find it difficult to imagine many of the super fine mezzos we have today (and we have a huge amount of them, each wonderful and with something important to give) expressing so much as she does in this music. Although her voice, I am sure, is quite loud, it isn't that she is loud so much as the voice is fully there and we become a part of it rather than just spectators beholding it (those who have seen her in person, please let me know if from listening to recordings I have an accurate view of her voice). Bartoli impressed me in her recordings, but I was sort of disappointed with her in real life. Not because she was bad but because I was amazed at how small her voice really was. It was beautiful, and she sings in the most exciting and touching way, but I always felt like I should have bought a seat closer to the front of the theatre to really enjoy her (I felt the same way with Fisher-Dieskau; after hearing him in many recordings, including Wagner, I was really disappointed in performance all the while waiting for this strong full voice I believed was his; what I heard was small, very beautiful and expressive, a real artist, but without the largess I expected). Something tells me this would not be the case with Podles. Something tells me I would be relishing the sound of the voice as it washed over me in its intensity. That is not loud singing, for those who think it is, it is simply a voice that carries and fills the theatre. Such singers can, and often do sing very loudly when required to, but they are never singers, even when singing the most delicate pianissimos, who make the listener strain trying to hear what may not be there. Caballe, even when singing her famous pianissimo, is one that fills the theatre with sound. She is seldom loud, in that sense, but you are filled with the sound of her voice. That quality excites the listener making them a part of the musical whole, not just someone eavesdropping on an event. Even just listening to this recording, I felt I was part of the event. It was trilling. Podles voice may not be for everyone, but it is wonderful. I would recommend this recording hands down."