Search - Hei-Kyung Hong, Fiore, Stlo :: Opera Arias

Wonderful technique and great interpretation

04/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hong has a wonderful technique almost like Joan Sutherland's only with much clearer diction. Hong has a heavenly voice like Kiri Te Kanawa's only much more powerful. Her command of languages- Italian, French and German in this particular album- is impeccable. Her interpretation of the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro) picture the Countess as a dignified but strong-willed woman determined to be in charge of her life and to bring the good old days of love back into her life. As the Queen of Mozart, she gives the best perfomrances of the three Mozart arias in this album. We are lucky to have her in our time."

The Beautiful Voice

02/12/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hong's gotta a voice similar to Renee Fleming's and Kiri te Kanawa's. However, she's capable of doing coloratura more easily compared to them, and her high notes are amazingly pure, perfect, and easy. She's a great instrument....! Her legato singing is another breathtaking part. She's deserved to be one of the greatest lyric-coloratura soprano of our time. Try this album without hesitation."

WOW!

Mathew Calewarts | VA | 03/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was hestitant about buying this CD because one, sopranos are a dime a dozen, and two, I couldn't, and didn't want, to believe any Korean soprano could even compare with the magnificent Sumi Jo. Boy was I wrong. Korea just seems to be the soprano capital of the world these days. Both Jo and Hong have BEAUTIFUL voices, I just can't express how much I stand by this! Most of the songs on this CD seem to be geared toward a coloratura soprano. While Hong is not essentially a coloratura, she handles the challenge with ease. This is especially evident in Verdi's "E strano...". Her performance in the ending passages of this piece demonstrate her sheer vocal power and potent shrillness. Hei-Kyung Hong is worthy of more attention than she is currently getting. Buy this CD and you will agree."