Elizabeth Watts caused a sensation at the Wigmore Hall in 2010 when she replaced Dorothea Röschmann at the last minute in a recital that garnered a five-star review from my colleague Tim Ashley. He wrote that she had turned from "a good singer into a great one" with the "right tonal glamour for Strauss". Now, she and Roger Vignoles have recorded the satirical Krämerspiegel Op 66 cycle they performed to such acclaim that evening, plus a collection of single Strauss songs, some unpublished until long after his death. Watts takes flight in this repertoire, her warm, generous soprano broadening into a luscious, creamy-toned wonder. Tonal glamour? You bet.
Strauss: The Complete Songs Vol 6 – review
Stephen Pritchard
Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Roger Vignoles (piano)
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Stephen Pritchard
Stephen Pritchard has written on classical music for most of his 45 years in journalism. He was the Observer's first readers' editor, and prior to that was a managing editor and production editor
Stephen Pritchard
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