Vaduva came to Covent Garden some ten years ago and won all hearts with her affecting portrayal of Manon, of which we have two potent reminders here. Since then the Romanian soprano has based herself in Paris and become a fine interpreter of the other French roles she sings here, most notably Juliette, another of her Royal Opera successes. Unlike some of her transatlantic colleagues today, Vaduva has a peculiarly individual timbre, Cotrubas-like, that immediately engages the listener in the feelings of the character she is portraying, particularly those of Juliette in the often-cut Act 4 aria in which she tries to revive her failing spirits, of poor Mireille seeking out her beloved Vincent in the Crau desert and, above all, of Manon reluctant to leave the ‘petite table’ where she has enjoyed happiness with Des Grieux. All these pieces are accomplished in decent French and with a tone that recalls the lightness of touch and sense of verbal meaning shown by the best native-born sopranos.
When she turns her attention to Italian repertory, the responses are just as keen, a really teasing, smiling Norina, a charming Ninetta (in La gazza ladra), a vulnerable (and technically accomplished) Violetta, and a pleasure-loving Nedda, though here the occasional hardening of the tone, evident under pressure in earlier items, becomes more disturbing. An awkward high note at the end apart, Vaduva is back to her best form for a waltz song from a Romanian operetta that ends the recital in an appropriately sensuous, playful manner.
Domingo and the Philharmonia provide sure support. The recording is mostly excellent, but the singer is placed oddly in the background for Violetta’s letter reading and occasionally the reverberance of the orchestra reaches an uncomfortable level, hardly enough to harm a well-chosen, finely-executed programme.'