Scene d'Amore
Isokoski, mistress of melancholy and drama, revisits her stage successes
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Charles-François Gounod, Giacomo Puccini, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Genre:
Opera
Label: Ondine
Magazine Review Date: 13/2008
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
Catalogue Number: ODE11262

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Eugene Onegin, Movement: Let me perish, but first let me summon (Puskai pogo pryezde) |
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Carmen, Movement: Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante (Micaëla's aria |
Georges Bizet, Composer
Georges Bizet, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Faust, Movement: ~ |
Charles-François Gounod, Composer
Charles-François Gounod, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
(La) Bohème, 'Bohemian Life', Movement: Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Turandot, Movement: Tu, che di gel sei cinta |
Giacomo Puccini, Composer
Giacomo Puccini, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Simon Boccanegra, Movement: Come in quest'ora bruna |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Otello, Movement: ~ |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Otello, Movement: Ave Maria |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Mikko Franck, Conductor Soile Isokoski, Soprano |
Author: po'connor
The best comes first: the Tchaikovsky would appear to be a role for which she is ideally suited. Her Russian diction seems clear and precise, the voice is admirably steady. On stage Isokoski has something of the melancholy and urgency that was typical of such Tatyanas of the recent past as Vishnevskaya and Cotrubas.
A few seasons ago Isokoski enjoyed a particular success at the New York Met as Marguérite in Faust. This role, like Violetta in La traviata, is unusually tricky, Gounod having composed music basically for three different kinds of voice. It must have been thrilling at the Met to hear her negotiate the Jewel Song with ease and then still have the power for the Church scene and final trio. On disc, the tempi she and her conductor, Mikko Franck, have chosen seems slightly cautious. The Bizet and Puccini items are pleasant enough, but it is in Verdi that Isokoski is able to demonstrate her dramatic skill. The hopeful, eager tones of Maria in Boccanegra, as she awaits her lover, contrast with the resigned, wounded Desdemona. Recorded sound is excellent. A nice disc, but it will be hard for Isokoski to cap the success of her award-winning Strauss recital (4/02).
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