Bernarda Fink

“Nikolaus Harnoncourt rivals John Eliot Gardiner (Archiv) in his acute feeling for pacing and atmosphere, and his sympathetic handling of Schumann's potentially square rhythmic structures. Chorus, orchestra and soloists could hardly be bettered, with Christoph Strehl a lyrically eloquent narrator and Dorothea Röschmann by turns tender and fierily intense as the questing heroine.” Richard Wigmore, Daily Telegraph, 28th June 2008

“Bar a few ponderous moments in the otherwise fine cast, Harnoncourt, with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, is a gripping judge of narrative, exploiting the loneliness of Peri's disconsolate sobbing outside the gates of Heaven. Dorothea Röschmann is excellent as Peri, fluidly colouring hope and despair.” The Times, 24th May 2008 ****

“With Dorothea Roschmann in the title role, and luxury support from the likes of Bernarda Fink and Christian Gerhaher, Harnoncourt lends this charming work the polish it deserves.” The Observer, 25th May 2008

“Das Paradies… contains music that is at once dramatic, lyrical, ethereal, deeply personal and shot through with sincere human feeling. I prefer Gardiner's principal tenor Christoph Prégardien to Harnoncourt's heavier-voiced Strehl but the consistently intense and expressive Dorothea Röschmann wins out over the creamy but less dramatically engaging Barbara Bonney. Harnoncourt's Bavarian RSO sound warm, though period awareness on the conductor's part ensures sonorities that are light and pointedly attenuated.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2008

‘The value of Schumann’s songs lies chiefly in their spiritual depth, and in this respect they belong with the greatest and most magnificent inexistence; indeed on can say, with regard to the finest of them, that there are few creative works that can be placed quite beside them.’ (Franz Brendel, 1860)

“Harnoncourt and his fine line-up of soloists bring declamatory emphasis to Bach's music imbuing the work with a feeling of consequence not always to be found in competing versions.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 ****

"For all the tragic, premature loss last year of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Argentinian Bernarda Fink is just one of a golden generation of mezzos vying for the mantle of Janet Baker. One of the most versatile, as at ease in Baroque repertoire as in music from Handel and Mozart to Schumann, Fink's rich, warm voice boasts the perfect blend of colour and clarity for this selection of 31 songs from the almost 200 Brahms wrote. Her musical intelligence combines with the sensitivity of Roger Vignoles to capture the folk-song spirit behind their urbane polish." The Observer

"utterly compelling...the lyricism and simplicity of the arias and choruses is unparalleled." The Independent on Sunday *****

"The power and focus of the singing are magnetic…Once again, as in so many of her recordings, she firmly establishes herself as one of the most compelling mezzos of her generation." Gramophone