Vesselina Kasarova - A Portrait
The title "A Portrait" would suggest some sort of a cohesive look at this talented  Bulgarian mezzo-soprano. But she is so astonishingly versatile, one wonders if there are at least two singers  at work here. Her more athletic coloratura moments in the Rossini and Donizetti arias would suggest some  sort of slavic Cecila Bartoli while her more soulful, lyrical moments in Gluck'sOrfeowould  suggest a heavier voice like Kathleen Ferrier. Could it be that she has it all--or at least as much as one could  hope for in a single singer?--David Patrick Stearns