Barbara Bonney sings Mozart ~ Great arias and duets with Bryn Terfel, Arleen Auger and many more

American soprano Barbara Bonney has emerged as one of the most engaging interpreters of Mozart's heroines on the stage today. Indeed, the selections offered here--culled from various full-length recordings over the 1990s--are about more than beautiful singing: Bonney's portrayals of four Mozart heroines are rich in vivid characterization and emotional nuance and are models in their own way of "vocal acting." Bonney makes a particularly appealing Susanna with her natural, unforced sound and remarkably poetic phrasing (the Figaro selections include the two new arias Mozart later interpolated for a favorite singer, which are rarely heard in stagings of the opera). Gorgeously floated pianissimos and a deliciously lilting legato give her Zerlina a knowing, sexually charged charm, while her Pamina is both vulnerable and radiant. And, unlike the dime-a-dozen Mozart excerpt albums, this one provides not only arias but duets (with Hakan Hagegard's characterful Count and Don Giovanni and Bryn Terfel's Masetto, among others) and a few ensemble scenes. Most of the selections are conducted with grace by period-instrument maven Arnold Östman; two selections from La clemenza di Tito under Christopher Hogwood will tempt the listener to take a closer look at these artists' complete recording of a neglected Mozart masterpiece. --Thomas May