BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, 10/06/2023 (1)
Song Prize - Recital 1 1) Johanna Wallroth, soprano ( 29, Sweden) - Magnus Svensson, piano Schubert : Die junge Nonne Ullmann : Claire Vénus Ives : Memories Liszt : Pace non trovo The Song Prize branch of the Cardiff Singer of the World competition got off to a good start with this bright, clear and poised Swedish soprano, physically a little stiff, but vocally expressive. Schubert's "Die junge Nonne" made for an imposing start in quite an interesting programme, but the Ullmann was less successful. The programme - already a hefty book - does not include lyrics, and Wallroth's French was not clear enough to distinguish the text, so the sense of the song was lost. The Ives, on the other hand, was an unqualified success, breathlessly excited in the first part, and sweetly sentimental, without being mawkish, in the second. The Petrarch Sonnet that closed her programme exploited the range of the voice, and the very top was just a shade short, but I think ...