Alleluia

Julia Lezhneva has a distinct kind of voice. Purity of tone with very little vibrato is her hallmark. She reminds me of Teresa Stich Randall. If you like that white sound, she makes a convincing argument for it. Onde cannot imagine here in operea later than the 18th Century, and she is at her best in motets as she is here. Alleluia she sings at the end of every selection, and you may, as I did, want to cry Alleluia right back. A joyous disc.

As glorious as a voice can be...I came across Ms. Lezhneva by accident while looking up some information on a classical music piece on YouTube. I've recently elected to foray into classical music (my usual appetite principally revolving around the alternative music umbrella and classic rock) and when I first heard her in some video I was simply blown away.I've read some reviews which proclaim her voice is like that of an angel and I couldn't agree more. I'm not prone to sudden, uncontrollable emotions, but this CD is so beautiful it has more than once (in the two weeks I've owned it) brought a tear to my eye. I didn't know a voice could be like this.Buy it. Just do it.

From the album notes: Julia Lezhneva has been described as possessing the voice of “angelic beauty” (The New York Times), “pure tone” (Opernwelt) and “flawless technique” (The Guardian). She hasn't achieved the fame of fellow Russian Anna Netrebko yet, but I personally much prefer Julia's voice. I particularly like the Mozart pieces on this album, but I love it all. There are some great videos of Julia on YouTube. She shows real joy while performing, as compared to many others that appear to be in the traditional mournful state.

A slight quibble, as she is still so young and likely to become more nuanced, let's cut her some slack-but there is a bit of a sameness to her sound in all of these pieces that is just ever-so-slightly wearing. Still, her voice is so ravishing, and she produces her tones so effortlessly, this still deserves 5 stars. Perhaps the repertoire is a bit too much of a good thing, with too much major tonality-one longs to hear her in some darkly colored arias. The accompanists are wonderful, but the recording lacks a bit of air and sense of space,

Julia Lezhneva's performance of Handel's "O Nox Dulce" is meltingly beautiful. "Divine" is the word that immediately comes to mind. Her enthusiasm for singing--easily visible on the youtube videos of her live performances, interviews, and the recording session of this piece--shines through in every note.

If you like a clear soprano voice and a singer who sings effortless, Julia is your best choice!

This is the voice you have to hear before you die. Once you have heard it, you can die happy.

wonderful singer and a voice with so much agility, love this singer