• operawire, Mengguang Huang – 6 February 2025

„Kateryna Kasper’s Elettra was nothing short of electrifying. From her first entrance, she commanded attention, her voice brimming with intensity and fury. Her rendition of “D’Oreste, d’Ajace” in Act three was a tour de force, her incisive phrasing and dramatic inflections turning the aria into a visceral outpouring of rage and despair. The audience, gripped by the sheer force of her performance, erupted into one of the night’s most fervent ovations.“

• bachtrack, Leonardo Mattana Ereño – 24. Januar 2025 (Teatro Real, Madrid)

„Destacó en el reparto, Kateryna Kasper con una Elettra que introdujo las tensiones necesarias de manera más eficaz y que coronó el papel con una soberbia „D’Oreste e d’Aiace“, en la que mostró su abanico de recursos, con una versatilidad y agilidad naturales, una emisión constante y bien articulada y bueno agudos.“

„Standing out in the cast was Kateryna Kasper with an Elettra who introduced the necessary tensions in the most effective way and crowned the role with a superb “D’Oreste e d’Aiace,” in which she displayed her range of resources, with natural versatility and agility, a steady and well-articulated delivery, and fine high notes.“

Freiburger Barockorchester
Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Ian Koziara Idomeneo
Kateryna Kasper Elettra
Olivia Vermeulen Idamante
Polina Pastirchak Ilia
Mark Milhofer Arbace
Kresimir Spicer Gran sacerdote di nettuno and La voce
René Jacobs Conductor

Semi-staged concert version

• operawire, Mengguang Huang – 6 February 2025

„Kateryna Kasper’s Elettra was nothing short of electrifying. From her first entrance, she commanded attention, her voice brimming with intensity and fury. Her rendition of “D’Oreste, d’Ajace” in Act three was a tour de force, her incisive phrasing and dramatic inflections turning the aria into a visceral outpouring of rage and despair. The audience, gripped by the sheer force of her performance, erupted into one of the night’s most fervent ovations.“

• bachtrack, Leonardo Mattana Ereño – 24. Januar 2025 (Teatro Real, Madrid)

„Destacó en el reparto, Kateryna Kasper con una Elettra que introdujo las tensiones necesarias de manera más eficaz y que coronó el papel con una soberbia „D’Oreste e d’Aiace“, en la que mostró su abanico de recursos, con una versatilidad y agilidad naturales, una emisión constante y bien articulada y bueno agudos.“

„Standing out in the cast was Kateryna Kasper with an Elettra who introduced the necessary tensions in the most effective way and crowned the role with a superb “D’Oreste e d’Aiace,” in which she displayed her range of resources, with natural versatility and agility, a steady and well-articulated delivery, and fine high notes.“

Freiburger Barockorchester
Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Ian Koziara Idomeneo
Kateryna Kasper Elettra
Olivia Vermeulen Idamante
Polina Pastirchak Ilia
Mark Milhofer Arbace
Kresimir Spicer Gran sacerdote di nettuno and La voce
René Jacobs Conductor

Semi-staged concert version

After many years as a member of the ensemble, I am delighted to return as a guest to my beloved home stage, the Oper Frankfurt. In the impressive production by Nadja Loschky and under the wonderful musical direction of Laurence Cummings, I give my long-awaited role debut as Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto.

Performances:
October 3, 11, 18, 24 & 30 and November 9 & 13, 2025

More information and tickets →

* Frankfurter Neue Post, Markus Kuhn – October 6, 2025 “With Kateryna Kasper […] the ensemble gained a wonderful Cleopatra, who enchants with beauty of tone across all registers and temperaments.”

Take a look at the latest photos from this production – the complete album is now available on my homepage!

(c) Barbara Aumüller

To the article in OPERNWELT →

(c) Barbara Aumüller

The Guardian, Martin Kettle | 2 July 2025
„Among a strongly cast group of principals, Kateryna Kasper brings an ideal combination of soprano richness and soubrette brightness to Mélisande.“

* * *

The Telegraph, Nicholas Kenyon | 30 June 2025
„Ukrainian-German soprano Kateryna Kasper as Mélisande is an outstanding discovery here, with a voice fuller and richer than we may be used to in this role, but wonderfully rounded, full of anxiety, and heart-rending at her death, prostrate in a glass box (recalling the sleeping Tilda Swinton at the Serpentine all those years ago).“

* * *

Gramophone, Alexandra Coghlan | 9 July 2025
„Kateryna Kasper’s Mélisande – unusually full-voiced, with little of the character’s other-worldly fragility – manages to remain ambiguous without ever becoming blank. By turns bewildered and certain, fey and in focus, she’s the magnetic north for Brett Polegato’s Golaud […].“

* * *

The Spectator, Richard Bratby | 2025
„Kateryna Kasper, a Mélisande who gave nothing away, […] was as enigmatic (and as compelling) as Debussy and Maeterlinck surely intended. Bell-like and bright at volume, she placed her quieter phrases gently into the silence – a sonic equivalent of those solitary light sources, throwing the surrounding performances into powerful relief.“

* * *

Opera Canada, Natasha Gauthier | 2 July 2025
„Ukrainian-German soprano Kateryna Kasper’s […] is a voice that immediately makes you sit up in your seat: bell-clear and spinny, with an unusual, almost veiled quality that floated above Debussy’s lush orchestration like a cloud.“

* * *

The Stage, Amanda Holloway | 30 June 2025
„Kateryna Kasper as Mélisande is wide-eyed and innocent in her white lace dress, though there is nothing girlish about her warm soprano.“

* * *

musicOMH, Sam Smith | 29 June 2025

„As Mélisande, Kateryna Kasper reveals an extremely intriguing soprano. There is a great purity to her line, but it is supported by just enough sumptuousness to make for a glistening and almost otherworldly sound“.

* * *

Seen and Heard International, Clive Peacock | 30 June 2025

„Kateryna Kasper, making her Longborough debut with her fine soprano voice, catches the eye immediately as Mélisande. Her experience of a decade with Opera Frankfurt equips her for both contemporary and traditional roles. She carries the show and manages to sing splendidly from her death bed – not an easy task for some! […] Her singing is exquisite. She commands the stage when necessary, showing a softer side when negotiating with Karim Sulayman singing Pélleas.“

* * *

Reaction Life, Gerald Malone | 4 July 2025

„Kasper was the ideal Mélisande. A mistress of concealment. And always a character of substance. It’s a mistake to portray Mélisande as a Barbie victim. Ogilvie and Kasper got the role pitch perfect.“

* * *

OperaScene.co.uk | 30 June 2025
„Making her UK debut, the Ukrainian-German soprano Kasper’s Mélisande is gently luscious, directed to be always deeply melancholic, and while we see the depth of her relationship developing with Pelléas it is always suggested rather than overt.“

• klasikaplus, Jan Sebastian Tomsa – August 6, 2025

„The Ukrainian-German soprano Kateryna Kasper […], who has long specialized in the interpretation of early music (although she also performs other repertoire), impressed from the very first note with extraordinary poise; the program did not even give her space for a so-called “warm-up.” Her voice is beautifully round and creamy full, and exceptionally suited to this repertoire. Honestly, I haven’t heard a soprano in a long time whose voice fits the Italian Baroque opera so perfectly. She is characterized by flawless transitions between registers, a firm grip, and magical power. She shaped each aria a little differently to showcase all the nuances and possibilities of her voice. And there was much to admire! The already mentioned famous Cleopatra aria “Se pietà di me non senti” […] she delivered with immense feeling; the sorrow Händel describes seemed to cut directly into the hearts of all listeners through her, while in the aria “Da tempeste il legno infranto” she captured the enthusiasm and joy during the almost murderous coloratura passages, all sung with extraordinary nobility and technical confidence. What fascinated me most about her voice – confirmed again after the intermission in the works of Antonio Vivaldi – was its velvety smoothness in the best sense of the word. The kind reader may forgive me a perhaps overly abstract comparison, but her voice seemed to contain a double portion of cream and maybe a bit of butter. Sopranos often envy mezzo-sopranos for their broader tonal and expressive means, but Ms. Kasper need not suffer such envy. With her performance in the role of Handel’s Cleopatra, she completely enchanted all concertgoers to the point that it was hard to believe she was singing the role for the first time. For Vivaldi’s Arianna in the second part of the evening, she chose a more expressive costume and a more dramatic interpretation, yet she sang the aria just as brilliantly.“

www.klasikaplus.cz

In conversation with Martina Marie Heroldová on 3 August 2025, discussing PASSIONE D’AMORE at the Church of St. Simon and Judas.

This year’s Summer Festival of Early Music will culminate on August 5th in the Church of St. Simon and Judas with a concert subtitled Passione d’amore. The star of the evening will be the internationally renowned Ukrainian-German soprano Kateryna Kasper, whose repertoire ranges from baroque opera to oratorios to songwriting and who has been recognized on leading European and overseas stages. In an interview for the KlasikaPlus.cz portal, she not only describes her interpretative approach to Italian baroque music, but also the personal relationship she has with the chosen repertoire. At the concert, she will perform together with Czech baritone Roman Hoza and the Collegium Marianum ensemble under the direction of Jana Semerádová.

What does performing in Prague at the Early Music Summer Festival mean to you personally?

I’m very happy to return to Prague — it’s only my second time performing here, but I’ve truly fallen in love with the city. There’s something quite special about making Baroque music in such a historic and atmospheric place.

Is this your first collaboration with the Collegium Marianum ensemble?

This is my first collaboration with Collegio Marianum and I am really looking forward to it. Being part of this festival alongside an ensemble so deeply connected to the Baroque repertoire and sharing this wonderful music with a new audience feels natural, inspiring and truly meaningful.

How did you choose the repertoire for the Passione d’amore concert?

Passione d’amore brings together arias and duets from Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Vivaldi’s Il Giustino. While Giulio Cesare is one of Handel’s most beloved and frequently performed operas, Il Giustino is rarely staged in its entirety — yet it’s a true musical gem, far beyond the famous aria „Vedrò con mio diletto.“

What connects these two works?

Interestingly, both operas premiered in the same year, 1724, one in London, the other in Rome. Handel’s Cleopatra was originally sung by the famous soprano Francesca Cuzzoni, while Vivaldi wrote the role of Arianna for a soprano castrato, so it has extraordinary vocal demands and expressive range.

Both characters are driven by love, but their paths are very different. Cleopatra is politically strategic, seductive, but deeply human in her vulnerability. Arianna is courageous, emotionally direct — she fights for love, faces betrayal and danger. What connects them is the passion embedded in the music and the intensity of their inner lives: both are strong women navigating power and emotion in high-stakes worlds.

Do you have a deeper personal connection to any of the works or arias in the program?

This fall I will make my debut as Cleopatra – a role I have dreamed of for many years. Although I have performed many Handel heroines, Cleopatra is a new character for me, still to be fully discovered. In Prague, I’ll sing her arias in public for the very first time, which makes this moment very special.

I have a stronger personal connection to Arianna. I performed her at the Staatsoper Berlin three years ago and felt great joy bringing this bold, witty, and courageous woman to life.

What do you think is the biggest challenge in interpreting early music, especially the Baroque repertoire?

Baroque music is full of color, gesture, and emotional complexity. It requires both vocal discipline and imagination, not least because compositions from this period demand from the interpreter to add a great variety of embellishments according to their “good taste” as well as to invent completely free alterations in the da capo parts. Its rhythmic “drive”, ornamentation, and unique expressive language make interpretation with a contemporary understanding both a challenge and a gift. This music speaks directly to our hearts, but at the same time requires a careful balance between historical style and personal expression. For me, the real task is to make those emotions feel fresh and true today, without losing the depth and elegance of the style.

How would you invite or encourage listeners who may not have much experience with early music to attend a concert? What can they expect?

I would say: “Let yourself be surprised!” Early music is far from dusty – it is full of life, sensuality, drama and raw emotion. It amazes me how these stories and feelings still speak to us so deeply after three hundred years. They are human and timeless. If you open yourself to them, you will discover an intense and moving experience that will stay with you long after the concert ends.

INTERVIEW at klassikaplus.cz 

“When I think of God, my heart must leap for joy, and I must write notes out of joy.”
– Joseph Haydn

Haydn’s Creation is a miracle: powerful, festive – and at the same time full of lightness and fine wit. Music that celebrates life and makes love tangible. Being able to sing both soprano parts, Gabriel and Eve, is a true gift.

Kateryna Kasper – Gabriel, Eva
Werner Güra – Uriel
Tobias Berndt – Raphael, Adam
Glarisegger Choir
Swiss Festival Orchestra
Heinz Bähler – conductor

• operawire, Mengguang Huang – 6 February 2025

„Kateryna Kasper’s Elettra was nothing short of electrifying. From her first entrance, she commanded attention, her voice brimming with intensity and fury. Her rendition of “D’Oreste, d’Ajace” in Act three was a tour de force, her incisive phrasing and dramatic inflections turning the aria into a visceral outpouring of rage and despair. The audience, gripped by the sheer force of her performance, erupted into one of the night’s most fervent ovations.“

• bachtrack, Leonardo Mattana Ereño – 24. Januar 2025 (Teatro Real, Madrid)

„Destacó en el reparto, Kateryna Kasper con una Elettra que introdujo las tensiones necesarias de manera más eficaz y que coronó el papel con una soberbia „D’Oreste e d’Aiace“, en la que mostró su abanico de recursos, con una versatilidad y agilidad naturales, una emisión constante y bien articulada y bueno agudos.“

„Standing out in the cast was Kateryna Kasper with an Elettra who introduced the necessary tensions in the most effective way and crowned the role with a superb “D’Oreste e d’Aiace,” in which she displayed her range of resources, with natural versatility and agility, a steady and well-articulated delivery, and fine high notes.“

Freiburger Barockorchester
Zürcher Sing-Akademie
Ian Koziara Idomeneo
Kateryna Kasper Elettra
Olivia Vermeulen Idamante
Polina Pastirchak Ilia
Mark Milhofer Arbace
Kresimir Spicer Gran sacerdote di nettuno and La voce
René Jacobs Conductor

Semi-staged concert version

* Opera Online – Achim Dombrowski – 22 November 2022

“Kateryna Kasper embodies Empress Arianna with breathtaking precision and expressiveness, superhuman in her solitary perfection.”

* Frankfurter Rundschau – Judith von Sternburg – 22 November 2022

“Kateryna Kasper triumphs as a thoroughly grounded Empress Arianna with her bold, rather darkly shaded soprano.”

* Berliner Morgenpost – Mario-Felix Vogt – 22 November 2022

“(She) captivates with her seductively rounded soprano and the technically flawless execution of the coloraturas that Vivaldi demands of her part.”

* taz – Anna Schors – 22 November 2022

“Among the cast, Countertenor Christophe Dumaux as Giustino and Kateryna Kasper as Empress Arianna are particularly enchanting with gracefully ornamented and highly cultivated singing.”

* Berliner Zeitung – Peter Uehling – 22 November 2022

“Kateryna Kasper turns Arianna into a courageous leading figure; her soprano sounds both resolute and sensitive, and it outshines almost everything around her.”

* concerti Online – Kirsten Liese – 21 November 2022

“Foremost among all stands Empress Arianna, steadfast in the face of every life-threatening attack and unwavering in her love for her husband — a brave and valiant woman. No singer could master this role more perfectly than Kateryna Kasper; her soprano rings out bell-clear, warm, and beautiful, still shimmering silver in its highest peaks.”

* Der Tagesspiegel – Eleonore Büning – 22 November 2022

“Right in the first scene, it becomes clear: she wears the trousers. Kateryna Kasper portrays this as, on the one hand, a charming, sparkling coloratura whirlwind, and on the other, a display of masculine courage together with dramatically resounding volume, whenever fate requires it.”

* Online Merker – Ursula Wiegand – 23 November 2022

„With her tirelessly radiant soprano, Kateryna Kasper fills this role completely.”

* Berliner Umschau – Katharina Zawadsky – 22 November 2022

Kateryna Kasper delights „as Arianna with a seductively versatile soprano and flawless, truly breathtaking coloraturas.”

* La Libre Belgique – Nicolas Blanmont – 23 November 2022

“the dazzling Arianna”

Idomeneo – A Journey with Elettra

When I first heard Mozart’s Idomeneo, a shiver ran down my spine. The power of this music was overwhelming – so intense that I initially didn’t know how to approach it, how my body and voice could carry it.

Over time, with each rehearsal and performance, it came closer to me and began to unfold within me.

The process of growing into a role is always fascinating to me. A path full of discoveries, doubts, and passion – and it is all the more valuable when someone is there to say, “You can do this.”

By now, I feel increasingly connected to Elettra and her music. Her emotions, her power, her fury, longing, passion, and despair – to immerse myself in all of it and transform it into sound is intoxicating. I look forward to everything there is still to discover in this role.

This role was a very special experience for me, as I had the opportunity to embody musical pleasure itself. It was a true joy to live and experience the delight of the music – a moment I looked forward to every time.

The production took us on an exciting journey with concerts in Germany, South Korea, and Japan. It was an unforgettable adventure to bring Piacere to life on stage and share it with a wonderful team and audience.

It is with great joy that I look back on an intense and inspiring concert tour: together with the wonderful René Jacobs and the B’Rock Orchestra, I had the privilege of bringing George Frideric Handel’s early Italian oratorio La Bellezza ravveduta nel trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV46 – in Germany, South Korea and Japan.

In this work, composed in Rome in 1707, allegorical characters engage in a musical dialogue: Bellezza (Beauty), Piacere (Pleasure), Tempo (Time), and Disinganno (Enlightenment). Handel unfolds a fascinating theatrical world full of refinement and emotional depth – with arias of timeless beauty, such as the famous Lascia la spina.

I am deeply grateful for the artistic collaboration with this outstanding ensemble – and for the audiences who welcomed the work with open hearts and great enthusiasm at every stop on our journey.

Sunhae Im – Soprano, Bellezza

Kateryna Kasper – Soprano, Piacere

Paul Figuier – Alto, Disinganno

Thomas Walker – Tenor, Tempo

René Jacobs – Conductor

B’Rock Orchestra

Libretto: Cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj

A play of moments, music, and emotions.

Music by C. Debussy, I. Stravinsky, G. Pergolesi, W.A. Mozart, S. Sondheim, and others.

Together with Kammerphilharmonie Frankfurt, conducted by Nicolai Bernstein, and Compagnia Baccalà, we brought the world of Harlequin to life. Harlequin, an ancestor of modern clowns, is a master of ambiguity – good and evil, holy and devilish, happy and sad, all at the same time. A symbol of the many facets of life that we explored in this special concert.

Thank you for this beautiful collaboration!

Kammerphilharmonie Frankfurt
Soprano: Kateryna Kasper
Harlequin: Compagnia Baccalà
Artistic Direction: Nicolai Bernstein
Arrangements: Nicolai Bernstein / Gerhard Müller-Hornbach
Violin I: Karolina Weltrowska
Violin II: Alexandra Cygan
Viola: Sebastian Steinhilber
Cello: Larissa Nagel
Double Bass: Nicola Vock
Flute: Delphine Roche
Oboe: Ayumi Zsovar-Mita
Clarinet 1: Jens Singer
Clarinet 2: Moritz Schneidewendt
Bassoon: David Avendaño
Horn: Gyuri Zsovar
Trumpet: Peter Harsanyi
Trombone: Vincent Warratz
Percussion: Philipp Strüber
Piano: Ekaterine Kinzuraschwili

Photos: Leonard Kötters www.natureofmusic.net @nature_of_music

©JuliaWesely

“All of Munich is talking about his oratorio, Abramo ed Isacco, which he presented here.”
Mozart in a letter to his father, October 11, 1777

***

Until recently, I was not familiar with the music of the Czech maestro Josef Mysliveček – Il divino boemo (The Divine Bohemian) – but his oratorio Abramo ed Isacco completely captivated me with its depth and expressiveness. The work and the concerts in Prague, Dresden, and Amsterdam with Collegium 1704 and Václav Luks were a highlight at the beginning of my new season. It was particularly exciting to explore this extraordinary piece together with Václav Luks and his orchestra – true experts in this field, who bring Mysliveček’s music to life with remarkable authenticity and passion.

This work, which premiered in Florence in 1776 and was performed the following year at the court of Elector Maximilian III in Munich, fascinated contemporary audiences as well as the young Mozart. It brings to life the dramatic Old Testament story of Abraham, who is on the verge of sacrificing his son. The oratorio quickly became one of the most performed works of the 18th century and gained widespread popularity throughout Europe. It demands extraordinary vocal virtuosity and showcases the qualities of the singers for whom Mysliveček composed his dramatic works.

The performances were not only a surprising discovery for me but also a reminder of how much more there is still to uncover in music history.

Fotos (c)_PetraHajska

I traveled to London for a special event with Longborough Festival Opera, where I will make my role debut as Mélisande in summer 2025.

It was a great pleasure to perform excerpts from Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande alongside baritone Robert Hayward (Golaud), as well as related fin de siècle art songs.

I am looking forward to an exciting journey through this fascinating score—especially in collaboration with Maestro Anthony Negus and director Jenny Ogilvie, with whom I previously had the pleasure of working on Orlando at Oper Frankfurt.

at the Elchinger Musiktage as a climate concert

“A double wonder of this world.” (J. Mattheson)

Works by Reinhard Keiser and G. F. Handel
Musical direction: Michael Schneider
Kateryna Kasper (soprano)
Andreas Wolf (bass-baritone)
La Stagione Frankfurt

***

„Beim Wunderwerk der Emigranten,
Durch Keisers Tonkunst vorgestellt,
Gabs Leute, die darin erkannten
Ein doppelt Wunder dieser Welt !“ (Mattheson)

Together with Ensemble Modern, I performed the monologue of the The little Chinese, „Heimkehr“ from Péter Eötvös’ The GOLDEN DRAGON at the Alte Oper. Singing this music again ten years after the world premiere was a particularly moving moment for me— a journey through time, filled with memories and deeply felt emotion.

P. Eötvös „Der Goldene Drache“ (Oper Frankfurt, 2014 – Fotos: Monika Rittershaus

Dear Péter,

You asked me, “So? What does the toothache sound like?” – and after that audition ten years ago, I knew that I would have the honor of taking on the role of the Young woman / The little Chinese in the world premiere of The Golden Dragon. It was a great privilege to witness this piece of musical theater in its creation and to be part of shaping it.

Working on The Golden Dragon was one of the most intense, powerful, and overwhelming theater and stage experiences of my life – and I will never forget it. Your music will always remain.

Thank you, and rest in peace, dear Péter.

On May 9, 2024, Kateryna Kasper performed alongside baritone Johannes Kammler and pianist Marcelo Amaral at the Musikhalle Ludwigsburg. The International Hugo Wolf Academy for Vocal Arts, Poetry, and Lied (IHWA) presented Hommage à Goethe, a special song recital dedicated entirely to musical settings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s works.

Few poets have inspired as many composers as Goethe! The program brought together an impressive selection of Goethe settings spanning three centuries and various nations. Works by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, Charles Ives, and Hanns Eisler showcased the remarkable diversity of musical interpretations of Goethe’s poetry.

In the beautiful Art Nouveau setting of the Ludwigsburg Musikhalle, the audience experienced an evening filled with musical poetry. The unique blend of well-known classics and lesser-performed pieces made this concert a special experience for all lovers of art song.

24_05_09_Goethe-Liederabend_rz

April 30, 2024: Adelina Yefimenko, IOCO correspondent, speaks with soprano Kateryna Kasper about the rarely performed opera ASCANIO IN ALBA by W. A. Mozart and her role in it at the Frankfurt Opera.

Read the interview →

27 квітня 2024 року: Аделіна Єфіменко розмовляє із сопрано Катериною Каспер про рідко виконувану оперу «Асканіо в Альбі» В. А. Моцарта та її партію в цій постановці в Опері Франкфурта.

→ До інтерв’ю

DER OPERNFREUND, Michael Demel, 10 March 2024
„Kateryna Kasper is magnificent as Micaëla, her crystal-clear soprano lending the character an ideal innocent, girlish tone. She recently impressed as the resolute matriarch in Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba and now demonstrates the astonishing versatility of her beautiful voice.“

Kateryna sings G. F. Handel’s „Aci, Galatea e Polifemo“ with the Basel Chamber Orchestra under the direction of René Jacobs at the Theater an der Wien and Don Bosco Basel.


 12., 13., 14. January 2024: Role Debut as Aci in Handel’s ACI, GALATEA E POLIFEMO.

The concert won the Opus Award for ‘Concert of the Year: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Music’.

Arion Baroque Orchestra, Montréal
Francesco Corti – Guest Conductor
Kateryna Kasper – Soprano
Margherita Maria Sala – Alto
Lisandro Abadie – Bass 


• prestomusic – Katherine Cooper – April 29, 2022

„Special mention for Ukrainian soprano Kateryna Kasper, whose Ännchen is more feisty cougar than perky soubrette: Jacobs explains that he sees her as the older of the two women, contrary to received opinion.“

• Roland Dippel

„Jacobs achieves, with the fantastically performing orchestra, a feat that can easily rank among the important recordings of Der Freischütz by Carlos Kleiber, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Bruno Weil.“

Maximilian Schmitt (Max)

Polina Pasztircsák (Agathe)

Kateryna Kasper (Ännchen)

Dimitry Ivashchenko (Kaspar)

Yannick Debus (Kilian)

Matthias Winckhler (Kuno)

Christian Immler (Hermit)

Max Urlacher (Samiel)

Freiburger Barockorchester

Zürcher Sing-Akademie

René Jacobs

Sebastian Scotney, www.theartsdesk.com 10.09.2022

„(…) the album here is quite simply a gem in its own right. Ein süßes Deingedenken, the new double album of songs by the Mendelssohn siblings from Kateryna Kasper and Dmitry Ablogin gives pleasure and cause for thought on so many different levels. (…) The thing which caught my attention immediately might appear a bit tangential: the very first sound one hears is an improvised fortepiano introduction to Felix’s “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges”, and it was the sound of the instrument being played by Dmitry Ablogin which had me grabbing for the booklet to find out more. The remarkable piano here is from 1835 and was made by Aloys Aegydius Biber. (…)There are plenty of places to hear what a stupendous fortepianist Ablogin is: the stormy Brocken he conjures up in Felix’s “Hexenlied” is spookily spellbinding, and he certainly earns his fee and more by dint of the sheer virtuosity and the quantity of notes in Fanny’s “Anklänge”.

Soprano Kateryna Kasper’s sense of how to shape a rising phrase, her way of giving the voice a floating and weightless quality as it rises is just wonderful; Fanny’s “Achmed and Irza” is a great example of that. Her pacing of slow songs is remarkable, as in Fanny’s “Harfner” song (‘Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt’). Her dreamy to-die-for legato is on a level with Gundula Janowitz’s in Fanny’s “Vorwurf”. The album is superbly documented. For those who want to get nerdy and spend a quiet evening exploring the Hellwig-Unruh numbers of Fanny Mendelssohn compositions, they’re all there. More importantly, the substantial programme essay examines the way the Mendelssohn siblings supported and influenced each other, with a lot of evidence from their letters to each other. Maybe it is not fanciful to see Fanny and Felix as one of the dream teams in the history of songwriting. This great double album certainly provides ample evidence for that assertion.“

©Andreas Kasper

www.klassik-heute.de, Rainer W. Janka 01.07.2022

„Kateryna Kasper is one of those rare sopranos one can listen to for a long, long time, without ever growing tired of her voice: she always sings properly on the breath, follows the emotions set to music, lets her beautifully toned soprano flow and shine freely, can place the high notes with ease, captivates through precise articulation and the emphasis on words essential to meaning (…). One is always convinced by her taste, the elegance of her tone production, the careful shaping of the vowels, and the pure stream of the voice.
Dmytri Ablogin plays a fortepiano by Alois Biber, built around 1835, from which he draws many finely shaded sounds. At times the fortepiano resembles a guitar, at times a harp, at times it surges like waves, at times it flutes like a nightingale, then again it bursts forth full of life and intoxication—and always he envelops the singer’s voice with well-balanced nuance.
The sound engineer provides a finely wrought balance, close to the singer’s mouth, yet never allowing either of the two performers to push entirely into the foreground.
All in all, an excellent presentation of the art of song by Fanny Hensel and of the symbiotic sibling relationship of the two child prodigies from the Mendelssohn family: highly recommended!“

©Andreas Kasper

©Andreas Kasper

©Andreas Kasper

Sebastian Scotney, www.theartsdesk.com 10.09.2022

„(…) the album here is quite simply a gem in its own right. Ein süßes Deingedenken, the new double album of songs by the Mendelssohn siblings from Kateryna Kasper and Dmitry Ablogin gives pleasure and cause for thought on so many different levels. (…) The thing which caught my attention immediately might appear a bit tangential: the very first sound one hears is an improvised fortepiano introduction to Felix’s “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges”, and it was the sound of the instrument being played by Dmitry Ablogin which had me grabbing for the booklet to find out more. The remarkable piano here is from 1835 and was made by Aloys Aegydius Biber. (…)There are plenty of places to hear what a stupendous fortepianist Ablogin is: the stormy Brocken he conjures up in Felix’s “Hexenlied” is spookily spellbinding, and he certainly earns his fee and more by dint of the sheer virtuosity and the quantity of notes in Fanny’s “Anklänge”.

Soprano Kateryna Kasper’s sense of how to shape a rising phrase, her way of giving the voice a floating and weightless quality as it rises is just wonderful; Fanny’s “Achmed and Irza” is a great example of that. Her pacing of slow songs is remarkable, as in Fanny’s “Harfner” song (‘Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt’). Her dreamy to-die-for legato is on a level with Gundula Janowitz’s in Fanny’s “Vorwurf”. The album is superbly documented. For those who want to get nerdy and spend a quiet evening exploring the Hellwig-Unruh numbers of Fanny Mendelssohn compositions, they’re all there. More importantly, the substantial programme essay examines the way the Mendelssohn siblings supported and influenced each other, with a lot of evidence from their letters to each other. Maybe it is not fanciful to see Fanny and Felix as one of the dream teams in the history of songwriting. This great double album certainly provides ample evidence for that assertion.“

©Andreas Kasper

www.klassik-heute.de, Rainer W. Janka 01.07.2022

„Kateryna Kasper is one of those rare sopranos one can listen to for a long, long time, without ever growing tired of her voice: she always sings properly on the breath, follows the emotions set to music, lets her beautifully toned soprano flow and shine freely, can place the high notes with ease, captivates through precise articulation and the emphasis on words essential to meaning (…). One is always convinced by her taste, the elegance of her tone production, the careful shaping of the vowels, and the pure stream of the voice.
Dmytri Ablogin plays a fortepiano by Alois Biber, built around 1835, from which he draws many finely shaded sounds. At times the fortepiano resembles a guitar, at times a harp, at times it surges like waves, at times it flutes like a nightingale, then again it bursts forth full of life and intoxication—and always he envelops the singer’s voice with well-balanced nuance.
The sound engineer provides a finely wrought balance, close to the singer’s mouth, yet never allowing either of the two performers to push entirely into the foreground.
All in all, an excellent presentation of the art of song by Fanny Hensel and of the symbiotic sibling relationship of the two child prodigies from the Mendelssohn family: highly recommended!“

©Andreas Kasper

©Andreas Kasper

©Andreas Kasper

Read the article by Judith von Sternburg in the Frankfurter Rundschau →

• Frankfurter Rundschau, Judith von Sternburg | 30.01.2023

„ (…) Die Sopranistin Kateryna Kasper, deren Stimme immer goldener, dunkeltöniger, aufregender und noch angenehmer wird, ist Angelica (…)“

„(…) The soprano Kateryna Kasper, whose voice is becoming increasingly golden, darker in tone, more exciting, and even more pleasant, is Angelica (…)“

• FAZ, Jan Brachmann | 31.01.2023

„ (…) Kateryna Kasper (…) bietet in Gestalt der Angelica vokal alle Nuancen der Zu- und Abneigung, des doppelbödigen Verhaltens, etwa der hoheitlichen Selbstbehauptung im Kaschieren von Angst auf – mit großer Kehlfertigkeit in den Koloraturen und mit einem Timbre, durch dessen Süße die Intensität der Leidenschaft dringt wie das Salz durchs Karamell. (…)“

„In the role of Angelica, Kateryna Kasper vocally offers all the nuances of affection and aversion, of double-edged behavior, such as regal self-assertion that conceals fear — with great agility in the coloraturas and with a timbre whose sweetness lets the intensity of passion come through like salt through caramel.“

• FAZ, Jürgen Kaube | 14.02.2023

„Kateryna Kasper ist Angelica, herrisch, devot, verängstigt, verliebt – man kann sich gar keinen Affekt vorstellen, den sie nicht stimmlich plausiel zu machen wüsste.“

„Kateryna Kasper is Angelica—imperious, submissive, fearful, in love—there is hardly any emotion one can imagine that she would not be able to make vocally convincing.“

• www.anaclase.com | 25.02.2023

„(…) en premier lieu l’Angelica de Kateryna Kasper, une voix bien exprimée du grave nourri jusqu’au suraigu, variant les nuances entre d’ineffables piani et des notes plus sonores. La chanteuse est sans doute la meilleure pour la maîtrise des nombreux passages fleuris, et gère avec précision les quelques intervalles vertigineux de la partition. (…)“

„(…) First and foremost, there is Kateryna Kasper’s performance as Angelica, which features a well-developed voice ranging from the rich low notes to the soaring high notes, with nuances that vary between ineffably delicate piani and more sonorous tones. The singer is undoubtedly the best when it comes to mastering the numerous coloratura passages, and manages with precision the few dizzying intervals of the score. (…)“

* Opera Online – Achim Dombrowski – 22 November 2022

“Kateryna Kasper embodies Empress Arianna with breathtaking precision and expressiveness, superhuman in her solitary perfection.”

* Frankfurter Rundschau – Judith von Sternburg – 22 November 2022

“Kateryna Kasper triumphs as a thoroughly grounded Empress Arianna with her bold, rather darkly shaded soprano.”

* Berliner Morgenpost – Mario-Felix Vogt – 22 November 2022

“(She) captivates with her seductively rounded soprano and the technically flawless execution of the coloraturas that Vivaldi demands of her part.”

* taz – Anna Schors – 22 November 2022

“Among the cast, Countertenor Christophe Dumaux as Giustino and Kateryna Kasper as Empress Arianna are particularly enchanting with gracefully ornamented and highly cultivated singing.”

* Berliner Zeitung – Peter Uehling – 22 November 2022

“Kateryna Kasper turns Arianna into a courageous leading figure; her soprano sounds both resolute and sensitive, and it outshines almost everything around her.”

* concerti Online – Kirsten Liese – 21 November 2022

“Foremost among all stands Empress Arianna, steadfast in the face of every life-threatening attack and unwavering in her love for her husband — a brave and valiant woman. No singer could master this role more perfectly than Kateryna Kasper; her soprano rings out bell-clear, warm, and beautiful, still shimmering silver in its highest peaks.”

* Der Tagesspiegel – Eleonore Büning – 22 November 2022

“Right in the first scene, it becomes clear: she wears the trousers. Kateryna Kasper portrays this as, on the one hand, a charming, sparkling coloratura whirlwind, and on the other, a display of masculine courage together with dramatically resounding volume, whenever fate requires it.”

* Online Merker – Ursula Wiegand – 23 November 2022

„With her tirelessly radiant soprano, Kateryna Kasper fills this role completely.”

* Berliner Umschau – Katharina Zawadsky – 22 November 2022

Kateryna Kasper delights „as Arianna with a seductively versatile soprano and flawless, truly breathtaking coloraturas.”

* La Libre Belgique – Nicolas Blanmont – 23 November 2022

“the dazzling Arianna”

„Music and art are my wings“ – interview with Kateryna Kasper

“Music and art are my wings” – interview with Kateryna Kasper

16 December 2022

The Ukrainian soprano Kateryna Kasper, one of the winners of the 2014 competition, returned to Musiikkitalo with Matija Meić for the Helin Laureates Sing for Ukraine concert in September 2022. What was it like to come back and what does she feel about the war, culture and the Mirjam Helin Competition?

When I was first contacted about the Helin Laureates Sing for Ukraine concert, I knew that it would be a very special occasion for me, for a number of reasons.

Musiikkitalo is a unique place where I experienced a whole spectrum of emotions in 2014 – connected with the intense competition time and at the same time constant fear for my parents, who at that time were sitting in the basement in our house in Eastern Ukraine. Such memories stay with you for a very long time.

And now this concert would be in this wonderful place of art, where you can be happy as an artist and have a whole cosmos of possibilities. (It also feels like outer space, when you stand in the hall and the lighting around you looks like the eternal starry sky). And, again, the war in the whole of Ukraine and the occasion of the concert is connected with it.

Before my reunion with the concert hall, I was excited. Before I sang the first notes, I first greeted it in silence. When I saw the marvellous Helsinki audience in front of me again, I wanted to be silent for a very short time before the music filled the hall with its magic.

It is an intense moment of truth, happiness, gratitude, and dedication.

“The education of a singer never ends”

Before the Mirjam Helin Competition, I had done a few other competitions. Participating in the competitions was an important element of my education. I learned a lot about myself in the process: it moved me forward.

Although the education of a singer never ends, the Mirjam Helin competition was, for me, a bright conclusion of an epoch, a milestone on my path of education as an artist. Receiving an award reassured, motivated and inspired me. At that time, I already had an engagement at the Frankfurt Opera, and with the first prize in the Mirjam Helin competition, I made beautiful acquaintances, concerts and contacts in Finland, Portugal, and Japan, and received unforgettable memories and valuable experiences.

“The level is top”

I can only speak highly of the Mirjam Helin Competition from the heart. It is definitely unique.

The competition offers a platform for making valuable contacts, for presenting one’s own skills, for learning and developing.

Young singers can be sure that the Mirjam Helin Competition is the place where they will feel absolutely welcome in the friendly atmosphere, always supported. The level is top. The jury consists of world famous singers – just performing in front of these personalities is a great gift.

The organisation couldn’t be better: a mixture of perfect and loving, personal, friendly.

The repertoire is very demanding, but it also leaves a lot of freedom and gives the opportunity to show your versatility.

“People are fully responsible for what they bring into this world”

We are living in times of radical change. The accelerating climate catastrophe, epidemics, wars, everything seems to suddenly collapse on you and make you easily lose heart. The war in my home country, which affected my family and friends already in 2014, has reached catastrophic proportions. Death is so close to us. In this light, sometimes discussing how culture and music can help right now seems almost naïve.

On the other hand, personally and without exaggerating: music and art save me, they are my wings that can rescue me from desperate thoughts. There are many people for whom art, and music in particular, are a great support, comfort and remedy in difficult times. Art and culture can enrich human coexistence and connect people with each other. They can make people curious about each other and create mutual understanding.

On the other hand, art and culture can be used to incite people against each other and oppress other people, as the people in Ukraine are painfully experiencing. Russia’s colonial war is not least a crusade to destroy the “wrong” Ukrainian culture. Especially in times like these, artists have to be careful not to let themselves be instrumentalised by such contexts out of naïvety. Art is also political.

People are fully responsible for what they bring into this world. I think the more people bring light into the world, the less room there is for evil. We have to keep living and doing good. We have to use the creative power that is given to us for good and try to make the world a better place!

What’s next?

I have a very nice season ahead of me. Actually, I love the German word for it – “Spielzeit”, playtime.

I am very happy to be able to work with many good musicians, orchestras and ensembles again. I’m working again with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, La Stagione, B’Rock Orchestra and with René Jacobs and Michael Schneider – that’s always a special and enriching collaboration.

I recently made my debut at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden with the great role of the Empress Arianna from Vivaldi’s opera Il Giustino; I was very much looking forward to this, as it was also my first collaboration with the Akamus Orchestra. I will also be performing with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra and Christoph Poppen and the International Bach Academy.

I will sing in three opera productions at my home theatre in Frankfurt am Main, but also many concerts across Europe – in Germany, France, Switzerland, Portugal.

I also have the good fortune to do lied concerts again with my wonderful piano partner Dmitry Ablogin.

Pergolesi, Stradella, Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Hensel, Humperdinck – their music will carry me on its wings in the near future.

(c) Monika Rittershaus

deropernfreund, Michael Demel – 28 Mai 2022
„[…]The pair of fairy rulers deserve special mention. In contrast to the conversational tone of the other roles, Britten demands elaborate melismas and ornamentation from them. Kateryna Kasper as Tytania once again proves her exceptional talent as a technically brilliant soprano with a blossoming, lyrical tone, which she also skilfully manages to bring out poisonous and bitchy nuances in this role.“

bachtrack, Alexandra Richter – 14 Mai 2022
“Kateryna Kasper as Tytania with her clear, agile soprano voice offered effortless colouratura and together with the mysteriously unapproachable sounding voice of countertenor Cameron Shahbazi as Oberon, they formed a vocally and scenically impressive pair that seemed to be out of this world.“

* A. Vivaldi Il GIUSTINO (Arianna) – debut at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin – AKAMUS & René Jacobs / Barbora Horáková

* BALD IST WEIHNACHTEN (Mozart, Buxtehude, Barvinsky) – concert at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra & Christoph Poppen

* E. Humperdinck HÄNSEL UND GRETEL (Gretel) – Frankfurt Opera

* J.S. Bach WEIHNACHTSORATORIUM – St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg

* G.F. Händel ORLANDO (Angelica) – Frankfurt Opera

* LIEDERABEND (R. Schumann DICHTERLIEBE, songs by N. Medtner, S. Bortkevych, V. Barvinsky, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn) with Dmitry Ablogin at the Robert Schumann Society in Frankfurt am Main and at Weißenbrunn Castle

* G.B. Pergolesi STABAT MATER, J.S. Bach MEIN HERZE SCHWIMMT IM BLUT – B’Rock Orchestra & René Jacobs – Roue, Grenobl, La Rochell, Aix Easter Festival/ Aix en Provence, Thüringer Bachwochen/ Eisenach

* W.A. Mozart VESPERAE SOLENNES DE CONFESSORE & REQUIEM at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris – Orchestra and Choir of the Gaechinger Kantorei & Hans-Christoph Rademann

* W.A. Mozart DON GIOVANNI (Zerlina) – Frankfurt Opera

* G.F. Händel XERXES (Romilda) – Frankfurt Opera

Sebastian Scotney, www.theartsdesk.com 10.09.2022

„(…) the album here is quite simply a gem in its own right. Ein süßes Deingedenken, the new double album of songs by the Mendelssohn siblings from Kateryna Kasper and Dmitry Ablogin gives pleasure and cause for thought on so many different levels. (…) The thing which caught my attention immediately might appear a bit tangential: the very first sound one hears is an improvised fortepiano introduction to Felix’s “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges”, and it was the sound of the instrument being played by Dmitry Ablogin which had me grabbing for the booklet to find out more. The remarkable piano here is from 1835 and was made by Aloys Aegydius Biber. (…)There are plenty of places to hear what a stupendous fortepianist Ablogin is: the stormy Brocken he conjures up in Felix’s “Hexenlied” is spookily spellbinding, and he certainly earns his fee and more by dint of the sheer virtuosity and the quantity of notes in Fanny’s “Anklänge”.

Soprano Kateryna Kasper’s sense of how to shape a rising phrase, her way of giving the voice a floating and weightless quality as it rises is just wonderful; Fanny’s “Achmed and Irza” is a great example of that. Her pacing of slow songs is remarkable, as in Fanny’s “Harfner” song (‘Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt’). Her dreamy to-die-for legato is on a level with Gundula Janowitz’s in Fanny’s “Vorwurf”. The album is superbly documented. For those who want to get nerdy and spend a quiet evening exploring the Hellwig-Unruh numbers of Fanny Mendelssohn compositions, they’re all there. More importantly, the substantial programme essay examines the way the Mendelssohn siblings supported and influenced each other, with a lot of evidence from their letters to each other. Maybe it is not fanciful to see Fanny and Felix as one of the dream teams in the history of songwriting. This great double album certainly provides ample evidence for that assertion.“

©Andreas Kasper

www.klassik-heute.de, Rainer W. Janka 01.07.2022

„Kateryna Kasper is one of those rare sopranos one can listen to for a long, long time, without ever growing tired of her voice: she always sings properly on the breath, follows the emotions set to music, lets her beautifully toned soprano flow and shine freely, can place the high notes with ease, captivates through precise articulation and the emphasis on words essential to meaning (…). One is always convinced by her taste, the elegance of her tone production, the careful shaping of the vowels, and the pure stream of the voice.
Dmytri Ablogin plays a fortepiano by Alois Biber, built around 1835, from which he draws many finely shaded sounds. At times the fortepiano resembles a guitar, at times a harp, at times it surges like waves, at times it flutes like a nightingale, then again it bursts forth full of life and intoxication—and always he envelops the singer’s voice with well-balanced nuance.
The sound engineer provides a finely wrought balance, close to the singer’s mouth, yet never allowing either of the two performers to push entirely into the foreground.
All in all, an excellent presentation of the art of song by Fanny Hensel and of the symbiotic sibling relationship of the two child prodigies from the Mendelssohn family: highly recommended!“

©Andreas Kasper

©Andreas Kasper

©Andreas Kasper

• prestomusic, Katherine Cooper – April 29, 2022

„Special mention for Ukrainian soprano Kateryna Kasper, whose Ännchen is more feisty cougar than perky soubrette: Jacobs explains that he sees her as the older of the two women, contrary to received opinion.“

• Roland Dippel

„Jacobs achieves, with the fantastically performing orchestra, a feat that can easily rank among the important recordings of Der Freischütz by Carlos Kleiber, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Bruno Weil.“

Maximilian Schmitt (Max)

Polina Pasztircsák (Agathe)

Kateryna Kasper (Ännchen)

Dimitry Ivashchenko (Kaspar)

Yannick Debus (Kilian)

Matthias Winckhler (Kuno)

Christian Immler (Hermit)

Max Urlacher (Samiel)

Freiburger Barockorchester

Zürcher Sing-Akademie

René Jacobs

* Discophilia – Artalinna.com, Jean-Charles Hoffelé

“Le cycle est resté peu couru au disque et c’est peu d’écrire que Kateryna Kasper s’y fait magicienne dans la complicité de ses amies du Trio Vivante, et sait être déchirante dans la „Lettre de l’orphelin“, chef d’œuvre absolu parmi les chefs d’œuvre de Weinberg, qui, au plus sombre de la guerre, proclamait son identité sémite. Son soprano clair, tranchant, magnifie également les „Poèmes“ d’Alexander Blok, cycle majeur composé par Chostakovitch en 1967, sans les excès expressionnistes qu’y imposait Galina Vichnevskaïa. Ici tout est plus sur le fil de la voix, dans l’intelligence des textes, et avec l’accord sensible d’un trio qui laisse la primauté à ce chant qui n’est que poésie.“

„The cycle has not been widely recorded, and it would be an understatement to say that Kateryna Kasper is a magician in it, with the complicity of her friends in the Trio Vivante, and knows how to be heart-rending in the „Orphan’s Letter“, an absolute masterpiece among Weinberg’s masterpieces, which, in the darkest hours of the war, proclaimed his Semitic identity. Her clear, sharp soprano also magnifies Alexander Blok’s ‚Poems‘, a major cycle composed by Shostakovich in 1967, without the expressionist excesses imposed by Galina Vishnevskaya. Here everything is more on the thread of the voice, in the intelligence of the texts, and with the sensitive accord of a trio that yields primacy to this singing which is nothing but poetry.“

* Jean-Pierre Rousseau

„Le timbre, le velours profond, de la voix de la soprano d’origine ukrainienne, Kateryna Kasper, une parfaite diction du russe – si importante pour la restitution de ces poèmes (…) – établissent une nouvelle référence tant pour Chostakovitch que pour Weinberg. Un grand et beau disque !“

“The timbre, the deep velvet of the voice of the Ukrainian-born soprano Kateryna Kasper, and her perfect diction of Russian – so important to the rendering of these poems (…) – set a new benchmark for both Shostakovich and Weinberg. A great and beautiful disc!”

* Badische Zeitung, Freiburg – Christine Adam, 11.03.2022

„The Ukrainian soprano Kateryna Kasper, (…) sings Ophelia’s lonely, fragile lament over the death of her beloved in the war. Kasper’s voice sounds warm and round even during dramatic outbursts, when the bird Gamajun prophesises the relentless harshness of tyranny or the stormy night becomes an existential threat. Kateryna Kasper interprets the Yiddish songs with great empathy. There is also a mischievous, folkloristic element. The song „The Orphan’s Letter“ tells of hunger and loneliness. An excellent CD.”

* musicweb-international, Steve Arloff

„Trio Vivente have produced a most intelligent reading of all the works on this disc. Weinberg’s (…) songs too get remarkable performances. Kateryna Kasper, the young Ukrainian soprano, is a wonderful exponent. I have every admiration for her impressive and convincing achievement in singing in Yiddish. She is a powerful advocate. She also gives a magically beautiful performance of Shostakovich’s songs. They are not easy fare but she manages to inject just the right amount of darkness into them. (…) The entire disc is highly recommended.“

Order the album here

NDR Vokalensemble
Holland Baroque

Kateryna Kasper soprano
David Allsopp alto
Thomas Walker tenor
André Morsch baritone
Conductor Klaas Stok

• Hamburger Abendblatt, Joachim Mischke – December 13, 2021

“Stepping in at the very last minute, soprano Kateryna Kasper impressed with wonderful, clear intensity.”

Experience the concert in Amsterdam on NPO Radio 4.

October 21, 2021 – De Singel Antwerp
October 23, 2021 – Concertgebouw Amsterdam
October 25, 2021 – Cologne Philharmonic
October 28, 2021 – Théâtre Municipal Raymond Devos Tourcoing
October 30, 2021 – Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona

LLEGIR.CAT, Albert Mena – November 2, 2021

„Tres protagonistes estel·lars van fer explotar la nit d’ahir: l’ensemble B’Rock Orchestra, el ja esmentat Jacobs i la soprano Kateryna Kasper com a reina Orasia. La soprano va mostrar un talent genuí per caracteritzar el personatge, aprofitant cada oportunitat que li brindava el text per oferir-hi detalls interessants, com a Furcht und Hoffnung, Hass und Liebe (por i esperança, odi i amor), on la soprano expressava el conflicte d’emocions modificant el timbre amb què emetia cada paraula, amb subtilesa variable però d’altíssim voltatge dramàtic. Això només és possible amb coneixement i control indiscutible de la pròpia veu i Kasper sabia el que feia, amb greus sonors i aguts penetrants, coloratura precisa i variada (sabia atacar les notes amb staccato, fer filats sense vibrato, fer coloratura de microtimbres… tot un reguitzell de tècnica que feia fondre les orelles) i una presència escènica encantadora.„

„Three stellar protagonists blew the roof off last night: the B’Rock Orchestra, the already mentioned Jacobs, and soprano Kateryna Kasper as Queen Orfasia. The soprano displayed a genuine talent for characterizing the role, seizing every opportunity the text offered to add interesting details, such as in Furcht und Hoffnung, Hass and Liebe, where she expressed the emotional conflict by altering the timbre with which she delivered each word – with variable subtlety but of the highest dramatic voltage. This is only possible with knowledge and unquestionable control of one’s own voice, and Kasper knew exactly what she was doing – with sonorous low notes and penetrating highs, precise and varied coloratura (she knew how to attack notes in staccato, let tones fade without vibrato, perform coloratura with micro-timbres… a whole array of technique that made the ears melt) – and a charming stage presence.“

©Bjorn_Comhaire

lavanguardia, Jordi Maddaleno – Oktober 31, 2021
„Magnificаla Orasia de la soprano ucraniana Kateryna Kasper, auténtica protagonista de esta ópera en un argumento que gira entorno a su amor no correspondido por Orfeo. Voz plena, timbre incisivo y técnica impecable, recibió las ovaciones de la velada„

“The magnificent Orasia of Ukrainian soprano Kateryna Kasper, the true protagonist of this opera centered around her unrequited love for Orfeo. With a full voice, incisive timbre, and impeccable technique, she received the ovations of the evening.”

***

bachtrack, Jens Klier – Oktober 26, 2021

„Unverwechselbar ist auch Jacobs‘ barocker und besonders Telemannischer Stil durch das bewusst einjaulend lautmalerische Ansetzen der von den Gefühlen übermannten Bösewichtin, der hier eindeutig die Hauptrolle zugewiesen ist und bei Kateryna Kasper eine Klasse für sich war. Sie stoß ihre sentimentalen Höhen der verständlichen Mord-Motivik, Zerrissenheit und Verzweiflung, mehr noch ihre Abgründe des berechnenden Anstiftens zum Töten eben in dieser speziellen Artikulation und aller auf sich ziehender, bestimmender Präsenz hervorragend aus und wirbelte im liebeskranken, divenhaften, kontraststarken, wahnsinnig geläufigen Umsichschlagen in beeindruckendem Registerumfang genauso ins gerechte Verderben der Orasia wie dadurch auf jeden Zettel eines Besetzers oder Agenten.“

„Jacobs’s baroque, and especially Telemann-esque style, is unmistakable through the deliberately howling, onomatopoeic delivery of the villainess overwhelmed by emotions, who clearly takes the lead role here—and Kateryna Kasper’s performance was in a class of its own. She projected the sentimental highs of the character’s understandable murderous motives, inner turmoil, and despair—yet even more so the depths of calculating incitement to kill—through this very specific articulation and commanding, all-consuming presence. In her love-sick, diva-like, highly contrasting, and impressively agile outbursts across a remarkable vocal range, she spiraled Orasia into a well-deserved ruin—and onto every casting director’s and agent’s radar.“©Bjorn_Comhaire

bachtrack, Nicolas Nguyen – 25 Oktober 2021
„With nine strongly contrasted arias, the role of Orasia is almost of Handelian format. Lyric soprano Kateryna Kasper projected the temperamental character with passion, sometimes calling on her chest register to distill some extra venom. She navigated her stylistically varied arias – two of which were in French and one in Italian – with unrestrained commitment. Her rendition of the coloratura-packed aria “Sù, mio core à la vendetta!” earned her loud applause from the audience. (…)“

• deropernfreund – Michael Demel – 29.09.2021

“First and foremost to be mentioned is Kateryna Kasper in the role of Oriana. The Frankfurt-based soprano is currently at the height of her vocal powers. She caresses her lover with a wonderfully rounded, honeyed tone. Ornaments, melismas, and coloraturas are delivered with astonishing flawlessness. With Kasper, they do not appear as mere vocal showpieces, but as a natural — indeed, essential — part of her expressive artistry. This marvellous vocal performance alone would be reason enough to attend the production.”

baroquenews.com

“[…] A commencer par la soprano Kateryna Kasper qui possède le plus beau timbre de soprano dont on puisse rêver: gracieux, fruité, facile, flexible, aux aigus brillants, à la technique assurée et naturelle, des fioritures et cadences audacieuses et toutes personnelles. On reste sous le charme: c’est un soprano qui fait du bien et qui donne le sourire ! Merci ! On pourrait alors citer chacune de ses interventions: un „Rejoice“ tout de joie et de lumière, un duo „Come unto him“ sensible et grâcieux, un „How beautiful“ plein d’émotion et un „I know that my redeemer“ empreint de piété telle une prière. Difficile alors de ne pas déplorer l’omission de l’air de fin „If God be for us“.

“[…] Starting with soprano Kateryna Kasper, who possesses the most beautiful soprano timbre one could dream of: graceful, fruity, effortless, flexible, with brilliant high notes, assured and natural technique, and bold, highly personal ornamentations and cadenzas. One remains enchanted: she is a soprano who feels good and brings a smile! Thank you! One could then mention each of her contributions: a ‘Rejoice’ full of joy and light, a sensitive and graceful duet ‘Come unto him,’ a ‘How beautiful’ full of emotion, and an ‘I know that my redeemer’ imbued with devotion like a prayer. It is hard not to regret the omission of the final aria ‘If God be for us.’”

Press comments on Kateryna's role debut as Martha in the revival at Opera Frankfurt on 8.11.2019:

* Frankfurter Rundschau, Judith von Sternburg, 2019.11.11.

„Letzteres hängt auch stark mit der neuen Besetzung der Titelpartie zusammen, in der Kateryna Kasper ein wunderschönes Rollendebüt abliefert, ihre Stimme in einem eigenartigen Zwischenraum zwischen lieblichem Gezwitscher, der Fülle des Wohllauts, der kultivierten Simplizität (so im Schlager „Letzte Rose“).“

* Der Opernfreund, Michael Demel, 2019.11.17.

„Kateryna Kasper […] serviert [] die Koloraturen, mit denen der Komponist ihre Partie gespickt hat, mit einer kecken Selbstverständlichkeit[]. Auch ist ihr immer noch jugendlich-frischer Sopran inzwischen so weit gereift, daß er über genügend Volumen und Kraftreserven verfügt, um diese Titelpartie souverän auszufüllen.“

MARTHA | Friedrich von Flotow | WA 8.November 2019 | Oper Frankfurt

Musikalische Leitung – Sebastian Weigle
Inszenierung – Katharina Thoma
Szenische Leitung der Wiederaufnahme – Caterina Panti Liberovici
Bühnenbild – Etienne Pluss
Kostüme – Irina Bartels
Licht – Olaf Winter
Choreografie – Michael Schmieder
Chor – Tilman Michael
Dramaturgie – Konrad Kuhn
Lady Harriet Durham – Kateryna Kasper
Nancy – Katharina Magiera
Lord Tristan Mickleford – Iain MacNeil
Lyonel – Gerard Schneider
Plumkett – Gordon Bintner
Der Richter von Richmond – Franz Mayer
Chor der Oper Frankfurt
Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester

„Musikalische Juwelen!“ (FAZ), „abwechslungsreich und tiefgehend“ hr2-kultur

„An unusual and yet fascinating assortment of songs.“ Classical Music Sentinel

„[Eine] virtuos wandlungsfähige[] Sängerin“ FAZ

„She is lively, expressive, nuanced and her articulation is keen and natural […].“ MusicWeb international

„Kateryna Kasper spielt ihr dramatisches Talent als Opernsängerin […] voll aus“ hr2-kultur

„[…] She is a lovely story-teller.“ MusicWeb international

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The romantic song albumO wüßt ich doch den Weg zurück… presents songs of childhood games, fairy-tale figures, and wandering souls, drawn from the works of 14 composers. Kateryna Kasper and Hilko Dumno recorded the program on Richard Wagner’s original 1876 Steinway in the historic Villa Wahnfried.

The project was honored with the “kulturMut” award, a crowdfunding initiative of the Aventis Foundation and the Cultural Fund Frankfurt RheinMain.

Buy the CD online →

The live broadcast of the concert Bach en sept paroles VI – Voici l’homme – Passion selon saint Jean from March 31, 2018, featuring the Ensemble Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon, can be watched on the Philharmonie de Paris website.

“The city is extremely vibrant and international, and there is a lot on offer culturally. I am happy here, and the Oper Frankfurt is my artistic home.”
“When we decide to sing in front of an audience, we must also take responsibility for it. You have to be fully engaged with your heart and love, and be passionate about what you do.”

In conversation with Marc Rohde, January 2018.

To the interview →