„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.“
