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"Editor's Choice ... superbly done, with a real wit and character. Nothing but praise for the soprano or for her accompanist ... Katz is a real listener to what his singer does ..." - Gramophone "Five Stars. A frame of applause and ecstatic ovations greet what is one of Karita Mattila's most exciting discs yet ... the repertoire takes Mattila's voice into thrilling new regions; Martin Katz's piano is the voice's equal at every turn." - BBC Music Magazine "Four Stars. The songs push Mattila to her expressive limits as cries of rapture curdle into shrieks of pain and spasms of rage intrude on erotic memories. Its impact on the audience can be gauged from the near hysteria that erupts at the end … her accompanist, Martin Katz, deals superbly with some of the most fearsomely difficult piano writing in the entire song repertoire." - The Guardian This album contains a rare recital performance of star soprano Karita Mattila, recorded live in her native Finland. In front of an electrified audience, the best­selling Finnish artist in classical music performed sold-­out concerts at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki in October 2006. The centerpiece of the programme is the first commercial release of the ecstatic song cycle Quatre Instants, a musical setting by Mattila's compatriote Kaija Saariaho of poetry by noted French writer Amin Maalouf. The song cycle was written for Mattila in 2002 and premiered by her in Paris and London to international acclaim. The collection also includes familiar songs by late Romantic composers Henri Duparc and Sergei Rachmaninov, as well as Dvořák's popular song cycle Gypsy Melodies. Mattila is accompanied on piano by Martin Katz, recipient of Musical America's "Accompanist of the Year" award in 1998.