Browse: Michaela Schuster (mezzo-soprano)

What we gain here in exemplary clarity of Strauss’s sonic spider-web we lose in momentum for, say, the climactic welter which ends in Jokanaan’s curse…Magee as the spoiled princess propels the... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2018, 4 out of 5 stars More…

It's a sort of voice that we don't often hear on disc in song these days. Which is a shame, because Schuster is an instinctive artist and the interpretations themselves are wonderful. As a native... — Gramophone Magazine, September 2015 More…

Ashley Holland in the title-role shapes his own arioso reflections on loneliness with suavity under pressure and the supporting cast seems admirably secure for a first performance; doubtless... — Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2010 More…

If there's such a thing as an anti-Solti Elektra, this is it...[it] burns at its own distinctive temperature, with a strong sense of live-performance through-line and in a much more orchestrally... — Gramophone Magazine, April 2013 More…

The most impressive feature of this set is the superlative conducting of Lothar Zagrosek, and the playing of his magnificent orchestra. …the Alberich of Esa Ruuttunen is outstanding… — BBC Music Magazine, April 2006, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Markus Stenz's is the kind of lightening-flash, clearly etched interpretation I imagine Roger Norrington wanted over in Stuttgart...There's not much vibrato here, but plenty of portamento...as... — BBC Music Magazine, November 2011, 4 out of 5 stars More…

As a native speaker, Schuster’s diction is immaculate, and her bright, powerful mezzo still sounds flexible enough to bring the lieder to life...[she makes the strongest case I’ve heard for Korngold’s... — Sunday Times, 11th February 2018 More…

this performance starts out particularly well. Stenz is good at grabbing the listener's ear with the dramatic gesture...More crucially...[he] keeps a firm grasp of those transition moments in... — Gramophone Magazine, July 2012 More…