About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

As a single-disc collection of recordings by Finnish mezzo-soprano Monica Groop, this 2007 release entitled Artist Portrait could hardly be bettered. As showcased here, Groop's voice is a warm and plush instrument with a rich, creamy tone and a smooth yet agile technique, and there doesn't seem to be anything she can't do with it. From the devotional intensity of the three Bach arias that open the disc through the ravishing arias from Bizet's "Carmen" and Saint-Saëns' "Samson et Dalila" that form its centerpiece to the scorching excerpt from Sibelius' "Kullervo Symphony" that closes it, Groop is totally on top of the repertoire. Accompanied by Juha Kangas and the Ostrobothinian Chamber Orchestra in the Baroque works by Muhai Tang and the Finnish Radio Symphony in the French works and by Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the Finnish Radio Symphony in the Sibelius symphony, Groop never lacks for firm but sympathetic support. Drawn from four discs she recorded for Finlandia, the selection may for some lean too much toward the Baroque/early classical end of the catalog considering the breadth of Groop's repertoire, but no one could complain about the quality of the singing, or about the consistently clean yet evocative sound. James Leonard, All Music Guide

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