CD reviews

Mezzo-soprano Renata Dubinskaite, tapping into the spruce and stylish writing of Barbara Strozzi, is not that light and airy soprano sound, that we are used to hearing in Strozzi, but that’s not a bad thing at all. The new disk with Vilnius early music ensemble Canto Fiorito is really needed addition to the Strozzi catalogue, respecting the theatre of the music, but also bringing new depths and digging into the fine craft of Strozzi’s writing.

Mezzo Renata Dubinskaitė, who is also artistic director of this project, has a miraculously pure voice that is capable of a huge variety of emotion.

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The eloquence of the instrumental group matches Dubinskaitė’s flexible phrasing as well as the drama she can create.

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Superb performances throughout of music of infinite depth and emotion by a truly great composer.

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I can see this newcomer being at the very least shortlisted for my next Wants List.

Colin Clarke

Renata Dubinskaite delivers some wonderful performances. She sings with a clean, clear tone that is simply beautiful.

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The number of Barbara Strozzi recordings is on the rise. I'd place this near the top of the list.  

Ralph Graves

Lithuanian mezzo-soprano Renata Dubinskaitė, happily, has a rich, firm, glowing voice and excellent diction. She also possesses interpretive qualities when the music calls for it.

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As the recital progresses, in fact, one becomes not only more aware of the extraordinarily wide range of Strozzi’s musical and dramatic gifts but of the extraordinary qualities of Dubinskaitė’s voice. In addition to her excellent range, vocal placement, and ability to sing fioratura as well as those peculiar one-note Baroque trills […], she can also color her tones to some extent, an art that I thought was lost in our modern era. She is clearly a master singer and one who I will be on the lookout for in the future.

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This is a superb album of Strozzi’s music.

2021 Lynn René Bayley

[…]  this “voce sola” is that of the great Lithuanian mezzo Renata Dubinskaité, who has a deep knowledge of the repertoires of Renaissance and Baroque music, perfected with the greatest current masters; because she is comfortable in the full range of her register; and because by its dramatic capacities, this deep and carnal voice carries us and convinces us, which is essential for this music of passions. What if Barbara Strozzi had been a mezzo-soprano?

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Marc Galand

[...] beautifully written and very well sung.