Elly Ameling - The Philips Recitals

"Perhaps today's best example of the artfully simple Lieder singer … What she has above all else is the gift to sing these songs in a way that never precludes the most delightful personality, yet never lets that personality intrude between the listener and the song." High Fidelity, August 1974 (Schubert: Goethe-Lieder)

"The recital is intelligently planned … She sings with her usual musicality, freshness and warmth. She even manages, difficult on a recital disc, to differentiate between the characters she portrays." Opera, December 1974 (Mozart: Opera & Concert Arias arias)

"Ameling once again demonstrates that in the performance of Lieder today she has few peers … Frauenliebe und -Leben is utterly convincing … She has moreover the rare gift of being able to make all her nuances sound unpremeditated." High Fidelity, December 1975 (Schumann/Schubert)

"The recording is principally constructed around the charms and skills of Elly Ameling, who is assisted in fine style by the Rotterdam PO and the clean, attractive direction of Edo de Waart. A wonderful and very welcome new recording." Stereo Review, June 1977 (Schubert on Stage)

"Elly Ameling sings with her usual charm and clarity … De Waart and his orchestra provide warm support, as does the well balanced and forward recording." Opera, June 1977 (Schubert on Stage)

"The microphone concentrates her considerable virtues, [and] brings us as close to her as we would be in a drawing room … the principal virtue of her performances is that she achieves the narrative or descriptive ends of these pieces without violating their lyrical integrity." High Fidelity, September 1978 (Schubert Songs for Gretchen, Ellen & Suleika)

"Her new album of Brahms is instructive besides, it goes without saying, beautiful. Her voice has thickened and deepened, although she is still a mistress of the light touch, the accent barely emphasized yet adding wonderfully to the dramatic effect." Fanfare, May 1979 (Brahms: Lieder)

"Silete venti and Crudel tiranno Amor are admirably suited to Miss Ameling's voice and style, and the Allegro of the latter piece is captivatingly sung … Lovers of pure singing will find this a highly enjoyable disc." Opera, November 1981 (Handel: Cantatas)

"Anyone who thinks of this Dutch soprano as a rather demure singer may be surprised at the delightful combination pure voice, magic melodies and cabaret style … Ameling uses a winning degree of shading of tone, or portamento and under-the-note attack." Gramophone, March 1983 (After Hours)

"Ameling sounds quite comfortable in this congenial tessitura … her directness of expression effectively undercuts the latent sentimentality of the Damozel's Heaven's-Gate appeal, and De Waart contributes a similarly warm-toned but unexaggerated reading." High Fidelity, September 1983 (Debussy, La Damoiselle élue)

"I enjoyed this one even more than the last [Schubert Lieder album], but I can't imagine choosing between them; I'd cheerfully trade, oh, the last 15 Puccini sets for either… Best of all is the opening song … where one has the sudden thrilling realization that the singer is not on automatic in this over-familiar piece, but wholly possessed by it." High Fidelity, December 1983 (Schubert, An die Musik etc)

"Ameling is strong on languages, so naturally a song about Buenos Aires must be done with an Argentine accent, not mere textbook Spanish … Rudolf Jansen's strong accompaniments are like an extension of her art. Enough said - if you enjoy good singing, buy this record." Fanfare, May 1985 ('Serenata')

"There is something special about this box. For Ameling's steady progress towards greatness as a Lieder singer had by 1981 already reached new heights, and Demus is a sure, sensitive and often illuminating accompanist." Song on Record, 1988 (Haydn: Lieder)

"Quilter's Weep no more, juxtaposed with Dowland's setting, makes a most lovely impression, the soprano phrasing with the special touch that always has an audience holding its breath." Song on Record, 1988 ('Serenata')

"Slow, yet with the movement of natural breath, each word and harmony tasted and distilled by voice and piano into an improvisatory effect of the most highly calculated art." Song on Record, 1988 (Wolf: Goethe-Lieder)

"Best of all is Elly Ameling (and Baldwin also excels at this kind of bright, crystalline piano writing)." Song on Record, 1988 (Wolf, Mörike-Lieder)

"Her lovely voice with its diamond purity is consistently appealing, and she is a persuasive interpreter, wither in the engaging Mignon songs or in the most familiar favourites." Penguin Guide to Compact Discs (Schubert)