Here is a soprano with the kind of crystal-clear tone you could pour over ice and drink. Regula Mühlemann’s Mozart selection eschews the obvious arias while still showing off considerable musicality and a superior technique. In the fast final section of her aria from Der Schauspieldirektor the notes are as even, accurate and well defined as they would be on the piano; the syllables of Geme la Tortorella from La Finta Giardiniera fall in fat, clear raindrops; Servilia’s aria from La Clemenza di Tito is short but beautifully done. All have supple, flowing accompaniments from the Basel Chamber Orchestra. The stratospheric Vorrei Spiegarvi is the first thing that seems to touch her limits – it takes the voice up to the edge of what any singer might be expected to reach – but even if she doesn’t quite have the two low notes she needs at the end, she tackles it very convincingly.
