She is fantastic. These well-trained English opera singers never receive their just due.

I happen to think this is the greatest recording of this aria other than Sutherland...the same few words over and over and people expect perfect diction and Stanislavski acting...this is OPERA. The feeling is in the music!! She parks and barks and does service to Mozart and gives an intelligent inspired performance that reveals the beautiful mystery of opera!!! Love her!!

Fabulous singing. That's such a difficult aria, and she sings it all with such poise.

Oh Valerie Masterson! You are a Goddess!!! Hats off!

SECURITY OF INTONATION ... CLARITY OF ARTICULATION .... doesn't let it panic or faze her - brilliant

Where has she been all my life? Valerie Masterson can easily toss off Mikado ditties of Gilbert & Sullivan, then she transforms into a coloratura diva, conquering one of the most difficult arias in the repertoire. How come I never heard of her in the past 50 years?

What a lovely voice. A wonderful Constanze.

Old Comments -------------- bejun: Her voice will shine on forever in grace and beauty D9l3tt: This is SUPERB. This is one of the absolute BEST I have ever this killer of an aria. What a soprano! I had no idea!

SHE'S GREAT!!! CONGRATULATIONS ms. Valerie MASTERson...her last name fits perfectly to her!! alexXx

Love this. Sang the role in college. You definitely need to hit the showers after this aria. ;)

אינטרגלקטי מוסמך!🌹

I've watched Ruth Ann Swenson and Malin Hartelius do this same piece, but sadly neither of them can touch Valerie Masterson.....Masterson's performance was truly MASTERFUL!

In over 50 years of Opera going Valerie is one of the voices that still rings in my ears (for all the right reasons!). I saw her in too many roles to list individually,BUT she was undoubtedly the best (Massenet) Manon I have ever seen.

I think its ok to like Masterson and Damrau. I challenge anyone who says that Masterson is undramatic here. She has basically a light lyric soprano voice, but with a ringing quality. The performance is live so i am happy to overlook the slightly sharp held high note- Callas had trouble with that one too- This is a great performance from a terrific artist.

Beautiful voice with strength !

Flawless!

VM is gorgeous in all ways.

absolutely sublime

Magnifico :-)

See her in her prime in the Valerie Masterson The Mikado on KZfaq.

Wow, very expressive. She has a lovely instrument, and very beautiful interpretation.

What a gorgeous tone... the resonance!!! That's what I was looking for tonight.. was searching for a stirring performance of this monster aria. Wow!!! Pretty amazing. I've never heard of her. Thanks for posting.

3:19-3:59. quite possibly some of the best opera ever.

wunderschön!

A wonderful artist, a superb Violetta, Gilda, Cleopatra and a stunning interpreter of the romantic French operas such as Faust.

It's hard to believe but she was 43 when she did this. She looked about 28.

So graceful and tender~~

Excellent!!!

Just .. woow! Love her! This is amazing Ö

Stupendous!!

omg seriously! i fell in love with that area after watching amadeus!

The cage is a nice touch, as the opera is about...well you get it.

What a wonderful job she did. Brava!

great

There are very many notes!

omg this is remarkable amazing!

linhcba: Valerie Masterson is one of my favourite sopranos. I wonder if she's still teaching or retired? I can image her watching these videos and smiling about all those fabulous moments performing on stage. She's gorgeous and sings beautifully in this video. escaelis: XD She has a sublime voice that is so clear. Only Natalie Dessay as Belleza (in Handel's Il trionfo) can compete

bejun: Now a days she is in the governing body of "British Youth Opera" as vice president and in the artistic committe. I also wonder if she knows her videos are here and if she has watched them. "Valerie, if you read this, send me a message" please, I adore you

Those Poor Wond'ring Ones were good practice.

Fastantic. Salutacions des de Sabadell,Barcelona. José Luis

A real master.

@babajaga39 He's referring to the first performance of the opera, when the Austrian Emperor remarked that there were too many notes.

Bravo Masterson!! Bravo Gruberova!!

Bravoo

Yes, i know its in the Glyndenbourne Festival Opera Mozart box set, with 5 other Mozart operas.

Was it Jozef II who would have said "too many notes"? The idiot. The opera is just perfect. Saw him life in Antwerp few years ago. Would go directly again if possible.

This is the wonderful production,where Blonde had a blonde curly wig and granny glasses. Osmin approached her and tried to seduce her.She told him "I am an Englishwoman" and to prove it she urolled her knitting. She had been knitting a Union Jack!

You didn't catch the joke. It was about Milos Forman's "Amadeus", no his/her opinion :)

wooooo

Ja! Du hast recht !

woo

how can you cut the beginning away?

@ufukulusoy i loved it tooo... which notes do you mean exactly?

Can you please post the other aria also? "ach ich liebte"

SING ALL THE NOTES! :D

"Ten minutes of ghastly scales and arpeggios, whizzing up and down like fireworks at a fairground."

@ufukulusoy yeah :-))

I am Diva, hear me roar

I bet the birds are going wtf is going on?

Heiress to Elizabeth Schwartzkopf.

CleoGlenn: "I am an asshole; hear me whine like a bitch".

I think he swallowed a whistle can not remove.

Just one comment, there are too many notes there :)

It wasn't written for castrati.

@ufukulusoy haha :) :D

I think he swallowed a whistle you can not remove.

@phenom1sama gagyi. hallgass gruberovát

The staccato is slurred as hell.

she has a nice voice, its really too bad the sustained high C around 5:15 is totally dead, and slightly sharp

June Anderson is better for this song