ARIAS BY MOZART, WEBER, ROSSINI, GOUNOD, DVORAK....

ARIAS BY MOZART, WEBER, ROSSINI, GOUNOD, DVORAK. Karita Mattila, soprano; Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir John Pritchard. Philips 422 073. In a word, this recital was premature. It’s hard to discern here the factors that led a 1983 competition jury to award the Finnish soprano a major prize, launching her on an international career. Pitch is only approximate at key and exposed moments (in arias from “Die Zauberflote” and “Die Entfuhrung”), glittering vivacity is absent (in Marguerite’s “Jewel Song”) and interpretive insight rarely ruffles the surface of Mattila’s performances. Pritchard’s experienced and complacent accompaniments are no boon.