RECORDINGS

Schafer brings a dark-toned and ardent soprano to the tasks at hand, sounding equally at home in the purity and directness of Mozart as in the swooning expansiveness of Strauss. Strangely, some top notes sound hard, harsh and strained, but many others don’t. The line, though, is always lush.

The six Mozart selections include pieces written to be inserted in productions of other people’s operas, as well as the evergreen “Exsultate, jubilate” and the great concert aria “Ch’io mi scordi di te?” with piano obbligato played delicately by Maria Joa~o Pires.

The five Strauss pieces include the soaring “Liebeshymnus” (Hymn of Love) and the hushed “Morgen” (Morning).

Abbado and the Philharmonic provide strong support throughout, creating a magical atmosphere for Strauss’ “Wiegenlied” (Lullaby).

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).