On 22 August 2026, I sang Piacere in Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno – a very special concert with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra conducted by Attilio Cremonesi.
OperaWire – Mengguang Huang – 26.08.2026
„Soprano Kateryna Kasper as Piacere made her Innsbruck Festival debut with a daring, risk-taking interpretation. Delivering explosive renditions of the flamboyant arias, she expanded the dynamic contrast between A and B sections of arias considerably beyond last year’s performances. In the da capo (A’) sections, she engaged in radical embellishment—employing chiselled micro-meter changes and sweeping rephrasing—backed by a solid, full-bodied timbre that generated an intense dramatic force. Her psychological portrayal matched Im’s depth: she lured Bellezza with persuasive charm, guiding her across the whole stage to showcase a world of fleeting pleasure.
When she realized her hold on Bellezza was slipping (during the aria “Tu giurasti di mai non lasciarmi”), Kasper poured out her anguish in wide dynamic arcs over the icy, heavily dotted rhythms of the strings, arriving at a choked intensity where speech itself seemed on the verge of breaking down. In the most famous aria recycled later in Rinaldo, her noble delivery and speech-like rhetoric over a brilliant harpsichord accompaniment elevated the music well beyond mere surface beauty. Her exit aria, “Come nembo che fugge col vento”—flanked by the virtuoso playing of the two concertmasters—mirrored the libretto’s tempestuous image of a storm cloud driven off by the wind. Delivering a final, desperate plea that swept through the hall like a whirlwind, it was capped by a flawlessly controlled long crescendo.
The duets between Im and Kasper were a marvel of vocal alchemy—one free and spontaneous, the other solid and lush—bound by a deep artistic synergy and genuine spiritual connection that resonated throughout the hall.“
Crescendo Magazine – Xavier Rivera – 24. August 2026
„Du côté des solistes, une découverte saisissante dénommée Kateryna Kasper, une soprano ukrainienne établie en Allemagne, dont la discographie est déjà assez nourrie, en compagnie de pointures comme Joana Mallwitz, Sebastian Weigle ou René Jacobs avec son controversé « Der Freischütz ». Son répertoire va du baroque au « lied » romantique ou au polonais Weinberg, et cela se comprend car sa voix est remarquable dans toute la tessiture : ce rôle de « Piacere » aurait parfaitement convenu à un mezzo-soprano et cela ne lui pose aucun problème, ni dans l’extrême grave, ni dans la brillance de l’aigu. Enfin, ses qualités d’interprète montrent un engagement émotionnel splendide, servi par une voix merveilleusement mielleuse, brillante ou moirée selon les instants, et par une intelligence musicale étonnante qui lui permet d’improviser des ornementations d’un goût excellent et parfois très hardies. Son air « Un leggiadro giovinetto » fut inoubliable, autant que « Lascia la spina ».“
Translation: „Among the soloists, a striking discovery named Kateryna Kasper, a Ukrainian soprano based in Germany, whose discography is already quite substantial, alongside such leading names as Joana Mallwitz, Sebastian Weigle or René Jacobs […]. Her repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the Romantic lied and Polish Weinberg, and this is understandable, since her voice is remarkable throughout the entire range: the role of Piacere would have suited a mezzo-soprano perfectly, and this poses no problem for her, neither in the extreme low register nor in the brilliance of the high register. Finally, her qualities as an interpreter reveal splendid emotional engagement, served by a voice that is wonderfully honeyed, brilliant or iridescent depending on the moment, and by an astonishing musical intelligence that allows her to improvise ornamentation of excellent taste and sometimes great daring. Her aria “Un leggiadro giovinetto” was unforgettable, as was “Lascia la spina”.“
