The last major concert of this year’s Toronto Summer Music Festival was a recital by Finnish soprano Karita Mattila and pianist Bryan Wagorn.  Talk about ending on a high note.  This was an exceptional performance by a mature artist at the height of her powers. In her mid-fifties, she is starting to transition to older roles.  For example she will sing Kostelnička, rather than the title role, in her next Jenůfa.  She has really acquired an ability to darken her voice which she used to great effect, especially in the set of Sallinen songs she sang after the interval but she hasn’t lost the vocal qualities that made her a star.

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