“The experienced and world-renowned Polish Schwarzkopf student Aga Mikolaj has a beautiful, resonant soprano that equally features silvery shimmer and gold glitter, coolness and warmth. From the edge of the stage, she conveyed and phrased the music with natural authority and calm, a lady free from any whims. Conductor and orchestra followed, listened, and breathed together with her nuanced singing.”

“Mikolaj’s walm, unusually dusky soprano is an idea fit for Strauss’s solemn, tender, introspective songs”

“Aga Mikolaj’s lustrous soprano wound, glided and vaulted sinuously through the treacherous music, with marvellous results. Caustic in the choppy phrases, shining and soaring into the lyrical heights, she captured every tint and contour of this magnificent new oratorio.”

“The tone was plush, the colouring dusky while sensitive phrasing pointed to the soprano’s past as a pupil of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf”

“It’s unusual for sopranos to perform both Strauss and Mahler on a single program as the two composers demand very different things from the singer. But one would have been hard pressed to find a more dexterous performer than Mikolaj. With a voice that is thoroughly rich and gorgeous, she is equally capable of softening her tone without losing its penetrating effect. Whereas her singing in the Strauss was rich and earthy, she delivered her lines in the Mahler with a light, nimble touch, her upper notes taking on an innocent, boyish quality.”