I think that Moffo was the complete package on stage. With her beautiful voice, gorgeous face and figure she could have been the prima donna of her day. But she was unlucky. She was singing at the same time as Joan Sutherland. For that she could not be the greatest coloratura. She was singing at the same time as Caballe, so she could not be the greatest lyric soprano. But had she been born 30 years later, she would have been the greatest soprano in the world. Who else in today's opera world can compare to her? Renee Fleming is the only soprano I can think of. And between those two, I pick Moffo. At least when it comes to bel canto.
Her program is challenging and she pulls it off rather well. To compare her to Sutherland, the "Bel Raggio" is excellent, but not nearly as "dead on" as La Stupenda's. The "Bell Song" is not even close though. Moffo's high E just can't touch Sutherland's. But the "Shadow Song" is superb. It has a charm of its own that I prefer even to Sutherland's. The coloratura is accurate, even defined. And Moffo is much more comfortable with the high D in the Dinorah aria than she is with the E in the Lakme aria.
Nonetheless, she is a great soprano both vocally and technically. Certainly the most underrated soprano of our time. And this would have been an easy five star review had I not compare it with standard CD for coloratura singing, Sutherland's most stupendous recording... "The Art of the Prima Donna".
