"Recording of the month, Editor's choice: Pappano's cast stands up well, Radvanovsky's soprano has serious 'blade' and her Turandot is truly imperious ... Kaufmann's dusky baritonal tenor makes for a less heroic or hot-headed Calaf ... and 'Nessun dorma' sounds terrific ... Ermonela Jaho sings a heartfelt Liù ... A Turandot for the ages? This recording holds its own against venerable competition and, in the original 'Alfano' completion, is unique"

"Sondra Radvanovsky ... ist eine durchaus schillernde, souveräne und rundstimmige Turandot ... Jonas Kaufmann als Calàf ... steht die Rolle überlegen durch, singt aber, als habe er, wie man sagen würde: "so einen Hals". Herzerweichend schön gestaltet Ermonela Jaho die Liù ... Das Versuch, "Turandot" durch weichere Farben zu flexibilisieren (und dadurch gleichsam zu entmilitarisieren), ist honorig"

"Recording of the month: Big-budget studio recordings of standard repertoire operas for which there are multiple alternative offerings are now a rarity, the preserve of megawatt star casts. Warner Classics has assembled just such a line-up for its new Turandot, headed by Sondra Radvanovsky, Jonas Kaufmann and Ermonela Jaho. There are even som luxurious casting in the minor roles - Michael Spyres as the Emperor of China, no less - and to have Antonio Pappano at the helm, conducting the Santa Cecilia orchestra, rounded off a sumptuous package ... It is the attention Pappano pays to crafting the contrasts between passages of intense sensuality and of mechanistic brutality, casting new light on a familiar score in the process, which really makes this a major recording event"

"It is so rare nowadays to have a new, starrily cast studio opera recording, especially one of a mainstream work such as Turandot, that this set has already excited much interest ... If Sir Antonio Pappano had never conducted this opera before the recording was made, it matters not a jot when he brings all his considerable experience of the opera house to bear with his conducting in this recording ... That said, he is treated to a starry cast, especially in today's parsimonious times ... Overall, there is no denying that this new recording of Turandot is a fine entry to that opera's discography; anyone purchasing it will not be disappointed"

"Recording of the week: Radvanovsky's is a nuanced performance that brings sympathy and depth to a potentially inscrutable character ... Kaufmann offers plenty of subtlety and shading ... For all the rousing singing on display, I should not neglect the contribution from the Santa Cecilia orchestra and moreover the guiding hand of Pappano: his pacing is spot-on throughout"

"Antonio Pappano has never yet conducted Turandot in the theatre ... The performance he gets here from the forces of Rome's Accademia di Santa Cecilia ... is theatrical from start to finish ... Sondra Radvanovsky has steel in her soprano for the titular princess ... Jonas Kaufmann is on heroic form. He has a darker voice with a lower centre of gravity than past Calafs ... but it glows where it needs to, notably in a long-breathed 'Nessun Dorma'. Ermonela Jaho has the breadth of tone to equal them as Liù ... The rest of the cast is strong, too ... The novelty of the inclusion, plus the vibrancy of Pappano's orchestra, makes this recording distinctive even among the several excellent ones already out there"