Reviews

“The repertoire is beautiful. The singing is truly passionate and spontaneous: each song flows generous and warm, as if it was a live performance. Clara Sandler sings with a wide range of colors, all very beautifully performed. Pianist William Merrill is also spectacular and the sound is fantastic. I hope this CD will reach a large number of people; once they hear it, this music will melt their hearts.” (“Alma Apasionada, Songs from Spain and Argentina” CD, Newport Classic)

— Osvaldo Golijov, composer

“Argentine soprano Clara Sandler sings this beautiful repertoire with a voice of strong personality and polished technique, with intense expressiveness, and, like the CD’s title says, passionately. At the piano, with utmost refinement, following the inflections of Ms. Sandler’s powerful voice, is William Merrill, a Bostonian with rare musical perfection. Together they form a duo of excellent results in interpreting a poetic universe in Spanish, which Clara Sandler’s diction expresses beautifully.” (CD “Alma Apasionada”)

— EL DIA, La Plata, Argentina.

“It is also to the credit of those involved in this recording that variety has been achieved. And a sequence that captures nicely the spirit of the songs. Although they formed no part of any “movement” as such, Sandler brackets them with a purity of tone. Hers is a rich voice with an expressive diction; these serve both to allow us to hear them clearly and to let their charm work on us as it will.” (CD “Alma Apasionada”)
— Classical Net, Mark Sealy

Clara Sandler has a dark, attractive timbre and vocalized the songs very well. (Wesendonk Lieder, Boston Chamber Ensemble.)
— The Boston Globe, Richard Dyer

This marathon concert of opera arias and ensembles by Gaetano Donizetti succeeded in drawing in a large audience and keeping it happy and amused… When the particular performance was an engaging one –and Clara Sandler’s E lindo e civettin from Rita was certainly that– the level of interest was high. (A Donizetti Marathon, Boston Academy of Music.)

— The Boston Globe, Richard Buell

Monday evening’s audience in Jordan Hall…warmly applauded soprano Clara Sandler and pianist William Merrill for their expert performances of songs by Villa-Lobos, Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino and Juan Bautista Plaza. (Music of Latin America Festival, NEC’s Jordan Hall.)

— The Boston Herald, T.J. Medrek

The aria Donde Lieta from La Boheme concluded the first part of the program. Here soprano Clara Sandler showed her absolute gift for the Bel Canto singing, and her talent for the Italian Opera.
— Argentinisches Tageblatt, Buenos Aires.

Ms. Sandler singing is both powerful and gentle, and she captures a remarkable range of emotions in her singing. Of particular note was her wonderful reading of Menotti’s longing “Steal me, Sweet Thief”
— Worcester Telegram.

Soprano Clara Sandler was outstanding in her role… The finest singing and playing in the Mass occurred in the final movement, the Agnus Dei, with Ms. Sandler’s solo rendered in a flowing and sensitive manner. (Coronation Mass.)
— Worcester Telegram.