I have the impression that you are a trifle sceptical about Yureneva as a singer. I have not had the chance to hear her very often, but whenever I have her voice really appeals to me, and her diction is wonderful. (Vishnevskaya’s diction is not particularly good, fabulous singer though she is.) I really appreciated Yureneva’s diction when I listened to her singing works I did not know beforehand and was hearing for the first time, and I found I could understand every word. As for her vow of celibacy and the preservation of her virginity, they are no doubt temporary phenomena and in any case do not have a direct bearing on her gifts. << less