Milkov, offered this appraisal of Nina Rautio's talent: "She wields a voice possessed of the most radiant timbre, imbued with a wide palette of shades and hues, all underpinned by an acting ability of great resolve and persuasion".
Hripin noted that "any classification of this soprano can only be tentative and provisional, for she combines all the colours and sounds feasible for a female voice, from the velvety contralto timbre of the lower register to the brilliant coloratura at the high end of her diapason.
She made many critically acclaimed appearances on the stage of the Royal Opera House, London, as Amelia ("Un Ballo in maschera"), as the eponymous heroine in "Aida", Desdemona in "Othello" (all under Daniele Gatti), as well as Abigaille in Verdi's "Nabucco"; performed "Aida" with Daniel Oren at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma; took on the title roles in "Tosca" and "Aida" for the New York Metropolitan Opera productions;[3] sang the role of Lisa in Opera Bastille's production of "The Queen of Spades" (dir.
A.S. Konchalovsky); appeared as Aida and performed the soprano solo part in Verdi's "Requiem", with Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2002–2003, in the role of artistic director of the Musical Theatre of Karelia, Nina Rautio directed their production of Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana", as well as taking on the part of Santuzza.