Mintzer, who was making her debut in the role of Salome, was from start to finish extraordinary. This was a fearless, fully inhabited performance that required her to span her entire vocal range in addition to evoking all manner of dark emotions, and Mintzer sang with power, precision and nuance.
The savior of the evening was American soprano Julia Mintzer... shining with an intense portrayal of a woman forced to marry a disabled cousin, falling in love with his best friend, and eventually helping her lover kill her husband...the result was harrowing and vocally impressive. Everything was just right. She was rightly celebrated. She gave a deeper meaning to Tobias Picker's score.
Mozart’s eternal opera buffa Le nozze di Figaro fizzes gloriously in this production from Hampstead Garden Opera. The production is a miracle of maximal effect with minimum material (the stage remains constant throughout) thanks to superb lighting by Jonny Dancinger; space is superbly, imaginatively used, with equally superbly imaginative choreography by Carmine de Amicis.
Seen and Heard International
Mintzer, who was making her debut in the role of Salome, was from start to finish extraordinary. This was a fearless, fully inhabited performance that required her to span her entire vocal range in addition to evoking all manner of dark emotions, and Mintzer sang with power, precision and nuance.
In the case of Jo Davies’ production for Welsh National Opera, it is not overstating to say, top of the league.