È stato il debutto di Lisette Oropesa a chiudere la lunga stagione di programmazione della Fondazione Ravello. Tre bis e tanti applausi per uno dei più importanti soprani di oggi, acclamata sui palcoscenici dei più grandi teatri del mondo. La Oropesa, accompagnata all’Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer dalla Nuova Orchestra Scarlatti, particolarmente ispirata, diretta da Fabrizio Maria Carminati ha dato sfoggia di tutto il suo talento interpretando sette gemme del suo repertorio: Fiorilla, Giulietta, Hélene, Isabelle, Musetta e Manon.It was the debut of Lisette Oropesa that closed the long season of programming at the Ravello Foundation. Three encores and many applause for one of the most important sopranos of today, acclaimed on the stages of the world's most famous theatres. Oropesa, accompanied at the Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium by the New Scarlatti Orchestra, particularly inspired, conducted by Fabrizio Maria Carminati has shown her full talent by interpreting seven gems of her repertoire: Fiorilla, Giulietta, Hélène, Isabelle, Musetta and Manon.— Gazzetta di Salerno • Gazzetta di Salerno
Quizás la estupenda sintonía y colaboración que existe entre estos dos teatros propició la cita, que quedará siempre en nuestro recuerdo como un acontecimiento extraordinario de belleza vocal, expresividad y entusiasmo melódico. Su voz antes ligera ahora ya con un toque lírico considerable, se ha curtido en los mejores escenarios del mundo con especial facilidad para la coloratura y afrontando papeles de enorme envergadura y dificultad. Pero aquí vino defendiendo un programa todo en español, a fuerza de canciones y romanzas de zarzuela de uno y otro lado del Atlántico, llevando sus orígenes cubanos y su pasión española al límite en un recital sin precedentes.Perhaps the wonderful harmony and collaboration between these two theaters facilitated the engagement, which will forever remain in our memory as an extraordinary event of vocal beauty, expressiveness, and melodic enthusiasm. Her voice, previously light, now with a considerable lyrical touch, has been honed on the world's leading stages with a special ease for coloratura, taking on roles of immense stature and difficulty. But here, she came defending a program entirely in Spanish, through songs and zarzuela romanzas from both sides of the Atlantic, pushing her Cuban origins and Spanish passion to the limit in an unprecedented recital.— Juan José Roldán • El Correo
Y claro, como hemos dicho, llegó la traca final: Yo soy Cecilia Valdés. ¡Y tanto que ella ‘es’ la protagonista de esta zarzuela cubana! Lo disfrutó en el escenario del Teatro de La Zarzuela pero, sobre todo, nos lo hizo disfrutar a nosotros en el patio de butacas. Sensual, coqueta, divertida, canalla, tímida…, todo esto porque ella, efectivamente, ¡ella es Cecila Valdés! Luego, las generosas propinas, el apoteosis y el delirio de los fans.And of course, as we have said, the grand finale arrived: I am Cecilia Valdés. And indeed, she ‘is’ the protagonist of this Cuban zarzuela! She enjoyed it on the stage of the Zarzuela Theater but, above all, she made us enjoy it in the orchestra stalls. Sensual, coquettish, fun, rascal, timid..., all this because she, indeed, she is Cecilia Valdés! Then, the generous tips, the apotheosis, and the fans' frenzy.— Nacho Fresno • Shangay
Theodora – qui trouve dans le timbre lumineux aux aigus délicats de Lisette Oropesa l’image idéale de la vierge martyreTheodora – who finds in Lisette Oropesa’s luminous timbre with its delicate high notes the ideal depiction of the virgin martyr.— Loïc Chahine • Díapason Magazine
Il soprano Lisette Oropesa ha dato vita ad una Teodora — la nobile cristiana prima sottratta al martirio dall’amante, il soldato Didimo, e poi pronta a morire insieme a lui quando scopre che a sua volta l’uomo è stato condannato — piena di sofferenza e di incanti vocali. Lo si è apprezzato già nella prima aria e lo si è apprezzato nel corso dell’intero oratorio, in particolare nella celebre aria «in catene» con traversiere obbligato all’inizio della seconda parte, un vero e proprio colpo di genio della fantasia händeliana, con il traversiere che in alcune battute quasi sembra perdersi nel silenzio di tutti gli altri strumenti.Soprano Lisette Oropesa brought to life a Theodora — the Christian noblewoman first saved from martyrdom by her lover, the soldier Didymus, and then ready to die with him when she finds out he has been condemned in turn — full of suffering and vocal enchantments. This was appreciated from her very first aria and was enjoyed throughout the entire oratorio, particularly in the famous "in chains" aria with obligatory flute at the beginning of the second part, a true stroke of genius from Handel's imagination, where in some measures, the flute seems to almost get lost in the silence of all the other instruments.— Luca Segalla • Revista Musica
Lisette Oropesa, schwarze Locken, grau-silbriges Abendkleid, sang die Titelrolle. Sie hat mit ihrem Strahle-Sorpan als Konstanze in der Wiener Staatoper die Herzen des Publikums im Sturm erobert. Hier muss sie die „Tugendboldin“ (wie man Händels Heldin bezeichnet hat) interessant machen. Sie tut es so weit wie möglich mit Stimme, Technik und lebhaftem Minenspiel, dessen sich auch alle anderen Sänger bedienen: Wenn man das Ganze schon nicht spielen darf (das Programmheft kündigt allerdings eine szenische Aufführung mit dieser Besetzung irgendwann irgendwo an), dann muss man doch wenigstens zeigen, wie man fühlt und leidet. Leidet vor allem, denn Theodora wird verfolgt, soll zur Prostitution gezwungen werden, will das Opfer des Didymus, der sie retten möchte, nicht annehmen… kurz, selbst wenn man den englischen Text nicht mitliest, weiß man doch nach der Inhaltsangabe worum es geht. Tragisch.Lisette Oropesa, with her black curls and grey-silver evening dress, sang the title role. She captured the hearts of the audience with her beaming Soprano as Konstanze in the Vienna State Opera. Here she must make the “Tugendboldin” (as Handel's heroine has been described) interesting. She does it as much as possible with her voice, technique, and lively facial expressions, which all the other singers also use: If you are not allowed to play the whole thing (however, the programme does announce a staged performance with this cast at some point somewhere), you must at least show how you feel and suffer. Suffer above all, because Theodora is being persecuted, is to be forced into prostitution, does not want to accept the sacrifice of Didymus, who wants to save her... in short, even if you don't read along with the English text, you still know from the synopsis what it's all about. Tragic.— Renate Wagner • Online Merker
last night, we were to hear Lisette Oropesa, a soprano at the top of her game whose Violetta blew away audiences in Madrid last year as well as at The Met. She did not disappoint. The keystone of her performance was a truly formidable level of technique. Whatever technical aspect you talk about – breathing, placement of vowel sounds, details of Italian diction, legato, timbre, emphasis of bel canto phrasing or many more – Oropesa had them all under control, with supreme confidence in her ability to make her voice do anything she wanted it to. Technique brings freedom: the freedom to choose the exact interpretation of every phrase and to know that it’s going to come out exactly the way she wants it to. Opera singers are constantly making difficult decisions and Oropesa seemed to make every one in a way that was musically and dramatically felicitous. I’ll give just one example: in “Addio, del passato”, when Violetta bids goodbye to the past from her deathbed, she gasps for breath between phrases. How loud to make the gasp? Too loud and you break the musical flow, maybe sounding contrived. Too soft and you sound too healthy. Oropesa nailed the balance exactly right – as she did in hundreds of other places. With that musical freedom came an ability to make every word of the role count, whether it’s the glitter of Act 1, the cheerfulness turning to despair of Act 2 scene 1, the impossibility of an exit from her grief at the card playing scene or the inevitability of her terminal illness of Act 3. Her performance convinced at every point even as we enjoyed the music.None— David Karlin • Bachtrack
Il grande successo della serata è merito senza dubbio dei due protagonisti: il Maestro Francesco Izzo al pianoforte e Lisette Oropesa, stella ormai affermatasi nel panorama lirico mondiale.Il soprano, originario della Louisiana, in un bellissimo ed elegante abito da sera nero, che ne valorizza la figura longilinea, si posiziona al proscenio e intona i primi versi dei brani di apertura del concerto (arie di Saverio Mercadante); il pubblico rimane da subito affascinato dalla purezza e dalla morbidezza di una voce immacolata, luminosa e che si espande facilmente in sala.The great success of the evening is undoubtedly due to the two main figures: Maestro Francesco Izzo at the piano and Lisette Oropesa, a star who has now established herself in the global operatic scene. The soprano, originally from Louisiana, wearing a beautiful and elegant black evening gown that highlights her slender figure, positions herself at the forefront and sings the opening verses of the concert pieces (arias by Saverio Mercadante); the audience is immediately enchanted by the purity and softness of an immaculate voice, bright and that easily fills the room.— Marco Faverzani • Opera Libera
Lisette Oropesa gave Gilda everything: she was warm voiced with her father, later steely determined, and ultimately fragile as she implores Him in Heaven for guidance, showing us the real Gilda.None— Classical Source • Classical Source
È comunque l’altra Giulietta, alla quale Bellini fa cantare quell’”O quante volte o quante” che insieme al recitativo da cui è preceduta è sistematicamente straziata da quasi tutte le partecipanti a qualsiasi concorso lirico e svilita a nenia melensa, alla quale il soprano statunitense rende tutta la sua profondità lavorando di cesello su ogni singola parola e su ciascuna nota. La Oropesa sale poi definitivamente in cattedra dando voce ad un’Amalia – solitamente vittima di un insopportabile overacting vocale – animata da una meravigliosa fragilità piena di forza.It is, however, the other Juliet to whom Bellini entrusts the aria "O quante volte, o quante" which, along with the recitative it follows, is systematically butchered by nearly all participants in any opera competition, turning it into a cloying dirge. It is this piece that the American soprano imbues with all its depth, delicately working on every single word and note. Oropesa then truly excels, giving voice to an Amalia – usually marred by unbearable vocal overacting – animated by a wonderful fragility full of strength.— Alessandro Cammarano • Le Salon Musicale
La complessita della protagonista viene esaltata dal canto recitato di Lisette Oropesa Lisette Oropesa, statunitense di origini cubane, é una Violetta da manuale: recita con il canto. Le sfaccettature di un personaggio complesso prendono vita momento per momento.The complexity of the protagonist is highlighted by the sung recitation of Lisette Oropesa Lisette Oropesa, an American of Cuban descent, is a textbook Violetta: she acts through singing. The facets of a complex character come to life moment by moment.— Dino Villatico • Il Manifesto
Digámoslo cuanto antes: el recital ha sido un éxito sin paliativos. Uno, que no es amigo de este formato, no recuerda en los últimos años una cantante con la calidad vocal de Oropesa en recital alguno. La voz es de bello color, uniformidad en todos los registros –aunque algo matizado en la zona más grave, lo que parece natural- un fraseo de calidad y una implicación con el texto digna de aplauso. Además, técnicamente Oropesa nos ofreció detalles de alta calidad, de esos que están destinados para disfrutar casi en la intimidad. Por poner solo dos ejemplos, el trino final de la segunda pieza de Mercadante, La primavera, está alcance de pocas; y en la segunda parte, en la operística, toda la escena final de La sonnambula de Bellini fue un ejemplo de buen decir, de implicación con el personaje y de generosidad con el público pues la soprano incluyó el recitativo, muy sentido, el aria y la cabaletta final.Let's say it right away: the recital has been an unequivocal success. Even someone who is not a fan of this format does not remember in recent years a singer with the vocal quality of Oropesa in any recital. The voice has a beautiful tone, uniformity in all registers - although slightly nuanced in the lower range, which seems natural - quality phrasing, and an engagement with the text worthy of applause. Moreover, technically Oropesa offered us high-quality details, those that are intended to be enjoyed almost in intimacy. Just to give two examples, the final trill in the second piece by Mercadante, La primavera, is within reach of few; and in the second part, in the operatic section, the entire final scene of Bellini's La sonnambula was an example of good delivery, engagement with the character, and generosity towards the audience since the soprano included the very heartfelt recitative, the aria, and the final cabaletta.— Enrique Bert • Platea Magazine