Critical Roundup: Norma at the Savonlinna Opera Festival

Critical Roundup: Norma at the Savonlinna Opera Festival

On 29 July, Lisette made her long-awaited role debut as Norma in the courtyard of Olavinlinna Castle, in two concert performances with the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Riccardo Frizza conducted The Göteborg Opera Orchestra and Chorus, with John Osborn as Pollione, Ann-Kristin Jones as Adalgisa, and Kristoffer Töyrä as Oroveso. The Finnish press was there for the premiere — and the international critics followed.

Itä-Savo — Riitta-Leena Lempinen-Vesa (translated from Finnish)
"Lisette Oropesa's technical mastery, the beauty of her voice, and her warm stage presence formed a combination that captivated the audience at Olavinlinna almost instantly. Only a handful of singers in the world can perform the role of Norma, and on Wednesday we heard one of them. I suspect Oropesa will soon be singing this role, in which she has now made her debut, on stages around the globe."

Uusi Saimaa — Eira Kotoneva (translated from Finnish)
"Appearing in Savonlinna for the second time in her career, Lisette Oropesa quite simply nailed the whole thing. Her voice rang out purely, just as it should in bel canto, the singing was powerful and her presence stunning!"

Oper! Magazin — Hugh Canning (translated from German)
"In Savonlinna, the audience was able to enjoy Oropesa's musical and technical bel canto artistry at almost its very best. It is always a pleasure to hear such impeccably executed coloratura, sparkling trills, and a breathtaking messa di voce. Even after the seven London Puritani performances just a few weeks ago, the sheer vocal health of Oropesa's soprano remains one of the most remarkable assets this singer possesses."

And from the audience:

The reviews that matter most come from the people who were in the castle. A few of the reactions left on Lisette's Facebook and Instagram in the days after the performances:

• "The standing ovations we gave you after the concert was an extraordinary expression of gratitude and appreciation. Finnish audiences are not easy to provoke into standing ovations. But you and the rest of the performers really deserved maximum applause!" — Peter Floman
• "I feel so thankful I could hear your Norma - breathtakingly beautiful, vengeant, vulnerable and strong! I must confess you changed my view to bel canto - that was not only superb singing but engaged me like verismo. That night was special." — Anne Aavik
• "So intense, better than with staging. I have never seen Norma in a concertant version… all singers very magnificent & Lisette is the best soprano in the world." — @galerierauhenstein
• "You were incredible. I'm so grateful to have been able to hear you debut the role. Can't wait for Madrid and seeing you in a full production next April." — Mark Brookfield
• "Please come back soon! Last night was magic and I hope you felt the appreciation (dare I say adoration) from the audience." — @petri.myllynen
• "Unforgettable performance in Savonlinna opera festival. The best Norma heard. Thank you very much for emotions transmitted to us via beautiful and powerful soprano voice." — Argita Daudze
• "Thank you, it was super! I enjoyed everything last night but your singing made it unforgettable." — Outi Kähkönen
• "Thank you so much from bottom my heart for coming to Savonlinna! I felt so grateful to be there yesterday; you gave us so much with your incredible voice expressing this wonderful music!" — @petrarissanen

Production photos from the performances are in the gallery on the career page, by festival photographer Jussi Silvennoinen. Norma stays in the repertoire: Lisette sings her first staged production of the opera at Teatro Real in Madrid in April 2027.