Reviews

Matching him in all respects was the Lucia of Lisette Oropesa. She excelled in all aspects of the role (the rigours of which were made more severe in this production by the fact that she is onstage for practically the entire duration), acting affectingly throughout, dispatching the ornamentation fearlessly and with a security one very rarely experiences. Most affecting of all was her pianissimo singing at the start of ‘Alfin son tua’: a feat of vocal daring that had the entire house in hushed awe.

—  Roger Parker  •  Opera Magazine

The real star, though, was the young Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa, who is making her Royal Opera debut. Not just for her singing, which probably won’t be bettered in Britain this year, but for her acting. Even when she wasn’t singing, I found it impossible to take my eyes off her. I was not alone. Oropesa got a lengthy standing ovation from the entire audience. Even if you think you don’t like opera, try to get to one of the remaining performances if you can. It might be life-changing.

—  John Grace  •  The Guardian

To match such a revelation in storytelling and character there is Lisette Oropesa who is a revelation by herself. Prior to, and after seeing this production I listened to Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland’s performances and I can genuinely tell you, as someone who has now seen Oropesa in the role three times, she sings it better. There is no straining in her voice, she is relaxed and her range, her ability is staggering. The Mad Scene in particular has Oropesa singing in a way that I didn’t think possible. Oropesa can’t just sing though, her acting is just as important in this production, being on stage the entire time (with a few seconds break going from one side of the set to the other) and she can really act.

—  Stuart  •  The Stuart Review

El reparto vocal estaba encabezado por la soprano cubano americana Lisette Oropesa. Oropesa se adaptó con maña a la propuesta escénica y su Lucia trasmitió la determinación feminista que la dirección escénica pedía. No obstante, lo más interesante de sus intervenciones estaba en el canto. Lisette Oropesa cuenta con un instrumento flexible y atlético que produce un sonido magro y fibroso, pero tremendamente versátil. En el primer acto, la soprano espesó el canto con un vibrato excesivo. No obstante, su manejo de la respiración, la solidez en el apoyo y la articulación de la voz hacen de su canto una herramienta de exquisita precisión, lo que le permite navegar a placer las aguas más agitadas del belcanto donizettiano. Así, Oropesa epató con larguísimas frases a media voz, agudos recogidos pero ricos y bien proyectados, trinos carnosos y expresivos y un buen surtido de delicadezas dinámicas que emocionaron al público inglés. La escena de la locura, de elevada factura estética, fue interrumpida con ovaciones, mientras que sus intervenciones en dúos y concertantes no admiten peros.

—  Carlos J. López Rayward  •  Opera World

Oropesa’s glinting soprano is fairly light but it grew warmly and expansively as Lucia’s distress deepened, and the crystalline precision and limpidness which I had admired at Glyndebourne this summer were again in notable evidence. As the sometimes cruel Norina in Mariame Clément’s Don Pasquale, Oropesa was a woman firmly in control of her own destiny but despite Mitchell’s avowal to make Lucia more feisty than faint-hearted, however much she wishes to challenge Enrico’s callousness Lucia’s destiny is undeniably ordained. She can ‘escape’ only into madness. In the ‘mad scene’, Oropesa was utterly broken but, to the soprano’s and Mitchell’s credit, this Lucia’s melodic meltdown was not an abstraction of disembodied madness but the terrible disintegrated of a real woman for whom we, and the stage witnesses, feel terrible sadness. Oropesa’s vocal purity returned Lucia to childlike vulnerability and victimhood.

—  Claire Seymour  •  Opera Today

Lisette Oropesa dazzles in the title role as her soprano is powerful enough to pierce our very hearts, yet never feels extravagant or overblown. It is paradoxical that her lines in ‘Il dolce suono’(from the famous ‘mad scene’) seem almost as if they could evaporate into thin air, and yet, because of the underlying strength of technique and precision, feel rock steady.

—  Sam Smith  •  Opera Online

The thrilling new Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa is a decided plus on last year.
Her Lucia is young and fragile but defiant, while the famous mad scene is superlatively played.
Her pure crystal voice soars to the heights.

—  Leslie Jones  •  Sunday Express

Lisette Oropesa whose performance is simply magnificent. The role is famously demanding. Forced into a marriage against her will to save the family fortune, for Lucia the second half of the opera runs through murder, miscarriage and madness. Oropesa is not only a thrilling singer, she is a thoroughly convincing actor caught in a finely judged physical and mental downward spiral.

—  Anna Selby  •  The Arbuturian

Lisette Oropesa, making her Royal Opera debut, is a revelation as Lucia. She acts with conviction, hits the notes dead and controls the dynamics. Her “mad scene” is 20 minutes of exquisite devastation.

—  Nick Kimberly  •  Evening Standard

Lisette Oropesa sang her Royal Opera House debut as a was tender, sincere Lucia. Her voice was easiest in the top and she navigated the role with ease. ... There was nothing but bravery from Oropesa as she navigated the emotional turmoil of the second half of the opera.

—  Vivian Darkbloom  •  Schmopera

This revival has a new Lucia, and how! Lisette Oropesa was making her debut in the House. Hers is not the ample agile voice of a Sutherland, not the bright glassy dazzle of Gruberová, but is an instrument full of interesting dark colours and technical mastery put at the service of communication and the drama. Her first appearance was notable for the inflection and colouring of the text, as was evident by the sudden quiet in the auditorium. The ‘mad scene’ – here more a post-miscarriage hallucinatory nightmare – had exactly the same effect, almost painful to listen to and observe. She is a truthful actress. ... Oropesa and Castronovo should be heard live: they can easily and honourably bear comparison to those performers of distant memory and legend.

—  Alexander Campbell  •  Classical Source

Best of all, however, was the performance of Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa in the title role which was simply sensational.

In fact, it is one of the best performances I have ever seen at Covent Garden. Her crisp, clear voice added to true dramatic acting ability make her perfect for the role, with her high notes particularly piercing and effective and her soft notes even more gripping.

Her performance in the mad scene was particularly riveting and even silenced the usual coughing from the audience.

—  William Hartston  •  Sunday Express

Oropesa made a strong impression at Glyndebourne this year in a far more light-hearted Donizetti opera. Here, she was fine vocal form, with those trills that you crave from the role generous and fluid. High notes felt a little worked for in the very early scenes, but they were always accurate and certainly by the climactic mad scene, she was in total control of the voice, floating the notes, spinning phrases and generally showing off a vocal technique that’s ripe for further bel canto exploration. She showed an engaging stage presence as well, embodying Mitchell’s feminist spin on the work in her scene with Enrico prior to the wedding when her sparky Lucia is sacrificed for the politics of men.

—  Dominic Lowe  •  Bachtrack

The Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa, making her Royal Opera debut, starts strongly and just continues to get stronger, inhabiting the part both in her actions and in her voice. No surprise she has taken on Gilda (Dutch National Opera), Violetta (Opera Philadelphia) and Marie (Donizetti’s La fille du régiment in Washington); without hearing these, it would be completely believable if this Lucia were the climax of this particular handful of select roles. With Katie Mitchell taking a part that already goes through the emotional wringer and tightening the screw to almost unbearable heights, the challenges are clear. As clear as Oropesa’s virtuosity, nowhere more than in the moments in the Mad Scene where she interacts with the flutes, her pitching impeccable.

—  Colin Clarke  •  Seen and Heard International

Lucia is sung by Lisette Oropesa, here making her house debut. Her voice isn’t large, but she is a true coloratura soprano. She has excellent support for the long fioratura lines, and ideal agility for the runs and ornaments. Her Mad Scene (flutes here, no glass harmonica) is more about dramatic conviction than vocal acrobatics, but is no less impressive for it.

—  Gavin Dixon  •  The Arts Desk

But all are on Lisette Oropesa. Lucia is her first Royal Opera role, and the Cuban-American soprano is sensationally good. She makes the stratospheric vocal fireworks of her mad scene – accompanied by flute this time, not glass harmonica – sound easy; indeed, her every note is part of a convincing portrayal of a complex character. It’s a rare Lucia – and a rare production – that manages that.

—  Erica Jeal  •  The Guardian

As Lucia in this handsome and intelligent production, the birdlike American-Cuban soprano Lisette Oropesa, bubbly and light-hearted in Glyndebourne Festival Opera's Don Pasquale this summer, now conveys both aching fragility and determination, powering up to those famous high notes with the accuracy of a swift. The whole performance is shot through with a passion that makes Lucia capable of a calculating and overwhelmingly violent attack on her new husband.

—  Claudia Pritchard  •  Culture Whisper

Having rescued Glyndebourne's Don Pasquale from mediocrity this summer, the Cuban-American soprano now elevates another Donizetti opera to the heights. Oropesa's subtle vibrato, fast, light and allied to a silvery-bright timbre, was a constant delight, and her account of the mad scene (accompanied this time by a solo flute rather than glass harmonica obbligato) had a transcendent beauty.

—  Mark Valencia  •  What's on Stage

Lisette Oropesa makes an exciting house debut. It’s not the largest voice, but the Cuban-American makes every phrase felt and sings with piercing vulnerability, whether in fragile trills or heart-searing high notes. Her “mad scene” is so sincerely done that it feels wrong to applaud — that’s a tribute. At least one man is supporting her: Michele Mariotti’s conducting is flexible and attentive, the epitome of good bel canto, and he draws wonderfully stirring playing from the orchestra.

—  Neil Fisher  •  The Times

The cast is outstanding, especially the Lucia of Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa. A consummate actor with a fresh, pearly sound and exquisite top notes, Oropesa creates a flesh-and-blood character out of Donizetti’s sketchy heroine. Her mad scene is beautifully judged, full of nuance and changes of pace – deeply disturbing rather than tragic – and her tender relationship with Alisa (superbly acted by Rachel Lloyd) is the most honest in this ghastly story.

—  Amanda Holloway  •  The Stage

Nanetta, interprétée par Lisette Oropesa (Gilda surprise la saison dernière à Bastille). Elle aussi soprano, sa voix plus légère et son vibrato serré insufflent une certaine innocence au personnage, gazouillant naïvement pendant que les autres protagonistes montent des stratagèmes pour se piéger. Ses aigus cristallins et sa maîtrise du souffle impressionnent le public, notamment à l'acte III, où, déguisée en Reine des fées, elle produit de merveilleuses envolées lyriques.

—  Malory Matignon  •  Olyrix

Whilst every singer was good in their part, Lisette Oropesa who played Norina was nothing short of a revelation. It wasn’t just her singing that stole the show but her acting abilities, her last laugh instead of being sung, coming out as a snort, her actions, every movement that Oropesa made on that stage was exactly the right one to make and I am not surprised that at the curtain call it was her who made the building cheer, stomp and clap louder than for anyone else.

—  Stuart Review  •  The Stuart Review

The stand out performance of the evening was Lisette Oropesa in the role of Norina. Her Norina was a cool customer, ready to use her looks in order to secure financial stability and social respectability and with a contemptuous attitude towards the elderly Pasquale. Her handling of Donizetti’s vocal fireworks and coloratura was absolutely outstanding. The decorative vocal lines flowed with a mellifluous ease and she brought wonderful tone colouring to the vocal line and thrilling top notes.

—  Robert Beattie  •  Seen and Heard International

Norina (Lisette Oropesa) dozes at her writing desk. Did her husband die of natural causes? It seems unlikely. All greed, wit and wide, sexy eyes, with a sweet, fast vibrato, trills as neat as pinking shears and a prodigious appetite for the texture and flavour of the Italian language, Oropesa holds the performance.

—  Anna Picard  •  The Times

Oropesa doesn’t have a huge voice but it’s a carefully placed one that sits absolutely securely but lightly on the roulades. This was a prima donna performance in every sense, and the foot-stamping accolades Oropesa received were totally deserved. At first there was a slightly hard edge to the tone - perhaps it was intended to reflect Norina’s flintiness - but in her Act 1 duet with Malatesta, and during her raging assault on Pasquale in the final act, Oropesa’s accuracy and ease were notable.

—  Claire Seymour  •  Opera Today

...Lisette Oropesa's show-stealing Norina.

The Cuban-American soprano was equal to all her character's skittish bel canto demands. Hilarious, endearing and blest with immaculate timing, she made the cruel challenges of her Act 1 cavatina seem like throwaway lines and single-handedly gave the evening its class.

—  Mark Valencia  •  What's on Stage

Vocally, Oropesa was well ahead of the pack. Her command of phrasing of the coloratura is exceptional: she can accelerate into a run and shape the dynamic as she leads up to a high note which she duly nails in the middle, with no vibrato needed to mask any possible inaccuracy. The timbre is always perfectly smooth and controlled – even when executing complex runs and complex acting moves – and there’s plenty of power to ensure that she’s being heard above the orchestra. Oropesa’s voice had something of a hard edge, but that may well have been a deliberate point of characterisation: in the one scene in which Norina genuinely softens, her love scene with Ernesto, her voice acquired a sweetness that was notably absent for much of the evening. It was a properly starry prima donna performance.

—  David Karlin  •  Bachtrack

 Son sens de la nuance, exceptionnel et charmant, lui garantit de toute façon d’emblée une ovation en fin de soirée : capable de percuter le spectateur d’un aigu flamboyant, elle allège ailleurs son chant sur quelques syllabes susurrant un aigu intense et long. Elle achève son premier air (et le public) d’un suraigu pur dont le vibrato s’élargit progressivement pour se changer en trille.

—  Damien Dutilleul  •  Olyrix

Lisette Oropesa disegna una Gilda liricamente appassionata nonché cantata in modo sopraffino e Caro nome, chiuso da un trillo da manuale, le guadagna una vera ovazione.

—  Edoardo Saccenti  •  Opera Click

De rol van Gilda was bij Lisette Oropesa, een Amerikaanse coloratuursopraan met schitterende topnoten, in goede, tedere handen. In de beste handen, eigenlijk:  zij was de werkelijke ster van de avond. Haar soepele sopraan en alerte podiumprésence maakten grote indruk, en haar “Caro nome” was de beste die ik ooit gehoord heb. Van een andere wereld! Alleen al om Lisette Oropesa is deze Rigoletto de moeite van het bezoeken waard. Een fonkelende parel!

—  Olivier Keegel  •  Opera Gazet

Lisette Oropesa een Gilda die een in voorkomen en timbre meisjesachtige vertolking combineerde met een volwassen artistieke allure. Haar licht gekruide lyrische sopraan met een mooi natuurlijk vibrato gaat geen zee te hoog, maar excelleert tegelijk in lyriek en vocale finesses. Aan het slot van een exemplarisch 'Caro nome ' wordt dat alles bekroond met een triller zoals ik die al veel jaren niet meer heb gehoord.

—  Paul Korenhof  •  Opus Klassiek

Slender and graceful, soprano Lisette Oropesa was simply world-class as Gilda, with flawless emission and generous top notes, crystalline up to high E. The long trill at the end of “Caro nome” would have traced a perfect zigzag on a pitch visualiser. Even more stunning than her bravura was the melting glow at the centre of her voice, her morbidezza (softness).

—  Jenny Camilleri  •  Bachtrack

Oropesa was een fantastische Gilda. Met een stem zo breekbaar als glas, transparant en sterk tegelijk, is ze een ideale vertolkster voor deze rol.

—  Jacqueline van Rooij  •  Place de l'Opera

Zo’n dreamteam staat er ook op het podium met bariton Luca Salsi als Rigoletto en Lisette Oropesa als Gilda. Oropesa bracht op de premiere haar aria ‘Caro nome’ met een zoetgevooisd en zilverzacht timbre: het werd een muzikaal hoogtepunt waarin tekstuitdrukking en muzikale virtuositeit op geheel natuurlijke wijze samenvloeiden.

—  Oswin Schneeweisz  •  TheaterKrant

Making the most of her role was the raven haired Spanish lady Konstanze sung by Lisette Oropesa notable for her creamy tone. Extremely well focused she projected her voice strongly through the house right from her first aria ‘Ach ich liebte’ and I especially admired her heavenly aria ‘Martern aller Arten’ from Act II.

—  Michael Cookson  •  Seen and Heard International

The evening opened with “Ragion nell’alma siede,” an aria from Haydn’s opera Il mondo della luna. It was a gutsy move, and Oropesa easily filled the smaller venue with sound. The accuracy during runs was striking, as were the highest notes, all produced with facility. Her tone turned especially limpid on the little cadenza. Pianist Vlad Iftinca, who was a consummate musical partner throughout the program, gave vitality to the long introduction to the piece.

—  Charles T. Downey  •  Washington Classical Review

For someone with the slight build of a marathon runner (she is one, and apparently a very good one, too), Oropesa gives an impression of having limitless resources of vocal power, which, wisely, she managed to keep under wraps for this program while never sounding reined in. She’s a lyric soprano with the kind of seamless voice that can travel smoothly on a single vowel from the bottom of her huge range to the top, arriving pianissimo and in tune — and then sustaining it effortlessly (or so it sounded) for an apparent eternity. This, coupled with astonishingly accurate agility, made Haydn’s “Ragion Nell’alma Siede” something for the opera-lovers in the audience to revel in instead of having to hang on for dear life while hoping for a safe landing. 

—  Joan Reinthaler  •  Washington Post

L’Ophélie de Lisette Oropesa est tout aussi aboutie. Belle, délicate et vive elle incarne bien cette jeune fille amoureuse jusqu’à la mort. Vocalement il est rare d’avoir une cantatrice aussi complète dans un rôle « à cocotes ». Car les suraigus, les vocalises, les trilles ont été parfaitement interprétés. Mais c’est surtout la beauté de la voix sur toute la tessiture qui séduit. La richesse des harmoniques dans le medium et le grave pourrait par moments évoquer celle si riche d’Angela Georghiu. Quelle artiste ! Face au couple si assorti et si accompli le reste de la distribution tient parfaitement.

—  Hubert Stoecklin  •  Classique News

Was Lisette Oropesa hier leistet, allein schon darstellerisch mit ihren Grenzgängen auf den Rändern einer Badewanne, in der sie sich am Ende ertränkt, vor allem aber stimmlich, kann einem Schauder über den Rücken jagen. Das helle, ausstrahlungsstarke Timbre, die makellose, ungeheuer präzis zeichnende Beweglichkeit und die geradezu sensationelle Höhensicherheit sorgen zusammen mit der szenischen Präsenz der fragilen Sängerin für das Glanzlicht des Abends.

—  Peter Hagmann  •  Peter Hagmann

Grâce à une Ophélie d'exception: Lisette Oropesa incarne une jeune femme touchante de fragilité, qui se laisse mourir parce qu'elle se criot abandonnée par Hamlet. La chanteuse n'hésite pas à se lancer dans des vocalises époustouflantes en se tenant debout sur les bords d'une baignoire. Une scéne que les spectateurs n'oublieront pas de sitôt. La soprano réussit ensuite l'exploit de chanter recroquevillée au fond de la baignoire, avant de remonter lentement la tête en filant des pianissimi éthérés. Frissons garantis! La prestation est d'autant plus remarquable qu'il s'agit d'une prise de rôle.

—  Claudio Poloni  •  Lausanne Local Paper

Actrice centrale de ce succès : la soprano Lisette Oropesa. Elle n’a pas les aigus stratosphériques qu’avait Natalie Dessay (qui les aura jamais ?). Elle n’a pas non plus sa folie théâtrale. Et pourtant, elle offre avec « son » Ophélie, un personnage vocal et théâtral bouleversant d’amour, de désespérance, d’ingénuité et d’authenticité comme il est rare d’en voir et d’en entendre.

L’impermanence du théâtre vivant est chose magique. Il vous emmène dans l’émotion soudaine, vous transporte aux larmes, vous noue délicieusement le ventre. Quelle extraordinaire sensation. Ainsi, Lisette Oropesa (Ophélie), froissant les pages d’un cahier d’écolier pour en faire d’improbables papillons, se lovant dans une baignoire, trônant solitaire au centre de la scène, pour y chanter son À vos jeux, Messieurs… hymne funèbre et désespéré à l’amour qu’elle porte pour Hamlet reste un moment transcendental absolu. Bien sûr, l’inspiration musicale d’Ambroise Thomas illustrant ces strophes tient du génie. Certes, les mots d’Ophélie sombrant dans la folie amoureuse sont d’une force expressive à couper le souffle. Mais, les chanter, les dire comme la soprano Lisette Oropesa, tout à coup soutenue en même temps qu’entraînant un Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne jusqu’ici presque détaché de l’intrigue, relève du miracle artistique qu’on voudrait ne jamais quitter et voir se répéter sans cesse.

Aux côtés de cette Ophélie miraculeuse, en résonance à ses legato merveilleux, à sa diction parfaite, à son étonnante et parfaite préparation, les autres protagonistes s’investissent dans la trace de la soprano américaine.

—  Jacques Schmitt  •  ResMusica

L'incarnation délicate et virtuose d'une Ophélie sur le fil de la raison par l'excellente soprano colorature Lisette Oropesa. 

En effet, à l'instar d'un Donizetti ou d'un Bellini, Thomas offre à son héroïne l'un des airs de «folie» les plus exigeants du grand répertoire lyrique. Avec ici une apothéose dramaturgique et musicale notable!

—  Marie Alix Pleines  •  Le Courrier

Die junge Sopranistin Lisette Oropesa verleiht dem Moment mit der feingliedrigen Koloraturarie À vos jeux, mes amis eine Intimität, die ihresgleichen sucht, und löst beim Premierenpublikum Begeisterungsstürme aus.

Lisette Oropesa lässt ihren jungen Sopran in allen Facetten erklingen und legt vor allem in der Wahnsinnsarie mit scheinbar mühelosem Legato und flirrenden Glissandi ein Scheit nach. Oropesas Koloraturen sind frei und von lyrischer Reinheit, ihr sotto voce ist engelsgleich.

—  Peter Wäch  •  O-Ton

La transparence du chant, les vocalises irisées et sa simplicité désarmante ont déclenché une salve d'applaudissements bien mérités!

—  Julian Sykes  •  Le Temps