Ernani at the Metropolitan Opera
March 1st, 2015“The soprano Angela Meade, who sang Elvira when ‘Ernani’ was last at the Met in 2012, again brought plush sound, unforced power and sumptuous beauty to the role. … It was wonderful to hear such a fresh, exciting voice in this music.”
— The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini (December 2014)
Angela Meade scores another soaring success in Met Opera’s Ernani revival
“Angela Meade, who owns this role, conveyed the besieged noblewoman’s emotional fragility without turning her into a wilting damsel in distress. Vocally she was superb, easily heard over the other principals and the entire chorus in concerted numbers—a Verdi trademark—which abound in this unjustly underperformed work. She dispatched the part, encompassing the entire vocal range from the lowest lows to the skies, without the vocal “fry” and stridency that too often accompany both extremes, with sheer beauty regardless of the note. … The girl does it all and does it splendidly.”
— Examiner.com, Richard Carter (March 2015)
“As Elvira, Angela Meade returned to a role that she has essentially made her own at the Met. What was most noticeable about this turn was the strength that Meade found in the lower register; in some ways these were the moments that resonated most dramatically, allowing the listener to listen to Elvira’s doomed and violent nature, something that often goes unnoticed in some performances. … In this performance, Meade delivered on Elvira’s suicidal potential and killed herself with a knife, something she had done in her first run a few years ago. This moment was so abrupt and quick that you could hear audible shock from around the auditorium in the grand pause that followed.
— Latin Post, David Salazar (March 2015)
“Meade continues to amaze with her fluidity of voice, showing off her command from top to bottom as Elvira. What a beautiful, sumptuous sound she makes! She triumphed in her very first aria −the opera’s best known piece, “Ernani, involami” − and went on from there. … She’s a force of nature and we’re lucky to have her.”
— Broadway World, Richard Sasanow (March 2015)