I Vepres siciliennes at Caramoor (Hélène)

July 14th, 2013

“As he often does, Crutchfield assembled an excellent cast of singers, headlined by soprano Angela Meade, who was nothing short of extraordinary as Hélène. Meade commanded the stage with a regal presence, brimming with confidence in her opening aria in Act I, spitting with defiance in her Act IV duet with Henri, and spinning out a smooth legato in the Act II duet with Henri. She had the vocal power, unflagging through a long evening, to soar above ensembles like the Act IV quartet, while holding back enough suavity to give the ‘Sicilienne’ in the last act a light and airy character, all the way up to the fizzy high C-sharps, after perfectly floating the high, soft parts of her Act IV cavatine.”

—  The Classical Review, Charles T. Downey (July 2013)

 

“Caramoor’s Hélène, Angela Meade, is of the Caballé mold, wielding a handsome and even full lyric soprano with well-schooled agility across more than two octaves, and plenty of power for the big outbursts, whether in high dramatic soprano territory or down in an earthy chest voice. She also has the long breath and spinning pianissimo tones for the romanza ‘Ami! Le coeur d’Hélène.’ … And again, it should be emphasized that Meade sings the monstrously difficult part of Hélène very well indeed.”

 —  Musical America, James Jorden (July 2013)

 

“Caramoor’s quartet of principal singers was all about power. Angela Meade’s gleaming, swordlike soprano impressed in her rabble-rousing opening aria. In the past, I’ve found her to be all sound and no temperament, but here she showed potential, particularly when her mood changed convincingly from fury to sympathy in her Act IV duet with Henri (John Osborn). … The tenor-soprano duets were the evening’s best moments.”

—  The Wall Street Journal, Heidi Waleson (July 2013)

 

“As Hélène, Angela Meade took the tricky role by the horns. Her large, smooth voice with an even vibrato easily soared over the large orchestra and chorus. During her florid performance of the Bolero, the soprano coquettishly tossed flowers into the audience, showing her playful, diva side. Her high notes rang throughout the tent (Even though she opted for a lower note than the high E often interpolated at the end of the Bolero) and she showed off her fantastic trilling skills. … Meade has a ravishing voice.”

—  Opera Teen, Harry Rose (July 2013)