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What the critics say...
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Adrianne makes a "thrilling" Sieglinde
in the Met's Die Walküre
"The most impressive voice belonged to American [sic] soprano
Adrianne Pieczonka. If Wagner could have a bel canto soprano,
she was it, with a voice of an almost unearthly purity...her farewell
to Brünnhilde (much of it lying down) was as thrilling as anything
I have ever heard in Wagner. Her replacement for the last performances
will be the great Deborah Voight, but I don’t see how she could
be improved upon." (ConcertoNet, 8 January 2008)
"Adrianne Pieczonka...has a clear, silvery
lyric sound that easily penetrates the orchestra, and her acting
is forthright and altogether winning." (Associated Press, 8 January
2008)
"...the lustrous soprano Adrianne
Pieczonka as Sieglinde." (New York Times, 9 January 2008)
"Adrianne Pieczonka [was] a strong,
strikingly sensuous Sieglinde." (Time Out New York, 9 January
2008)
"Adrianne Pieczonka is a lovely Sieglinde,
her voice as fresh and pliable as her youthful appearance."
(Musical America, 9 January 2008)
"[Adrianne Pieczonka] was a touching,
affecting Sieglinde, as well as a strong one. And she showed considerable
musical smarts." (New York Sun, 9 January 2008)
A "radiant" Elisabeth in the Canadian Opera
Company's Don Carlos
"Pieczonka's powerful soprano positively glowed with emotion and
deep understanding, climaxing in an exquisitely phrased "Toi qui
sous le néant." Pieczonka and Hendricks offered clear French diction
and proved themselves natural, involving actors." (Opera
News, January 2008)
"Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka was looking radiant
and singing magnificently, developing the character of Elisabeth,
Philip's reluctant young queen, visibly and touchingly." (The
Globe & Mail, 15 October 2007)
"The undisputed vocal stars are soprano Adrianne
Pieczonka, as Elisabeth, and bass-baritone Terje Stensvold, making
his COC debut as Philippe II. Both had the vocal power and dramatic
depth to shine in these difficult roles." (Toronto
Star, 15 October 2007)
Verdi Requiem with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic
"Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, whose previous LAO appearances include
Countess Almaviva and the Marschallin, was riveting in the Libera
Me, singing with steely resolve and credibly portraying a character
pleading for salvation. Throughout the Requiem, she displayed focused,
gleaming tone, secure top notes and beautifully floated high pianissimos."
(Opera News, December 2007)
'Radiant' Sieglinde - Adrianne once again
seduces Bayreuth in Die Walküre
"Adrianne Pieczonka's feminine, radiant and musical Sieglinde proved
an oasis of lyricism in a desert of high voices." (Opera, November
2007)
"In this wonderful atmosphere, Sieglinde, radiantly portrayed by
Adrianne Pieczonka, creates a very complete character , vigorous,
not deprived of dreams, but with a fragility that is both passionate
and real."(Altamusica, 10 August, 2007)
Adrianne "radiantly warm" in Munich
Marschallin
“Canadian Adrianne Pieczonka was radiantly
warm and elegant as the Feldmarschallin; her rich, glorious voice
was totally natural with no operatic pretensions, just like her
acting.” (American Record Guide, November-December
2007)
"Stunning" performance at the Luminato Festival's
Opera Gala - LUNA
"Pieczonka also had a few revelations to make. This great soprano
stayed away from the Germanic repertoire for which she is best known
(her latest album was all Wagner and Richard Strauss), sticking
to Italian arias and one number from Dvorak's Rusalka (which was
originally on Bayrakdarian's list). She gave a stunning performance
of Elvira's big Act I number from Verdi's Ernani, making the many
treacherous corners of this showpiece sound like the most elegant
fun. I found myself scrambling to adjust my obviously limited idea
of what she can do well. The Rusalka excerpt (Song to the Moon)
and the famous aria from Catalani's La Wally were sublime in a different
way, so beautifully clear in sound and intention. Pieczonka is one
of those singers whose invocation of the ideal values of her art
somehow makes you feel like a better person, for participating even
vicariously in that appeal." (The Globe and
Mail, June 11, 2007)
Pieczonka with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
"The nine melodies of the Poèmes pour Mi are written for a great
dramatic soprano of which Adrianne Pieczonka assuredly is." (Le
Devoir, 25 mai, 2007)
"…sung before intermission with captivating
beauty by Adrianne Pieczonka." (The
Gazette, May 26, 2007)
As Elizabetta in Don Carlos at the Gran
Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona
"Adrianne Pieczonka is an Elisabeth of great
quality, capable of youthful ardour, of painful pride, of dignified
nobility, and of making one listen to what she is expressing. She
seems to sing without effort, with no weaknesses in her interpretation,
with a clarity that enunciation does not diminish. So pure that
it seems effortless." (Forum Opéra,
5 February 2007)
"Vocally Adrianne Pieczonka was the highlight,
with a timbre and phrasing of great beauty." (El
Periódico, 30 January 2007)
"[A voice] of great colour and musicality."
(La Razón, 29 January 2007)
A Soaring Arabella at the Vienna State Opera
"Adrianne Pieczonka embodies Arabella in flesh and blood with
her tireless vocal shimmer and perfect technique. She joins the
ranks of the most famous interpreters of this role. The merits of
her soprano voice are endless. She alternates effortlessly from
lyric sensitivity to dramatic outbursts and her exceptional musicianship
is always evident." (Opernglas, January 2007)
Pieczonka's voice soared… Her face reflected the moment - a mirror
of love, tenderness, puzzlement." (International
Herald Tribune, 10 December 2006)
"Das sängerische Ereignis der Aufführung ist jedoch Adrianne Pieczonka
in der Titelrolle. Wie sie ihren entspannt strömenden Sopran nahtlos
aus der satten Mittellage in die Höhe führt und aufblühen lässt,
wie sie Wärme, Zartheit und Intensität in subtilen Klangschattierungen
mischt, wie sie schliesslich den Text artikuliert, das alles weist
sie als ideale Strauss-Sängerin aus und wird getragen von einer
ebenso konzentrierten wie natürlichen Darstellung, der allerdings
mädchenhafte Koketterie fernliegt." (Neue
Zürcher Zeitung, 13 December 2006)
Adrianne Pieczonka "mesmerizes" in recital
"The soprano has an uncanny ear for turning a musical phrase. Ending
the official portion of the recital with Richard Strauss's soaring
Zueignung (Dedication) was an inspired move, sending the audience
into a riot of rapturous applause that had the singer back on stage
several more times. It takes a special artist to step outside formal
opera to tell a compelling story without the aid of a formal character.
Pieczonka is one of those people. We can only hope she'll be back
with more soon." (Toronto Star, 14 October
2006)
"It was a performance as musically interesting and vocally polished
as anything I have heard in years. Many singers with voices suited
to heavier opera are not naturally recitalists, the demands of the
two being rather different. Pieczonka, however, clearly understands
the highly varied world of the song recital and has the musical
intelligence needed for recital singing. ... Pieczonka was nothing
short of brilliant in her portrayal of all the moods of the songs
she chose." (Calgary Herald, 7 October 2006)
Adrianne Pieczonka confirms her repute as
the "Sieglinde of our time" in Die Walküre in the COC's landmark
Ring Cycle
"...drop-dead fabulous performance as Sieglinde." (Globe
and Mail, 19 September 2006)
"Last month, in the new production of the "Ring" at the Bayreuth
Festival, I was impressed by the Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka's
vocally exquisite Sieglinde, and she was just as fine in that role
here, singing with lushly beautiful sound and poignant vulnerability."
(New York Times, 19 September 2006)
"There was one heart-rending hour in the entire cycle that everyone
present will remember for the rest of his or her lives. It was a
magical meeting of singers, music and drama that was more powerful
than anything I have ever witnessed onstage...with the once-in-a-lifetime
vocal and dramatic power of Toronto soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and
American tenor Clifton Forbis...many audience members were left
in tears, and most found it impossible to rise from their seats
at the first intermission." (Toronto Star,
18 September 2006)
"As Sieglinde, Adrianne Pieczonka was [Forbis's] splendid match;
their scenes together were outstanding, with knock-'em-dead singing
and dramatic conviction." (Musical America,
18 September 2006)
"The heart and star of the COC's production was soprano Adrianne
Pieczonka (Sieglinde), who fused an astonishing torrent of beautiful
singing with a characterization that was almost painfully true."
(Globe and Mail, 14 September 2006)
Adrianne Pieczonka Triumphs in Bayreuth
"The Sieglinde of our time…a shooting star of international Wagner
and Strauss renown. Pieczonka glitters with a lyrically expressive,
well nuanced soprano, appearing effortless even in top range, always
with clearest articulation." (Die Zeit, 29
July 2006)
"Adrianne Pieczonka made a gorgeous, lyrical Sieglinde, with an
uncommonly beautiful, forthright sound." (Musical
America, 28 August 2006)
"A vocalist such as Adrianne Pieczonka, the Sieglinde, unfolds
her soprano to reveal stunning luminosity. Her voice can exalt."
(Die Presse, 29 July)
"Winner of the evening among the strong women was certainly Adrianne
Pieczonka as Sieglinde, whose pearly clear and forceful soprano
serves up ideal tones of purest love for Siegmund. Which altogether
justified the strong applause and many bravos." (Der
Spiegel, 28 July)
"The vocal highlight is Adrianne Pieczonka's radiantly sung Sieglinde…"
(Guardian, 29 July 2006)
"The great and well-earned vocal triumph was that of the Sieglinde,
Adrianne Pieczonka, with an exceptional and powerful timbre and,
blessedly, an exemplary delivery" (La Razon,
1 August)
"A genuinely lyrical Sieglinde, whose soprano can expand to bloom
gloriously. From the most finely spun conversational tone to an
all-conquering flowing dramatic volume she has all at her command.
Ovations. A triumph." (Münchner Merkur, 29
July)
Adrianne Pieczonka returns to the LA Opera
as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro
"Adrianne Pieczonka was a grand and moving Countess." (Los
Angeles Times, 27 March 2006)
"She once again, as with the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier,
carried off her assignment with vocal grace and charm personified
as the beauteous wife of a philandering husband. Total transformation."
(CityBeat, 6 April 2006)
A rare performance of Das Paradies und die
Peri with the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall in
New York
"Adrianne Pieczonka took the juicy title role, ending with great
soaring outbursts that held their own above the chorus at the grand
finale...her courage and expansiveness ended up carrying the day."
(New York Times, 31 January 2006)
A Triumphant Ariadne at the Vienna Staatsoper
"Adrianne Pieczonka is an attractive
Ariadne with bright, ringing tones which she controls perfectly.
She also possesses a beautiful cool timbre and wonderful spinning
high notes. She portrayed a princess of very noble bearing who showed
a many facetted personality. Her famous monologue was a highlight
of the evening." (Die Kronen Zeitung,
November 2005)
"In her debut as Ariadne, Adrianne Pieczonka
displayed a mix of noble dramatic restraint and musical intensity."
(Der Standard, 24 November 2005)
Adrianne Pieczonka is a regal Marschallin
in Der Rosenkavalier at the Los Angles Opera
"Adrianne Pieczonka's Marschallin ruled the stage. At once regal
and touchingly vulnerable, she visibly aged during Act I; her finely
nuanced performance represented in absorbing detail the growth of
a woman from infatuated youth to a middle age haunted by the passage
of time." (Opera News, August 2005)
"Pieczonka's Marschallin is regal, unsentimental and smart, and
when her vulnerabilities break through as she reflects on her situation,
they are all the more touching. Her soprano is brushed steel, burnished
yet not hard" (LA Times, 31 May 2005)
"The rich-voiced soprano Adrianne Pieczonka played the Marschallin
with the requisite noble bearing and fragile grace. More uncommon,
though, was the sexual hunger and emotional vulnerability she revealed
during the frolicking love scenes with Count Octavian…"(New
York Times, 31 May 2005)
Adrianne Pieczonka's amazing in Die Walküre
at the Metropolitan Opera
"So complete was Pieczonka's success
that, had Richard Wagner been at the performance on October 9, he
may well have been tempted to rename his Die Walküre as Der
Triumph von Sieglinde. Pieczonka is arguably the Sieglinde of
our day. And on this occasion-with her expressive lyricism, unforced
beauty of tone, exemplary diction and compelling acting - she cleary
left most of her Met colleagues in the dust. A tall, handsome figure
on stage, she also brought an understated glamor to the role that
one rarely encounters." (Opera Canada, Volume
XLV, Winter 2004)
"It was heartening to see the ovations for Adrianne Pieczonka,
whose Sieglinde was a triumph… Ms. Pieczonka, who made news in her
Met debut last spring as Lisa in Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame, has a
gorgeous instrument with the ability to soar, such as in the thrilling
scene in Act II when she is given the shards of Siegmund's sword,
and pleads for death. But she can also shape and mould the tiniest
pianissimos, and has the ability to project a haunting vulnerability.
If you have not experienced her singing, try to catch her at your
earliest opportunity. (Highly recommended: her Alice Ford in Verdi's
Falstaff, with Bryn Terfel heading an outstanding cast, with the
Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado.)" (Seen
& Heard, October 2004)
A Hugely Successful and Long-Awaited Return
to the Canadian Opera Company as Sieglinde in Die Walküre
"Adrianne Pieczonka, an absolutely riveting Sieglinde, rapturous
to the point of delirium, effortlessly met Wagner's demands while
preserving a richness of voice and beauty of phrasing." (Opera
News, July 2004)
"Dominating things were the Sieglinde of Adrianne Pieczonka and
the Siegmund of Clifton Forbis. The Canadian soprano, returning
to the COC after a long absence, sang with rich, gleaming lyricism
and phrased everything with intelligent intensity; already she has
few equals in this role today. Responding to Egoyan's detailed direction,
she conveyed an almost feral presence in which every expression
counted." (Opera, June 2004)
"Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka made a sensational Sieglinde. This
young Canadian, who hasn't sung at the COC for 10 long years, displayed
a beautiful sound, intelligent phrasing and the dramatic ability
to depict the character's desperate, barely sane isolation. She
made Sieglinde sympathetic and also a bit scary, which is what she
should be." (Globe and Mail, April 6, 2004)
"Adrianne Pieczonka gives us a youthful, touching Sieglinde. Pieczonka
sang with superb connection to the text -- indeed, the naturalness
of Pieczonka's delivery of music and words, and her rich palette
of dynamics and colours, made it hard to believe that this is her
first performance of the role." (Tamara Bernstein,
National Post, April 6, 2004)
"Vocally and dramatically, Adrianne Pieczonka raised the bar in
the role of Sieglinde. Her phrases soared and shone. She projected
feeling and character in a portrayal that was simply without equal."
(Hamilton Spectator, April 6, 2004)
"Adrianne Pieczonka sings with strength and presence." (New
York Times, April 9, 2004)
Adrianne Pieczonka's Stunning Met Debut
in Queen of Spades
"Her liquid dramatic Soprano is a delight. Her phrasing is superb
and she has wonderful and secure high notes. The audience reacted
to her with enthusiasm." (ConcertoNet, March
4, 2004)
"As the hapless Lisa, Pieczonka is everything they say she is ["effortless
silvery tone," "shining lyric voice," "a lovely presence," "exquisite
musicality"]. She makes this appealingly fragile character all the
more heartbreaking by emphasizing her impulsive nature, at first
an ecstatic love-drunk girl ready for anything and later a desperately
doomed woman who loses it all, including her life. This she does
with a voice that gains additional expression and color as the portrait
deepens, a smoothly textured, fully integrated lyric soprano of
ample size and flexibility." (New York Magazine,
March 15, 2004)
"As Lisa, Adrianne Pieczonka made a fresh, strong impression, singing
the lovely Why am I weeping? with real passion." (Seen
& Heard, Febraury 24, 2004)
As Marschallin in the Salzburg Festival's
Der Rosenkavalier
"Adrianne
Pieczonka's Marschallin fitted into the production's early-20th-century
milieu elegantly and sang with firm, warm tone and a respect for
the words." (Financial Times,
August 11, 2004)
"Beautiful, noble, vocally radiant, Adrianne
Pieczonka's Marschallin is of great distinction." (Le
Monde, August 9, 2004)
A superb Elisabetta in the Salzburg Festival's
Don Carlo
"She has a lovely instrument, and, as this young, mistreated queen,
proved a lovely presence…this was a lovely Elisabetta, a cut above
most." (New York Sun, August 21, 2003)
Adrianne Pieczonka with the London Philharmonia
in Strauss's Four Last Songs
"She gave a truly heartfelt performance, with a tone that could
bloom into radiance or shrink to a whisper." (London
Daily Telegraph, April 3, 2003)
"The impressive Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka ... has a remarkable
ability to project every flicker of meaning in the text." (Guardian,
April 3, 2003)
In the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos
in Barcelona
"Triumphant Adrianne Pieczonka…expressive and exquisite musicality."
(El Pais, October 21, 2002)
"Adrienne Pieczonka … with her warm dramatic soprano, strong and
healthy all along the staff." (Opera News,
February 2003)
"Wonderful, the Ariadne of Adrianne Pieczonka, who, like a Schwarzkopf,
or even more, a Della Casa, possesses the exact colour for the score,
with a luminosity in the delivery and a purity of piani which would
make her, very probably, a superb Arabella, a role which today has
no real champion." (Opéra international, Jan.
2003)
In recital in Munich
"The Canadian soprano Adrianne possesses one of the most marvellous
voices of our time. When she lets her voice blossom in the high
middle range with an effortless silvery tone, it is as if Lotte
Lehmann is standing before us again. She possesses a Strauss voice
sui generis! (Anton Sergl, Süddeutsche
Zeitung, August 2 2002)
Four Last Songs at the International Joy
of Singing Festival
"Pieczonka's [voice] was big, rich, creamy and most importantly
of all, capable of infusing Strauss's characteristically long phrases
with pure columns of tone. … Her approach to the songs tended to
be vocally and emotionally direct…the sheer beauty of her singing
was not to be denied." (Toronto Star, June
6, 2002)
Acclaimed in Hamburg
"A star was born-Hamburgians can be proud to have witnessed
this evening! ... Vocally and dramatically outstanding as Katja."
(Hamburger Abendblatt, April 9, 2002)
"It is her (Pieczonka's) evening! She doesn't just play Katja,
she is Katja. Her shining lyric voice moves you as much as her acting."
(Hamburger Morgenpost, April 9, 2002)genpost,
"This Katja is no defenseless little
soul -- Adrianne Pieczonka's vocally and dramatically marvellous
performance leaves no doubt about that." (Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, April 9, 2002) click
here for the full article
Adrianne Pieczonka makes her debut as Donna
Anna at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
"Canadian Adrianne Pieczonka portrayed a noble and faithful Anna,
with a richness of timbre that was perfect in Or sai chi l'onore
and Non mi dir."
(Opéra International, March 2002)
"Adrianne Pieczonka is a Donna Anna of subtle timbre...which brings
a new emotional fragility to the character" (Giornale
della Musica, 24/01/2002)
"Adrianne Pieczonka, Melanie Diener and Rebecca Evans are a golden
voiced trio as Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and Zerlina" (Musical
America, 24/01/2002)
REVIEWS OF RECORDINGS
Reviews
of Adrianne Pieczonka sings Wagner and Strauss
"The great Canadian soprano offers a
bouquet of arias from the roles with which she has been shaking
up the opera world of late. Her lyric-dramatic soprano really is
a natural wonder, with its glistening top range and even tone. Pieczonka
is a smart young singer who finds new thrills in every one of her
choices, including the orchestrated versions of Wagner's Wesendonck
Lieder." (Globe and Mail, 16 July 2006)
"The rich orchestrations and undulating
leitmotifs from the operas of Richards Wagner and Strauss find
an ideal dramatic partner in the ample soprano of Canadian Adrianne
Pieczonka. Pieczonka has power and a great ability to modulate
her delivery in these arias from Tannhäuser, Die Walkyrie, Lohengrin,
Arabella and Capriccio. Particularly compelling are "Es gibt ein
Reich" from Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos and Wagner's Wesendonk
Lieder. This debut solo disc is big, bold and beautiful."
(Toronto Star, 18 May 2006)
To read the full review, click
here 
"You're unlikely to hear [Der Männer Sippe
and Es gibt ein Reich] sung better anywhere. Pieczonka uses the
power and clarity of her voice to render the melodic line keenly
affecting and her sense of the deeper emotions behind the words
makes each offering uniquely affecting. History will be of little
doubt as to the greatness of Pieczonka's interpretation [of the
Wesendonk Lieder]." (Ottawa Citizen, 7 May 2006)
To read the full review, click
here
"Her bright, gleaming sound with its
vibrant top is ideal in the jügendlich-dramatisch fach. Her
singing combines beauty, power and nuance. ...The way the top
opens up in the high lying phrases of 'Es gibt ein Reich' from
Ariadne and 'Das was sehr gut' from Arabella is thrilling...A
'must-have'album for Wagner-Strauss fans and admirers of superb
singing." (La Scena Musicale, May 2006)
To read the full review, click
here 
"Dramatic finesse and musical intensity
characterize her richly nuanced soprano. That Canadian Adrianne
Pieczonka has made a name for herself as a Wagner and Strauss
interpreter is impressively underscored by this, her first solo
CD." (Bühne, April 2006)
To read the full review, click
here 
Falstaff (DGG)
"Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is a musically impeccable
and dramatically somewhat understated Alice, her rich, gleaming
tone sounding particularly youthful and innocent opposite the droll,
worldly Sir John of Terfel". (Opus, Winter
2001)
"Adrianne Pieczonka's Alice adds bloom to the purity of Dorothea
Röschman's Nannetta...." (International
Record Review, October 2001)
Don Giovanni (Naxos)
"Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, who has made a name
for herself in Europe as a longtime member of the Vienna State Opera,
is one of the standouts in this attractive set, recorded in November
2000 in Budapest. As Donna Anna, she cuts a striking figure, in
a role she took on for her debut this past January at Covent Garden.
Her opening trio with the Don and Leporello is a real delight. She
brings a huge tone and impassioned intensity to her Act I accompanied
recitative and aria Or sai chi l'onore, and she revels in
her lyrical side in Act II's accompanied recitative and rondo."
(Opera Canada, Spring 2002)
"Pieczonka, as Glyndborne audiences know, is...an accomplished
and insightful Anna" (Opera, December
2001)
"Of the women, Adrianne Pieczonka, the Anna, is the best,
with clear, bright tones..." (Grammaphone,
December 2001)
Die Fledermaus (Nightingale Classics)
"The famous soprano with iron technique (Edita Gruberova) analyzes
the problem rather more constructively and modestly without letting
her reluctance to deal with certain challenges affect her judgement
of the music: "I'm glad I don't sing Rosalinde on the stage, but
I have always admired those soprano colleagues who can sing this
murderously difficult role well. It's more difficult than any twenty-minute
mad scene. It uses the voice in every register, you have to put
colour, humour and charm into it." On the Nightingale set, A. Pieczonka
succeeds in bringing just those elements to her performance with
her warmly attractive, deliciously nuanced lyric soprano, never
resorting to parody or calling undue attention to the strenuouses
of Rosalinde's vocal patterns." (Opera Quarterly, Volume 10, Winter
2000)
PRESS REVIEWS ARCHIVE
From reviews of the Los Angeles production
of Lohengrin, September 2001
"Canadian soprano
Adrianne Pieczonka was the endearing Elsa, again spanning a wonderful
range from the dreamy "Euch, Lüften" to her insistent
cajoling in the bridal-chamber scene that brings on her downfall."
(Opera News, December 2001)
Adrianne Pieczonka was an Elsa of heartbreaking purity."
(Variety, September 17, 2001)
"As Elsa, Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka was the brightest
star with a lightish jeweled voice, even throughout its range of
expressive coloring." (Orange County Register,
September 18, 2001)
"As his Elsa Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka boasted all the
ideal equipment- a blossoming voice that floated soft tones to the
upper balconies, enough amplitude to surmount the heavier passages
and a blond beauty second only to her sensitive skills." (The
Hollywood Reporter, September 18-24, 2001)
"The Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is a complex Elsa, transfixed
by her visions but also insisting on a relationship with Lohengrin
built on trust....Both [Adrianne Pieczonka and Gösta Winbergh] are
satisfyingly ardent singers with generously lyrical voices." (Los
Angeles Times, September 17, 2001)
From reviews of Roy Thomson Hall Recital
Debut, Toronto (May 2001)
"There are few defences against the power of a beautiful voice.
Adrianne Pieczonka's pearly soprano is as lustrous a sound as anyone
could imagine, with a gleam from top to bottom and a particularly
deep richness in its middle register." (The
Globe and Mail, June 1, 2001)
"Pieczonka approaches each song from the inside out - arriving
at personal, emotionally honest interpretations that make you hear
even familiar songs as if for the first time. ... The Strauss songs
- lush repertoire that her voice and heart were made for - were
in fact the highlight of the program....(Vissi d'arte) was the one
performance of the evening that actually moved me to tears - that
primal kind of emotion that great opera singing unlocks." (National
Post, May 31, 2001)
From a review of the Mellennium Opera
Gala at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto (December 31, 1999)
"Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka had a night in which every sound leaving
her throat turned to pure gold. I am staggered that someone can
walk out cold, on to the stage and sing Vissi d'Arte in a way that
reveals every emotional shade of the aria and is as fine a piece
of pure singing as you can hope to hear." (National
Post, January 4, 2000)
From a review of the Orchesterlieder
of Richard Strauss Nightingale Classics, 2000
"More than a third of the songs are sung by the young Canadian
soprano, Adrianne Pieczonka, and she superbly masters all songs,
especially the Four Last Songs. These are the lyric high point of
the impressive "tour d'horizon" through these Strauss works."
(Neue Züricher Zeitung, January 2000)
From a review of Die Fledermaus Nightingale
Classics, 2000
"The famous soprano with iron technique (Edita Gruberova) analyzes
the problem rather more constructively and modestly without letting
her reluctance to deal with certain challenges affect her judgement
of the music: "I'm glad I don't sing Rosalinde on the stage, but
I have always admired those soprano colleagues who can sing this
murderously difficult role well. It's more difficult than any twenty-minute
mad scene. It uses the voice in every register, you have to put
colour, humour and charm into it." On the Nightingale set, A.
Pieczonka succeeds in bringing just those elements to her performance
with her warmly attractive, deliciously nuanced lyric soprano, never
resorting to parody or calling undue attention to the strenuouses
of Rosalinde's vocal patterns."
(Opera Quarterly, Volume 10, Winter 2000)
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