La Sonnambula, The Metropolitan Opera

Mar 15, 2014

“The first major touchstone of Friday’s performance was soprano Diana Damrau, who was making her role debut as Amina. Damrau is one the finest artists in the opera world today and always seems to maintain a wondrous balance between her vocal dynamism and her terrific acting ability . . . Throughout these opening arias “A te diletta, tenera madre” and “Sopra il sen la man mi posa” her voice was imbued with a relaxed brightness that only added to the delightful nature of Amina; they also showcased Damrau’s technical mastery. Her cadenza in the opening aria rose to a breathtaking high note that made a slow diminuendo that added to Amina’s angelic qualities. The coloratura in the second aria was effortless and yet Damrau took full advantage of the rubati presented to her throughout the cabaletta . . .

Damrau spun elegant legati, her voice blending wonderfully with tenor Javier Camarena . . . During the final “Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero,” Damrau literally pulled out all the stops physically. She danced about and sang a high e-flat suspended in midair; she followed that with a terrific chromatic descent as she was placed on the flora. The coloratura was at its most breathtaking in this climactic cabaletta and Damrau even did two cartwheels during the aria’s coda to a tremendous audience ovation. Her final high note was one of valediction as she held through the orchestra’s final bars. Damrau’s performance was not only a tremendous amount of fun to behold but also added tremendous depth to a role often dismissed as one-dimension.”

David Salazar, Latinos Post – March 15, 2014