A triumphant Australian debut
Limelight“She possesses a powerful but pure-toned and flexible voice that exudes a warmth and charisma that enthrals the listener. Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été… is an ideal vehicle to demonstrate the singer’s vocal range and colour. Her performance is a triumph in its control, expressiveness and the ability to identify with the emotional content.
Le spectre de la rose has a dreamlike character that is mesmerising. Following a well-deserved audience ovation, the encores, if anything, are even more affecting – a wonderfully sensual Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and a beautiful rendition of the Arlen/Harburg standard Over the Rainbow.”
Limelight Magazine (Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra)
“Last month, audiences in Australia and New Zealand were treated to Joyce’s “ravishingly sung” (Classical Source) interpretation of Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été, with encores of the “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Appearing with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Joyce earned raves for her “Elegant phrasing, molten legatos, impeccable diction and expressive clarity”.
Limelight Magazine
“The second half belonged entirely to American superstar mezzo Joyce DiDonato, whose reputation as one of today’s foremost Berlioz interpreters proved wholly justified in an astonishing account of Les Nuits d’été … It was clear we were in the presence of a singer of extraordinary imagination and emotional depth … DiDonato offered one of the most complete vocal performances I have encountered: never any sign of generic utterance, every phrase rooted in her deeply considered conception of how each song could go.”
Bachtrack (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)
“Her ravishing voice, full of depth flowed effortlessly around the hall, along with the inventive music – the soft pizzicato of the strings or the almost whispering sequences of the strings where the orchestra played what seemed like the soft rumour of a voice. Then her voice would be increasingly dramatic, singing with an intensity which hovered over the orchestra like cloudburst, a voice which could shatter glass as well as hearts.”
New Zealand Arts Review (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)
“DiDonato’s rapport with the audience is warm and spontaneous. Expressing her delight at being “in this beautiful corner of the world,” she jokes about wanting to greedily sing more … DiDonato’s second encore, Over the Rainbow, serves as a sweet acknowledgement of her finally being “down in Oz.” Sung with luminous simplicity, it feels as though she were gently lifting the audience skyward and inviting each listener along on their own quiet journey.”
Limelight Magazine (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Gala)