“...Especially Abigail Shapiro, whose vibrant, rich-voiced soprano made a high point of Tisbé’s despairing Act 3 aria, a piece of Gluck-like intensity.”
~ George Loomis, Opera Magazine
”Abigail Shapiro, Tisbé, is so fierce in her lurk-about through the ballroom that one might not notice the exceptional size and quality of her voice, its evenness in her big three-movement solo of comic despair.”
~ John Yohalem, Parterre.com
“Another first-rate performance came from Abigail Shapiro, who brought dramatic intensity and flawless singing to the cruel demands of Vitellia. In her early duet with Sesto and then with her first big aria, ‘Deh, se piacer mi vuoi,’ Shapiro (sporting striking curly red hair and purple gown) commanded the stage throughout, all but inhabiting the role of the jealous wanna-be queen. Most impressive was her delivery of the crucial recitative, ‘Ecco il punto, o Vitellia,’ which was carefully thought-out and skillfully directed.”
~Marc Shulgold, Opera News
"As the object of his true love, soprano Abigail Shapiro convincingly conveyed Madame de Tourvel's purity and ultimate madness..."
~ Joanne Sydney Lessner, Opera News
"...Abigail Shapiro's Tourvel, the virtuous woman Valmont actually loves but whom he cruelly abandons at Merteuil's insistence. Genuine passion flares between Shapiro and Murray in some of Susa's best passages, and Shapiro, who sings with abundant humanity, is authentic and convincing in Act II when she literally dies from heartbreak."
~ Joshua Rosenbaum, Opera News
"Soprano Abigail Shapiro, fervid as the saintly, doomed Madame de Tourvel..."
~ Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times
"Abigail Shapiro made a fierce Vitellia..."
~John Rockwell, Opera Magazine
"Saturday's cast...coalesced around the extraordinarily adroit, layered characterization of Vitellia by Abigail Shapiro. Shapiro really went for Vitellia's demented pride and self-focus, finding almost two different voices to handle the notoriously lowering-as-it-goes tessitura."
~ David Shengold, Gay City News
"Abigail Shapiro is terrific in the role [of Vitellia]. She scampers over the octaves comfortably and can fill the coliseum with her large, beautiful tones. Her singing is as extreme as her character. She is at once vindictive, jealous and angry. Her emotions are sometimes contained in long, legato lines and at others released in a fiery coloratura."~ Susan Hall, Berkshire Fine Arts
"...Manipulative foil to Wu’s Sesto was promising high soprano Abigail Shapiro as Vitellia. A quick, accurate high D, in the trio “Vengo … aspettate … Sesto!,” was hers to command." ~
Bruce-Michael Gelbert, QonStage.com
"Soprano Abigail Shapiro was outstanding as the fickle Vitellia and showed all the colors of the vocal rainbow in her final aria 'Non più di fiori'." ~ Voce di Meche
"As a stand alone aria, one could not ask for a better one than Ottavia's lament in Act I, describing the plight of women. We long to hear it again."
~ Voce di Meche
Fervid: having or showing feelings that are strong or too strong; very hot; burning
~ George Loomis, Opera Magazine
”Abigail Shapiro, Tisbé, is so fierce in her lurk-about through the ballroom that one might not notice the exceptional size and quality of her voice, its evenness in her big three-movement solo of comic despair.”
~ John Yohalem, Parterre.com
“Another first-rate performance came from Abigail Shapiro, who brought dramatic intensity and flawless singing to the cruel demands of Vitellia. In her early duet with Sesto and then with her first big aria, ‘Deh, se piacer mi vuoi,’ Shapiro (sporting striking curly red hair and purple gown) commanded the stage throughout, all but inhabiting the role of the jealous wanna-be queen. Most impressive was her delivery of the crucial recitative, ‘Ecco il punto, o Vitellia,’ which was carefully thought-out and skillfully directed.”
~Marc Shulgold, Opera News
"As the object of his true love, soprano Abigail Shapiro convincingly conveyed Madame de Tourvel's purity and ultimate madness..."
~ Joanne Sydney Lessner, Opera News
"...Abigail Shapiro's Tourvel, the virtuous woman Valmont actually loves but whom he cruelly abandons at Merteuil's insistence. Genuine passion flares between Shapiro and Murray in some of Susa's best passages, and Shapiro, who sings with abundant humanity, is authentic and convincing in Act II when she literally dies from heartbreak."
~ Joshua Rosenbaum, Opera News
"Soprano Abigail Shapiro, fervid as the saintly, doomed Madame de Tourvel..."
~ Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times
"Abigail Shapiro made a fierce Vitellia..."
~John Rockwell, Opera Magazine
"Saturday's cast...coalesced around the extraordinarily adroit, layered characterization of Vitellia by Abigail Shapiro. Shapiro really went for Vitellia's demented pride and self-focus, finding almost two different voices to handle the notoriously lowering-as-it-goes tessitura."
~ David Shengold, Gay City News
"Abigail Shapiro is terrific in the role [of Vitellia]. She scampers over the octaves comfortably and can fill the coliseum with her large, beautiful tones. Her singing is as extreme as her character. She is at once vindictive, jealous and angry. Her emotions are sometimes contained in long, legato lines and at others released in a fiery coloratura."~ Susan Hall, Berkshire Fine Arts
"...Manipulative foil to Wu’s Sesto was promising high soprano Abigail Shapiro as Vitellia. A quick, accurate high D, in the trio “Vengo … aspettate … Sesto!,” was hers to command." ~
Bruce-Michael Gelbert, QonStage.com
"Soprano Abigail Shapiro was outstanding as the fickle Vitellia and showed all the colors of the vocal rainbow in her final aria 'Non più di fiori'." ~ Voce di Meche
"As a stand alone aria, one could not ask for a better one than Ottavia's lament in Act I, describing the plight of women. We long to hear it again."
~ Voce di Meche
Fervid: having or showing feelings that are strong or too strong; very hot; burning
