Barbara Quintiliani brings music to Boston kids, article in The Boston Globe                       more
"Soprano shines in joyous Bach tribute", article in The Boston Globe

"She opened her mouth, and music came out" ... by Richard Dyer

Singing Verdi's Il Corsaro for Sarasota Opera:

Barbara Quintiliani's Gulnara is a strong-willed woman willing to do whatever it takes to escape the slavery of harem life. Corrado catches her eye, but when he will not murder Seid for her, she simply does it herself. In the midst of it all, there are a few memorable musical moments that she powers up to the heights of her soprano register.

Gayle Williams, The Herald Tribune, March 11, 2004

For the Washington Opera in a performance of Don Giovanni in Consitution Hall:

"Most of the praise went to singers in two of the opera's most problematic roles, soprano Barbara Quintiliani as Donna Anna and tenor Matthew Ryan Wolff as Ottavio -- both artists of great potential. Quintiliani, whose acting is as impressive as her voice, managed to convey the intense emotions, ambivalence and fiery determination of her role without ever making Anna look (as sometimes happens) like a nag."

Joseph McLellan, The Washington Post, April 7, 2003

"Soprano Barbara Quintiliani took the role of Elettra, daughter of the Greek war commander Agamemnon, in two performances of the Washington Opera's Idomeneo, which has just finished its run in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Quintiliani is a member of the company's Young Artist Program of the Americas, and her performance in this, her first major operatic role, is eloquent testimony to the value of that program. Saturday night's audience, which applauded her warmly, saw the beginning of a significant operatic career.

"Through most of this rather static opera, Elettra is not the liveliest of roles; she is the third – and losing – side of a love triangle with Idomeneo's son, Idamante and the Trojan princess Ilia. She has a bit of recitative, which Quintiliani sang with verbal clarity and fine dramatic sense; she also has arias in each of the three acts. The first two are well crafted but not exceptional, and Quintiliani handled them intelligently, gracefully and eloquently, with glowing tone and fine musical instincts.

"The Act 3 aria is something else. A pouring out of rage and disappointment for lost love, it looks far ahead into the young Mozart's future, anticipating the kind of music he would give to the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. Quintiliani took its challenges as opportunities; for the length of the aria, at the end of which Elettra collapses and dies, her voice and gestures dominated the stage and held the audience transfixed"

Joseph McLellan, The Washington Post, November 24, 2002

Barbara Quintiliani, in recital at Longy School of Music:

"During her years away, Quintiliani's big, diamond-bright soprano has matured

"....when everything was working for her, the effect was thrilling. This was true in her fiery performance of Elettra's big scena, 'D'Oreste, d'Ajace,' In this scorching expression of fury and despair over the loss of Elettra's beloved to a rival, Quintiliani hurled vocal lightning bolts.

"But it was in a set of early 20th century American songs and Rosalinda's Csardas from Die Fledermaus that Quintiliani found her stride, and showed some tongue-in-cheek virtuosity. During the encore —'Ebben Ne andro lontano' from Catalani's La Wally—listeners got a glimpse of the Quintiliani of the future: the voice molten, the communications intense, instrument and interpretive impulse perfectly attuned."

Ellen Pfeifer, The Boston Globe, August 6, 2002

 more
Return to List of Reviews