Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Metropolitan Opera

“In the role of Leïla, suppressed erotic longing is sublimated into pure vocalism lavishly ornamented with arabesques and grace notes. Ms. Yende’s singing has itself much of that birdlike quality, her pert and fresh soprano seeming to alight on each note with dainty precision.”

New York Times

“As the priestess Leila, Pretty Yende displayed the many beautiful facets of her jewel-like voice, thanks to the exotic melodies of Bizet’s score. The audience first sees Yende as a projection upon a wave during the act 1 duet, before making an auspicious, veiled entrance on a tiny metallic boat. As Kwiecien’s Zurga swears her to her new duty, Yende’s responses of “I swear” seemed to melt into the line of the flute. Her numbers toward the end of the first act provided ample moments for Yende to pour forth enchanting tones like a beckoning siren. When met in secret by Nadir, she recoils at first from his advances, with Yende turning away in sync with the sudden beat of a drum from the orchestra.

During her Act two aria “J’etais encore enfant,” Yende sang while holding her veil over her head, towards the audience and away from Nourabad, as if emphasizing her hiding of the fugitive man. She allowed the veil to fall over her head when singing of the promise made with the fugitive; while this prevented the audience from seeing Yende’s face as she continued to vocalize, it was interesting to hear the many sounds coming from her veiled figure.

After her arrest, her exchanges with Elliott’s Zurga were made all the more jarring given the contrast between the modern-but-damaged office and the oriental costume of Yende. This clash of passions also saw Yende deliver a lovely series rising quadruplets as she pleaded for clemency for Nadir; all of this was eventually concluded with Yende, being led off to her execution, rejoicing with a crystalline hue in her voice as she sang the phrase “the gates of Heaven open for me!”

Operawire

Comments Off on Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Metropolitan Opera

I Puritani / Gran Teatre del Liceu

“Triunfo también de la sudafricana Pretty Yende en la parte de Elvira, donde mostró una voz de mucha calidad de soprano lírico–ligera, muy bien manejada, destacando en agilidades y mostrando una rara capacidad para emocionar al público con su canto. Su Elvira ha sido espléndida y muy difícil de superar hoy en día. Esta joven cantante tiene un futuro espectacular por delante, si es capaz de cuidarse. A todas sus cualidades hay que añadir una gran facilidad en la parte alta de la tesitura y una figura atractiva.”

Beckmesser

“Almost the same level of excellence was achieved by Pretty Yende. She delivered the numerous high notes on her score well, with ease and well-timbred. She did perfectly well all the staccato notes, the octave jumps and all the vocal “madness” required in the scenes where Elvira has supposedly become crazy.”

Opera Online

“Por su parte, Yende se fue metiendo al público en el bolsillo paulatinamente… Yende exhibe un buen gusto, una proyección y una afinación que hace pensar en un futuro aún más brillante que su presente.”

ABC

Comments Off on I Puritani / Gran Teatre del Liceu

Ricciardo e Zoraide / Festival Rossini di Pesaro

“La soprano sud-africaine Pretty Yende a remporté de nombreux prix et se produit aujourd’hui sur toutes les plus grandes scènes mondiales. Dès le début de la soirée dans le rôle de Zoraide, elle révèle toute l’ampleur et la variété de son soprano. Elle se joue des aigus de la partition, tourbillonne de vocalises ou déchaine une débauche de colorature, dans une diction parfaite. Elle utilise une vaste palette de couleurs avec une aisance et une limpidité impressionnante, elle atteint des hauteurs vertigineuses et enchaine récitatifs et arias luxuriants d’une seule pièce. Pretty Yende crée des arches mélodiques larges et les emplit de volume.”

Opera Online

“Dans les deux rôles titres, Juan Diego Florez et Pretty Yende sont superbes de virtuosité et d’éclat, et on se réjouit qu’il reste un lieu comme Pesaro pour convaincre des chanteurs d’une telle pointure de prêter leur concours à une œuvre qu’ils ne chanteront sans doute qu’une fois dans leur carrière.”

La Libre

“Pretty Yende is radiant and richly expressive as Zoraide.”

Financial Times

“Pretty Yende, whose bright soprano was exciting and secure, sang Zoraide… she has beautiful super-high notes and a perfect picchiettato, and tended to employ them ubiquitously in her variations. Her legato and breath control were optimal, and her interpretation was a great success. Her love duet with Flórez was maybe the highlight of the evening”

Bachtrack

“Yende’s clear-voiced soprano was beautifully set off against the other voices. She embellished her part effectively, and the echo effects in the love duet, when Zoraide repeats Ricciardo’s words, were beautifully nuanced.”

Opera Magazine

Comments Off on Ricciardo e Zoraide / Festival Rossini di Pesaro

Critical Acclaim: Verbier Festival

“La soprano Pretty Yende clôturait la première partie sur l’air Glitter and be gay de l’opérette Candide de Bernstein. On songe à Jessye Norman pour l’opulence du timbre (cette nostalgie dans la première section de l’air) dans un morceau qui réclamerait une voix un peu plus légère et aérienne. Une soirée qui place la barre très haut pour la suite du festival.”

Le Temps

Comments Off on Critical Acclaim: Verbier Festival

Critical Acclaim: Grafenegg Summer Galas

“Doch man war nach Grafenegg gekommen, um Pretty Yende zu erleben – und sie enttäuschte nicht. Obwohl auch sie, ebenso wie ihr Partner Joseph Calleja, gegen Kälte und Wind anzukämpfen hatte, war ihr Auftritt in dieser Arena ein unvergessliches Erlebnis.”

“Yende begeisterte in der Zarzuela „El barbero de Sevilla“ von Jeronimo Giménez mit glasklarer Brillanz und gleichsam spanischem Temperament. Im abschließenden Duett „Parigi“ („La Traviata“) vereinigten sich diese beiden großartigen Stimmen zu einem harmonischen Zweiklang, der das Publikum im „Wolkenturm“ zu wahren Begeisterungsstürmen hinriss.”

Klassik-Begeistert

“So trat etwa Pretty Yende mit dem bekannten „Kusswalzer“ von Luigi Arditi auf und sang sich in die Herzen der Besucher. Joseph Calleja gab Giacomo Puccinis „Tosca“ zum Besten. Gemeinsam sangen die beiden das berühmte Duett „Parigi, o cara, noi lasceremo“ aus Verdis „La Traviata“ und verzauberten das Publikum.”

Noe.orf.at

Comments Off on Critical Acclaim: Grafenegg Summer Galas

Critical Acclaim: Carnegie Hall debut

“That cathartic moment set the stage nicely for the simple song of the finale, “The Heavenly Life,” as rendered by the rising soprano Pretty Yende. Coming off a triumphant season of Donizetti at the Metropolitan Opera, with starring roles in “L’Elisir d’Amore” and “Lucia di Lammermoor,” she began Mahler’s delightful ditty with natural, childlike tone and sustained an awe-struck, yet restrained mood until the end.

This was in contrast to her stirring account of the Mozart’s “Exsultate, Jubilate,” in which she let loose with a wild cadenza at the end of the first movement that threw pitch to the wind in a nosebleed ascent.”

The New York Times

“The soloist South African soprano Pretty Yende sang the technically difficult music, requiring vocal pyrotechnics and excellent breath control, with a beautiful tone throughout. The orchestra provided an ideal accompaniment, and the performance earned a standing ovation.

The second half of the concert was Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G Major. The joy of Mozart’s “Exsultate, Jubilate” is not found in Mahler’s work. As one might expect from the composer of “Kindertotenlieder” (“Songs on the Death of Children”), his mood tends toward the gloomy. However, his Fourth Symphony begins with the Christmas-evoking sound of sleigh bells and ends with a soothing lullaby sung with true feeling by Yende. If Mozart’s piece was an exhilarating flight to the heavens, the Mahler was like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.”

The Epoch Times

Comments Off on Critical Acclaim: Carnegie Hall debut

“Dreams”, Critics’s Choice on Opera News

“Yende’s brilliant technical singing skills continue to mature; more important, here she reaches new depths of interpretation, explores a wider range of vocal colors and finds more warmth in her voice.”

Opera News

Comments Off on “Dreams”, Critics’s Choice on Opera News