The excellent soprano Angela Meade, who portrays Ermione, has appeared in a number of productions of Ermione over the past ten years, and her performances have been influential within the renewed curiosity it has acquired. In her opening feedback, Govt Director Meg Sippey cautioned that Ms. Meade was recovering from a respiratory an infection and whereas positive she would possibly have to cough on stage; she by no means did, and if this was Ms. Meade at lower than her greatest, please let me expertise her greatest at a future efficiency. This can be a tough position, particularly in Act 2 when Ermione strikes via one emotion to a different, from jealous anger to guilt to like to grief to fury, all embellished with melisma and trills in excessive and low registers. Regardless of the warning, her virtuosity and delightful tone didn’t disappoint, and I used to be on my ft with everybody else applauding on the finish. Tenor David Portillo as Pirro was a marvel, singing superbly with a silvery tone whereas being pushed backwards and forwards in numerous instructions by Ermione and Andromacha. He managed some parts requiring fast fireplace supply along with his lovely tone fully in tack. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee is a treasure and introduced his A-game as effectively taking part in the love struck, one dimensional Oreste, additionally requiring some vocal pyrotechnics in the next vary, one thing he’s recognized for. Mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson as Andromacha was so good and so emotionally expressive I suspected she was channeling Maria Callas on her one centesimal birthdate (Dec 2, 1923). She was fairly good in a earlier look with WCO, however she is now acting on an excellent larger, extra achieved degree. The efficiency was additional embellished by a wonderfully solid group of soloists acquainted to Washington space audiences, which included bass-baritone Matthew Scollin as Pirro’s tutor Fenicio, Kate Jackman as Andromac’s confidant Cefisa, tenor Rolando Sanz as Pirro’s confidant Attalo, soprano Erin Ridge as Ermione’s pal Cleone, and tenor Matthew Hill as Oreste’s pal Pilade.
