 |
|
|
|
Tosca in Mainz | |
"...With Elizabeth Hagedorn, an outstanding leading lady stands onstage, giving the performance authenticity through every tone and every movement."
"...A fascinating idea, that the Diva enters the first act as the reincarnation of Maria Callas...Elizabeth Hagedorn, with her slender appearance and a dramatic intensity emcompassing blazing emotional outbursts, has the fortune to be able to allow herself to quote such a legend. A moving moment, the diminuendo at the end of 'Vissi d'arte' ... "
"...After last season's Salome, Elizabeth Hagedorn surprises as Tosca with powerful, dramatically ardent vocalism, and successfully risks difficult piani. "
"...A unique dimension is opened by Elizabeth Hagedorn's Tosca intepretation. Alongside her excellent vocalism, her outstanding character interpretation deserves praise. Hagedorn's ecomomy of movement is impressive, nearly inimitable. She is capable of replacing large theatrical posturing with precise, small gestures or facial expressions, and with a small modification of vocal color, reaches dramatic no-man's-land: upon finding a knife in Scarpia's room, she turns it first towards herself in a state of emotional confusion and desperation. With the knife's point still aiming at her chest, her voice becomes suddenly calm and cold. The stabbing of Scarpia is internally completed, before it is even hinted at in the stage action. One must experience the Mainz 'Tosca' for this moment of perfection alone."
