Maestro Peter Mark has a long history of identifying extraordinary new talent and presenting them in Virginia Opera productions, including the likes of Renée Fleming, Barbara Dever, Sujung Kim, and most recently Cristina Nassif. His newest find is French soprano Manon Strauss Evrard, who stars as Hoffmann's three loves in the season opener and also returns in 2008 for the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor.
Manon has already been heating up the east coast this summer with stellar performances as Juliette that have amazed critics and audiences alike.
Here are a few quotes from the press:
"However, the main reason to see this production is for the rare and early opportunity to see Manon Strauss Evrard, the exceptional and highly promising young soprano playing the role of Juliette.
Though only 25, her amazingly mature and rich voice conveys the impression that she’s closer to 40 (though her appearance never suggests this). Her vocal instrument is all at once bold, deep, rich in texture and tone, expansive and controlled, especially in her broad and powerful lower range. From her initial Ecoutez to her impressive waltz in Act II, through her duets with Roméo , and the magnificent Act III quartet, her voice is a dream on air to experience, her performance one long intoxication of musical delight to hear.
The role, moreover, seems one this native Frenchwoman was born to sing, both in her elegant articulation and in her dramatic presentation of the role. Evrard recreates the fire of youth and youthful passions, while tempering them with a psychologically haunting portrayal-either when wrenching her arms in despair or fearing to take the narcotic that would fake her death. In this, her Juliette was no child falling in love or resisting an arranged marriage, but a heroine brought forth on stage with power and force-a rarity in this character as intriguing as it was delightful."
- EDGE Philadelphia
"This French-born coloratura soprano filled the house with her exuberant singing"
- New Jersey Star Ledger
"Director Marc Verzatt noted that this opera glowed with “volupté de vivre” — a sensuous voluptuousness of life and love. No one brought this concept more to life than soprano Manon Strauss Evrard, who sang the role of Juliette with fire, sensuality, and coquettishness from the start. A native of France and an international award winner many times over, Ms. Evrard has a solid track record of tragic heroines, and she launched into the role of Juliette from the beginning with solid command of both the music and the language, with a sauciness that made her coloratura exciting. Ms. Evrard sang with a very forward sound and fast vibrato — a sound that would not be everyone’s cup of tea, but which was perfectly suited for the poignant French text and lush music. Ms. Evrard also perfect looked the part, drumming up a sufficient amount of flirtatiousness and attitude (bordering on brattiness with her nurse) as she lured in her Roméo."
- Town Topics
