Reviews
BUEHNEN BERN
PETER HAGMANN MUSIKKRITIKER - “He reveals her blindness and in the same breath his unconditional love, she wakes up and is full of fire, blind or not - as performed by Verity Wingate with her luminous soprano.”
MERKER - “Verity Wingate is an impressive, youthful Iolanta.”
DIE JUNGE BUEHNE - “The ensemble makes the evening an unforgettable opera experience… Verity Wingate as Iolanta provides goosebump moments.”
DIE STIMME DER KRITIK - “Through the confession of love, he brings Iolanta, played truthfully and poignantly by Verity Wingate, vocally and humanly to fruition.”
JUNGFRAU ZEITUNG - “In the leading role shines Verity Wingate as Iolanta with a secure soprano.”
MALMO OPERA
SYDSVENSKAN - “The best thing about Mozart’s music in this crazy opera is that, while it is as scenic as anyone could wish for, it also lives a life of its own. Here there is a beauty in the tone of voice, and from time to time, a mild seriousness that none of the characters on stage really are… Well maybe one: Countess Almaviva. The heart of the play comes in the aria of the third act, where Verity Wingate’s warm soprano soars with the orchestra’s air under her wings. Then time stands still, not only on stage but also in the auditorium.”
GARSINGTON OPERA
OPERA MAGAZINE - “In her role debut, Verity Wingate’s portrayal of the Governess’s ambiguous, repressed desires was a triumph. Her distracted half-voice opened out into defiant hysteria, as the Governess, again like the ghosts, struggled for control of her two charges.”
THE ARTS DESK - “Verity Wingate is vocally the most powerful Britten Governess I’ve heard: seemingly sweet lyric, pulling out dramatic powers fairly early on which mark her as a dangerous mix of impressionability (she reads too many gothic novels, is all too ready to love and hate) and will power. The mounting desperation is frightening to watch, and the denouement where she takes up Miles’ bittersweet song of trouble at full pelt is devastating…”
BACHTRACK - “Verity Wingate’s Governess dominated proceedings. She has the range of colour to convey hope, anxiety and terror, and the histrionic talent to keep us guessing whether we are witnessing real peril, hysteria or both. Her haunted “Lost in my Labyrinth” revealed a creature trapped with nowhere to turn, the opera essentially her tragedy.”
OPERA TODAY - “Verity Wingate, the ‘anxious girl out of a Hampshire vicarage’ brought a finely nuanced traversal to the Governess, dispatching with ease her nervous excitement, tender care and growing inner turmoil. Her “Lost in my Labyrinth” was a defining moment in a powerful characterisation delivered with fulsome and grateful tone.”
MUSIC OMH - “Verity Wingate reveals a beautifully clean and glistening sound as the Governess, and her interaction with the children as they play with balls and swords is highly realistic. As adults often do, she takes a backseat for some parts of the games but when she intervenes she injects her own wit so that after Miles pretends to be killed in a duel she plays the classical weeping widow, alluding to traditions that she would understand far more than the children who might simply find her actions funny. She also acts as an overseer, ready to intervene when on moment with the ball looks as if it might get rough. When, however, at the start of Act II the children advance towards her in masks that make them look like Quint and Miss Jessel, we see how the balance of power has altered and that they are now the ones controlling her.”
NATIONALE OPERA
DE VOLKSKRANT - “Soprano Verity Wingate portrays a possessed, vulnerable Luisa. With penetrating high notes that cut to the bone…”
TROUW - “Verity Wingate is a vocally and theatrically breathtaking Luisa.”
HET PAROOL - “The demanding role is sung fantastically by the British soprano Verity Wingate…”
THEATERKRANT.NL - “Unsurpassed star of the evening is the soprano Verity Wingate, who performs on stage from start to finish and seemingly effortlessly puts her singing part into the spotlight. She switches smoothly from the highest to the lowest registers without missing a single note. Her dynamics are breathtaking: even in the very highest regions, she still dares to soften, while her voice remains flawless and audible. It is moving when she realises that she has always lived a lie: art is not the truth, it is only art. Her barely audible, fading sighs “it is art, art, art, art…” goes through the bone. Still. While Luisa Casati may realise that there is no such thing as a living work of art, her interpreter Wingate, comes pretty close.”