Mark Swed - Los Angeles Times - " Laura Claycomb sounds lovely as the lovely Queen Wealtheow, for whom Grendel lusts."
Musical America - David Mermelstein - " But what a pity that audiences get only fleeting glimpses Queen Wealtheow, especially as radiantly sung by soprano Laura Claycomb. "
Long Beach Press-Telegram - John Farrell - " Laura Claycomb is right and delectable as Queen Wealtheow..."
San Francisco Chronicle - Joshua Kosman - " For the arrival of Queen Wealtheow, Goldenthal writes a long, sustained cantabile, brightly sung by soprano Laura Claycomb, that conveys the ache her beauty inspires in Grendel's soul."
Erica Jeal;
Wednesday November 22, 2006 -
The Guardian
"...
Yet there are highlights, and, perhaps surprisingly for such a showcase of vocal athleticism, they come at more reflective moments, such as Cleofide's grief-stricken aria, sung by soprano Laura Claycomb with solo cello, and the harp-accompanied quintet near the end."
FT.COM - Alessandro nell'Indie, Coliseum, London -
By Richard Fairman
Published: November 21 2006 17:13 | Last updated: November 21 2006 17:13
"...
If the composers of that era sometimes seem to be measuring their cloth by the yard, Pacini delivers enough here to fit out all of Naples with new curtains - though one nicely-turned ensemble, accompanied at first by a solo harp, offers a morsel of originality just in time for the final curtain.
In a lesser performance rigor mortis might soon beckon, but Opera Rara fielded a classy central pair of singers: Laura Claycomb was the soft-edged, supple soprano, who sailed up to Cleofide's high E flats, and Jennifer Larmore's sure and defiant mezzo was ideal for rebellious Poro. "
Opera News - (Marcia J. Citron)- 2005 (HGO)-
"
Opera Canada - (William Albright)- 2005 (HGO) -
"
Laura Claycomb's supple soprano boasted limpidly floated high notes and blended well with Graham's
voice in the Ilia-Idamante love duet.
"
Houston Press - D. L. Groover -
February 3, 2005 - "Princess Ilia doesn't have much to do except look good, be nice and sing sweetly; [Laura] Claycomb does this to perfection, with her ethereal soprano wafting upward." Wes Blomster -
MusicalAmerica.com - February 2, 2005"Indeed, for those who have known "Idomeneo" as a series of piecemeal "numbers," this production is a revelation, both for Oxenbould's staging and for the casting. Susan Graham now includes Idamante among her signature roles, and she had a perfect partner in the Ilia of Laura Claycomb."
Austin Statesman - Michael Barnes -
January 31, 2005 - "Matching Texans Laura Claycomb and Susan Graham as Ilia and Idamante was a stroke of genius, since their voices, alone and intertwined, are among the loveliest and most expressive in the business. "
Houston Chronicle - Charles Ward -
January 31, 2005 - "As Ilia, [Laura] Claycomb had the hardest moment in the opera: beginning it with a long scene that lays out, mostly in recitative, the political and personal conflicts of the story. She did that with all the dramatic finesse HGO audiences have come to expect and then went on to etch the Trojan's dilemma Ñ loving the son of her father's enemy Ñ with a brilliant sound that has matured since her last visit."
De Telegraaf - 12/10/2004 (Eddie Vetter) -
"...de virtuoze coloratuursopraan Laura Claycomb als zijn Tytania accentueren
de hoge, ijle en geheimzinnige sferen in Brittens suggestieve partituur."
BRF Klassikzeit 12-8-2004 (Hans Reul) -
"...Laura Claycomb meistert alle Tücken der Koloraturarien der Tytania."
La Voix de Luxembourg - Luxemburger Wort 12-11 and 14-2004 (Jean Lucas) -
"Laura Claycomb est une Tytania evaporée, au soprano etheré, ses
aigus,
vocalises et demi-teintes etant sans failles."
De Standard 12-9-2004 (Willem Bruls) -
"Zinnelijk mooi zong daarentegen de coloratuursopraan Laura Claycomb de rol
van Tytania..."
De Morgen 12-9-2004 (Stephan Moens) -
"Laura Claycomb als zoet-virtuoze Titania..."
Le Soir 12-10-2004 (Michele Friche) -
"Que de grace dans la Titania de Laura Claycomb: ses aigus s'envolent,
charnus, petillants, moirés de nuances..."
La Libre Belgique 12-10-2004 (Martine D. Mergeay) -
"Laura Claycomb, voix souple et aigus lumineux, est une Tytania
d'anthologie..." (
Laura Claycomb, supple voice and luminous high notes, is a Tytania for
anthology..."
)
RTBF La Premiere - Culture Club - (Nicolas Blanmont) 12-8-2004 -
"...la soprano colorature americaine Laura Claycomb, une Titania
fabuleusement naturelle...."
(
...the American coloratura soprano Laura Claycomb, a fabulously natural Tytania
...
)
TriesteOggi - Ignazio Urso - 21 Jan 2004 -
" Laura Claycomb è un'Ofelia dalla voce delicata, che ha saputo
allargarsi con grande maestria dai toni più accorati e malinconici a
quelli più forti e vibranti. Dopo il lungo monologo del secondo atto,
ha superato sè stessa nella scena della follia e del suicidio,
all'inizio del quarto atto, unendo in perfetto equilibrio profonda
espressività e altissima padronanza virtuosistica del mezzo vocale. L'
esecuzione di questo difficilissimo pezzo ha entusiasmato il pubblico, che le
ha tributato un lunghissimo applauso a scena aperta. "
(Laura Claycomb is an Ophelie with a delicate voice, who knew how to broaden
with great mastery from the most heart-broken and melancholy tones to those
most strong and vibrant tones. After the long monologue of the second act,
she surpassed herself in the mad scene and suicide at the beginning of the
fourth act, uniting in perfect equilibrium, profound expressivity and highest
virtuostic mastery of her vocal means. The execution of this very difficult
piece enraptured the audience, who paid tribute with a long applause on open
scene.)
Il Piccolo - Claudio Gherbitz - Jan 22, 2004 -
" Raccoglie i maggiori consensi, assieme all'americana Laura Claycomb,
soprano leggero dalla tecnica indecifrabile, comunque a proprio agio nelle
bizzarrie della scena madre ed entusiasmante per la capacità di
svettare nella stratosfera. "
La voce del popolo - 24 january 2004 - Fabio Vidali -
" Di esse, la più ammaliante e coinvolgente, anche per la
recitazione, quella di Laura Claycomb, Ofelia, soprano di coloratura ed
espressione vertiginose che, nella "Scena della pazzia", ha fatto meraviglie
decretando il trionfo della serata. "
(Of these, the most bewitching and involving, even for her acting, that of
Laura Claycomb, Ophelie, coloratura soprano and vertiginous expression that, in
the "Mad Scene," created miracles meriting the triumph of the evening.)
Kleine Zeitung - Helmut Christian - January 30, 2004 -
" Laura Claycomb ist eine expressive Ophelia mit perfekter Technik auch
bei den diffizilsten Stellen und begeistert vor allem bei der Wahnsinnszene.
Beide erhielten vom Publikum zu Recht Ovationen."
Messagiero Veneto - Danilo Soli - 22 January 2004
" Laura Claycomb, texana dal vasto repertorio, nel ruolo di Ofelia ha
cantato con dolcezza soave e morbido rapimento da virtuosa la grande scena
della follia, meritando acclamazioni a non finire. "
Vita Nuova - 23 january 2004 - Silvia Bertino -
" L'americana Laura Claycomb, Ophelie, ha incantato per temperamento e
delicatezza, fuse in una straordinaria interpretazione da soprano di
coloritura. "
(sic)
Website
- Americ(ka koloraturna sopranistica Laura Claycomb u nekoliko je godina vec' ostvarila znac(ajnu me?unarodnu karijeru. Od poc(etne manje nesigurnosti s povremenim reskim tonovima, pravo nadahnuc'e dobila je u najpoznatijem odlomku cijele opere – velikoj sceni ludila A vos jeux, mes amis... izvanrednim prikazom psihološkog stanja, izraženom igrom oc(iju, gorkim smiješkom, jecajima, eteric(nim zapjevom te kristalno c(istim visinama, izazvavši buc(no odobravanje na otvorenoj sceni. -----Americka koloraturna sopranistica Laura Claycomb puno nadahnuce ostvarila je u najpoznatijem odlomku cijele opere – velikoj sceni ludila izvanrednim prikazom psihološkog stanja, izraženog igrom ociju, gorkim smiješkom, jecajima, etericnim zapjevom, te kristalno cistim visinama
LA WEEKLY - Alan Rich - OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2004 (Los Angeles Opera, 2004)
I had promised you, and myself, to look in on the Los Angeles Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos one more time as Laura Claycomb took on the role of Zerbinetta for the last two performances. This, in a word, was stupendous: more than a flawless vocal performance, a creation of body and voice and spirit so grand in conception as to spread its magic to those around her. Everything worked; the creature of light and air scratched together by Strauss and von Hofmannsthal out of random scraps became a whole new and vital gear in the turning of the drama. Claycomb, who has sung songs of Salonen at Ojai and Bellini's Juliet at the Music Center, became here not just a late-in-the-run replacement but a great and original creative artist. Cherish her.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
- September 11, 2002 - MIKE GUERSCH - "
Laura Claycomb was rewarded with a loud ovation for her portrayal of
Zerbinetta, leader of the
commedia dell'arte
group.
"
ClassicalVoice.org
- Truman C. Wang - Saturday, September 21, 2002 (San Francisco Opera 2002)
"Soprano Laura Claycomb, another Merola alumna, gave a welcome,
fuller-toned account of Zerbinetta than is usually heard. She made
tightrope-walking in the stratospheric leger lines seem like the most natural
thing in the world. "
CONTRA COSTA TIMES - September 11, 2002, Georgia Rowe - "
Singing the first Zerbinetta of her career, Laura Claycomb negotiated the
show-stopping aria "Grossmächtige Prinzessin" with a light, flexible
soprano.
"
http://www.culturevulture.net/Opera/Ariadne.htm
- September 12, 2002, Arthur Lazere (San Francisco Opera 2002)
"Laura Claycomb's Zerbinetta was a marvel of coloratura dexterity and
accuracy, accompanied by a stage presence of witty charm.
"
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE
- Stephanie Friedman (San Francisco Opera 2002) - "
Zerbinetta, confidently sung for the first time by Laura Claycomb (who has
chased Ariadne from the stage with her own outpouring of roulades and trills to
woo her away from pining), reclines on that same rock in quite a different
manner, propounding not pointless fidelity but joyous abandon. A directorial
touch no less effective for its obviousness. ....
Laura Claycomb demonstrated balletic grace for Zerbinetta's pirouettes, a bawdy
physicality, and a knowing take on life. She accomplished her star number
masterfully.
"
BERKELEY POST - September 11, 2002 - Janos Gerebens (San Francisco Opera 2002)
- "
Claycomb's
unusually warm and human Zerbinetta (against the exaggerated clowning so
often ruins the balance), and, again, "everything" hanging together.
Another first in my "Ariadne" experience: a believable "unlikely instant
romance" between the self-absorbed Composer and the supposedly empty-headed
Zerbinetta. When Claycomb reached out to touch Mahnke, even in the middle of
their struggle for the top spot for their respective presentations, the
often-hidden genuine warmth in the music describing the characters received
brilliant visual/theatrical confirmation.
"
HOUSTON CHRONICLE - Charles Ward - Lucia di Lammermoor (Houston Grand Opera,
2003)
"The question at Thursday's opening of Houston Grand Opera's Lucia di
Lammermoor was simple and the answer emphatic. Would American soprano Laura
Claycomb create as big a stir in Donizetti's tale of a bride gone crazy as she
did last season in Verdi's Rigoletto? She did. This time, people knew what to
expect. So perhaps Claycomb's brilliant work, from first note to last, didn't
have the wow factor that comes with hearing someone for the very first time.
But in a bravura mix of compelling acting and breathtaking singing, Claycomb
sealed her status as a soprano with a major future. Buzz certainly was about.
Houston Symphony musicians with a night off, senior arts administrators from
other local groups, opera aficionados and out-of-town fans partly made up for
the absent patrons who left the orchestra level less full than it should have
been, especially after intermission. Claycomb was the primary reason for the
interest, but another important draw was tenor Vinson Cole, who sang Edgardo,
lover of Lucia and enemy of her brother, Enrico.
Austin Statesman Review - entire article
- Michael Barnes, January 19, 2003 -"
Last season, Texas-bred soprano Laura Claycomb made a startling operatic debut
with Houston Grand Opera. Virtually unheralded in her home state, Claycomb had
earned a sterling reputation in Europe before returning to sing Gilda in HGO's
"Rigoletto." By the time she unfurled the last, lapidary note of "Caro nome,"
she was no longer a stranger, but a universal sensation greeted by lavish
reviews and adoring fans. ...The title role in Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di
Lammermoor" is twice as showy and demanding as Gilda, plus Claycomb, with her
pale, wiry features and persimmon mane, already looks the part of the Scottish
heroine made to marry against her will. ...Thursday, Claycomb did not
disappoint. As she had earlier this season in San Francisco Opera's "Ariadne
auf Naxos," she commenced without fireworks, saving her strengths for the peak
arias. Playing the winsome, secretive lover, then the astounded sister bullied
into a political marriage and finally the madwoman who kills her husband,
Claycomb squeezed every nuance out of Lucia. ...Despite her fine acting and
lovely voice, well placed in the stunning sextet "Chi raffrena il mio furore,"
all was in waiting for the Act 2 mad scene. Claycomb entered upstage center in
a blood-tinged gown. She cheerfully menaced the courtiers who had just learned
of her grisly crime, but eventually succumbed to the realization that her own
life was over. Singing "O giusto cielo!" Claycomb trilled and spilled like
nobody's business, but her most breathtaking moments were of absolutely
controlled micro-notes that hushed the audience, before cries of "bravissima"
and extended applause. ...But we were in Houston for one reason and one reason
only: Claycomb, who might very well be the greatest operatic artist Texas has
ever produced.
"
Rice Thresher
- Caroline Shaw, January 23, 2003 - "
Being in love can seem breathless, but in opera love is sung, full voice. How
can a character seem excited, speechless and delightfully incoherent while
singing an aria at the top of her lungs?
For soprano Laura Claycomb, it's all between the notes. She is the uncontested
star of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at the Houston Grand Opera this
month, not only for her high E-flat, or for her dramatic flair, but also for
the time she takes to let one note breathe before tumbling into the next string
of acrobatic arpeggios. She gives Lucia a soul, and the audience something to
go absolutely mad for in Claybomb's portrayal of Lucia.....Did I mention that
she's amazing?
For y'all homegrown Texans out there, here is one of your own. Laura Claycomb
hails from Dallas, but her vocal gymnastics, drama and thick red mane have won
her roles all over Europe and the United States. I remember being stunned in my
seat at HGO's Rigoletto last year, when she seduced the opera crowds as Gilda.
I admit there was a tinge of that Olympic Figure Skating sensation in the air
at the Wortham Center Sunday afternoon, as Houston opera buffs sat still in
their seats, anticipating her first aria. Here comes the first cadenza, folks -
an octave jump, followed by a double arpeggiation with chromatic grace notes,
all while lying on her back in center stage - and she executes it beautifully!
A perfect landing into the cadence!
If opera ever become a spectator sport, please give me a knife from the props
table. Thank goodness there are artists like Laura Claycomb for whom technical
wizardry is not without poise and exquisite timing. Her Lucia was well paced
and three-dimensional, a promising performance by a new artist still near the
beginning of her career. ...
This season is the HGO's "Year of the Diva," and Laura Claycomb steals the
stage. For Donizetti and bel canto, it doesn't get much better than this.
"
Houston Voice
- Don Moser January 30, 2003 - "
Dallas native Laura Claycomb makes her first U.S. appearance in the title role
of Lucia di Lammermoor and literally catapulted the opening night audience to
its feet with her creativity and versatility. Bel canto operas like Lucia
feature cadenzas that allow artists like Claycomb to improvise her solos much
like jazz solos of today, and she seized the opportunity admirably.
"
Houston Press
- Marene Gustin - January 23, 2003 -
"Texas native Laura Claycomb sings Lucia, the doomed bride, brilliant
from her first giddy notes to her last gasping breath; ....Claycomb uses her
angelic voice to good effect in the love arias, where her voice climbs along
with her illicit passion. Her singing is matched only by her dramatic
interpretation of a woman who is tricked by her own brother into renouncing her
true love and marrying another.
...The famous mad scene is both grisly and unbearably beautiful. Lucia emerges
from her wedding chamber smeared with blood and clutching the hem of her
red-splattered wedding dress as though it were a bouquet of roses. Here, in a
cadenza created by the HGO musical staff from several different versions of the
mad aria, Claycomb's vocal talents really shine. In an unusual twist, she ends
the scene by slashing her own throat with the sword.
"
YEDIOT AAHARONOT - Hanoch Ron - Lucia di Lammermoor (New Israeli Opera, 1999)
in translation from the original Hebrew
"This is the year's greatest surprise in music! On stage stands Laura
Claycomb(Lucia) a gorgeous ravishing redhead, and from her throat pours a
soprano which hovers easily to amazing heights. The colorful richness of the
voice is simply amazing. What a great Lucia!
THE EVENING STANDARD - April 17, 2003 - by Barry Millington (English National
Opera 2003) - "
...Morgana, is taken by Laura Claycomb, whose curtain aria to Act 1 was
dispatched with coloratura ornamentation worthy of a Queen of the Night...
"
GUARDIAN UNLIMITED - Tim Ashley - April 18, 2003 - "
Laura Claycomb, as Alcina's sister Morgana, has fun aping Marlene Dietrich's
drag routine from Morroco and doing kinky things with a riding crop to her
ex-lover Oronte
"
THE TIMES - April 27, 2003 - Hugh Cannning - "
... Laura Claycomb’s brightly sung Morgana...
"
GAY.COM
- Keith McDonnell - April 24, 2003 - "
Laura Claycomb assumed that role and threw off the dizzy coloratura with
consummate ease. She looked ravishing as well.
"
Online Review London
- AC Grayling - "
To admirable fluidity and lucidity of voice Laura Claycomb adds equally
admirable skills as actress and dancer; she is a vibrant presence on stage, so
naturally watchable as always to steal the show when she is there.
"
OPERA JAPONICA.ORG
- Ruth Elleson - "
That role was left in the capable hands of the American soprano Laura Claycomb,
who played it quite differently; not just a superb mover, she also brought the
house down vocally, decorating 'Tornami a vagheggiar' with the most
nonchalantly dazzling coloratura imaginable.
"
http://www.musicomh.com
- Helen Wright - "
Her minx of a sister Morgana - who bursts on to the stage wearing a punk cerise
crinoline - is Laura Claycomb, making a late ENO debut after singing in many of
the major opera houses of the world. She too is wonderful, tackling the
fiendishly difficult (and frighteningly high) arias with nonchalance, even
while dancing with the wild spirits of the magic island. Both singers create
irresistible characters so that for all their faults, one feels genuine regret
when duty and reason destroy their charmed life.
"
Operayre.com.ar
- Mayo 2003 - "
Me habían hablado mal de Laura Claycomb, pero yo la encontré deliciosa, sexy,
magnífica cantante, cantó una Morgana llena de humor, caprichosa, vana, y como
meneó las nalgas en Come take me in your arms. Posee una coloratura excepcional
y sabe inventar siempre en estilo, no sé como hará otras cosas pero esto fué de
primer orden.
"
(They had spoken ill of Laura Claycomb to me, but I found her a delicious,
sexy, magnificent singer, she sang Morgana full of humor, capricious, vain -
and how she managed the NALGAS in "Come take me in your arms"! She possesses
an exceptional coloratura and knows how to create always in style, I don't know
how she would be in other things, but this was of first rank.)"
S & H Opera Review
- April 26, 2003 - Melanie Eskenazi -
"
...with Laura Claycomb’s Morgana very engaging and brightly sung even if not
quite obliterating memories of Lisa Milne...
"
Laura CLAYCOMB's beautifully rounded soprano was breathtaking in "Dulcissime."
Keith Clarke
MusicalAmerica.com
July 10, 2003
CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
- Ribert Finn December 20, 2003 (Cleveland Orchestra, 2003)
And yet what a marvelous, eerie thing Claycomb made of it, almost whispering in
the low register and then soaring up a couple octaves like some sort of human
theremin, over an accompaniment nearly as uncanny as herself. She performed it
twice, back to back, and I don't know who else could have done it as well.
"
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
- Joshua Kosman, June 16, 2003
OPERA NEWS - ALLAN ULRICH - June 2003
Contra Costa Times - Sep. 27, 2003 - By Georgia Rowe
"It makes a joyously ethereal finish to the symphony, and soprano Laura
Claycomb gave the vocal part a bright, articulate performance.
... The soprano's pure, creamy tone was a decided asset in Mozart's ecstatic
motet -- which, like Mahler's symphony, offers a radiant glimpse of heaven --
and she made light work of the piece's shower of roulades."
San Jose Mercury News - Sept. 27 - Richard Scheinin
"
Those chords stand for the opening of heaven's gates. When the San Francisco
Symphony reached that big moment Wednesday night, the doors at the side of the
stage flew open. And out stepped the soprano Laura Claycomb, in a gown of
blazing red. She walked straight through the orchestra to the front of the
stage and, in a clear, sure voice that skipped through the hall, began to sing
of a child's joys at life in paradise. ... ... Claycomb, ...was all innocence
and all poignance -- just what Mahler ordered. She was a revelation in a night
of divinely inclined music, the first of five, through Sunday, in which the
symphony and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas are recording Symphony No. 4..
.... Before the Mahler, the orchestra played Mozart's ``Exultate, jubilate''
deliciously, with Claycomb giving a bravura performance. She scaled the
heights, moved cleanly through long, long, rapid passages, and somehow found
the right instants to grab a breath. It seemed effortless and was full of
feeling
San Francisco Classical Voice
- Bruce Lamott - 9/27/2003
"Soprano Laura Claycomb captured this spirit particularly in the slow
movement, “Tu virginum corona,” spinning elegant lines and floating high notes
with the ardor of Figaro’s Countess."
Opera News - Joshua Rosenblat - August 2004 , vol 69 , no.2 -
"Laura Claycomb gives a shimmering rendition of ÒDas Himmlische Leben,Ó the Knaben Wunderhorn song that constitutes the fourth movement. Claycomb's pleasing, agile soprano has just a hint of duskiness, meaning she doesn't quite manage the child-like effect that Mahler specifies, but she reacts joyously to the images revealed in the song, convincing the listener that Heaven must be a wondrous place indeed."
George Hall:
Thursday June 28, 2007:
The Guardian - "
Laura Claycomb sings prettily as his beloved Teresa, with Isabelle Cals debonair as Cellini's sidekick Ascanio and Peter Coleman-Wright squeezing every ounce of comedy from Cellini's rival Fieramosca." Timothy Ball - classicalmusicsource.com - 2003 -
"As the object of his love, the part of Teresa was convincingly rendered by Laura Claycomb who had the right kind of bright sparkling voice. She conveyed the various facets of the character most engagingly and she blended perfectly with Monica Groop in the scene between Ascanio and Teresa discussing Cellini's fate against the background of chanting monks. The audacious harmonies were all the more noteworthy by being perfectly in tune. "
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Ivan Hewett - August 19, 2003
PFORZEIMER ZEITUNG - Thomas Weiss - September 16 2003
INDEPENDENT - Robert Maycock
FINANCIAL TIMES - Larry L. Lash - August 20 2003
THE GUARDIAN - Andrew Clements - August 19, 2003
WIENER ZEITUNG - 21/08/03 Rainer Elstner
Bloomberg - Jim Ruane -
May 4, 2007 - "
Soprano Laura Claycomb, as the faithful Anne Truelove, is subtle and moving, avoiding schmaltz. "
Scott Cantrell
- 04/14/2004 - "
Adding to the allure of the orchestra's fine finish and subtle phrasing is
former Dallasite Laura Claycomb's drop-dead singing of the last-movement
soprano solo. The SMU alumna floats the high notes with breathtaking delicacy,
but her girlish eagerness elsewhere is quite to the point, too.
"
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=92769 - "Claycomb sings the finale with exactly the right tone of boyish simplicity and charm, exactly as Mahler directs.
"
Opera News - ROBERT CROAN - December 2005 , vol 70 , no.6 (Pittsburgh Opera) Chroniqart - by Carine Khaldi - "
Laura Claycomb, quant à elle, excelle dans les aigus, régale son public de quelques somptueux "piano" filés mais sait avec grâce faire oublier sa virtuosité technique au profit d'un exceptionnel engagement dramatique, incarnant à merveille une Gilda tour à tour ingénue, fragile, fougueuse."
TORONTO STAR - April 8, 2004 (Canadian Opera Company 2004)
"The outstanding singing came from the debuting American soprano Laura
Claycomb, whose Gilda happily embraced the top notes some sopranos duck and
provided aural pleasure throughout the evening. Her scheduled return next
season as Amenaide in Rossini's Tancredi should be an event worth waiting
for."
NOW - Jon Kaplan - April 15-21, 2004 - "
Equally good is Laura Claycomb 's Gilda, whose aria Caro Nome, sung with
floated, effortless high notes and the intensity of drunken young love, rightly
gets the evening's biggest applause.
"
KEITH GAREBIAN - STAGE AND PAGE weBSITE - "
The best performance is Laura Claycomb's as Gilda. This American soprano makes
her Canadian debut with this role and what a debut it is! Though not an
adolescent visually, her Gilda is an innocent who is desperately in quest of
true love, but she is an innocent who is quite capable of wringing our hearts
with her sobbing grief, just as she is capable of dazzling us with her
coloratura passages. The only character who is given ornamental music, she
marks her own youthful isolation from the real world. Miss Claycomb has
delicacy and strength. Not only does she look enchanting, she also sounds
touching. Her voice is both limpid and large. It is thrilling to have a Gilda
that is so stunningly accomplished in every way, and whenever she appears, she
lifts the production out of its middling range and transports it to a higher
plane. She makes this one Rigoletto that should be seen chiefly for its Gilda.
"
EYE WEEKLY
- Christopher Hoile - 04/15/04 - "
The overwhelming reason to see the COC's latest production of Rigoletto is the
absolutely sensational performance of American soprano Laura Claycomb as Gilda.
Gilda is the innocent daughter of Rigoletto (Alan Opie), hunchbacked jester and
pander to the lascivious Duke of Mantua (Giuseppe Gipali). Though Rigoletto
tries to shield her from the corrupt court, inevitably the Duke seeks her out
as his next conquest. Claycomb is totally absorbed in her character and makes
the role's stratospheric vocal demands seem like the completely natural
outpouring of a young woman's emotions. Her sublime performance of "Caro nome"
in Act 1 is alone worth the price of admission.
"
Opera Canada - William Littler - 2004 - "As it was, the most impressive singing came from
debuting American soprano Laura Claycomb, whose Gilda ascended easily to the
stratospheric top notes so often rendered by her colleagues as avian eeks."
Hvorostovsky, however, is not alone in making this a "Rigoletto" to remember.
American soprano Laura CLAYCOMB, already a Salzburg star, is a flesh-and-blood
Gilda, fully aware of the risk she takes in loving the Duke. Her "Caro nome" is
a breathtaking coloratura display. By Wes Blomster
MusicalAmerica.com
October 30, 2001
The enthusiasm was understandable. Claycomb went from girlish innocence (this
Gilda still plays with dolls) to tragic selflessness compellingly, and her
light, silvery soprano is attractive. ... she can muster thrust when it's
needed (the last-act storm scene) , and she spins lovely, thread-thin high
pianissimos by the yard. "
Houston Press
- Cynthia Greenwood Oct. 25, 2001 - "
But Claycomb's Gilda offers the spark that almost blurs any memory of his
well-sung "La donna mobile," the tune that became a hit immediately after the
opera opened in 1851. Her limpid, ethereal coloratura achieves a breadth
capable of uplifting heavy spirits. Her showpiece aria "Caro nome" brought
unceasing applause, and her final bow took the standing ovation.
"
Cantoliroco.com
- por Ramón Jacques - "
Particularmente ha sobresalido Laura Claycomb con una conducción irreprochable
en su línea de canto y elegancia en su vocalismo que le han valido un triunfo
al final de su "Caro nomme".
(sic)"
(Laura Claycomb particularly stood out with an irreproachable conducto in her
line of singing and elegance in her vocalism that earned a triumph at the end
of her "Caro Nomme." (sic)
The singer was Laura Claycomb, a European-based native Texan making
her home-state debut as Gilda in Houston Grand Opera's season opener, Verdi's
"Rigoletto." While she sang, not a whisper was heard from the full house,
and when she finished, the delirious applause seemed to last for several
long minutes.
...
Claycomb walked away with the headlines for her five-star performance.
Opera fans will be talking about this Texan's Gilda for years to come."
WEBLAOPERA.COM - Ramón Jacques "Particularmente ha sobresalido Laura
Claycomb con una conducción irreprochable en su línea de canto y elegancia en
su vocalismo que le han valido un triunfo al final de su "Caro
nomme".(sic)"
(Laura Claycomb particularly shone with an irreproachable conduct in the line
of her singing and an elegance in her vocalism that earned her a triumph at the
end of her "Caro Nome"
CANTOLIRICO.COM
- November 2, 2001 - Luis Gutierrez (Houston Grand Opera 2001) -
"Lo positivo de la función fue la actuación de la soprano tejana Laura
Claycomb, quien interpretó bellamente el papel de Gilda tanto vocal como
histriónicamente. Durante "Caro nome" mostró un claro dominio de los pasajes de
coloratura intrincada y en los duetos su musicalidad. " (The positive in
the production was the performance of Texan soprano Laura Claycomb, who
interpreted the role of Gilda beautifully vocally as well as in her acting.
During "Caro nome" she showed a clear mastery of the intricate coloratura
passages - and in the duets, her musicality.
Even more exciting was her formidable rendition of Olivier Messiaen's
"Chants de Terre et de Ciel" ("Songs of Earth and Heaven"), rarely heard
repertory that heightened the sense of anticipation around September's
U.S. premiere of the composer's "Saint Francois d'Assise."... Claycomb and
Grunberg (with help on one song from pianist-page turner
Monica Vanderveen) endowed this music with all its vigorous, shimmery
beauty. The billowing vocal lines seemed to shuttle between heaven and
earth, and Grunberg negotiated the dense piano writing with striking
virtuosity.
The two Strauss songs, "Cacilie" and "Amor," found Claycomb limbering up
for the charming vocal cascades of her fall assignment. The former burst
with ardent energy and the latter -- with its impish, endearing portrait
of Cupid --
was pure delight....
"
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE - Sept. 25, 2002 - Joshua Kosman - (Cal Performances,
Berkeley) - 'All-encompassing "Earth and Heaven"' - Dazzling display of
Messiaen music by soprano, piano "
His "Songs of Earth and Heaven," in a dazzling performance by soprano Laura
Claycomb and pianist Peter Grunberg, was the high point of a wonderful
celebration of Messiean's work Sunday night in UC Berkeley's Hertz Hall under
the auspices of Cal Performances..... ....But it was Claycomb who provided the
evening's most radiant moments..... .... Claycomb sounded even more robustly in
command of this difficult music than she had in March, when she performed it on
the Schwabacher Debut Recitals series. She tossed off the big, arching melodic
phrases lithely, infusing the whole set with a sense of excitement and tonal
brilliance, and Grunberg delivered the dense piano part with eloquent fervor.
"
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE
- 9/22/02 - Miguel Galperin "
For Sunday evening’s “Messiaen Celebration” at UC Berkeley’s Hertz Hall his
Quartet for the end of Time
seemed destined to be the most important work of the concert. What actually
happened was that soprano Laura Claycomb’s rendering of the
Songs of Earth and Heaven
took over. She and Peter Grunberg, at the piano, drove through the bumpy
terrain that this song cycle proposes with such delicacy that nothing else
mattered. Laura Claycomb is just something else, commanding what seems to be an
infinitely expressive voice.
With the help of impeccable French diction, Claycomb was able to deliver
Messiaen’s own text (a celebration in itself, of the composer’s own family,
wife Mi and son Pascal) with precision, to the point of creating a “character”
that had a life of its own, transcending each individual song. Grunberg was
impressive, too, as he responded to the “illusion-of-color challenge” that
Messiaen proposes to his pianists. His accompaniment was sensitive enough to
engage Ms. Claycomb in a dialogue whose conclusion was pure beauty.
"
Claycomb seems on the verge of a major international career. She specializes
in high-flying coloratura roles, such as Konstanze in Mozart's "Entführung
aus dem Serail" and Gilda in Verdi's "Rigoletto," a part she has sang in
prestigious European venues as well as in a triumphant recent performance at
the Houston Grand Opera.
Her soprano is of an impressive assertiveness and presence, propelled by a
bright, lustrous metallic power. She tosses off high Cs and Ds with stunning
ease and control, supported by a seemingly endless supply of breath. Her
interpretive approach is thankfully free of the tedious manufactured grace
typically displayed by lyric coloraturas, and in this particular setting,
her assured stage demeanor evidenced dramatically the experience the artist
has gained since her local stint as an Adler Fellow.
An operatic voice, tamed to song
The Russian set that followed — songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff based
on folk themes — allowed the singer to showcase a broad range of dramatic
contrasts. Claycomb crowned Tchaikovsky's "Kolibel'naja pesnja" ("Lullyby")
with an eloquent, wistful note held for brief eternity, while the "Snova,
kak prezhde" ("Again, as before") offered an intensity pushed to the edge of
despair. In the Rachmaninoff selections, "Ne poj, krasavica, pri mne" ("Do
not sing, my beauty, to me") and "Son" ("Dream"), the eloquent melismatic
turns at end of phrases were rendered with ravishing lyricism.
Her stunning delivery of the stratospheric blasts in song "Amor" showed that
her Zerbinetta will clearly be something to be excited about, when Claycomb
returns to the SF Opera's mainstage next season, singing the role in the
production of Richard Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos" starring Deborah Voigt.
Yet, with proper theatrical flair the Titian-haired Claycomb returned with a
gold-colored dress change after intermission, to perform the most indelible
offering of the afternoon, Olivier Messiaen's stunning cycle, "Chants de
terre et de ciel" ("Songs of earth and heaven").
Comprised of six superb songs, the highly personal text (Messiaen's own)
opens with a glassy, touching declaration in "Agreement with Mi," dedicated
to his wife, building towards truly magnificent expressive statements in
later songs. "Danse du Bebé-Pilule" ("Danse of the Baby Pill") employs a
palette of sounds of striking originality, including those non-verbal
vocalizations in sardonic irony, followed by the stream-of-consciouness
narratives in "Arcs-en-ciel d'Innocence" ("Rainbows of Innocence"),
punctuated by crunchy chordal clusters pounded vigorously on the piano
accompaniment. The "Résurréction" which ends the cycle is a devastating,
explosive expostulation rendered through a capella declamations.
"
Express News
- Diane Windeler - November 21, 2003
" Statuesque, flame haired coloratura soprano Laura Claycomb is best
known for her operatic work, but she is also an exciting, unusually
communicative recitalist. She understands and conveys texts with dramatic
assurance, becoming a lovelorn Debussy art song character with as much ease she
can command a stage in the roles of Gilda or Lucia.....
FLUTE DE PAN - January 11, 2002 (Vlaamse Opera 2002)
" Ce soir là, Laura Claycomb "dépannait" (et inaugurait dans son
chef) le difficile role de Constance. Cette attachante chanteuse s'en est bien
tirée, apportant une utile note d'intensité."
RHEINISCHE POST - WOlfram Goertz - January 11, 2002 (Vlaamse Opera)
"Laura Claycomb gibt die Partie der Konstanze mit wacher Koloratur..."
Opera Gazet - G.M. 10 januar 2002-
"De sopranen Laura Claycomb als Konstanze was ronduit onweerstaanbaar en
Cyndia Sieden was een Blondchen om van te snoepen. Zij gaven hun
aartsmoeilijke aria's ten beste met een virtuositeit die ons op het puntje van
onze stoel bracht."
NEW TIMES, LOS ANGELES - Donna Perlmutter - October 21-27 - I Capuleti e I
Montecchi - (Los Angeles Opera - 1999)
"Laura Claycomb, a lyric soprano whose high extension lets her revel in
Juliet's stratospheric music, can soar with abandon in long, limpid lines -
shading her voice in various hues of heartbreak. What's more, she looks and
acts the part - wan and willowy.
Dallas Morning News, January 30, 2005 - Scott Cantrell - "Two former Texans are pretty fabulous leading ladies. ...
It's hard to imagine a finer Idamante than Susan Graham's. (Raised in Midland and educated at Texas Tech, Ms. Graham recently sang "Bless this House" at the presidential inauguration.) In this case, calling her singing "virile" is a compliment, but there's wonderful pliancy as well as density.
Laura Claycomb, who grew up in Highland Park and graduated from Southern Methodist University, is a tender Ilia, with a soprano that can do just about anything except make a loud noise. Her previously light voice seems to be thickening a little - not a bad thing - but without losing its amazing suppleness."
Opera News - RUDI VAN DEN BULCK - 2005 - "Laura Claycomb, a lively Tytania,
dispatched the fairy queen's high-lying, florid passages with ease, sounding
utterly enchanting in ''Be kind and courteous to this gentleman.''"
La Croix - 12/20/2004 (Jean-Luc Macia)-
"...Laura Claycomb, elegante Tytania..." (
...Laura Claycomb, elegant Tytania..."
)
Il gazzettino -
"Assolutamente sublime Ophélie di Laura Claycomb; al di là di una
smagliante tecnica, il soprano americano trascina il pubblico in una
sconvolgente forza interpretativa senza oscillazioni qualitative, naturalmente
conseguendo il parossismo nella scena della follia in cui toglie il fiato e
infinitamente commuove con un surreale intreccio di canto, balletto e
istrionismo." (
Absolutely sublime Ophelie of Laura Claycomb; further than a dazzling
technique, the American soprano pulls the public in a involving interpretative
tour de force without any fluctuation in quality, naturally finishing the
paroxysm of the mad scene in which she takes your breath away and infinitely
touches with a surreal weaving of singing, dance and acting.
)
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE - Joshua Kosman - September 11, 2002 (San Francisco
Opera 2002)
As Zerbinetta, Laura Claycomb returned to the company where she began as an
Adler Fellow, now an established star. Her performance was a tremendous blend
of coloratura precision and emotional directness, in a role where one or the
other too often takes precedence.
She dispatched her monstrous showstopper, "Grossmaechtige Prinzessin," in full
crowd-pleasing mode, flirting shamelessly and successfully with the audience
while tossing off flight after flight of perfectly placed ornamentation. But
at the same time, there was an undercurrent of warmth throughout that lent
credibility to the character's more vulnerable side."
OAKLAND TRIBUNE - Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - Stephanie von Buchau (San
Francisco Opera 2002)
- SFO meets most of Strauss's challenges
"
If I've left Laura Claycomb, the high-flying Zerbinetta, for last, it's because
she stole the show. Limber to the point of executing ballet barre exercises,
totally relaxed on stage, the former Adler Fellow blew the audience away with
her show-stopping aria, "Grossmächtige Prinzessin." Any really good high
soprano can sing this piece, but Claycomb's virtue lies in her security. Able
to manage the trills, the high Ds and the non-stop twittering without any
visible effort, Claycomb was free to act, express and even humanize the tart
with the worldly sense of how to get a guy and keep him happy. "
SACRAMENTO BEE - By William Glackin - Sep. 12, 2002 (San Francisco Opera 2002)
Music, singers shine in tidy Strauss opera -
"
Zerbinetta (the sexy Laura Claycomb) cheerfully practices her singing and
dancing. Nothing fazes her.
.....
Zerbinetta and her fellow troupers try to help, and she offers her philosophy
of life and love, designed to solve the problems men offer as well as to enjoy
the chase.
This philosophy takes the form of an absolutely spectacular coloratura solo by
Claycomb, so brilliant and good-humored that when it finally subsided, the
audience exploded in an ovation. It also succeeds dramatically: It changes
Ariadne's attitude.
"
MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL - Sept. ?, 2002 - Paul Liberatore - "
On opening night, another former Adler Fellow, Laura Claycomb, in a tour de
force as Zerbinetta, a lusty song and dance comedian, literally stopped the
show with a comic coloratura that flew into the upper reaches of the musical
stratosphere, ascending to a high E. She shot off her vocal fireworks while
playing for laughs, clowning around the set, ending up splayed on a rock. The
first night crowd ate it up, applauding her aria for so long that she finally
had to acknowledge the ovation by blowing the audience a kiss. This is the
first time she's sung the role, making her sensational performance all the more
remarkable.
"
SANDIEGO-ONLINE.COM
(San Diego Magazine) - October 2002, David Gregson (San Francisco Opera 2002)
"With Voigt, Mahnke and Claycomb in those leads, this Ariadne was
virtually a revelation. Rarely have I seen artists in such fine voice, so
successfully projecting such multi-dimensional personalities. Claycomb, in
particular, became much more than a dazzling coloratura star turn. She seemed a
genuine human being."
L.A. Weekly
- October 4-10, 2002 - Alan Rich (San Francisco Opera 2002) -
"Deborah Voigt's splendid Ariadne and Laura Claycomb's stratospheric
Zerbinetta sparked director John Cox's unexceptionable take -- first seen at
the Chicago Lyric in 1998 -- on the Richard Strauss charmer.
"
Lucia di Lammermoor
OPERA NEWS - Marcia J. Citron April, 2003 (Houston Grand Opera, 2003)-
"Houston Grand Opera continued its "Year of the Diva" with an
extraordinary
performance by Laura Claycomb in the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di
Lammermoor. A crowd-pleaser from last season's production of Rigoletto,
Claycomb thrilled the audience with her dramatic and musical protrayal of
Lucia. This challenging role gave the soprano a better chance to develop
a character than did Rigoletto's Gilda, and she did so with great conviction
and sensitivity. In addition to her flexible coloratura and subtle
pianissimos, Claycomb, like the best stage actors, knows how to move, in a
variety of natural and not-so-natural positions - - lying on her back, sitting
on one leg, crawling, crouching - - that she might have assumed in a Broadway
musical or modern dance."
...
From her first scene, where Lucia secretly meets Edgardo, Claycomb sang with
crystalline tone and brilliant coloratura. She had the communicative skill of a
stage actor. Changes in mood didn't simply reside in the sung text; they were
physically visible. She made some of her colleagues seem like zombies. Summers
and Claycomb rethought the Lucia traditions. They shed most of the arbitrary
slowdowns heard in her first aria, and rewrote the Mad Scene cadenza with
flute. The new version was brilliant, exploiting Claycomb's skill and
reinforcing the decaying of her mind. Here, Claycomb's work was the most
sensational and the applause the most ferocious. "
entire article
And she scorns all the technical difficulties. Each note is pure music.
Everything is stylish. What marvelous Donizetti is released from her. And the
climax is the mad scene: such exquisite beauty has not been heard here for a
long time. Claycomb is one of the few excellent Lucias in the world today.
Astounding."
MAARIV - Ora Binur - Lucia di Lammermoor (New Israeli Opera 1999) translated
from the original Hebrew "
We can deliver numerous accolades to this production in which everything is
very beautiful for the eyes and ears alike. The green garden scene which
descends from the heavens and eventually turns into Lucia's fatal prison, is
unforgettable both aesthetically and singing wise. .... We have here a
striking, amazing production. Laura Claycomb left no doubt in the mad scene
that she is an amazing soprano in both the way she portrays the fragile heroine
and sings in a most tender voice."
MAARIV - Elyakim Yaron - Lucia di Lammermoor (New Israeli Opera 1999)
translated from the original Hebrew "
The real discovery though, is Laura Claycomb who is an enchanting Lucia. In her
mad scene she is really hypnotizing and this indeed is a dramatic climax of a
singer who is also an actor, fragile and moving. Do I exaggerate when I say
that such a production has never been seen at the New Israeli Opera?"
THE TIMES - April 18, 2003 - by Robert Thicknesse (English National Opera 2003)
- "
Laura Claycomb a brilliantly agile, irrepressible Morgana"
BEACON JOURNAL
- Elaine Guregian July 06, 2003 (Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom Festival
2003)
"...Laura Claycomb, who rendered her stratospheric soprano lines with
delicacy and yet still projected into the audience..."
"...Claycomb stood out among the soloists. Her bright and powerful
sound and technical security were a major asset. She laid on lots of fancy
ornamentation in both "Rejoice Greatly" and "I know that My Redeemer Liveth,"
giving her performance a momentary operatic air, but her sound was rich enough
that one could hardly object."
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE
- Michelle Dulak - June 14, 2003
"Soprano Laura Claycomb was the star presence, and indeed it is hard to
imagine this particular program being brought off without her. I had not heard
Schoenberg's 1911 Herzgewächse (the title means roughly "Foliage of the heart";
the poet is Maeterlinck) before Saturday, and when I did hear it I understood
why: the thing is impossible. It's not just the range — the piece does cover
almost three octaves, from a contralto's G-sharp to the Queen of the Night's
high F, but there are a few other pieces that do the same. No, it's the way the
vocal line sits at both extreme positions for unreasonable lengths of time. And
the wild intervals it traverses to get from one extreme to the other. Add in
that it's only three minutes long and requires a harmonium, a celesta, and a
harp for accompaniment, and you might as well dig the piece's grave right now.
"The rest of the program was notable primarily for the lustrous singing of
soprano Laura Claycomb, especially in Schoenberg's rarely heard Maeterlinck
setting "Herzgewachse," and for the inclusion of two sizable pieces by Toch.
... Herzgewachse," Schoenberg's three-minute vocal gem, could never be
described as humdrum, if only for its extravagant vocal demands or the
idiosyncrasy of its orchestration for harp, celesta and harmonium. The piece
was performed twice, which gave a welcome chance to savor Claycomb's piquant,
beautifully precise singing.
The "Siegfried Idyll" was followed immediately by Wagner's "Kinder-
Katechismus," another musical love note to Cosima that was truly cringeworthy.
Claycomb and Kevin Fox's Pacific Boychoir conspired to make the mawkish pablum
pass as painlessly as possible. "
" On June 14, in a program of German works, Laura Claycomb exalted a very
mixed bag of Hindemith, Wagner, Schoenberg and Ernst Toch. Claycomb's silvery
soprano proved ideal for Herzgewächse, Schoenberg's odd, unforgettable
miniature for voice, celesta, harmonium and harp, set to Maurice Maeterlinck
auf Deutsch. Claycomb soared through the octave leaps while conveying the
requisite sensuality. She then redeemed Die Chinesische Flöte, Toch's 1921
setting of six poems from Hans Bethge's translations from the Chinese. The work
is scarcely another Das Lied von der Erde, but the singer's unruffled
musicianship and Tilson Thomas's advocacy from the podium made it sound like
genuine festival fare."
"
"The star, though, was Laura Claycomb, whose 'Entre l'amour' was
extraordinary. It's easy to tire of extreme vocal pyrotechnics of this
kind, even if (as here) they are perfectly delivered; but when a singer
varies tone and vibrato as sensitively as this, we can suddenly understand
the meaning of fioritura. Lucia, Linda di Chamounix and Zerbinetta are in
Claycomb's repertoire; in the last of these roles she was dazzling last
year at San Francisco. Can those with roles to dispense please take note?"
"The real discovery of the evening (apart from the music) was
Laura Claycomb, who took the role of Teresa, the girl who throws up
respectability to elope with the madcap genius. She threw off the
show-stopping cavatina in a way that captured all the impetuousness of the
character, and with impeccable musicality."
"Als seine Geliebte Teresa konnte Laura Claycomb vor allem durch ihre
Koloraturvirtuosität überzeugen"
"Laura Claycomb was prime among them, soaring brightly through
high-soprano territory in idiomatic style."
"... in the role of Cellini's beloved Teresa, pretty, sexy redhead Laura
Claycomb showed a confident coloratura soprano that got better as it got
higher, and sailed through a fiendish cadenza;..."
"Laura Claycomb's elegant Teresa and Monica Groop's feisty Ascanio were
far more impressive"
"
Laura Claycomb zauberte als Teresa lyrisch-weiche Melodiebögen"
Rake's Progress
Opera News - STEPHEN J. MUDGE - LYONS Ñ The Rake's Progress, OpŽra de Lyon, 5/24/07 -
"
Soprano Laura Claycomb was a touchingly steadfast Anne. The role lies low for her voice, which lacks substance in midrange, but her rendition of the final ditty in the asylum was moving, and her silvery top register was unfailingly attractive."
Enjoythemusic.com December 2004 - "Soprano Laura Claycomb's voice perfectly suits the innocence Mahler calls for in the last movement, and she sings with a lovely sense of the wistfulness of the lyrics.
"
"Laura Claycomb's Gilda was an ideal foil, elegantly phrased, technically adept in spun-out lyrical lines as well as brilliant coloratura. ÒCaro nomeÓ had all this Ñ plus a sensational high E in the coda Ñ along with a feeling of virginal confusion, while her later narration to Rigoletto conveyed self-blame and shame for events in which she was in fact the victim."
TORONTO SUN- By JOHN COULBOURN -- Saturday, April 10, 2004
- "
It's hard to imagine that any CD could be as thrilling as the live voice of
Laura Claycomb, though, as she sails into the demanding arias Verdi created for
the tragic character of the love-besotted Gilda, the ill-fated daughter of the
title character.
"
OPERA NEWS - February 2002 - (Houston 2001)
"But what makes the production memorable is some first-rate singing,
mostly from Laura Claycomb, as Gilda, in her HGO debut. The role tends toward
idealization, but Claycomb offered a flesh-and-blood Gilda of passion and
spirit. This came across in the soprano's outstanding acting but even more in
her singing. With a fresh voice of great musicality, Claycomb covered the
role's extended range with nary a break. Her "Caro nome" was breathtaking,
full of sensitive phrasing and color. At the end of the aria, instead of
staying on the notated E for the extended trill, she ascended an octave in an
arpeggio and finished with a perfect trill on the high E. She also excelled in
ensembles. In the rousing duet with Rigoletto closing Act II, "Si, vendetta,"
Claycomb firmly staked out Gilda's independence. At the final cadence, her
leap from a quick G to a high E-flat, so often awkward-sounding, made more
dramtic sense, for it seemed to express Gilda's physical struggle to escape her
father's painful grasp. Kudos goes to the director, of course, but it takes a
good singer-actress to bring it off, and Claycomb rose to the occasion."
OPERA - March 2002 - William Albright (Houston 2001)
"...the biggest ovations went to... soprano Laura Claycomb, a Dallas
native making her professional debut in her home state. Flouting the legendary
Houston-Dallas rivalry, the audience burst in to prolonged applause as the
fledgling diva capped Gilda's dreamy exit following "Caro nome", the end of
which she sang lying on her back, with the unwritten E above high C indulged in
by fellow canarybirds Lily Pons and Roberta Peters. The crowd also greeted her
curtain call with an explosive standing ovation...
HOUSTON CHRONICLE - October 22, 2001 - Charles Ward - Rigoletto (Houston
2001)
entire article
" ...Laura Claycomb, a European-based soprano making her professional
debut in her home state. She brought down the house Friday at the Wortham
Theater Center with her musically elegant and vocally thrilling performance of
Gilda's familiar aria Caro nome (Dear name).
After astonishing clear scales in the brief cadenza near the aria's end, she
finished off with a series of trills on each note of the final chord, climbing
methodically but effortlessly to her high E. Immediately, HGO's opening night
audience let loose more vocal mayhem than it has in many years. ....Claycomb
showed no limits. While singing so beautifully, she inhabited the role
completely.....Claycomb's faultless technique....."
full text of article
Austin American Statesman
Michael Barnes, November, 2001. - "
Opera lovers wait all their lives for moments like this.
The singer, willowy and pale, a stranger to virtually everyone in attendance,
barely opened her lips to produce a tiny, incredibly pure sound. As her
lilting soprano told of her virtuous love in the aria "Caro nome," each
new note emerged more refined than the last, made even more amazing by
her seeming lack of effort. During part of the aria, she reclined on her
back, staring dreamily into space, and then rising, she yielded the loveliest
silvery trills while strolling offstage, as if nothing extraordinary had
transpired.
LE CONCERTOGRAPHE - Vincent Agrech - Rigoletto (Bastille 1998)
" ... bien qu'une seule individualité domine : Laura Claycomb ... qui
impressionne par sa maîtrise technique sur toute la tessiture et son
raffinement musical. Art de la projection, dynamique fine (des messa di voce
jusque dans le suraigu de "Caro nome" et des nuances piano dans le
duo final comme on en a rarement entendu dans cette salle), clarté de la
diction animent un phrasé d'une pureté de violoniste."
(" One individual dominated: Laura Claycomb, who impresses by her
technical mastery throughout the tessitura and her musical refinement. Art of
the projection, fine dynamics (some messa di voce all the way to the high note
of "Caro nome " and some piano nuances in the final duet as one has
rarely heard in this hall), clarity of diction animated a phrasing with the
purity of a violinist.")
OPERA NEWS - January 17, 1998 - Enzo Berio - Rigoletto (Chile, 1997)
"Laura Claycomb made a sweet, attractive Gilda "
LA TERCERA - 8 septiembre 1997 - Rene Naranjo - Rigoletto (Santiago 1997)
"Y Leo Nucci tuvo a su lado a la soprano estadounidense Laura Claycomb,
que entregó una Gilda excepcional. De físico apropiado, voz perfecta
y gran capacidad actoral, ella fue una figura impresionante, notable en la
exigente aria Caro Nome, brillante en el dramático segundo acto y sublime
en el final (el dúo Lassú in cielo), que no se olvidará."
("and Leo Nucci had at his side the American Laura Claycomb, who played an
exceptional Gilda. With an appropriate physique, perfect voice and great
acting capability, she was an impressive figure, notable in the demanding aria
"Caro nome," brilliant in the dramatic second act, and sublime in the
finale (the duet Lassu in cielo) that will not be forgotten.")
Echoworld.com - May, 2004 - Nr. 5 by Amanda Tower
(Canadian Opera) "American soprano Laura Claycomb was exquisite as Gilda, daughter of the hunchback jester Rigoletto. Sweetly innocent, she sung with an aching tenderness and subtle strength of conviction that had me quite literally sitting on the edge of my seat. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything more enchanting than her performance of "Caro nome" in Act I. Claycomb met the alarming vocal demands of the role without sacrificing an ounce of character. "
OPERA - July 1997 - Yossi Schiffmann - Rigoletto (Tel Aviv 1997)
"Laura Claycomb's Gilda deserved the greatest compliments: her rounded,
sweet, almost angelic soprano made the character's tragedy all the
greater."
KOL HAIR - April 11, 1997 - Elisheva Regbi - Rigoletto (Tel Aviv 1997)
translated from original Hebrew
"American Laura Claycomb as Gilda has a lyric, pure and refined
soprano....Claycomb - fair, slim, not too tall and showcasing long red hair
fitted, for a change, in her looks something angelic which does not belong to
the black and corrupt world from which her father tries to save her ... Caro
Nome (sang on top of the roof) was a long magical moment, only one of many such
moments in which the singers managed to concentrate on the
emotional-psychological essence of the characters and enlarge it with sincerity
through the music and the direction alike."
HATZOFE - April 2, 1997 - Ruth Gutman Ben-Zvi - Rigoletto - translated from
original Hebrew (Tel Aviv 1997)
"The greatest revelation is American soprano Laura Claycomb who built
Gilda's character with sensitivity and understanding as a singer and actress
alike. This is a voice of a nightingale, crystal clear and penetrating.
Claycomb is an example of the current American school which teaches vocal
technique based not on power but rather on the quality of expression."
JOURNAL DE GENEVE - 7 mai 1996 - Yves Allaz - Rigoletto (Lausanne 96)
"La Gilda de Laura Claycomb est très touchant. Sa voix, qui a la
juvénelité du rôle, donne parfois une impression de
fragilité mais sait trouver des accents angoissés {
Ah, cosi parlar d'amore
} dans le célèbre quatuor de l'Acte III. Sublimement chanté son
Caro nome
lui a valu une juste ovation dimanche soir.
("The Gilda of Laura Claycomb is very touching. Her voice, which has the
youth of the role, gives sometimes the impression of fragility but knows how to
find the anguished accents {
ah, cosi parlar d'amore
} in the famous fourth act quartet. Sublimely sung, her
Caro nome
won her a deserved ovation Sunday night.")
NOUVEAU QUOTIDIEN - 5 mai 1996 - Catherine Buser - Rigoletto (Lausanne 96)
"Laura Claycomb y est sublime."
("Laura Claycomb is sublime in it.")
24 HEURES - 8 mai, 1996 - Eric Pousaz - Rigoletto (Lausanne, 1996) " Laura
Claycomb, l'inoubliable comtesse Adèle du Comte Ory de janvier dernier,
saisit une nouvelle fois l'occasion de faire montre d'un aplomb vocal qui force
l'admiration."
("Laura Claycomb, the unforgettable Countess Adele of Le Comte Ory last
January, enjoys yet again the occasion to show off a vocal aplomb which forces
admiration.")
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE - March 26, 2002 - Joshua Kosman (San Francisco)-
Claycomb recital bodes well for fall/Soprano will
sing in Opera's 'Ariadne'
: "Claycomb's recital in Old First Church, skillfully accompanied by
pianist
Peter Grunberg, was a heartening update on her progress since her
memorable days in training here. Her vocal tone, always vibrant and
compelling, has grown plusher and more colorful without losing anything in
the way of dexterity, and the vivacity and brilliance that always informed
her singing seems, if anything, to have grown even more pronounced.
The recital also served as a double advertisement for the San Francisco
Opera's fall season. Two exuberantly done Strauss songs whetted a
listener's appetite for Claycomb's coming appearance as Zerbinetta in the
composer's "Ariadne auf Naxos."
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE - March 24, 2002 - Power and Panache -
By Ching Chang
"
;Soprano Laura Claycomb paid a homecoming visit to the San Francisco Opera
Center audiences this weekend, when she appeared at a Schwabacher Recital
Debut on Sunday, at the Old First Church, accompanied by pianist Peter
Grunberg. Offering a splendid program with works by Liszt, Tchaikovsky,
Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Messiaen and sample of several American composers,
Claycomb returned to the organization where over ten years ago, she made a
firm imprint as a Merola Opera Program participant and a San Francisco Opera
Adler Fellow.
Opening with Liszt's cycle "Drei Lieder aus Schillers Wilhelm Tell" ("Three
Songs on Schiller's William Tell"), Claycomb revealed a voice already used
to the immensity of large operatic stages, and while that often becomes a
liability in the performance of art songs, her eloquence made the reading
true. She was helped no doubt by Peter Grunberg's virtuosic accompaniment,
in liquid rushes of bravura fingerwork as well as in the deftly sketched
accents in the reverse dotted patterns of "Der Hirt," the second song.
For her Tuesday Musical Club Artist Series program Tuesday afternoon at Trinity
Baptist Church, she revealed a resplendent, agile voice with a hint of copper
in its midsection and an iridescent, seemingly endless top range."
Entire Article
ZONE 3 - January 9, 2002 - E.V. (Vlaamse Opera 2002)
" Guyer kon vanwege een opkomende verkoudheid bij de premiere in Gent niet
bekoren, Claycomb doet dat wel. Zij bregt de ari's vlekkeloos, inclusief de
moelijke loopjes en versieringen met korte noten."
"As a result of coming down with a cold, Guyer can not please, which
Claycomb does. She performs the arias flawlessly, including the difficult
roulades and decorations with short notes."
LOS ANGELES TIMES - Mark Swed - October 15, 1999 - I Capuleti e I Montecchi -
(Los Angeles Opera - 1999)
"Laura Claycomb, who sings Juliet (Giulietta), is a soprano on the verge
of a major career. She is the rare specialist in Italian bel canto who also
has a taste for the modern, having appeared in Peter Sellars' production of
Ligeti's "Le Grand Macabre" in Salzburg and on the new recording of
it. She was the brilliant last-minute replacement for Dawn Upshaw in the
premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen's "Sappho Fragments" at the Ojai
Festival in June. She has Botticellian looks, is an affecting actress and
pours forth in Bellini touching melodic lines like soft, shiny molten
solder."
OPERA NOW - Josef Woodard - January/February 2000 - I Capuleti e I Montecchi -
(Los Angeles Opera - 1999)
"... the dignified pathos of Giulietta, sung, compellingly and without
undue emotive goop, by Laura Claycomb. "
OPERA NEWS - Paul Thomason - February 2000 (Los Angeles Opera - 1999)
"She floated an amazing number of high pianissimos and interpolated a
solid high E at the end of her opening aria in Act II"
PASADENA STAR-NEWS - John
Farrell - October 15, 1999 - I Capuleti e i Montecchi - (Los Angeles Opera -
1999)
"Claycomb first gained international critical notice as Giulietta in a
production in Europe, and she has both the vocal agility and youthful good
looks to play Bellini's Giulietta, a young woman whose intense love for Romeo
at first cannot overcome her family loyalties. She sings with alluring ease at
the top of her range, with electrifying agility and a smooth vocal line that
caresses every note of Bellini's sometimes elegant, sometimes shearing and
powerful score."
LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN NEWS - Victoria Losseleaf - October 18, 1999 - I Capuleti
e i Montecchi - (Los Angeles Opera - 1999)
"Possessed of pure shimmering tones, Claycomb brought both rapture and
agony to this demanding role, in spite of the many prone positions she was
forced to assume."
LE JOURNAL DE GENEVE - Alain Perroux - 7-8 mai 1994 - (Grand Theatre de Geneve
1994) "
Laura Claycombe(sic), jeune soprano américaine de 25 ans qui effectue ses
débuts en Europe, se joue des aigus filés et des lignes
éthérées de Giulietta... fait-elle preuve d'une musicalité
exemplaire, parant son "Eccomi in lieta vesta" d'une émotion
à fleur de lèvre et conduisant les phrases avec une sensibilité
et une rigueur impressionnantes."
("Laura Claycombe (sic), young American soprano of 25 years who makes her
debut in Europe, plays with the threaded high notes and the ethereal lines of
Giulietta... She is proof of an exemplary musicality, giving her "Eccomi in
lieta vesta" an emotion and conducting the phrases with sensitivity and
impressive rigor.")
LE PARISIEN - 8 novembre 1996 - Agnès Dalbard - I Capuleti e I Montecchi
(Bastille 96)
"Timbre et aigus flamboyants, Laura Claycomb chante une Juliette pleine de
charme et de passion. Elle file ses notes, laisse entendre le moidre pianissimo
comme jadis Montserat Caballe."
("Flamboyant timbre and high notes, Laura Claycomb sings a Juliette full
of charm and passion. She threads the notes, letting you hear the smallest of
pianissimo like Montserat Caballe used to.")
TRIBUNE DE GENEVE - 7-8 mai 1994 - Sylvie Bonier - I Capuleti e I Montecchi
(Grand Theatre de Geneve 1994)
"C'est l'explosion du chant de Juliette, dans l'apparition vocale
étonnante de Laura Caycomb (sic) qui balaie d'un jet cette sensation de
flottement. Une musicienne de cette trempe n'est pas chose si courante dans le
monde lyrique. On retrouve avec cette jeune Américaine, qui fait ses
débuts européens en remplaçant Cecilia Gasdia victime d'un
accident; le chant d'une époque presque révolue: Une voix aux
contours purs et au corps plein; d'une mobilité totale de l'aigu au grave;
du mezza voce le plus subtil à l'éclat des fortissimos, qui sait
retenir l'émotion jusqu'à la limite de l'audible et la libérer
sans rien écraser. Une sobrieté de jeu sous laquelle vibre une
sensibilité de reine. Giulietta devient avec Laura Caycomb (sic) une
grande héroïne romantique sur laquelle peut reposer sans peine
l'identification amoureuse féminine de tout temps. Femme à la fois
forte et vulnérable, passionée et délicate, perdue et
décidée. "
(It is the explosion of singing of Juliet, in the astonishing vocal appearance
of Laura Caycomb (sic) that sweeps us up in this sensation of floating. A
musician of this mettle is not so frequent in the operatic world. One finds
with this young American, who makes her European debut replacing Cecilia
Gasdia, victim of an accident, the singing of a past epoch almost returned: a
voice of pure contours and full-bodied; of a total mobility from top to bottom;
from the most subtle mezza voce to the burst of fortissimos, that knows to keep
the emotion until the limit of the audible and free it without ruining the
effect. A sobriety of play under which vibrates the sensibility of a queen.
Giulietta becomes with Laura Caycomb (sic) a grand romantic heroine on which
the identification of the woman in love of all time can rest. Woman, at the
same time strong and vulnerable, passionate and delicate, lost and
decided.")
LE MONDE - 15 juin 1995 - Renaud Machart - I Capuleti e I Montecchi (Paris
Bastille 95) "
Jeune, mince et belle, Laura Claycomb est etourdissante, ses suraigus sont
toniques et ses pianissimi stupefiants."
(Young, slender and beautiful, Laura Claycomb is stunning, her high notes are
invigorating, and her pianissimi, stupefying.")
LE COURRIER - André Hunziker - 12 mai, 1994 (Grand Theatre de Geneve 1994)
"C'est un véritable miracle! Surtout si l'on tient compte des
condition dans lesquelles Laura Claycomb a assumé sa prise de rôle.
Elle a en effet dû remplacer à fin avril Cecilia Gasdia, victime d'un
accident, interprétant pour la première fois le rôle de
Giulietta à la scène.. Car I Capuletti (sic) e i Montecchi est
l'oeuvre la plus difficile de Bellini: la voix y est tellement exposée que
toute défaillance y est interdite. Certes Giulietta n'est pas un rôle
brillant, sa tessiture ne dépasse pas l'ut, mais il exige un contrôle
vocal absolu. ... Enfin, obstacle supplémentaire, la partie de Giulietta
n'offre pas de feux d'artifice vocaux et la cantatrice doit s'exprimer sans les
secours des vocalises.... Jennifer Larmore sait plier sa ligne de chant à
l'expression sans jamais la rompre. Tout comme la Giulietta sensible et
rayonnante de Laura Claycomb dont le chant est d'une grande beauté, pur et
précis à la fois. La voix est admirablement conduite et le timbre
chargé d'une profonde sensualité."
("It is a veritable miracle! Most of all if one keeps in mind the
conditions under which Laura Claycomb assumed the role. She had to replace
Cecilia Gasdia, victim of an accident, interpreting for the first time the role
of Giulietta onstage. While Capuleti e i Montecchi is the most difficult work
of Bellini: the voice is so exposed in it that any small failings are
forbidden. Certainly Giulietta is not a brilliant role - her tessitura
doesn't pass high c, but it asks for an absolute vocal control... Lastly,
extra obstacle, the part of Giulietta doesn't offer any vocal fireworks, and
the singer has to express herself without the help of vocalises... Jennifer
Larmore knows how to bend the line of singing to the expression without ever
breaking it. Just like the sensitive and radiant Giulietta of Laura Claycomb,
where the singing is of a great beauty, pure and precise at the same time.
The voice is admirably conducted and the timbre charged with a profound
sensuality.")
LE NOUVEAU QUOTIDIEN - Jean-Jacques Roth - 9 mai 1994 (Grand Theatre de Geneve
1994)
"Beaucoup de grands chanteurs ont vu leur carrière démarrer
grâce au remplacement d'une star souffrante. On ne sait encore ce qu'il
adviendra de la jeune soprano texane Laura Claycomb, mais ses débuts
européens, au Grand-Théâtre, dans le rôle de Giulietta
qu'aurait dû chanté Cecilia Gasdia, lui promettent un destin
d'étoile. Le public des premières genevoises, qui passe à juste
titre pour l'un des plus coincés de la planète, lui a fait une
ovation qui l'a presque mise en larmes. C'est dire...
Il est exceptionnel, en effet, d'entendre réunies autant de qualités
dans une voix aussi jeune. Un timbre de miel, une technique extrêmement
solide, des aigus épanouis, vibrants, qui coulent sans l'ombre d'un
effort, et qui prennent de l'ampleur à mesure que la voix
s'élève, une clarté et une souplesse d'émission à
peine croyables, une égalité de registres confondante...
Il a suffi de quelques phrases, dans son premier air, pour que Laura Claycomb
impose, outre son autorité musicale, la subtilité de ses nuances, et
surtout sa connaissance du style si particulier de Bellini, un art du XVIIIe
siècle encore, qui demande un legato immense et la capacité de varier
les inflexions vocales sur chacun des mots. D'emblée, Laura Claycomb se
situe au niveau des plus grandes dans un rôle qui exige aussi bien
l'agilité que la "morbidezza.". Ce qui ne gâte rien, elle a
une vraie silhouette de théàtre, une présence en scène,
plus professionnelle encore que réellement habitée - mais on ne va
tout de même pas demander la lune. "
(Many singers saw their careers take off replacing a suffering star. No one
knows what will come of young Texan soprano Laura Claycomb, but her European
debut at the Grand-Theatre de Geneva in the role of Giulietta tht should have
been sung by Ceclilia Gasdia, promise her the destiny of a star. The public of
Geneva's premieres, with the reputation as one of the most bored audiences on
the planet, gave her an ovation that nearly had her in tears. That's to
say.... It is exceptional, in effect, to hear so many qualities reunited in a
voice so young. A honeyed timbre, an extremely solid technique, vibrant,
blooming high notes, that float away without the shadow of an effort, and that
become more ample as the voice rises, an unbelievable clarity and suppleness of
emission, a confounding equality of registers... It took only a few phrases in
her first aria for Laura Claycomb to impose, other than her musical authority,
the subtlety of her nuances and above all her knowledge of the style so
particular to Bellini, an art of the XVIIIth century, that demands an immense
legato and the capacity to vary the vocal inflections on all the words. In
this, Laura Claycomb situates herself at the level of the greats in a role that
asks for as much agility as morbidezza. What does not hurt, she has a true
stage presence, more professional still than really embodied, but one can't ask
for the moon.")
Les Contes d'Hoffmann
THE TIMES - Rodney Milnes - February 16, 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antwerp
Vlaamse Opera)
"Macvicar's...especially successful with the doll Olympia, hinting that
the inventor Spalanzani might be engaging in double-bluff and she's only
pretending to be a doll - there's an awful lot of flesh and blood when she's
dismembered. She's also sex-mad, and Hoffmann falls unconscious because she's
grabbed him somewhere painful. All this, thanks to Laura Claycomb's vivid
impersonation, is brilliantly funny and absolutely horrible, the perfect
Hoffmann combination. "
THE BULLETIN - Marcel Croës - Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Vlaamse Opera)
"And Laura Claycomb's rendition of the "doll song" in the first
act was a breathtaking
tour de force.
"
LA VOIX DE LUXEMBOURG - Jean Lucas - 18 fevrier 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(Vlaamse Opera)
"Laura Claycomb tisse, avec une technique toute particulière, mais
beaucoup d'assurance, les redoutables vocalises d'Olympia."
("Laura Claycomb weaves, with a very particular technique but with lots of
assurance, the difficult vocalises of Olympia")
TROUW - Peter van der Lint - 15 februari 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Vlaamse
Opera) "
Sterren van de avond waren Laura Claycomb, in spel en zang een geweldige
Olympia en vooral Miereille Delunsche als Antonia."
("Stars of the evening were Laura Claycomb, in acting and singing a
wonderful Olympia and overall Mireille Delunsche as Antonia")
LAATSTE NIEUWS - 14 februari 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann(Vlaamse Opera )
"Laura Claycomb is de ongelooflijke coloratuursopraan en pop Olympia"
("Laura Claycomb is the unbelievable coloratura soprano and doll
Olympia")
LE SOIR - Michel Debrocq - 10 fevrier 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Vlaamse
Opera) "
...l'Olympia de l'éblouissante Laura Claycomb...."
("...the Olympia of the amazing Laura Claycomb...")
LE MATIN - Serge Quoidbach - 17 fevrier 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Vlaamse
Opera) "
Quant au trois maîtresses d'Hoffmann, elles rivalisent toutes de
perfections techniques: les superbes vocalises D'Olympia par Laura
Claycomb..."
("... the three mistresses of Hoffmann, they rival all the technical
perfections: the superb vocalises of Olympia by Laura Claycomb...")
FINANCIAL TIMES - Richard Fairman - February 11, 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(Vlaamse Opera)
"Laura Claycomb sang with perfect agility as the doll Olympia and raised a
delighted laugh as she discovered that she had legs (and other private body
parts) for the first time."
GAZETTE VAN ANTWERPEN - Katelijne Theuwissen - 10 februari 2000 - Les Contes
d'Hoffmann (Vlaamse Opera)
"Om van te smullen zijn de scenes met het "robotvrouwtje":
Olympia, met groot success gezongen door Laura Claycomb."
HAAGSCHE COURANT - Aad van der Ven - 10 februari 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(Vlaamse Opera)
"Laura Claycomb (Olympia) and Mireille Delunsch (Antonia) zijn daarentegen
prachtig: de eerste uitzonderlijk virtuoos met al die onwaarschijnlijk hoge
noten die zij als mechanische pop ten gehore moet brengen, de tweede
oorstrelend en deerniswekkend in de rol van de ten dode opgeschreven jonge
vrouw."
DE MORGEN - Stephan Moens - 10 Februari 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antwerp
Vlaamse Opera)
"Opulent is ook de vrouwelijke bezetting met Laura Claycomb als een
verbluffende coloratuursopraan Olympia... "
("Opulent also is the women's casting with Laura Claycomb as an
unbelievable coloratura soprano Olympia")
HET STANDAARD - Erna Metdepenninghen - February 2000 - Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(Antwerp Vlaamse Opera)
" Laura Claycomb was een virtuoos in de hoogste regionen kwinkelerende
Olympia met persoonlijkheid."
("Laura Claycomb was a virtuoso in the highest regions twinkling Olympia
with personality.")
OPERA NEWS - December 6, 1997 - Sidney Corbett - Le Grand Macabre (Salzburg
1997) "
Laura Claycomb lent a beautiful, soaring soprano to Amanda "
DAS OPERNGLAS - Oktober 1997 - U. Ruhnke - Le Grand Macabre (Salzburg 1997)
"Amanda und Amando, das verträumte Liebespaar, stört das alles
nicht, sie leben allein für und durch den Sex, was sie offenbar sehr
glücklich macht, denn sie singen die schönste Musik der Oper. Laura
Claycomb und Charlotte Hellekant entledigen sich ihrer Partien mit ebensoviel
Spass wie stimmlicher Souveränität."
ORPHEUS - April 1996 - Marcel Louis Chollet/B.H. - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne 96)
"LAURA CLAYCOMB, die die Adèle zum ersten Male gibt, ist von
ätherischer Aura und singt hinreißend und mit makelloser
Musikalität. Zudem besitzt sie die attractive Linie eines Mannequins und
einen köstlichen Humor."
L'OPERA - marzo 1996 - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne 96)
"Sul palcoscenico, la regina della festa è stata la spiritosa Laura
Claycomb la quale, oltre a vantare una figura a dir poco splendida, ha
interpretato la parte della Comtesse Adèle con tanto di autorità
vocale e di musicalità, validamente sorretta inoltre da un timbro
purissimo e da un'impostazione della voce invidiabile: la perfezione
insomma."
("Onstage, the queen of the party was the funny Laura Claycomb, who, in
addition to being blessed with - to say little - a splendid figure, interpreted
the part of the Countess Adele with such vocal authority and musicality,
validly blessed also with the purest of timbres and an enviable placement of
the voice: perfection, in sum.")
OPERA INTERNATIONAL - Eric Pousaz - February 1996 - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne 96)
"La distribution est dominée par la Comtesse de Laura Claycomb; corps
de starlette, voix charmeuse et souple, vocalise déliée et
pianissimi
enchanteurs: tout concourt à faire de ce portrait l'événement
musical de la soirée."
("The cast is dominated by the Countess of Laura Claycomb; body of a
starlet, charming and supple voice, delicate vocalises and enchanting
pianissimi: all together to make this portrait the musical event of the
evening.")
LE MONDE (DE LA MUSIQUE) - February 1996 - Franck Mallet - Le Comte Ory
(Lausanne 96)
"...la Comtesse (Laura Claycomb, d'une pureté
séraphique)..."
("Laura Claycomb, of a seraphic purity...")
FINANCIAL TIMES - 11 January 1996 - Andrew Clark - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne 96)
"Claycomb's European debut as Bellini's Giulietta two seasons ago in
Geneva signalled a
bel cantist
of immense promise. On the evidence of her Adèle, she is maturing well.
Despite her clear, cool timbre, she conveyed warmth and fragility; she is too
musical a singer to be a mere vocal machine."
DER BUND - 6 January 1996 - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne 96)
"Auf der Bühne tummeln sich anerkannte Rossini-Spezialisten - an
ihrer Spitze die wunderschön (und locker-brillant) singende und
köstlich spielende Diana Montague als Isolier, die
koloraturensprühende und raffiniert-attractive Laura Claycomb als
Adele..."
AARGAUER TAGBLATT - 4 January 1996 - Roland Seeger - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne 96)
"
Eine echte Entdeckung ist die bisweilen pikant gekleidete und agierende
amerikanische Sopranistin Laura Claycomb (Gräfin), die mit fabelhaftem
Modulationsvermögen und brillanter Koloratur besonders
überzeugt."
CORRIERE DEL TICINO - 4 January 1996 - Rossana de Simone - Le Comte Ory
(Lausanne 96)
"Anche vocalmente la distribuzione è eccellente, a cominciare dalle
due principali interpreti femminili: Laura Claycomb insinua nei melanconici
lamenti della contessa la sensualità piccante della Rosina del
Barbiere
."
("And vocally the cast is excellent, starting with the two lady singers:
Laura Claycomb insinuates in the melancholy laments of the countess, the fiery
sensuality of Rosina of
Barbiere
.")
AUFFÜHRUNG AN DER OPER LAUSANNE Dr. Gunter R. Gruber (Le Comte Ory)
" Auch Gräfin Adele, die Amerikanerin Laura Claycomb, zeigt bald nach
ihrem Auftritt auf einem roten Sofa liegend Beine und die Formen ihrer Gestalt
dlangvoll, jugendfrisch ihre Stimme, zart, süsse, sehnsuchtsvolle
Töne erklingen, dann wieder perlende Koloratur. Sinnliche Akzente geben
ihrer Darstellung starke erotische Ausstrahlung. Die lokale Presse bezeichnet
sie als Broadwaz ÄStarlet. Ideal verkörpert sie die Rolle einer
vernachlässigten Frau und ist der Glanzpunkt im Ensemble"
JOURNAL DE GENEVE - 3 January 1996 - Alain Perroux - Le Comte Ory (Lausanne
1996)
Egalement idéale, Laura Claycomb dote Adèle d'une silhouette de
starlette, d'une musicalité extrême (ah, ces sons filés!) et
d'aigus