"ATHERTON'S MESMERISING PORTRAYAL"

[THE TIMES]

Saariaho’s Leino Songs, BBC Philharmonic/John Storgards, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (February 2024)

“Elizabeth Atherton’s clear, bright soprano joined the orchestra almost like another instrument, floating over exotic combinations of instruments to create quite beautiful sounds.” Peter Connors, Bachtrack

Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony, BBC Philharmonic/John Storgårds, Chandos recording

“The soprano part in the symphony is extremely demanding, moving from the Spanish-tinged sarcasm of the second song to the bleak stratosphere of the soprano range in the penultimate, and in between the two ‘On Guard’ songs requiring comedic flair to bring out the greatness of Shostakovich at his most frugal. Atherton triumphs in the lot… Other accounts of the Fourteenth may sear themselves more forcibly into our consciousness, but few that I know provide such a well-rounded emotional experience.” David McDade, MusicWeb International

“Elizabeth Atherton and Peter Rose… bring a profound engagement and expression to the various poems Shostakovich compiled.” Daniel Jaffé, Classical Music Magazine

Rose and his partner in death, soprano Elizabeth Atherton, have plainly worked long and hard on the Russian texts, pointing up the ironies and the characterisation admirably… So all praise to Rose for his Godunov-like authority and dignity in ‘In the Santé Prison’ and Atherton for the keening memorability of her ‘Suicide’ – there is much to enjoy here.” Edward Seckerson, Gramophone

Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony, Aurora Orchestra/Nicholas Collon, Kings Place, London (December 2022)

“Two exceptional soloists sang with blazing commitment: soprano Elizabeth Atherton unafraid to snarl when death prowled the night in Lorca’s Malagueña; bass Peter Rose sounding throughout like a prophet of doom steeped in rough vodka. Neither artist was intimidated by the troubled heart of the music, nor its dark soul, and more than anything it was their shared lack of reticence that made the performance so searingly powerful… ‘Three lilies’ – a desolate, extended number by Shostakovich that Atherton and principal cellist Sébastien van Kuijk delivered with aching conviction.” Mark Valencia, Bachtrack

“…Elizabeth Atherton, a more lyrical singer than the many dramatic sopranos who have made the work their own, though she was also fiercely intense in ‘The Suicide’, and both rapturous and obscene in ‘On Watch’.” Tim Ashley, The Guardian

Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Mark Wigglesworth, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh (November 2021)

“One must mention the outstanding Elizabeth Atherton who was magnificent in her dramatization of every nuance in the texts - from the longings of a lost lover to the heartbreak of a mother who has lost her child.” Gregor Tassie, Seen and Heard International

“Atherton’s performance identified the symphony’s visceral core, emotionally and visually evocative. [Peter] Rose cut a more stoical, trenchant persona. Both were acutely reactive to the concentrated brilliance of the orchestral backdrop, a canvas swarming with virtuoso solos and highly evocative percussion effects.” Ken Walton, Vox Carynx

“…her identification with the text is complete, and she brought each song to life as though it were a miniature opera, as compelling to watch as to hear.” Simon Thompson, The Times

“She nailed the power and the pathos of the text and the music.” Hugh Kerr, Edinburgh Music Review

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, The Hallé/Elder, Barbican Centre, London (February 2020)

“…a well-matched team of soloists - crowned by Elizabeth Atherton’s pearly soprano, remarkably unperturbed by some of Elder’s more grandiose tempi.” Peter Quantrill, The Arts Desk

Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Hill, Leeds Town Hall (March 2019)

"A carefully blended solo quartet surmounted the vocal challenges inherent in both the ensemble singing and the solo arias. Soprano Elizabeth Atherton soared with beauty and clarity above the orchestral textures... a performance of powerful emotional impact." Geoffrey Mogridge, Ilkley Gazette

Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Spano, Liverpool Philharmonic (November 2018)

"Atherton’s clear bright voice was ideal for the piece. She communicated the wide-eyed delight of the child in the sights and sounds surrounding him and the protective safety of his family." Peter Connors, Bachtrack

Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, London Sinfonietta/Atherton, Royal Festival Hall, London (November 2018)

"So it was with this moving performance from the London Sinfonietta and its conductor and co-founder, David Atherton, with the soprano Elizabeth Atherton as the grieving mother, her face expressing pain and sorrow from the work’s first note to the last. Atherton’s control of dynamics and the soprano’s beautifully tender lamenting stopped any fidgets." Geoff Brown, The Times

"Elizabeth Atherton’s lustrous soprano conveyed both pathos and dignity, and had the power to match the brass-capped climax when it arrived. ...there was plenty to savour in the two following songs, especially Elizabeth Atherton’s infinitely touching delivery of them. She sang with a keening intensity, helped by just enough vibrato to suggest the throb of pain but never becoming an unwelcome ‘beat’ in the voice, and with expert control of the longer-breathed lines." Roy Westbrook, Bachtrack

As Merab on CD in Handel's Saul, The Sixteen/Christophers (Coro label)

"If Christophers's chorus is second to none, it is his soloists who clinch my choice for a Saul on CD... Elizabeth Atherton relishes the sneering contempt of Merab's opening arias and finds an aptly veiled tone for "Author of Peace"... Christophers's performance, more than any other, marries consistently fine Handel singing with a thrilling command of the oratorio's grand narrative sweep. There are no quirks, and no casting weaknesses that can rankle on repeated hearings. 'Magnificent in every way that matters most', was David Vickers's verdict in his original review. Exactly so." Richard Wigmore, Gramophone, April 2018

Webern's Drei Lieder von Avenarius and Schoenberg's 2nd String Quartet, 4th mvt, Rolf Hind/London Sinfonietta, Kings Place, London (March 2018)

"Anton Webern’s Drei Lieder are masterpieces of compression... embedded in the lusher and richer sonorities of late Romanticism, albeit in brief. Elizabeth Atherton gave us an Isolde in miniature, singing with clarity of diction and immediacy that meant nothing was wasted. This was followed by equally, well, rapturous singing in Schoenberg’s setting of Stefan Georg’s Entrückung (“Rapture”), that concludes his Second String Quartet." Benjamin Poore, Bachtrack

As Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Opera North/Altstaedt (February 2018)

"Elizabeth Atherton's touchingly sung Elvira is crushed, verging on madness by the time she sings Mi tradi." Richard Morrison, The Times

"Soprano Elizabeth Atherton was a compelling Donna Elvira, giving her a really strong and dynamic presence. Her "Ah, chi mi dice mai" was full of fire." Richard Willcocks, Bachtrack

"Equally impressive is Elizabeth Atherton, who is deeply moving as a woman caught between love and hatred." James Ballands, British Theatre Review

"Elizabeth Atherton returns as the spurned Donna Elvira. She projects overwhelming sadness before breathing fire and fury into Elvira’s magnificent Mi tradi quell’ alma ingrata." Ilkley Gazette

"Elizabeth Atherton whose performance of the horrific realisation that Donna Elvira still loves Don Giovanni was breathtaking and heartbreaking." Tessa Harris, The Manchester Review

Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder, RPCO/Lucas, St. Albans Abbey (November 2017)

"Elizabeth Atherton's performance on Saturday night left an audience member begging for more, but alas there was no more to sing. The emotionally charged words of Joseph von Eichendorff and Herman Hess leave nothing more to say and Elizabeth's performance was a delight. She performed the four songs with great clarity and just the right amount of emotion and her higher register was outstanding." John Manning, The Herts Advertiser

As Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio, Longborough Festival Opera/Kadosh (June 2017)

"Elizabeth Atherton as Fidelio/Leonore was fully believable and luminously-voiced, with a warm and glorious top end which was especially notable in her recitative and aria “Abscheulicher! wo eilst du hin?” David Truslove, Bachtrack

"Elizabeth Atherton is a sterling Leonore, presenting a forceful account of her big aria." Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph

"She’s sung by Elizabeth Atherton with a fierce, concentrated integrity... starting to burn with tremulous warmth only after her final reunion with Florestan (Adrian Dwyer), which the pair act out with raw and wholly convincing emotion." Richard Bratby, The Spectator

"Elizabeth Atherton’s fervent, resourceful Leonore." Rebecca Franks, The Times

"...with Elizabeth Atherton a compelling Leonore." David Lister, The Independent

"Elizabeth Atherton engages with Leonore’s (Fidelio’s) nervous concentration superbly." Peter Reed, Classical Source

"Soprano Elizabeth Atherton looks just right and sings beautifully as loyal wife Leonore, on the prison staff in male disguise to rescue her husband Florestan from the jail's deepest dungeon. The joy of their reunion is brilliantly conveyed." Christopher Gray, The Oxford Times

"Among the singers, the soprano, Elizabeth Atherton, as Leonore/Fidelio emerged as the real star of the show with a rich timbre that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up."Preston Witts, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald

"Elizabeth Atherton sings stylishly as Leonora." Stephen Walsh, The Arts Desk

"Elizabeth Atherton is a delight to listen to as Fidelio...combining an assured tone with airy lightness." Edward Behesania, The Stage

Penderecki's St. Luke Passion, LPO/Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall, London (March 2017)

"Poised, liquid soprano Elizabeth Atherton beautifully underpinned the moments of quiet reflection." Cara Chanteau, The Independent ****

"It was a joy to listen to soprano Elizabeth Atherton’s agile singing.” Hannah Nepil, Financial Times

"The soloists...delivered terrific intensity.” Richard Morrison, The Times *****

"Elizabeth Atherton’s soprano fitted the music superbly, creating an ambience of ethereal distance." Peter Reed, Classical Source

"a soothingly radiant Elizabeth Atherton." David Truslove, Bachtrack

"Elizabeth Atherton admirable as the reflective soprano soloist." Barry Millington, Evening Standard ****

"The soprano Elizabeth Atherton gave us some beautifully wandering lines over this accompaniment; equally enchanting was how the tone of her voice matched the alto flute perfectly in ‘Crux fidelis’." Barry Creasy, MusicOMH *****

“Elizabeth Atherton drew us in with her captivating movements - in "Crux fidelis", Atherton seemed to radiate the hope of redemption with her warm, legato sound." Collin Shay, Schmopera

Handel’s Messiah, RSNO/Cummings, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (January 2017)

"Soprano Elizabeth Atherton's duet with countertenor Robin Blaze He shall feed his flock was beautifully soothing, with a perfect match of voices... The final third section of the oratorio was where it really sparkled. Atherton's rendition of I know that my redeemer liveth was moving and dignified." Miranda Heggie, The Herald ****

Handel’s Messiah, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra/McCreesh, Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul, Minnesota (December 2016)

"Poise and dignity also characterized the contributions of soprano Elizabeth Atherton. I know that my Redeemer liveth was permeated by a calm confidence and vocal purity totally in keeping with the scriptural message, and in Part One Atherton exuded joy and expectancy in the accompagnato section where an angel appears to the shepherds." Terry Blain, Star Tribune

As Merab in Handel’s Saul, Handel & Haydn Society/Christophers, Boston Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts (May 2016)

"For the three other principal roles, Christophers wisely returned to the same singers featured on his recording... Elizabeth Atherton as a limpid Merab... It would be hard to picture a more satisfying conclusion to these seasons of bicentennial programming." Jeremy Eichler, Boston Globe

"Five principal soloists without a weak link or a dull moment... Evenly competent, or more properly, brilliant, describes the soloists, chorus, and orchestra... Elizabeth Atherton sang a very expressive Merab." David Schulenberg, The Boston Musical Intelligencer

As Merab in Handel’s Saul, BBC Singers/McDonnell, Milton Court, London (April 2016)

"Elizabeth Atherton was mesmerising as Merab, capturing the curving lines in her part to perfection." Sam Smith, musicOMH *****

Anderson’s Shir Hashirim and Dutilleux’s Les Temps l’horloge, BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Rophé, Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff (January 2016)

"[Julian Anderson’s Shir Hashirim’s] balancing of the solo soprano’s expansively lyrical outpouring with the brilliant orchestral writing was always finely judged and the dramatic tension of the final part of the work delivered with much flair by Elizabeth Atherton... The serious yet witty playing with the passing of time and ultimately a philosophical depth [in Dutilleux’s Le Temps l’horloge] were realised with much sensitivity by Rophé and BBCNOW, with Atherton again excelling... Here and in the Anderson, we were treated to highly accomplished singing." Rian Evans, The Guardian ****

"These are model compositions, matched here by some wonderful singing by Elizabeth Atherton." Stephen Walsh, The Arts Desk *****

"With the exceptional playing of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under conductor, Pascal Rophé, together with the lovely musical intelligence of soprano, Elizabeth Atherton, the work glowed with a vigour belying the advanced years of its composer. Not a note is wasted in Le temps l’horloge (2006-9), nor a vocal inflection or colour ill-judged... [In Shir Hashrim], Atherton and musicians were luminous in conveying this seductive score, with its lush colouration and trailing vocal melismas. Now shimmering from within a lake of rippling reflections, now a comet with a fiery, harmonic tail, the soprano was by turns semi-engulfed by and ringing clearly above Anderson’s rich, surging textures. The effect was both magical and strongly rigorous..." Steph Power, Wales Arts Review

As Eurydice and Medea in Birtwistle’s The Corridor & The Cure double-bill, London Sinfonietta/Paterson, Aldeburgh Festival/Linbury Theatre, ROH (June 2015)

"It’s Eurydice, however, who grabs the attention. In Atherton’s mesmerising portrayal she is a sardonic, even embittered woman…" Richard Morrison, The Times

"Atherton seemed to have the perfect luminous instrument for Birtwistle’s expressionistic lines." Paul Driver, The Sunday Times

"Elizabeth Atherton’s singing finds a glinting radiance in both pieces." Richard Fairman, The Financial Times

“…two outstanding central performances… But it is Elizabeth Atherton, here as Euridyce and later as Medea, who dominates… Atherton’s intelligent musicianship is the pathway through Birtwistle’s drama, dense with textural interest.” The Arts Desk

"Elizabeth Atherton is both a wonderfully realistic Euridice and a fine Medea." Andrew Clements, The Guardian

"All praise…to the superb…Elizabeth Atherton (Eurydice and Medea)." Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph

"Each piece, taken from Ovid, has two singers, the equally superb tenor Mark Padmore and soprano Elizabeth Atherton." Fiona Maddocks, The Observer

"Each scena could stand alone, but each benefits from the other, and from the shared thread of commanding performances. The soprano Elizabeth Atherton sings her roles with abandon: knowing and sarcastic as Woman; distant and lonely as Eurydice; a Kundry and a Salome compressed in a cauldron of erotic enchantment as Medea." David Allen, The New York Times

As Young Maiden in Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, Welsh National Opera/Koenigs (June 2014)

"The supporting roles (and few of them have much scope to emerge as individuals) were well sung and sharply characterised; Elizabeth Atherton’s sportswear-clad Young Maiden stood out." Richard Bratby, Birmingham Post ****

Simon Holt's The Yellow Wallpaper, BBCNOW/Fischer, St. David's Hall, Cardiff (October 2013)

"Elizabeth Atherton delivered a performance of instrumental clarity and perfect articulation." Rian Evans, The Guardian ****

Brahms' German Requiem, Royal Northern Sinfonia/Zehetmair, The Sage, Gateshead (September 2013)

"Under Thomas Zehetmair’s conducting, orchestra, chorus and two excellent soloists – bass-baritone Matthew Brook and soprano Elizabeth Atherton – did full justice to a work which betrays a winning lightness of touch." David Whetstone, The Journal

As Micaela in Bizet's Carmen, RPO/Hancock, Royal Albert Hall, London (February 2013)

"Elizabeth Atherton’s pure-voiced and pleading Micaela is a delight." Richard Morrison, The Times

Poulenc's Gloria / Britten's Ballad of the Heroes, Oxford Bach Choir/Cleobury, Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford (December 2012)

"The soprano Elizabeth Atherton deserves special praise for the gravitas she brought to Psalm 130, Ballad of Heroes and especially to the Poulenc." Simon Collings, Oxford Times

Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Van Steen, St. David's Hall, Cardiff (November 2012)

"...but it was Elizabeth Atherton who made her songs come alive, finding colours and tone to match the words' emotional tenor. In the penultimate poem, where the orchestration is at its most spare and telling, she found both ‘intimacy and anguish'." Rian Evans, The Guardian

As Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Opera North/Ringborg (September 2012)

"Opera North veteran Elizabeth Atherton gives a terrific portrayal of Donna Elvira, from striking condemnations to moving arias." Richard Wilcocks, Bachtrack

"Elizabeth Atherton sings Donna Elvira's big, heartfelt arias with admirable clarity and poise." Richard Morrison, The Times

"Making a similar impact is Elizabeth Atherton, whose beautifully-sung Donna Elvira is more human than most." Ron Simpson, WhatsOnStage

"Elizabeth Atherton as Elvira gave a powerful performance." Opera Now

"Elizabeth Atherton’s Donna Elvira rose above the confusion with touching performances of her arias, reminders of the humanity behind the high jinks." Martin Dreyer, Opera Magazine

Britten's On This Island with Malcolm Martineau, Onyx Records (December 2011)

"The soprano Elizabeth Atherton also struck up a wonderful rapport with her audience in Britten’s On this Island. Atherton’s voice is now not just a lush instrument but a superbly communicative one: she caught exactly the subtle moods – bittersweet, ironic or heartfelt – of Auden’s words and Britten’s early unfettered lyricism. Richard Morrison, The Times

"Elizabeth Atherton was lustrous and dramatic in On this Island." Paul Driver, The Sunday Times

"Elizabeth Atherton gives a musically alert and intelligent interpretation of another early work, the enchantingly fresh and youthful On this Island." Rupert Christiansen, Daily Telegraph

"Allan Clayton and Elizabeth Atherton give superb accounts of the declamatory Michelangelo Sonnets and the settings of Auden's On This Island respectively." Andrew Clements, The Guardian

"The bright soprano of Elizabeth Atherton sings out the ‘florid music’ of Britten’s Auden settings in On this Island… Britten’s 15-year-old response to Dans les bois, irresistibly sung by Atherton." BBC Music Magazine ****

As Merab in Handel's Saul, The Sixteen/Christophers, Barbican Centre, London (December 2011)

"Elizabeth Atherton flung herself wholeheartedly into Merab’s music." Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph

"Atherton displayed a nice line in temperament as the haughty Merab." Robert Hugill, Opera Today

"At her best [Elizabeth Atherton’s] coloratura soared, her dexterous high notes even more impressive...than Ms. Harvey’s. She brought genuine hauteur to ‘What abject thought a prince can have’, her snarling demeanor granting her a truly theatrical presence on stage." John E. de Wald, Opera Britannia

As The Governess in Britten’s Turn of the Screw, Opera North/Farnes (October 2010)

“Elizabeth Atherton’s Governess – superbly sung, devastatingly acted – is clearly disintegrating mentally long before she smothers Miles in her final embrace.” Richard Morrison, The Times

“…a cast whose members seem totally possessed by the drama they are enacting. Elizabeth Atherton sings with consummate intelligence as the Governess.” Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph

“Elizabeth Atherton's Governess was a brilliant display of on-the brink neurosis, sung with versatile expressiveness and purity of tone.” Opera Magazine

“Elizabeth Atherton’s beautifully sung Governess.” The Guardian

“Atherton holds the show.” Anna Picard, The Independent on Sunday

“Doubtless that original cast…was good, but it’s hard to imagine any could improve much on Opera North’s line-up. As the Governess, Elizabeth Atherton sang with restless ardour, in unbearable thrall to her charges and locked into her own battle between reality and the wispy figments of a love-starved imagination.” The Observer

“In a memorable cast, Elizabeth Atherton’s psychological fragility as the Governess is superbly captured.” Yorkshire Post

“Here the Governess, a fantastic performance from Elizabeth Atherton, is both neurotic and rightly scared stiff; clearly besotted with the employer she so briefly met, but soon reduced by the apparitions and the sangfroid of the children to a bag of nerves.” The Spectator