Eboli in DON CARLOS
The Metropolitan Opera
“Barton was a revelation in an eyepatch as Eboli, magnificently steeped in the princess’s desperation and inspiring chills when her longing curdles into rage. One of the most commanding performances I’ve seen in years, and a star turn to be sure.”
–Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post
“As Princess Eboli, Jamie Barton was vivid in a more elemental way… She exuded the kind of smoldering vocal personality on which the Verdi style hinges. Her “O don fatal” elicited the longest ovation of the night, and rightly so.”
–Alex Ross, The New Yorker
“The mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, her high notes blazing and her chest voice booming, sings with generosity and acts with liveliness as the princess Eboli…”
–Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times
“Barton offered an outstanding version of Princess Eboli. The mezzo sang with class and intention, stretching herself in agility without technical difficulty and capturing the Spanish wit. She garnered a huge ovation after her splendid ‘O don fatal’ in the fourth act, full of chromatic details and with great tonal precision in both high and low ranges.”
–Carlos Javier López Sánchez, Opera World
“In the role of Eboli, Jamie Barton came to the scene with charisma and charm, flirting with her court and showcasing an imposing stage presence. Her chest voice and impeccable coloratura runs were potent and clear. In Act four, Barton received one of the biggest ovations of the night as she sang “O don fatal” with a caressing legato line that showed her expertise in Bel Canto. It was a moment of introspection and calm as she floated the notes with delicacy and care. And in the coda section of the aria, Barton released her powerful mezzo with resolve, concluding a climactic moment in the opera.”
–Francisco Salazar, OperaWire
“Once Barton became a woman scorned, she blazed with fury, though that venom quickly turned to bottomless remorse. Her torrential “O don fatal” rightly brought down the house but just as impressive was her choked admission of guilt to the shocked Élisabeth. “
–Christopher Corwin, Parterre Box
“A sextet of all-star principal singers. As the highly-strung Princess Eboli, Jamie Barton shows off her astonishing vocal and theatrical skills in the stand-out performance of the evening. Her third-Act aria, ‘O don fatal’ is a showstopper, as her powerful voice, replete with smoldering high notes and a brazen chest voice, perfectly conveys her character’s emotional conflicts.”
–Susan Stempleski, Classical Source
“From extreme low notes to the high, O don fatal is glorious.”
–Vincent Agrech, Díapason
“The evening’s greatest ovation, almost wild, was kept for Jamie Barton’s Eboli. Dressed all in black, she can dominate a stage in silence. Her fourth-act outburst was filled with such regret, power, and glorious sound, that by the grand, final note, the audience was shaken.”
–Robert Levine, Classics Today
“Barton shows off her astonishing vocal and theatrical skills in the stand-out performance of the evening. Her third-Act aria, ‘O don fatal’ (Oh fatal gift) is a showstopper, as her powerful voice, replete with smoldering high notes and a brazen chest voice, perfectly conveys her character’s emotional conflicts.”
–Susan Stempleski, Classical Source
“Barton brought down the house in the aria “O don fatal” with a strong but creamy delivery of vocal lines that culminated in thrilling high notes.”
–Ako Imamura, Bachtrack
“Barton's fiery rendition … was truly spectacular.”
–Richard Sasanow, Broadway World
“Casting this great brocaded tapestry of an opera is always a feat, and the Met draws on deep reserves of talent…Jamie Barton thundering and sparking as Eboli.”
–Justin Davidson, New York Magazine
“As Eboli, Jamie Barton brought the audience to its feet with a mighty O don fatal.”
–Patrick Dillon, Scherzo
“Barton grew in stature over the course of the opera. In her later scenes, fueled by jealousy and remorse, her powerful chest voice and incandescent top notes came into their own.”
–Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, Musical America
“As the Princess Eboli, Jamie Barton was bold and brash… She was as commanding vocally as she was visually. Her voice boomed through the vast expanse of the Met in ‘O don fatal’.”
–Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International
“Barton’s Eboli was a real operator. She also offered plush chest voice, and true fire in the ‘Malheur sur toi’ trio. The evening started to take flight with Nézet-Séguin’s beautiful shaping of the Act IV quartet, followed by Barton’s heartfelt ‘O don fatal’.”
–William R. Braun, Opera News
“Jamie Barton administered justice as well…. in “O don fatale,” she slew.”
–Jay Nordlinger, New Criterion
“Judging by the enthusiasm with which she was received in the role of Eboli, Jamie Barton is a crowd favorite in New York. A magnificent 'O don fatal' was the crowning touch.”
–Peter Franken, Place de l’Opera
“Barton’s soaring high notes and booming chest voice made a memorable impact, especially in her second aria, “O don fatal.””
–Harry Rose, Observer
“As Princess Eboli, whose misconstruing of Carlos’s feelings for her helps spur a disastrous outcome, Jamie Barton brilliantly suggested layers of contradiction. The self-confident show-off who sings the “Veil Song” (a solitary oasis of light music) to entertain the queen’s ladies in waiting swivels with her vengeful outbursts in the third act. These transformations prepared the way for the resounding force with which she tore into the aria “O don fatal,” shedding earlier selves to let out the anguish under her cultivated courtly persona.”
–Geoffrey O’Brien, New York Review of Books
“Barton garnered a standing ovation from the audience as Princess Eboli, for her sparkling and natural stage acting. Her dark and cavernous voice is also distinguished by round low notes and a bright timbre.”
–Marjorie Cabrol, Ôlyrix
“It’s a great pleasure to see how Barton takes up the gauntlet, with an undeniable panache, brilliant at every moment in a score that demands real moments of bravery. The voice is heavy just enough, the bass and treble are perfectly projected, and the character is admirably characterized, especially in the garden scene. As an assured bel canto performer, she delivers the Veil Song without difficulty. Obviously, her big moment turns out to be a masterful “O don fatal” where she supports Eboli’s despair with profound low notes, while offering the luxury of high notes delivered both quietly and with full voice. A completely effective performance that was greeted by the best ovation of the evening.”
–Paul Fourier, Toute La Culture
“Barton sported an eyepatch—a historical touch—and a rockabilly hairdo that combined portraiture of the actual Princess with an East Village touch… The singing was tremendous. Eboli is full of personality and dynamic action and Barton reinforced this with vocal richness and power, and a fire that seemed to come from deep within. Her performances of the Act II “Veil Song” carried the entire scene in the garden, which is slack compared with the rest of the opera. Barton’s singing in Act IV, in duet with Yoncheva and in “O don fatal,” was spectacular, ripping through the music with intensity and absolute sincerity.”
–George Grella, New York Classical Review