Soloist in THE HOMECOMING

San Francisco Opera

“Barton brought palpable dramatic intensity to excerpts from Donizetti’s La Favorite and Verdi’s Don Carlo. Then, after intermission, she reduced the audience to a communal awed puddle with a lustrous rendition — sumptuous, sustained and full of emotion — of “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ton voix” from Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila.”
–Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

“Barton sang Delilah’s seductive aria “Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix”. She knew how to tap into every twist of seductiveness in the composer’s score, making her delivery far more compelling than a mere rehash of an all-too-familiar theme.”
–Stephen Smoliar, Rehearsal Studio

“Barton brought her usual fiery intensity and dramatic phrasing for both “O mon Fernand” and “O don fatale”… Her voice boomed through the hall with vibrancy and control. Barton truly embodied Amneris in her mannerisms, and her palpable anger and jealousy, coupled with Willis-Sørensen’s grief-stricken portrayal, gave the scene an exceptionally dramatic heft. Vocally, I definitely think the time has come for Barton to tackle this full-throttle role, and I’ll be first in line to experience it! However, the biggest surprise of the night for me was Barton’s offbeat take on “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix”, Dalila’s seduction scene. Taken at much slower pace than normal, Barton imbued the aria with a sense of longing and belonging, so much so that it lost its vixenish quality and gained resemblance to a reverie … a remembrance for a lost Samson, perhaps. It exhibited all the virtues of Barton’s voice; from her complete control of long phrases, her effortless scaling up and down over period of time, and especially her sustained legato. The crowd erupted in great applause after her performance, and Barton was genuinely moved by that response.”
–Michael Anthonio, Parterre Box

“Pleading, poignant, melancholic, but with Barton’s characteristic verve, the music unfolded and slid through the air with aplomb. The powerhouse bel canto sound and musicality, fastidious dramatic expression brought the house down. Powerful and lustrous… [As Amneris,] Barton’s range was equally flexible and fresh, the dark richness of her low range and the ease with which she sculpts the air with her middle and high tones gave a liveness and litheness. One special highlight was Barton’s rendition of Saint-Saëns “Mon Coeur s’ouvre à toi”… From the sumptuous, luxurious tones Barton spun out, the music became rapture. She stood open and revealed, she caressed the words as she would caress her Samson, and Saint-Saëns created a tonal and human masterpiece. Her voice shimmered and sank into depths of growing passion. She proffered such ardent feeling, the vintage-sounding deep tones and the powerful upper register, made her seem Dalila “assoluta.” It was as if Barton allowed herself to be seen and felt.”
– Lois Silverstein, Operawire

“Barton’s singing features solid low-and-mid- ranges and astonishingly bright, clear and powerful high notes.”
–James Roy MacBean, Berkeley Daily Planet

“Barton could do no wrong. She brought out the emotional punches on all her assignments with a deep gold tone, jaw-dropping power when needed and satiny textures in the more lyric music. She [sang] a seductive ‘Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix’, bathing the sinuous melody in milk-chocolate low notes and a perfectly placed high B-flat. Even better was her ‘O don fatale’, a tour-de-force of emotional intensity and vocal agility. Her work in the duets marvelously balanced her weightier sound with the soprano’s, set up the drama…”
–Harvey Steiman, Seen and Heard International