On the 13th of March Arnheiður debuted the role of Charlotte from Massenet’s Werther. Here are some of the reactions from the press:
“The highlight of the production was Charlotte, performed by last year’s winner of the International Opera Awards in the Rising Star category and also a soloist of the National Theatre Opera Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir , who created a complex dramatic figure on stage – a woman in love who, due to conventions, is unable to step out of the shadow of her dead mother and then her husband. Her voice also sounded with beautiful colors, full of dynamic curves and a drawn-out cantilena, her crescendo was exemplary, but at the same time she safely dealt with the finesse of French opera. Especially in the first part of the work, when her part is a bit more lyrical, she seemed as if she were just telling a story, without any visible effort, while in the second, more dramatic part she threw one emotion after another at us. If I may allow myself a sports analogy here, Eiríksdóttir sang as if she were practicing calisthenics (exercises with her own body weight on a horizontal bar). In addition to strength, it also requires great flexibility and coordination, which were her obvious singing attributes.” (Jan Sebastian Tomsa from Klasikaplus.cz)
“Icelandic mezzo-soprano Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir was a perfect, statuesque and slender Charlotte, fragile in her feelings and strong in her voice. Her role is difficult in that she has to be cold and dismissive in acting, while the music speaks of the opposite. She also has a very pleasant timbre of voice and high technical and expressive maturity.” (Svatava Barancicova from operaplus.cz)
“Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir presented herself to the Prague audience for the first time in the leading female role , with a captivating mezzo-soprano and a unique take on the complex role of Charlotte.” (Vaclav Becvar from Operajournal.cz)
“Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir was in tune with Massenet’s style and as Charlotte she demonstrated her stylistic flexibility and versatility in Mozart’s repertoire (Cherubín, Dorabella), Gounod’s Stefano ( Romeo and Juliet ), Janáček’s Varvara, Rossini’s Rosina, Strauss’s Octavian and the Composer, Ligeti’s Amanda ( Le Grand Macabre ) and Neride in Cherubini’s Médée . With her balanced, soft, lighter mezzo-soprano, she captured the hesitation and ambivalence of this orderly bourgeois girl before she gives vent to her love for Werther.” (Helena Havlikova from Operaplus.cz)
