Rebecca Nelsen Press Reviews:
Fiorilla in Rossini's Turco in Italia at Garsington Opera June/July 2011:
Dazu an diesem Sommerabend eine Gesangsentdeckung - die junge in Wien lebende amerikanische Sopranistin Rebecca Nelsen, zum ersten Mal in England engagiert, mit einem Belcanto zum Schmelzen, in allen Rossini-Lagen, von dramatischer Koloratur bis zur frivolen Gefühlspalette. Sie singt die Rolle der koketten Fiorilla, der neben dem türkischen Prinzen Selim noch anderes Mannsvolk zu Füßen liegt. Ihre schauspielerische Begabung hält leicht mit ihrer stimmlichen Meisterschaft Schritt.
Mr. Duncan treated the framing story of the poet looking for a plot for a comedy as seriously as David Parry and the singers did the music. And there were some stars among them, especially Rebecca Nelsen as party girl Fiorilla. Ms. Nelson has the breath control necessary to spin out the long, long Rossini lines (a virtue shared by Quirijn de Lang as the Turk).
As things stand, Garsington has the perfect minx in Rebecca Nelsen's Fiorilla, ...Nelsen's Fiorilla steals the show. Too hot for Geoffrey Dolton's twitchy Geronio to handle, hers is a small but sparkling voice, flexible, vivacious and with plenty of ping. The Independant
Leading lady, Rebecca Nelsen, was perfectly cast as feisty Fiorilla; a formidable character working alongside long-suffering husband Geronio, expertly played by Geoffrey Dolton.
Both Quirijn de Lang and Rebecca Nelsen possess the good looks and vocal skills needed for the two leads – the travelling Turkish prince Selim and the married but flirtatious Neapolitan Fiorilla.
Brillantemente dirigidos desde el foso por David Parry, los intérpretes dan toda una lección de "bel canto" rossiniano, con una extraordinaria Rebecca Nelsen. Junto a la joven y talentuda soprano tejana hay que mencionar al holandés Quirijn de Lang como el príncipe Selim.
The star of the evening was the wonderfully assured performance of Rebecca Nelsen as Fiorilla, wife of Don Geronio, and a strong contender to be the best tart in operatic history.
But in an accomplished cast, Rebecca Nelson’s flighty Fiorilla stands out. Confidently alluring and comically intuitive, she is also vocally ravishing, matching athleticism with effortless tonal shading. She is surely a star on the rise.
It was perhaps unsurprising then, once we'd gauged the quality of wife Fiorilla (Rebecca Nelson), which didn't take long, that the highlights of the evening would be the domestic scenes between the warring couple. Nelson's voice, seeming almost to be at one with her springing knees and swinging hips, was a thoroughly sexy display.
But the star of the show is unquestionably Rebecca Nelsen, a last-minute substitute as Fiorilla, and here making her UK debut. Humorously provocative of body language, and stunning of voice, she is a real find.
Il Turco In Italia is a joy from start to finish in director Martin Duncan and designer Francis O’Connor’s staging, set in Fifties Naples. The opera shows Rossini at his most lighthearted and inventive. Rebecca Nelsen’s Fiorilla is a stunner in red, flashing a scarlet lipstick smile at the glamorous Turk (Quirijn de Lang) and upbraiding her hapless husband, a comic and heart-touching portrayal by Geoffrey Dolton. Mark Stone, as the Poet, masterminds the twists of plot with relish. Pure gold.
The Brothers reviews:
Rebecca Nelsen, die bereits in Venedig und Dresden zu hören war, bringt Jugendlichkeit und Charme ein – eine Mischung aus Barbara Bonney, Dawn Upshaw und Natalie Dessay, wenn man so möchte... Im großen Liebesduett der zweiten Szene harmonieren Nelsen und Wade perfekt.
Auch und gerade in der Provinz findet man jederzeit gute Sänger: Begabungen wie die Sopranistin Rebecca Nelsen und der Bariton William Dazeley belegen die alte Opern-Weisheit.
Besetzung und Ausführung lassen kaum einen Wunsch offen....Rebecca Nelsen ist über weite Strecken eine gut gewählte, vor allem lyrisch überzeugende Mary...