In the lead role soprano, Christine Lyons delivered as Alaide…a sturdy performance full of great intensity. She possesses a very full sound with a fast vibrato that moves well from top to bottom with great agility in the coloratura scattered around the piece. She also often utilized a glorious portamento to connect higher note with those residing in lower registers. In some of her finest moments, her vocal qualities bore a striking similarity to that of Sondra Radvanovsky in not only its colors but the phrasing of the portamenti. She also has a strong lower range… Lyons was at her best during the closing arias, “Ah! Lo ravviso!” and “Or sei pago,” of Acts one and two, with both scenes allowing her to dig into the desperation and passion of Alaide as she loses both men in her life. Both passages require the soprano to sing over a massive chorus, something that she is also asked to do at several other intervals. This made the opera’s final moments, with its devilish vocal ascensions to a high D flat the most impressive moment of her vocal output. Here she let her voice soar to its maximum potential, expressing the fury and madness that Alaide feels in this moment. Where many sopranos simply wait for the few notes before the ascension to the high D flat, Lyons sang every single one… to end the opera with a spectacular wave of sound that capped a splendid evening for her.
OPERAWIRE
Lyons excelled in her blistering final cabaletta in which she, like a Donizetti heroine headed for the block, curses fate and welcomes death.
OPERA MAGAZINE (LONDON)
The soprano Christine Lyons, as Alaide, the melancholy stranger of the title of Bellini’s opera, dealt capably with the bursts of fury that end each act, her voice blossoming down into its depths.
NEW YORK TIMES
Soprano Christine Lyons possessed... the requisite bel canto techniques for the title role, including solid coloratura and legato…ample vibrato.
OPERA NEWS
Christine Lyons was a magnificent Alaide, her warm, creamy soprano at its very best when challenged by Bellini’s seemingly endless melodies. Intense and soulful, this was a tragic “Straniera” from the start, her final aria “Sono all’ara” crowning a performance of real stature.
MUSICAL AMERICA WORLDWIDE
Cast standouts included soprano Christine Lyons, whose rich, ample voice sailed through the demanding title role with power and poise.
CLASSICAL VOICE AMERICA
The mysterious Alaide was soprano Christine Lyons, with strength and a fearless attack at both ends of her voice…her final scene created an uproar.
BACHTRACK
[Lyons] is a natural communicator with an individual soprano sound — a lush timbre overlaid with shimmering silvery overtones. A fast but even vibrato runs through her voice like a current of electricity.
GAY CITY NEWS
In the starring role we had a Teatro Nuovo regular—soprano Christine Lyons whose passion brought Alaide to life. Her innate musicality brought out the beauty of Bellini’s vocal lines in the lyrical passages. The vocal range called for was quite wide but Ms. Lyons was undaunted. There was the requisite brilliance in the upper register and substantial power at the bottom.
VOCE DI MECHE
[Lyons] made a persuasive case for [her] music.
BROADWAY WORLD
Christine Lyons, the evening’s Alaide, has a striking chesty soprano with an attractive smoky quality.
PARTERRE BOX
Lyons offered expressive singing, with an appealing sense of the character’s vulnerability.
OBERON'S GROVE
Christine Lyons was... regal as Alaide, the mysterious stranger, who is actually a queen in hiding.
SEEN AND HEARD INTERNAT'L
