"...Soprano Amanda Forsythe owned both the stage and the evening as Queen Partenope, the object of nearly everyone's affections. As both an artist and the character she portrayed, it is easy to see why everyone would fall under her spell — she was seductive, funny, and completely at ease on stage. Forsythe never employs her astonishing virtuosity for merely technical display — her fastest passagework is shaped beautifully, and embellishments seem to contain trills upon trills, all with a very specific emotional and musical purpose. She was simply born for this style of music, and it's easy to imagine that Handel would have loved her. "
Opera News
"...And this was a remarkable cast, especially the scintillating Amanda Forsythe in the title role... Forsythe, singing seven full-length arias (plus duets and other ensembles, everything extremely high and extremely convoluted), was the star she needed to be. Her top range has opened up, so she's now hitting those stratospheric high notes at full volume yet keeping the round sweetness of her tone. She seemed as dewy fresh at the end of the evening as she had sounded three hours earlier. She's an actress with an endearing and knowing slyness — she can be simultaneously flirtatious and deeply loving, girlish and regal. This is a role she was born to play, and aren't we lucky to be around to hear her?"
Boston Phoenix
"...In a production of such depth of talent as this, one is hard-pressed to be concise in one’s praise, but I must certainly begin with Amanda Forsythe, who sang the title role as Partenope, Queen of Naples. She is now, simply, a world-class singer. Not a single vocal challenge – and there were many – was ungracefully met and surpassed, most often with singular beauty of gleaming tone, effortless fioritura, dead-on intonation, and wonderfully inventive da capo ornamentation. I was not alone in my admiration of her artistry – it was gratifying to observe several members of the orchestra’s peerless woodwind section smiling and nodding to one another in appreciation of what Ms. Forsythe was accomplishing with seemingly effortless aplomb. She literally stopped the show several times as the audience enthusiastically demonstrated its rightful admiration for her work."
America Record Guide
"...Just as it once showcased Anna Strada, Partenope this time around proved the perfect frame for one of our most sparkling local stars, the great Amanda Forsythe, who seemed in her best voice ever last Saturday night. Ms. Forsythe's control and intonation were superb in even the most challenging coloratura passages, and she dared to ornament her arias with notes at the very top of the vocal stratosphere. And I cannot help but note that this singer is simply one of the best comic actresses in the city; indeed, the lovely Ms. Forsythe balanced with droll grace a tricky blend of romance, wry intelligence and camp that many comediennes would have been hard-pressed to pull off."
The Hub Review
"...The evening belonged to Amanda Forsythe, who performed the title role. Boston audiences will remember her singing from Boston Baroque’s critically-acclaimed performance and recording of Haydn’s Creation last year and, more recently, the Handel and Haydn Society soirée at Sanders Theatre this past March. As Partenope, Forsythe’s delicate, athletic voice soared above the music, and she handled the winding coloratura lines with ease and grace."
Boston Classical Review
"...Amanda Forsythe was a flirtatious Queen Partenope, who has just founded the city of Naples and is now looking for a husband. ...Her voice has power and great emotional color and was meltingly beautiful in her ode to the “dear walls” of her city."
Boston Globe
"...Given her enormous dramatic and vocal talent, Amanda Forsythe made Partenope the queen of the stage. Her mood swings toward each of the suitors were done with flair and self-assurance. The libretto was designed to give each of the protagonists recitatives and arias to display their art. Forsythe was nimble, focused, and tonally rich in her contributions. "
Arts Fuse
"...As Partenope Boston favorite Amanda Forsythe demonstrated again that she is one of the great early music sopranos singing today. And she can act in a way that brings her characters to vivid realization. Vocally, Forsythe tossed off one bravura aria after another. Her ornamentation was chaste and clean, emerging out of text and music with no show-off singing for its own sake. It was as if Gluck’s reforms had been applied a generation early. Another lovely moment was after the battle, when she returns to Partenope (Naples), a “beautiful city on a beautiful day,” in which Forsythe displayed effortless high notes, her entire voice so sweet you can understand why all the men in her court were in love with her."
Berkshire Fine Arts
