Frugola / Zia Principessa / Zita in IL TRITTICO

Houston Grand Opera

“Barton is a magnificent harpy, cold and frozen as Lake Cocytus in the Inferno. In her black peplum outfit, with glittery pin and up-swept hairdo, she has the look of a bored Park Avenue matron. She nonchalantly smokes a cigarette as she delivers her news. She could be the evil stepmother in a gothic horror, dripping attitude and bereft of any familial feeling. She’s chilling…and delicious. Barton has a field day as battleaxe Zita, sashaying about like a Fellini cartoon.”
–Houston Press

“HGO complemented with company favorites, prime among them bass-baritone Ryan McKinny and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton—each of whom has delivered an array of vibrant performances in operas old and new. Playing the scavenger Frugola, Giorgetta’s pal, Barton revealed a gift for bubbly joviality rarely glimpsed in  previous HGO roles. As Barton’s smiling Frugola chattered about her beloved cat and her hopes for a peaceful home with her husband, flashes of her voice’s familiar heft peeked through, though. Playing Angelica’s aunt, the Princess, Barton exuded hard-heartedness. Her demeanor was aloof and imperious, her voice full-throated but devoid of warmth. Yet Barton also let loose with a lyrical outpouring when the Princess described her visions of communicating with Angelica’s late mother. Among the members of the money-hungry clan, Barton was a picture of comic conniving as Zita.”
–Texas Classical Review