Fricka in DAS RHEINGOLD
New York Philharmonic
“So nothing stands in the way of an extraordinary — indeed, flawless — young Anglo-American cast...In fact, Wagner’s characters all feel human here. Fricka, Wotan’s wife, sung with molten tone by Jamie Barton, isn’t the traditional harridan, but sober and wounded."
–Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times
"We heard three towering performances. Jamie Barton was a magnificent Fricka, her sumptuous voice as silky as her dress, fully attentive to details of language and movement."
–David Shengold, Gay City News
"Jamie Barton, an opulent Fricka, delivered her wish for gold finery with such seductiveness that you wondered how Wotan could ever resist her blandishments."
–Fred Cohn, Opera News
"Wotan’s wife Fricka is a weighty figure in the first leg of the Ring cycle, and Jamie Barton was a perfect match for the role, commanding respect with her presence alone. Barton possesses a powerful mezzo-soprano that she can fashion to fit various demands, summoning up a hard amber sound when she needed to project authority, and finding a much softer, more lyrical note in her lamentations."
–Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review
"Jamie Barton complemented Owens as a solid, sensual Fricka..."
–Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times
“This was a commanding performance, nobly sung and surely phrased, promising much for the rest of The Ring. But nearly everyone was as good, or even better. Jamie Barton was the rich-voiced Fricka…”
–John Rockwell, Opera Magazine
"With her malleable and soaring young voice, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton was both powerful and lyrical as Fricka, Wotan’s wife."
–Edward Sava-Segal, Bachtrack
"New York loves Eric Owens and Jamie Barton, the evening’s Wotan and Fricka. There is no doubt of this. And Barton, who has been singing Fricka in Houston, has the chops for it, a smooth, hall-filling sound, agitated because Fricka is so often in a mood, don’t you know, but the emotions play out over a calm, well-regulated sea."
–John Yohalem, Parterre Box
"The mezzo Jamie Barton was an outstanding Fricka. With her dark, large, and perfectly managed voice, she confirmed the great impression she gave us as the witch Jezibaba in the Met’s Rusalka. From her first speech recounting to Wotan his pact with the giants, to her affected theme of pain, it was a very well interpreted Fricka. We look forward to hearing her in Die Walküre."
–Pedro J. Lapeña, Codalario
"The women in the story had a good night... Heading the list was the plush-voiced Jamie Barton as Fricka, the wronged wife of Wotan and a sympathetic figure toward her siblings in the opera. From bel canto to Wagner, there's nothing that seems out of reach for her powerful yet warm voice."
–Richard Sasanow, Broadway World Opera
"Jamie Barton complemented [Owens] as a solid, sensual Fricka..."
–Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times