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"Sopranos Agnes Zsigovics and Helene Brunet enchanted the audience with their beautifully blended duet in Laudamus te. Zsigovics also shone in Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, naturally shaping each phrase with her clear, round voice, accompanied by the elegant, lush playing of oboist Matthew Jennejohn." "....making her debut with the consort, Zsigovics sang with a sweet, light soprano that floated in the beauty of the National Presbyterian Church sanctuary...
...Pergolesi's Stabat Mater brought the beauty of both voices together. Zsigovics and Taylor had a wonderful blend. Their phrasing and ornaments "fit the music like a glove." In the duet, O quam tristis, there was a sense of urgency to the singing, with the soaring soprano of Zsigovics interwoven with the depth of Taylor's countertenor.
...Other moments of musical ecstasy came in the solo movements...In Vidit suum dulcem natum, Zsigovics was sublime..."
"Agnes is a promising soprano with a haunting early music style and I hope to hear much more from her in the future. In particular, the ornamentation in Agnes' Lascia ch'io pianga from Handel's Rinaldo was beautifully understated and authentic....The highlights of the second half were the infrequently performed The Pilgrim's Home from the oratorio Theodora which was lovingly sung by Agnes Zsigovics..."
"A highlight of the performance was the aria 'With Tears Overflowing' [Zerfliesse] by soprano Agnes Zsigovics… serene, floating and sumptuous — leaving the listener spellbound."
"Soprano Zsigovics's gorgeous rendition of the aria Bereite dir, Jesu was one of the evening’s highlights..." "...we were treated to the stellar singing of Agnes Zsigovics and outstanding playing of trumpeter Larry Wright... Jaws agape at the end of the cantata, the audience offered a much-deserved standing ovation for the performers." "...He (Daniel Taylor) and some colleagues put on a brief concert of Lute Songs...and some of the singing was done by the silver-voiced young soprano Agnes Zsigovics. Her singing was equal to Taylor's in beauty...Among the highlights of the program were the opening duet, Come again, come again..." "Gregorio Allegri's Miserere mei, Deus...was a joy to hear on Sunday, not least on account of the soaring refrain so beautifully rendered by soprano Agnes Zsigovics." "I recall a ring of my mother's, a basket-weave pattern of strands of silver and gold, the two metals intertwined in a tight embrace. That's the best way I can describe the melding of the voices of countertenor Daniel Taylor and soprano Agnes Zsigovics in Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. The Stabat Mater, in its festival debut, was for me the highlight of an entire evening of lovingly performed music." "The hauntingly beautiful voices of Taylor and Zsigovics, she in her festival debut, melted together like two precious metals, hers of bell-like clarity, his a more complex alchemy, with a sheen like liquid mercury." "...Zsigovics had a creamy, velvety tone. Zsigovics' soulful, yearning aria, Quia respexit, with oboe obbligato by Mary Watt, was a highlight, as was Esurientes implicit, sung by Taylor and accompanied by flutists Robin Kani and Susan Charlton." "Soprano Agnes Zsigovics, was a dream to experience. With a pure sense of sweetness, she invoked a soft satin one might expect in middle voice, though inexplicably extending this supple air over her entire range. In addition to a perpetually tender grace, the soprano could also invoke muscular reserve when called upon -- overall she was pure pleasure to listen to..." "Taylor also sings two meticulously prepared duets with Agnes Zsigovics (Wir eilen mit Schwachen and Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn)." "The large-calibre soloists included soprano Agnes Zsigovics, countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Benjamin Butterfield and Bass Daniel Lichti...Zsigovics and Taylor sang the duet to exquisite perfection." "She sent a thrill down my spine when she hit the first note of her solo squarely and pure." "Agnes Zsigovics (remember that name because she's a real gem) was my favourite; her voice made me melt, it was intoxicating. It was over too soon." "...the performance of Cantata BWV 23 last evening was a feast of beauty, featuring four wonderful soloists, especially the emerging young alumna, Agnes Zsigovics, whose clear, liquid soprano made her aria soar." |