Table of Contents (click to jump to section):
Opera
Concerts & Recitals
Programs by Adrienne
Recordings
Opera
“The singers in this production represented a notably strong cast, with a couple of stellar portrayals among the singers. Pride of place must surely go to soprano Adrienne Danrich, our Aida (after all, the opera is named after her). Her voice is a lustrous and rich soprano, which she uses judiciously, alternatively toning down her delivery to portray tenderness and anxiety (her “Ritorna Vincitor!” was the real highlight of Act I) or pouring on the power and rising effortlessly above the orchestra and fellow singers, as in the Act II sextet.
Danrich really came into her own during Act III (which is essentially all about Aida anyway). She commences the act with her aria “O patria mia”, in which Danrich was excellent as she sang about her conflicting emotions (her desire for Radames to win glory at the cost of the defeat of her own country).
Then her mood changes as her father, Amonasro, shames her into tricking Radames into betraying the Egyptians’ war plans. From this moment of abject despair, there is yet another transition as Radames appears, and he and Aida sing of love, and, eventually, of escape to her country.
Danrich negotiated all of these changes with beautiful vocal shadings, never sacrificing purity of tone for sheer dramatic effect. In point of fact, with a voice like hers, she doesn’t need to resort to such histrionics.”
Capital Gazette (For Title Role in Aïda with Annapolis Opera)
“It has been an occasion to listen to Adrienne Danrich, an authentic lirico spinto soprano…an Anna who remarkably made herself heard during the concerti! A name to follow.”
Cincinnati Opera (For Role as Anna in Nabucco)
“Danrich’s “Dove sono” was meltingly tender in its high, floating vulnerability, but a vein of iron ran through it, reflecting the Countess’s anger at her philandering husband. It was a classic diva moment, the expression of a strong woman imprisoned by her role.”
Opera News (For Role as La Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Sarasota Opera)
“Adrienne Danrich, possessing a lovely, supple voice, is a heartbroken and humbled Countess”
Herald Tribune (For Role as La Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Sarasota Opera)
“Adrienne Danrich offered a notably sentimental characterization of the Countess, nicely sung – a most effective, affecting performance.”
Opera News (For Role as La Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Dayton Opera)
“…a beautiful and dignified Contessa. Her two great arias…sat beautifully in her soaring soprano voice….singing ‘Dove sono’ I believe the applause would have stopped the show.”
The Oakland Register (For Role as La Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Dayton Opera)
“Adrienne Danrich (Sr. Rose) offered a rich voice and an ingratiating stage presence. Her extended duet with Sr. Helen, late in the evening, was a true musical highlight.”
Opera News (For Role as Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with New Orleans Opera)
“As Sister Rose, Adrienne Danrich sang gorgeously and eloquently.”
Opera News (For Role as Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with Fort Worth Opera)
“Sister Rose, powerfully performed by Adrienne Danrich…”
Theater Jones (For Role as Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with Fort Worth Opera)
“At times Gittelman delivered more than a touch of Wagnerian dramatic power, especially in Serena’s ‘My Man’s Gone Now,’ in which Adrienne Danrich poured out rich molten sorrow.”
Opera News (For Role as Serena in Porgy and Bess with Dayton Opera)
“While it would be inappropriate to review a rehearsal at this early stage, suffice it to say that audience members can expect to see a production filled with heart, memorable music and wonderful singing…Even in rehearsal, with piano instead of an orchestra, Adrienne Danrich as Serena offers an emotionally searing, beautifully sung ‘My Man’s Gone Now.'”
Dayton City Paper (For Role as Serena in Porgy and Bess with Dayton Opera)
“Adrienne Danrich brought Verdi into Gershwin. Her ‘My Man’s Gone Now’ resonated to the very walls with magnificent power and vocal grace.”
The Oakwood Register (For Role as Serena in Porgy and Bess with Dayton Opera)
“Soprano Adrienne Danrich was the musical and dramatic backbone of the Catfish Row community as Serena, shouldering both facets of her role with complete command.”
JSOnline (For Role as Serena in Porgy and Bess with Skylight Music Theater)
“The showstopper of the evening, however, belongs to Adrienne Danrich, who plays the wife of Crown’s early victim. Her mournful soprano voice on ‘My Man’s Gone Now’ cuts through the theatre and to the heart like a blaze of fire through ice.”
On Milwaukee (For Role as Serena in Porgy and Bess with Skylight Music Theater)
“Adrienne Danrich let her luxuriant soprano soar in Serena’s emotion-laden lament for her dead husband and then the gospel-inspired invocation to ‘Dr. Jesus.'”
Opera Lively (For Role as Serena in Porgy and Bess with Cincinnati Opera)
“…amazing vocal powers have power and range, yet modulations of tonal beauty that make the listener sigh with pleasure. … Adrienne Danrich will soon be the successor to the great Leontyne Price.”
The Oakwood Register (For Role as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Dayton Opera)
“Centering the show was Adrienne Danrich as the idealistic defense attorney Tamara Kilgore, her transcendent voice plunging to contralto-dark profundity and rocketing to high B-flats that would honor the triumphal scene of Aïda.”
The Observer (For Role as Tamara Kilgore in Bonfire of the Vanities with El Museo del Barrio)
“The music is extremely pleasant to your ear, its rhythm entertaining, and its fraseggio vivacious and delicate: yet, it does not drown the words, so it makes the libretto breathe, without suffocating it. Though verging on the virtuoso at some points, the music still does not get trapped in it: no matter how enchanted you are by the vibrato and the voice of Adrienne Danrich, you will understand the message of her central aria: ‘it’s worse when you are black!’ And that word ‘black,’ clearly yet beautifully transmitted by her voice, kept resonating in my mind, despite the music, or perhaps precisely because of the music, for hours. The Bonfire of the Vanities achieves the impossible and it does so in a particularly distinctive way.”
Public Seminar (For Role as Tamara Kilgore in Bonfire of the Vanities with El Museo del Barrio)
“… the fresh, liquid-silver soprano of Adrienne Danrich made for a radiant heroine.”
Opera News (For Role as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Kentucky Opera)
Concert & Recitals
“Guest artist, along with [Pastor Marvin] Winans, was soprano Adrienne Danrich, who in addition to spiritual and gospel songs, lent her velvety operatic voice to an aria from Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” (“A Masked Ball”), “Morrò, ma prima in grazia” (“I shall die, but one last wish”)… The spiritual was represented by “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” given an exquisite rendition by Danrich… Another crowd favorite was Otis Redding’s “Respect,” a feminist anthem sung with zest by Danrich”
Cincinnati Enquirer (For Classical Roots: The Power of Song with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
“… New York-based soprano Adrienne Danrich, who substituted for an ailing Margaret O’Keefe on 48 hours notice (although Danrich had never previously sung the part), added a glistening top to the ensemble work and sang solo passages with an unforced bell-like tone that penetrated to the far corners of the hall.”
Cape Cod Times (For Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra)
“The Whitman settings were sung with fierce theatrical intelligence and flawless voice by Adrienne Danrich, whose astonishing range of expression was well paired with the warm, deft cello playing of Hamilton Berry. The first setting by Daniel Felsenfeld was hypnotic, honey-like; the second, by Andrew Staniland, much more percussive, with Danrich offering a sometimes frightening portrayal of madness while still remaining fully in control of her technique.”
Opera Insider (For Opera Grows in Brooklyn with America Opera Projects at Galapagos Artspace)
“The evening started off with a bang, or more accurately, a superbly sung and beautifully phrased song, performed by Adrienne Danrich. Ms. Danrich’s huge, lush, dark voice rocked me with its intensity, and her careful handling of the beautiful poetry made the otherwise acoustically dead room spin with emotion”
Parterre (For Opera Grows in Brooklyn with America Opera Projects at Galapagos Artspace)
“The lovely Adrienne Danrich, who deserves to be much better known, went from Verdi’s heartbreaking “Morro, ma prima in grazia” from Un ballo in maschera to the equally heartbreaking “My Man’s Gone Now” from Porgy and Bess.”
The Opera Insider (For Lauren Flanigan’s Comfort Ye at Symphony Space in New York City)
“It was our first time hearing Poulenc’s “La Dame de Monte Carlo”, a 1961 setting of a work by Jean Cocteau. To hear it sung at all would have been a treat, but to hear this scena as performed by Adrienne Danrich was a revelation. Ms. Danrich dressed for the part of a down-on-her-luck potential suicide who is keeping herself going by gambling at Monte Carlo; she threw herself completely into the part with her grandly expansive soprano and conveyed every nuance in the piece. A triumph! She did equal justice to four Rachmaninoff songs, our favorite of which was “Child, You are Fair as a Flower”. Her a cappella encore “Lord, I just can’t keep from crying” was incredibly moving.”
Voce di Meche (For Lotte Lehman Foundation Recital at Christ & St. Stephen’s Church in New York City)
“Danrich sings selections from the repertoire of legendary sopranos Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price. Her clear, controlled, soaring sound is a good complement to Mabon’s power and presence.”
JSOnline (For Paul Robeson Tribute at Next Act Theater in Milwaukee, WI)
Programs Written by Adrienne
AN EVENING IN THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE
“Brilliant singing, inspiring history and infectious enthusiasm for a crucial time in American life make this a must-see show.”
“An echo of not only the sounds but also the excitement of the Harlem Renaissance electrified the Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall Saturday. Adrienne Danrich, a world-class soprano with blues in her soul, put on her Evening in the Harlem Renaissance on UWM’s Vocal Arts Series. I talked with Danrich Thursday, but didn’t realize the scope of her show until I experienced it…” (Read Full Review)
Urban Milwaukee
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE
“Danrich’s spinto soprano is deep, expansive and powerful. She was stunning in arias from Puccini’s Turandot and Madame Butterfly, and she is a skilled interpreter of spirituals.”
“Soprano Adrienne Danrich can really sing.
Danrich wrote This Little Light of Mine (commissioned by the Cincinnati Opera) to tell the stories of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price through their own recordings, quotes, pictures, and her own interpretations of the arias and spirituals that made them famous. Danrich focuses mostly on the racial barriers that these breached to lead the way for African Americans in this country and in the world of opera…” (Read Full Review)
Urban Milwaukee
“Adrienne Danrich is definitely on my soprano radar as of now. She needs to be on yours.”
“Baltimore Concert Opera’s ‘This Little Light of Mine’ is a miracle to behold and a perfect way to recognize Black History Month through the arts this weekend! If you are able to attend tomorrow (Sunday, March 1st), GET THERE. Adrienne Danrich is not only a gifted singer, but also a beautifully articulate speaker on and off the proverbial cuff. The soprano essayed the groundbreaking careers of two towering pioneering black women in classical music: Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price. What was most remarkable about the performance was the way in which she illuminated the determination and fruition of their careers alongside the very real racism that these singer faced on a daily basis. We forget how far we’ve come sometimes…” (Read Full Review)
Operagasm.com
Recordings
“‘Let it go’ from the 1995 songbook, features soprano Adrienne Danrich, who brings a sensual timbre and dramatic truth to composer Carol Barnett’s hovering vocal line, while the excellent Thomas Bagwell paints a dreamy, impressionistic piano part, climaxing in poet Michael Estok’s defiant cry, ‘Let music deafen us!'”
Opera News (For AIDS QUILT SONGBOOK: SING FOR HOPE – Roven Records)