“She certainly conveyed the emotional turbulence of the high-strung young Lisa, who breaks off her engagement to the honorable Prince Yeletsky because she is captivated by Ghermann’s intensity. At moments she sang with restraint and sensitivity. And during her final scene, when Lisa despairs of the unhinged Ghermann, Ms. Guleghina knocked you into submission through the sheer power and hard-edged gleam of her singing.”
The New York Times
“Maria Guleghina has one of the most beautiful, most abundant soprano voices on stage today. It fills the cavernous hall, and carries a powerful emotional message. She is not an entertainer; she is an artist, and one of high stature. Her charm in the first act scene with her school friends, her subsequent portrayal of awakening love, her first duet with Gherman, and finally her despair and resignation in the last act aria, all made a sum total of ingenuousness and skill, delivered with beauty of tone and magnificent phrasing. Hearing a performance such as this, one cannot help but wonder at the mysterious ability of music to sound the depths of the human heart.”
Classical Voice