PREMIERE: G.ROSSINI "ADELAIDE DI BORGOGNA" [OTTON]

"That’s a great musical pity that this opera is performed so rarely, whereas the numerous arias and duets are absolute hits. Above all, Margarita Gritskova performs the travesty role of Ottone. She scores with the mellow and voluminous Mezzo already in her entrance cavatina „Soffri la tua sventura” in which the king decides to follow Adelaide’s cry for help. Also in the marvelous duet at the end of the first act „Mi dai corona e vita” in which Ottone and Adelaide realize their affection, she shares some ardency, which gets under the skin, together with Ekaterina Sadovnikova in the title role. It doesn’t disturb that the stage direction doesn’t try to hide that Ottone is sung by a woman and is optically apart from Gritskova’s costume not mannish. Ottone’s final aria "Vieni: tuo sposo e amante" at the end of the second act brings the happy future for Ottone and Adelaide. Gritskova scores with her amazing mezzo – what one can expect from this singer in the future!"
Thomas Molke, OMM, Juli 2014

"Margarita Gritskova in the role of the King Ottone is extraordinarily good. Quite natural she can and does the ruler’s gestures with little short of carelessness. Vocally the mezzo-soprano singer is an elemental force and blasts conventionalities of Rossini’s repertoire. She fulfills well in this travesty role to build a delicate balance act between the authority and the indulgent ruler at once, and this is all by not hiding her female nature."
Armin Friedel, Stuttgarter-Nachrichten, Juli 2014

"The extraordinary and hurried ahead reputation of Margarita Gritskova as an ensemble member of the Vienna State Opera has been not only confirmed, but encouraged by the point that the gates of the most important stages of the world have to be opened already now for her. She is the mezzo-soprano, a beguiling sensuous nature and a streaming organism from her warm lower up to the beaming emphatic upper register, slight in the behavior, excellent in the coloraturas and easy in all important articulation – this all enables her to handle playfully with a suitable expression without giving an impression of wasting the mezzo. So becomes the character of Ottone, completed with the elegant and ever-present appearance of the Russian, the highest credibility. A deserved hurricane of fascination followed shortly after her entrance aria."
Udo Klebes, Neue Merker, Juli 2014

"Firstly, Margarita Gritskova is to be called the androgynous Ottone. The Russian mezzo-soprano singer has already shined at the Vienna State Opera in the role of Angelina in "La Cenerentola" and in the role of Rosina in the „Barbiere di Siviglia“ („The Barber of Seville”); she proved in Bad Wildbad that she became self-confident for the opera seria. Her versatile mezzo has the slight noblesse for tender moments of the meeting with Adelaide as well as for the sharp final like the quartet in the second act and the triumph at the end. Gritskova created the entrance cavatina „Soffri la tua sventura“ as a classic example of the controlled, expressive singing; The Recitative „O sacra alla virtú” is the nicest, solemn „canto spianato”. Gritskova also inserts the coloraturas and ornaments; her change of register is blending and ensures the consistently produced tones."
Werner Häussner, Neue Merker, Juli 2014

"Margarita Gritskova in the travesty role of Ottone is a perfect sensation: her mezzo is harmonious in all registers and explosive pitches. She’s done it already up to the Vienna State Opera".
Heinz W.Koch, Badische Zeitung, Juli 2014

Gritskova is a modest finding both in acting and singing. Her Mezzo is voluminous, at lower, middle and high register and full of bel canto elegance if the role requires. She copes with the vocal breaks in the most expressive moments with an ease and sophistication which astonish a lot."
Ralf Siepmann, "Opernnetz.de", Juli 2014

"Margarita Gritskova was remembered by her performance of Ottone’s role. As an opera singer with deep and pure mezzo-soprano, she performed all the coloratura professionally, sang high notes and shared her romantic feelings honestly. What about her final aria in rondo of Adelaida, it burst like a firework and totally fascinated the audience".
FORUMOPERA.com, July 2014

"The role of Ottone was given to contralto singer Margarita Gritskova, whose velvet tone of voice fascinates everyone”.
POLY, July 2014

"The Bad Wildbad performance is enjoyable enough, Margarita Gritskova as Ottone has a smooth voice over the whole range, a clear enough diction and a fair coloratura."
"Il giardino di Armida", 29.07.2014