Jessica Pratt, the english soprano (Bristol 1979), living in Australia, who is becoming one of todays reference "belcantista", sang Amenaide, challenging such an inspired Barcelona, and offering us an extraordinary replica that has suspended the physical sensation of space and time, during the second act, with her aria "che Dio Giusto adorano umile". Pratt has a beautiful, clear and penetrating light soprano lyrical voice, both on the high and extremely high registry, of explosive precision. But what I liked most about her performance was in fact this dominion of the voice and of the audience. Only the greatest artists are able to impose the silence. That silence that is overwhelmingly noticeable when a singer distributes pauses to a theater absolutely at it's feet. She did it with great sensibility, with careful and clear musicality, with a dazzling technique, with ornaments, trills and scales at the service of emotions. Stratospheric in the duets with Tancredi, in a joyous alternation of beauty at the service of singing. Belcanto, the most pure, the most beautiful.

...yesterday even more so, the exhibition of Belcanto in it's purest form, offered by Jessica Pratt, was sublime. It was the first time that the soprano rose to the main stage of "Les Artes" to sing an opera, after the brief appearance in the infamous auditorium in 2015 in Mozart's Davidde Penitente, from which we had good impressions, but nothing compared to the master lesson of last night. Jessica Pratt dazzled us with a spectacular vocal brilliance, an uncontested dominance of the upper range and an exquisite and polished vocal line, producing delicate and ethereal sounds without loosing body or presence. A refined singing, adorned with elegant control (sensational, for example, the pianissimi in Giusto Dio che umile adoro); an uncontaminated coloratura in which every note is placed with perfect refinement; every mordente; every trill; every picchiettato; every detail of the score was perfectly heard, transformed in those celestial sounds that the Australian soprano offered us yesterday.

Amenaide, sung by Jessica Pratt, is a more ethereal creature, overwhelmed by events. She is unable to navigate through them, to the point that, somehow, she fails to explain herself to Tancredi and convince him she didn't betray him. Pratt's voice was in excellent form, and it had exactly the right features for Amenaide: a somewhat cold brightness and purity, strong and powerful high notes, with precision and agility in the coloratura, which turned almost Queen of the Night-ish. All this contributed to a convincing, three-dimensional character, whose innocence shone like a diamond against everybody's accusations and doubts. Her high notes were truly spectacular, and her interpretation moving and emotional. Her Act 2 aria and cabaletta were a true journey into Amenaide's soul, where Pratt led us through pain and desperation to hope and joy.

... [Jessica Pratt] showed her "belcantista" qualities, that sense of embellishment of every sentence, of every resolution, that legato of the good old school, the control of the dynamics as well as the good exhibition of coloratura and easiness with the super high notes. Well-coordinated with Barcelona in the two magnificent duets (one for each act), she reached the apex in the great scene of the second act “Gran Dio!...Giusto Dio che adoro umile” with a good display of coloratura that won a great ovation of the audience.

Pratt is one of the few performers who has managed to take over the almost legendary Amenaide of Mariella Devia. The wording, the voluptuousness of the high notes and the scenic control of the character added up to another success of the unstoppable career of Australian coloratura soprano. Memorable the naturalness with which she faced the great "Gran Dio!" scene, undoubtedly one of Rossini's most elaborate productions, as well as the beautiful "Com'è all'alma mia dolce" from the first act.

Valencia: success for Barcellona and Pratt with Roberto Abbado on the podium ... The first reason of this success is the pair of protagonists, Daniela Barcellona and Jessica Pratt: their duets (one per act) were the highlight of the evening, and those who were lucky enough to hear them brought home a lesson on what singing Rossini means, a means to sublimate action and drama in a greater dimension of ideal beauty. ... Pratt showed off an astounding control of technical and vocal means (her cabaletta in the second act brought down the theatre ...

...at her side shined, Jessica Pratt's Amenaide, a singer that convinces from every point of view with her technical competence with which she administers her instrument. On the line of Mariella Devia, the Australian soprano offers a pure emission and a clear and precise singing...

Both Daniela Barcelona and Jessica Pratt, who sang this version in Laussan, have deeply interiorised their roles. Together they formed a beautiful couple. ... Pratt expressed herself with great taste, building her character both from a recitative and a vocal point of view. She showed beautiful legati and picchiettati.

...[Jessica Pratt] soon took the reins, and challenged with drama and credibility the dreadful demands that Rossini poses. Agilities overcome without problems, same for the legati. Together with Barcellona they navigated through the most agitated parts as the most poetic ones. In short: the public enjoyed two accomplished artists who unite an impeccable technique to the deep knowledge of the Rossinian language.

Amenaide is the fresh and young Jessica Pratt, with silvery voice, and easy coloratura.

Along with Barcelona, Jessica Pratt was a sensational Amenide: full voice, agile on both the high registry and the explosive super-high notes, and meticulous phrasing.

It was a moment of great emotional depth by Daniela Barcellona (Tancredi) and a superb Jessica Pratt (Amenaide), emphasized by the orchestra and its director Roberto Abbado with an impressive piano that led to silence, namely death.