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.

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.

Soprano Jessica Pratt had already given us a small taste of her capabilities, two years ago, in a brief appearance for Mozart's Davidde Penitente. Friday she assumed the role of Amenaide and did it with an homogeneous timbre over the whole vocal register and with a projected vocal position. The English soprano received one of the loudest ovations before the curtain call and maintained the quality throughout the opera, refining arias of extreme difficulty with emphasis and elegance. Should we make a ranking, now that the season is ending, Pratt is without any doubt, the great triumpher.

The excellent performance of both the mezzo Barcellona and soprano Pratt add to the brave and passioned musical direction of Roberto Abbado... No less the British soprano Jessica Pratt with a captivating voice and a prodigious agility, has played an Amenaide that fights against adversities... Pratt clearly obtained the favor of the public with the virtuosity with which she sang arias and cavatinas such as "No, che il morir non è", in addition to beautiful duets with Daniela Barcellona. The two protagonists fought the brass with courage, since their respective scores are of a great vocal exigency. They offered evocative moments in which, above all, they emphasized the beauty of their voices.

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.

...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...