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Donald E. Osborne, Director California Artists Management 564 Market Street, Suite 420, San Francisco, CA 94104-5412 415 362-2787 / fax: 415 362-2838 / Skype: calartistsdon / Email |
Susan Endrizzi Morris, Director California Artists Management P.O. Box 2479, Mendocino, CA 95460-2479 707-937-4787 / cell: 415-302-1083 / Skype: sueendrizzi / Email |
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Ellen Hargis
Soprano
(Updated September 2010 - Please discard any previous version)
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Soprano Ellen Hargis is one of
America’s premier early music singers, specializing in repertoire ranging from
ballads to opera and oratorio. She has performed with many of the foremost
period music conductors of the world,
including Andrew Parrott, Gustav Leonhardt, Paul Goodwin, Jane Glover, Simon
Preston, Nicholas Kraemer, Daniel Harding, Paul Hillier, Harry Bicket, Craig
Smith and Jeffrey Thomas. She has performed with the Estonian National Symphony
Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, Washington Choral
Arts Society, Long Beach Opera, CBC Radio Orchestra, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra,
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Teatro Lirico,
Tragicomedia, New York Collegium, The Mozartean Players, Fretwork, Seattle
Baroque, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Emmanuel Music and the Mark Morris Dance
Group. She has appeared at many of the world’s leading festivals, including the
Adelaide Festival (Australia), Utrecht Festival (Holland), Resonanzen Festival
(Vienna), MusicFest Vancouver. Tanglewood, The Monadnock Festival, Berkeley
Festival and New Music America Festival. She was featured in successive seasons
of the Boston Early Music Festival in such roles as Aeglé in Lully’s
Thésée, the title role in Luigi
Rossi's L'Orfeo, Queen Pasiphae in
Conradi’s Ariadne and Irina in Johann
Mattheson’s 1710 opera, Boris Goudenow.
Lully’s Thésée and Conradi’s
Ariadne were recorded for CPO and were
nominated respectively for 2007 and 2006 Grammys.
Recent engagements include a recital of French Baroque cantatas and a
performance of the Monteverdi Vespers for MusicFest in Vancouver, the title role
in Purcell’s
Dido and Aeneas
in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bach’s
St. John Passion with The American Bach Soloists in
California, and performances in Raleigh-Durham, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and
Providence. This season’s highlights include a return to Vancouver for a program
of Bach cantatas in the Chan Centre, recitals with Paul O’Dette in San
Francisco, Chicago, and North Carolina, a concert of solo cantatas with Musica
Angelica in Los Angeles, a program of music of Steffani with Tragicomedia at the
Boston Early Music Festival and guest appearances with the chamber ensembles
Piffaro and Musica Pacifica.
Ellen Hargis is also featured on a dozen
Harmonia Mundi recordings, including a critically acclaimed solo recital disc of
music by Jacopo Peri, and in Arvo Pärt's Berlin Mass with Theatre of Voices. She
appears on a recording of Handel solo cantatas with the Seattle Baroque
Orchestra on Wild Boar, the premiere recording of the Bonporti motets for
soprano on Dorian, two recital discs with Paul O’Dette and other recordings on
BMG Classics, Vanguard Classics, Virgin Classics, Erato, Dorian Classics and
Berlin Classics. Her recording of
Tristan et Iseult with The Boston Camerata was winner of the
Grand Prix du Disque.
In addition to performing, Ms. Hargis is Co-Director of the Newberry Consort,
and is a highly respected teacher. She teaches voice at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, and is Artist-in-Residence with the Newberry Consort at
the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.
Ms. Hargis teaches the annual Vancouver Baroque Vocal Programme:
The Compleat Singer
each August. She has directed Baroque Opera in period stagings, and is the
Assistant Stage Director to Gilbert Blin for the Boston Early Music Festival.
In Purcell's Dido and Aeneas:
“Purcell's ‘Dido and Aeneas’ was ultimately quite moving, thanks to
Hargis’ touching final aria.”
St. Paul Pioneer Press - May 14, 2010
With Piffaro in Philadelphia:
“The program easily sustained its two-hour length, thanks to singers
Ellen Hargis and Drew Minter, longtime fixtures in the early-music world and in
particularly good form - as in most periods of Spanish music, the voice was the
thing. Keen attention to the words is often too much to hope for from singers
who do not speak Spanish, but with artists as cultivated as Hargis, that is what
the audience got in a more complete realization of the music than one is likely
to hear for a while.”
Philadelphia Inquirer - April 21, 2010
St. John Passion, American Bach Soloists:
“Ellen Hargis sent chills down my spine with her austere interjections.”
SFCV.org - March 1, 2010
Newberry Consort:
“The opening set featured Dowland’s low-lying song In Darkness Let Me
Dwell (1610), beautifully handled by Ellen Hargis.”
ChicagoClassicalReview - February 23, 2010
Ellen Hargis and her lute partner Paul O’Dette made Pittsburgh’s “Top
Ten” concerts of 2009 in an unusual concert with King’s Noyse:
“Who knew that performance practice could fit so naturally with the
blues? Expressive soprano Ellen Hargis, gently coaxing along ‘Summertime,’
‘Round Midnight’ and other songs, and lute master Paul O’Dette’s delicately
interpreting the Beatles’ ‘Michelle.’”
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - December 17, 2009
Program of early American music at Newberry Consort, Chicago:
“Soprano Ellen Hargis brought artful artlessness to such salon and
fireside fare as ‘Beautiful Dreamer,’ ‘Sweet Betsy From Pike’ and ‘The Girl I
Left Behind Me.’”
Chicago Tribune - November 5, 2009
In Handel and Lully, Raleigh, NC:
“Soprano Ellen Hargis gave a stellar performance with superb diction and
phrasing and an evenly supported, warm-toned voice across its range. The clarity
and precision of Hargis's French in the recitatives and airs was amazing. Her
care for words and meaning came across in every phrase. Above all, she and her
colleagues displayed the prized French qualities of elegance and precision.”
CVNC.org - September 11, 2009
“One of early music’s greatest singers and BEMF veteran, Ellen Hargis.”
Berkshire Review - June 6, 2009
“Hargis not only conveyed the meaning of lyrics and sang with an
unaffected, bright timbre, but she also freely maneuvered in her high range.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - February 2, 2009
“Soprano Ellen Hargis sang with beautiful attention to phrasing.”
Hyde Park Herald - October 29, 2008
“One admired the musicality and stylistic awareness Minter and soprano
Ellen Hargis brought to arias and duets from ‘Flavio,’ ‘Acis and Galatea’ and
other stage works.”
Chicago Tribune - October 20, 2008
“The 42nd Indianapolis Early Music Festival began last weekend with a most
pleasant “noise” —The King’s Noyse, with soprano Ellen Hargis adding a vocal
dimension. Hargis revealed a rich, vibrant voice.”
Nuvo - July 3, 2008
“His beloved Aeglé, who loves Thésée, is sung smoothly and with feeling and pure
tone by soprano Ellen Hargis.”
Musichello.blogspot.com - February 5, 2008
“The silver-voiced soprano Ellen Hargis sings songs by Monteverdi, Purcell,
Barbara Strozzi, and a Handel cantata, with harpsichordist David Schrader
handling the harpsichord detail.”
Time Out Chicago -
November 28, 2007
“Before this, there has been three hours' worth of splendid music, sent
forth in wonderful Baroque sonorities led by the lutenist Paul O'Dette, whom we
all know to be the best there is. So are Howard Crook and Ellen Hargis, the
Aegle.”
LA Weekly - August 15, 2007
“Ellen Hargis, with her light soprano, lends the Princess Aegle a
wonderful glow.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung –
August 11, 2007
Concert with lutenist Paul
O'Dette from the Vancouver Early Music Festival:
Headline: “Concert brings the
Elizabethan to life - Early Music Festival performance reconstructs historic
with impressive results.”
“It would be hard to imagine
the queen in possession of better musicians than the ones we heard, especially
O'Dette, who was faultlessly fluent on his lute. Also, Hargis's soprano rang
clearly and eloquently. There were two songs in particular that were shattering:
Flow My Tears and In Darkness Let Me Dwell. Hargis in her singing was moving
beyond words. The house was deservedly full.”
Vancouver Sun - August 7, 2007
“Ellen’s sense of operatic gesture is superb. Ellen Hargis’ stage
presence is simply phenomenal. In the various BEMF performances in which she
appeared last week, what struck me most about her stage skill was the simplicity
of her body language. She didn’t have to gesticulate and pace around on the
stage to be expressive. She projects an aura of mobility which gives her
individual gestures weight and emotional power. The word ‘impressive’ is
insufficient to describe Ellen’s physical presence on stage—as we saw in her
performances at last week’s Boston Early Music Festival. Her beauty and smile
are so striking that you can feel the audience focus on her and, at that moment,
I wouldn’t have been surprised if the musicians lowered their bows and the whole
audience got to their feet. When music moves you to the extent of rendering you
speechless, you utter platitudes like ‘This is music to die for.’ In the case of
Ellen Hargis, I would invert it: this is music to live for!”
Chamber Music Today - June 23, 2007
Performance at the Boston Early
Music Festival:
“Laissez la verte couleur," had
an unaffected directness, with a compelling clarity of diction and phrasing.
For ‘Hélas faut-il que je lamente,’ Hargis underlined the drama.”
Boston Globe - June 14, 2007
Concert with Paul O'Dette at
New York City's Morgan Library:
“Soprano Ellen Hargis and the
lutenist Paul O'Dette, who performed at the Morgan on Tuesday, have
unimpeachable Boston credentials. Ms. Hargis, who sings with a clear tone and
minimal vibrato, brought a hint of introspective drama to Monteverdi's 'Ohimè
ch'io cado' and 'Quel sguardo sdegnosetto.' Between them she gave a palpably
forlorn account of 'Si dolce è'l tormento.' Much of Ms. Hargis's expressive
charm is in her flexibility, a quality heard to best effect in three songs by
Barbara Strozzi. Her thoughtful pacing and the ease with which she moved through
the gentle chromaticism of 'Respira, mio core' and the increasingly florid
writing in 'L'amante segreto' gave these songs a monumental quality, as if they
were operatic fragments. And a vigorous reading by both Ms. Hargis and Mr.
O'Dette gave 'Questa è la nuova' a folkish, almost rustic quality. Mr. O'Dette
accompanied Ms. Hargis on the chitarrone, a deferential instrument by nature,
made to provide support. That was mostly how Mr. O'Dette used it. But he also
played solo works by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger and Bellerofonte Castaldi that
ask for more, and Mr. O'Dette responded with the kind of virtuosic detail and
interpretive fluidity he has always brought to his lute performances.”
New York Times -
May 18, 2007
Concert with the Newberry
Consort at the Folger Library inWashington, DC:
“Hargis, whose voice has more
body than those of many early-music specialists, sings accurately, intelligently
and with a wonderful sense of the text and, in an understated way, is a
spectacular showman. Her final sendoff, 'The Friar and the Nun', a scatological
tale of singing lessons gone awry, was a work of art.”
Washington Post - March 13, 2007
Concert with the American Bach
Soloists:
“Soloists Ellen Hargis, Judith
Malafronte, Aaron Sheehan, and Jesse Blumberg joined Conductor and Music
Director Jeffrey Thomas' ace team of specialists, each bringing sensitivity and
nuance to their technical skills. A better suited and classier ensemble would be
next to impossible to find. Singers and instrumentalists maintained their
individuality while still working together cohesively. Bereitet die Wege,
bereitet die Bahn! begins with a buoyant soprano aria whose vocal line is
interspersed with ritornellos and evocative passages. Hargis brought clean
articulation and a sense of jubilation to her lines. The gem of the piece was
Hargis' aria 'Er segnet'. Hargis effortlessly spun out endless phrase after
endless phrase, punctuating them with wonderful shifts in dynamics. In addition,
her pure tone and agile ascending lines were matched by a legato that should be
a model for all singers.”
San Francisco Classical Voice - March 27, 2007
Recital with Paul O’Dette,
National Gallery of Art:
“What would Shakespeare have
had on his iPod? Probably the 16th century's equivalent of today's Top 40, to
judge by a fascinating recital by early music soprano Ellen Hargis and lutenist
Paul O'Dette. Finding those original songs and bringing them to life again
evokes the unique flavor of the times. Hargis has made a specialty of 17th- and
18th-century song, and has a light,
clear voice that suits this
music extremely well. These are intimate, rather than opulent, songs; their
power comes from their quiet, human grace. And Hargis sang them with an
effortless beauty, with just a hint of vibrato here and there, minimal
ornamentation, and a natural, unforced sense of drama. Paul O'Dette is one of
the finest lutenists in a world rather pleasantly crowded with them, and with
his English-sheepdog-on-a-windy-day persona, even looks like an Elizabethan
musician. O'Dette accompanied Hargis with precision and wit, and soloed with
instrumental music from several of Shakespeare's plays, including "A Midsummer
Night’s Dream" and "Romeo and Juliet.”
Washington Post - January 16, 2007
“La Ciaccona” Recital with Paul O’Dette, Harkness Chapel
Headline: Soprano, lutenist pour mastery into program
“In songs by Peri and Frescobaldi, Hargis expressed emotions
ranging from tenderness to outrage.
In songs by Monteverdi, she dealt effortlessly with the demands of high
tessitura and florid vocal line. She sang with beautiful tone, clear Italian
diction and effortless mastery of intricate embellishments.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer – June 2006
“Soprano Ellen Hargis is one of the outstanding artists of our day.
In 'Armida abbandonata' she conveyed her character's external grace and internal
seething passions with a precision and control that recalled the singular
excellence of the late Judith Raskin. Like Raskin, Hargis can sing intricate
musical passagework with the best of instrumentalists, such as her Seattle
Baroque colleagues on Saturday night.”
Pittsburgh Tribune - April 19, 2006
Handel Messiah, St. Thomas Church, New York City:
“Hargis's soprano had a lovely softness of character.”
New York Times – December 15, 2005
Monteverdi Vespers
with Tragicomedia and Concerto Palatino, Eastman School of Music:
“Hargis gave an especially memorable and luminous account of the 'Pulchra es.'”
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle - October 9, 2005
Mozart Requiem, Music of the Baroque, Jane Glover, conductor:
“Hargis' soprano sounded pure and angelic.”
Chicago Sun Times - September 29, 2005
Irina in Johann Matthewson's
Boris Goudenow, Boston Early
Music Festival:
“Ellen Hargis gave the sort of early music reading that BEMF
audiences have come to expect: passionate, note-perfect, and exacting.”
Early Music America - Fall 2005
Festival Concert with Karina Gauvin, Boston Early Music Festival:
“The program also included star turns by Ms. Hargis (a heart-rending
performance of 'Lasciate Averno,' from Rossi's 'Orfeo').”
New York Times - June 18, 2005
“Ellen Hargis brought dignity, grace and vocal subtlety to her
portrayal of Irina.”
New York Times - June 18, 2005
“Of the three sopranos, veteran BEMF diva Ellen Hargis was most
effective. She has learned to act within this idiom, and her upper tones can
still bloom.”
Boston Globe - June 15, 2005
Handel's Israel in Egypt, Music of the Baroque:
“Impressive were sopranos Ellen Hargis and Amy Conn, splendidly
prepared.”
Chicago Tribune - May 24, 2005
All-Handel program on tour with Seattle Baroque:
“Despite Pittsburgh's many citywide problems, the quality of
musical life here remains wondrously world-class. For example: The Pittsburgh
Renaissance and Baroque Society's
commitment to 500 years of repertoire is particularly important -
especially when performances are as distinguished as ones this season by soprano
Ellen Hargis with Seattle Baroque and Andrew Manze with the English Consort.”
Pittsburgh Times - June 14, 2005
“One of the world's foremost interpreters of 17th- and 18th-century
music, Hargis' execution was indeed good, as was her breath control and precise
command of the notes.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - April 19, 2005
Bach
St. Matthew Passion, Washington Choral Arts Society, Kennedy
Center:
“Sang with equal parts skill and splendor.”
Washington Post - March 22, 2005
Performance in Philadelphia with Piffaro and the Kings Noyse:
“On hand was soprano Ellen Hargis, who has carved out a repertoire
niche in Renaissance music that she not only does better than anybody else, but
better than you could imagine its being done. With a vocal timbre that combines
the vibrato-free so-called white sound of a British choirboy with the body of a
mezzo-soprano, Hargis kept the vocal lines as clean as an instrumentalist but
also used unintrusive feats of color and word pronunciation to create great
poetic awareness of what she was singing. The effect was entrancing.”
Philadelphia Inquirer - March 4, 2005
Tour with Paul O'Dette, St. Petersburg Early Music Festival:
“Chicago's Ellen Hargis performs Italian and English songs with such an inimitable charm you might believe she grew up among English peasants or Italian fishermen, learning the melodies
from her grandmother. She has a remarkable ability to get inside a
song. Her voice is clear as
crystal and sonorous as the ring of a bell. Hargis often performs
with Paul O'Dette (wonderful lutenist) who provides exceptional accompaniment
for her impressive and hauntingly pure soprano.” Moscow News – October 19, 2004
Music of Purcell, La Cetra, Vancouver Early Music Festival:
“Ellen Hargis, a great favorite with Early Music Vancouver
audiences, was especially effective.
A soprano who’s taken the trouble to learn how to sing her own language.
Hargis was always
intelligible and displayed a lovely tonal vocabulary.
Excerpts from ‘The Fairy Queen’ allowed Hargis to display a particularly
broad range, from the florid Italian-style virtuosity to the simpler folk-flavoured
and the darkly evocative.”
Vancouver Sun, August 10, 2004
Music for 300 Strings, Cleveland, Ohio:
“The beauty of the lute as an
accompanying instrument was demonstrated in a set of French airs exquisitely
sung by Ellen Hargis with the assistance of Heringman on a seven-course
Renaissance lute. The soprano, a fine linguist and superb singer, shaped words
and notes with delicacy and grace.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer - July 2, 2004
Mozart
Mass in C Minor, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Talinn,
Estonia:
“This fluency and
expressiveness was greatly assisted by the evenly matched, dramatically tuned
ensemble of soloists. Ellen Hargis’ very special shimmering color and
crystalline concept of form were absolutely charming.”
Postimees - April 12, 2004
“The vocal purity of singers, especially soprano Ellen Hargis, created an
atmosphere of extraordinary serenity.”
Chicago Sun Times - March 24, 2004
Monteverdi
Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Music of the Baroque:
“Hargis sang an affecting Clorinda. Hargis and Conn, offered a sweet retreat
from the battlefield in their ravishing duet, ‘Chiome d'oro’.”
Chicago Tribune - March 22, 2004
Soprano soloist,
Bach St. John Passion, American
Bach Soloists:
“Ellen Hargis possesses a luminous soprano whose largesse would seemingly find a
comfortable home on the operatic stage, yet she adapted well to this more
intimate environment. Hargis effortlessly spun out floating melodies above
Weaver’s vigorous bass in the tumultuous aria ‘Himmel reisse, Welt erbebe.’ Her
voice tended to overpower the gentle transverse flutes in Simon Peter’s aria of
devotion ‘Ich folge dir gleichfalls,’ although she handled the number with
considerable grace.”
SFCV.org - March 2, 2004
Soloist with The Kings Noyse, Pittsburgh:
Headline: “Soprano excels” “This
wasn't a recital by renowned soprano Ellen Hargis, but it might as well have
been. Despite all the early-music luminaries in the King's Noyse, she starred.
Her moving performance of popular Parisian songs from the 16th century didn't
just enthrall, it converted. She made a compelling argument for the depth and
power of these minstrel songs in this concert. Hargis' ability to convey the
essence of a line of text reminded one of the great mezzo-soprano Janet Baker.
Hargis' bright but round voice hinted at the sublimity of a countertenor while
fully imparting the expressivity of lieder singer. In the lively "Ton amour ma
maistress" it soared; in two gorgeous laments, it wept. Hargis' diction was
impeccable, but it was her sensibility to the relationship between music and
text that fused them together, and to the listener's ear.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - February 24, 2004
Soloist with The
Kings Noyse, Birmingham, Alabama:
“A delightful
addition to this burgeoning trend is The King's Noyse and dramatically dead-on
soprano Ellen Hargis. The evening's
showstoppers came from the two-woman team of 16th-century composer and singer
Barbara Strozzi and Hargis; Strozzi's dynamic modern-day champion. In bringing
Strozzi's musical wit to life, Hargis concocted an alchemic blend of
scholarship, in her technically flawless early-Baroque inflections, and
showmanship, in her wonderful characterizations and gorgeous, freewheeling vocal
style.”
Birmingham News – February 8, 2004
Recital with Paul O’Dette, Saint Louis, Missouri:
“The cold hand of winter seemed to lose some of its power when the St. Louis
Classical Guitar Society presented a warm program with soprano Ellen Hargis and
lutenist Paul O'Dette. Hargis has an excellent technique. She supports well,
projects her voice throughout the hall, is musically solid, exhibits excellent
diction and has an attractive timbre to boot. The performers were delightful.
The team tackled the Italians with as much success as they had the English.
Hargis was able to show off her very fine coloratura technique in the vocals.”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - February 1, 2004
Recital with Laura
Pudwell, Toronto Consort:
“Plainly put, those
voices sang beautifully.” Toronto
Star - November 16, 2003
Vancouver Early
Music Festival:
“Audience members were treated to a generous helping of Hargis' russet-toned
voice and convincing portrayal of Dido's fury and despair. A gorgeously subdued
cadence lingered at the end, like the taste of a deliciously herbed sauce.”
The Georgia Strait - August 21, 2003
“Ellen Hargis
projected just the right combination of dignity and desperation as the cast-off
Ottavia.”
The Georgia Strait - August 14, 2003
“Ellen Hargis lends
the empress Ottavia an amusing, full-throated mix of dignity and vitriol.”
Vancouver Sun - August 10, 2003
Ottavia in
Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea,
Festival Vancouver:
“The over-all vocal standard is
remarkably high and just as remarkably consistent. Roles filled by Ellen Hargis
as Nero's wronged queen Ottavia… are no less stunning.”
Vancouver Sun - August 7, 2003
“Hargis sang with a
stunning palette of color, deployed with wondrous control and a keen dramatic
sense.”
Seattle Weekly - October 30, 2002
Soloist with Seattle Baroque:
“Fortunately, Ellen Hargis was imported for the cantata. She
possesses a long, supple line and beauty of tone to make Handel's Italianate
work sing freely and has the technical ability to swim
easily through the passagework the composer poured into the piece."
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - October 28, 2002
Recital with Imbi Tarum, Tallinn, Estonia:
“We had a chance to hear a very special concert, very much enjoyed from
beginning to end. American soprano Ellen Hargis' performance was extremely
beautiful due to its clarity and restraint, her vocal technique and balanced
theatricality. Song lyrics which told of the pains of love, received in this
concert a very personal interpretation. With delicate melodic lines and perfect
intonation, everything was bright and mellifluous.”
SIRP - September 6, 2002
Recording Reviews
Recording of Lully's Thesee,
Boston Early Music Festival:
“The team of vocal soloists
follows a proven tradition in early music performance: the soloists are
integrated entirely into the choir. The result is an outstanding stylistic
unity. For the representation of the main figures the thoroughly musical cast is
then given scope for individual expression. Howard Crook's silken tenor as
Thesee projects both a lyrical timbre and also a manly firmness. Laura Pudwells
Medee captures both the wickedness and the fragility of her character - when
necessary even with surprising harshness. Ellen Hargis, with her light soprano,
lends the Princess Aeglee a wonderful glow.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - August 11, 2007
“Ellen Hargis, whose
performances could hardly be better.”
The Globe and Mail - July 31, 2007
Conradi’s Ariadne, Boston Early Music Festival, CPO (2006 Grammy
nominee):
“This delightful singer does rise splendidly to the dramatic
possibilities offered to Queen Pasiphae, mother of Ariande and Phaedra, in her
outraged Act III scena.”
Fanfare Magazine – January/February 2006
Power of Love with
Paul O'Dette, Noyse Productions:
“The names of Ellen Hargis and Paul O'Dette carry with them a
virtual guarantee of music-making of the very highest order, a promise
irresistibly fulfilled by the release. Their chosen repertoire was richly
rewarding. Hargis' ideally paced reading captures to perfection the fluctuating
emotions of the cantata. Here Hargis and O'Dette use their consummate artistry
to provide an infinite number of subtly varied expressive and ornamental effects
to point up the variations in text and mood. What makes these performances so
captivating is the complete lack of any kind of artifice, the total absence of
the superfluous or superficial. This is another
highlight of a year
that has already produced more than its fair of them. Buy it and be prepared to
be bewitched.”
Fanfare - November/December 2005
“Three modern divas
of the early-music world, Emma Kirkby, Emily Van Evera and Ellen Hargis, head
these recitals and their admirers will need no review to prompt them into making
their purchases. They will not be
disappointed. Ellen Hargis is a
confident and convivial hostess.
Even so, it is Paul O'Dette's beautifully shaded and sensitive playing that
ultimately lodges in the mind, and his realization of the basses are exemplary.”
Early Music - November 2005
“Above and beyond
these elements are Ellen Hargis' and Paul O'Dette's magical performances – or
rather incarnation – of melancholy, regret, and love's urgency, which confirms
that the twenty-five-year partnership between the soprano (who is by turns
charming, afflicted and hedonistic) and the lutenist/theorbist has resulted in
such a close rapport that each has become the 'double' of
the other. The entire recording deserves the highest praise,
including the unexpected and humorous 'dessert,' Richard Rodgers' 'My Funny
Valentine'.” Five stars.
Goldberg Magazine - November 2005
“Soprano Ellen Hargis and lutenist Paul O'Dette are well-known for
their work in the early music field, and are confident exponents. Hargis's voice
evokes the style of the period well.”
Music Web International – September 21, 2005
Puzzles and
Perfect Beauty, with the Newberry Consort:
“In the next track we have a superb a cappella performance with
Ellen Hargis. This made me yearn for more tracks which were instrument-less.
One more item featuring the gorgeous soprano voice of Ellen Hargis would
have been welcome. I have enjoyed this CD and can recommend it.”
Musicweb-international.com - March 5, 2005
“Despite the challenges posed to the performers of these complex
forms of polyphony, the players and singers (Ellen Hargis and Drew Minter) bring
off these pieces as though they were second nature.
But this would come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Newberry
Consort and its recordings.” American Record Guide – September 2005
Handel: Solo cantatas, Seattle Baroque, Wild Boar Records:
“Variety adds to
the interest of the disc, offering what is in essence a complete program of
Handel's music, showcasing a variety of forms and instruments. The heart of the
disc is naturally the cantatas. Solo cantatas depend entirely on the singer.
Soprano Ellen Hargis won me over in the first notes of the aria Ah! Crudele in the cantata
Armido Abbandonata. This
small work - which places the singer almost alone, naked, her voice against the
world - is intimate and moving, and Hargis, in spite of the occasional imperfect
note, makes the music soar. Her voice is rich and earthy, her delivery is
moving, and her tone excellent. She uses vibrato tastefully, and shows her
ability to cover a wide range in the aria
Col Apartir la bella Clori, in the cantata
Ah! che pur troppo e vero. The cantata
Tra
le Fiamme is a well-known work, and features some of Handel's finest music.
The instrumental colours are delightful and varied, and the original instruments
give this piece a beautiful tone. The balance between the voice and instruments
is ideal, and the recording is nearly perfect. The disc ends with the
quasi-obligatory
Ombra mai fu, from
Xerxes. Hargis is excellent here. This is an immensely satisfying disc,
featuring excellent musicians and a sensuous, moving soprano. A must for
Handelians.”
musicweb.uk.net – June 3, 2003