“The defining voice of the production was that of South African born Elza van den Heever’s Chrysothemis. Mme. van den Heever, a San Francisco Opera finished artist, possesses a voice of great beauty, shining with a purity that befit Elektra’s sister who wants for nothing more than a real life outside the horrors of her household. Of towering vocal and physical stature her Chrysothemis became the standard against which Elektra and Klytemnestra’s phobias played.”
“Van den Heever’s roles at San Francisco Opera have ranged from Donna Anna in Don Giovanni to Leonore in Fidelio, but elsewhere she has been leaning toward more heroic fare, including Sieglinde and, yes, Turandot. Her voice matched Pankratova’s richness and steely focus, and the combination was musically hair-raising in scene after scene. Their harmonization in the finale’s glorious duet was nothing short of magnificent. From a drama standpoint, they created characters that displayed the sisters’ love for each other and impatience with their differences – Elektra intent on vengeance, Chrysothemis yearning for marriage and children.”
“Her performance as Chrystothemis was extraordinary, showing the vocal power capable of scaling the heights of Strauss’ extraodinary operatic composition. The final duet between Van den Heever’s Chrystothemis and Pankratova’s Elektra was one of the most memorable experiences I have experienced in my seven decades of attending San Francisco Opera performances.”
“The singer who stood out most was as the mesmerizing soprano Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis, Elektra’s sister, whose emotionally harrowing singing was captivating throughout. From the moment she sang, she cut through the immense orchestra and grabbed the audience with her lyrical voice that had the agility to rapidly scale any vocal mountain… Aside from her singing, there’s a very believable and special vulnerability that van den Heever brings to their sister relationship which reveals the depth of their bond.”