“The night was Elza van den Heever’s, though. As the Empress, she turned in technically polished, empathetic and outlandishly beautiful singing from her first line to her last. By the third act, when most singers would be flagging, van den Heever emerged as only more vocally poised, lending a combination of propulsive torque and sweetness that endeared and delighted. The Empress’s ultimate refusal to buy her happiness at the expense of the Dyer and his Wife’s marks her as a true heroine; van den Heever made her both ethereal and earthly.”
“Who is the star of the show? […] this time around, it was van den Heever, whose voice poured out like there was no tomorrow as the Empress and made her a figure to relate to…”
“Elza van den Heever’s voice proved the sweetest of the dramatic sopranos, her high notes the purest in execution… She perfectly embodied coolness in Act one, both vocally and physically, but there was greater warmth in her voice and concern in her face as she watched the drama unfold in Act two. But in Act three, she came alive with the dramatic and musical potency few singers have managed at the Met in quite some time. It starts before her “Vater, bist du’s” but there’s no doubt that this long musical section was the moment that truly crystallized what a special performance she was giving. Her singing started with hushed tones as she spoke to her invisible father, assuredness coming through the sense of emotional trepidation, the Empress confronting her fear and ready to seize it. Her voice blossomed throughout this passage. As the music grew, so too did her soprano, the legato line so fluid, so pure. When the Emperor appears as a Stoneman, the music erupts in waves, the soprano forced to speak the text and as noted earlier, Van den Heever delivered a tour-de-force moment, her body throwing about as she hurled out the text with increased fury. It was magical.”
Operawire
“The soprano was fantastic all night, with a glowing sound that was consistently full throughout her range, her top tessitura seemed limitless. The Empress has an entrance and aria in Act I that is one of the most difficult in the literature, and van den Heever not only sounded effortless but beyond human. It was stunning and powerful to hear this music sound so natural. As shining at the conclusion as at the beginning, her energy never dropped.”
New York Classical Review
“As the Empress, the soprano Elza van den Heever shimmers with purity and throws spears at the top of her range.”
The New York Times