Austrian Soprano Beate Ritter celebrates a fantastic debut at Staatsoper Stuttgart this month as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto. Additional performances: 17, 23, 28 Nov 2018
”Beate Ritter, a new ensemble member who was previously at the Vienna Volksoper, immediately won over many hearts with her house and role debut. Her impassioned acting – veering between a lover and a rebel – and a superbly poised vocal performance earned her the biggest audience response of the evening. After some brief huskiness on her first entry, her youthfully lush soprano unfolded and bloomed, with the voice carrying effortlessly over the turbulent waves of the final act, as well as in the long lyrical phrases, in the coloratura frills of her ‘Gualtier Maldé’, and in the forcefully dramatic passages where her character rebels. The voice has an amply secure middle that supports a noticeably well-developed upper register, which never audibly pushes its limits. Rather, it gives a glimpse of how the soprano may excel in much higher roles in the future, should houses be inclined to select repertoire that fits such a prize voice. With its size, the Stuttgart State Opera would be the perfect place for such projects. Let us hope this is what the house has in mind, over and beyond the roles of Zerbinetta and Olympia, for which Ritter is already engaged.”Neue Merker Nov 2018