ALICE BAKER - REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:
(Complete reviews for specific roles follow below)
"...Although her voice is utterly female in its richness and address, Miss Baker can strike the note of luxurious eroticism in Handel's male soprano writing; she is a mezzo of serious feeling and musicality."
--Paul Griffiths THE TIMES (LONDON)
"There was one outstanding performer: Alice Baker, as Ruggiero. Her timbre is beautiful.
Her delivery is fearless and honest. She has a glowing stage presence and vocal presence."
---Andrew Porter THE NEW YORKER
"Its title character has been interpreted by every notable mezzo soprano through the years.
Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, and Shirley Verrert are but three who come to mind as memorable
Carmens. In the future, however, Alice Baker will be another. She has it all---a magnificent instrument,
striking beauty, and great dramatic subtlety....She is a singer of uncommon abilities.
Her mellow, mahogany lows are enough to turn on a statute. Her highs are clean, pure, and
effortless. Her middle is authoritative yet charming. Baker's L'amour est en oiseau (the Habanera)
is flawless. With it she sets the character and draws in not only the hapless Don Jose,
but the entire audience. From then, until her death-scene duet with Jose, the focus of all,
both on and off stage, is constantly on her, just as the part demands." THE SACRAMENTO BEE
"Alice Baker played the gypsy Preziosilla with the seductiveness and energy one associates
with a more visible operatic Spanish gypsy, Carmen." THE NEW YORK TIMES
"... This is a very good Butterfly, remarkable for its two female leads, who do great things to
bring the painted screens to life...Alice Baker, a powerful and dramatic mezzo with a fine sense
of theater, plays Suzuki, and fully deserved the standing ovation she got on
opening night." THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, Vancouver.
"I could not help admiring the musical and histrionic subtleties of Alice Baker's Ruggiero,
qualities that reminded me at times of a mezzo soprano Baker named Janet."
---Leighton Kerner THE VILLAGE VOICE
"There's an eerie, arresting thread woven through her mezzo: it's a voice that remains in the
mind and the ear after the curtain falls." THE EDMONTON JOURNAL
"We had the pleasure of a world class singer who has sung with Pavarotti, Carreras, and
Schwarzkopf---There was a standing ovation. I could not have seen a better performance of Carmen."
THE CAM REPORT
"Alice Baker sang the title role with a powerful, beautifully colored mezzo. She handled the
tricky coloratura passages with consummate ease, and sang throughout with constant artistic
purpose." THE DETROIT NEWS
"Alice Baker's Carmen had an authentic contralto resonance and a provocatively sullen,
fatalistic character." DRAMALOGUE
"...Forget those easy cartoon caricatures. Alice Baker...purrs the Habanera and coos the
Seguidilla the way she utters her spoken dialogue...as if she were uttering sweet nothings.
Her Carrnen is a subtle creature who must love passionately and often...even while she is
compelled by nature to mistreat and deny Don Josè." PASADENA STAR NEWS
"Alice Baker gave us insight into the doubts and insecurities that underlie Carmen's outward
bravado. For despite her protestations of freedom, she is in reality a prisoner of her emotions.
She feels complete only when she is in love, and displays a self-destructive streak in her
choice of lovers and in her behavior towards them. As Carmen, Baker...held nothing back.
Her wide range was astounding, with a lower register that was full and rich, and glorious high
notes that showed no signs of strain, filling the theater with voluptuous sound."
THE SACRAMENTO UNION
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker was probably the most brilliant singer heard in that opera performing
the trouser role of Ruggiero with the tone and virtuosity of a young Marilyn Horne."
---Carl Cunningham THE HOUSTON POST/SUN
"Legend has it that castrati such as Carestini, Handel's first Ruggiero, were possessed of a
virtuosity such as our ears cannot imagine, but in mezzo soprano Alice Baker,
St. Louis offered as nice a make-do as anyone could want"---John Bridges THE TENNESSEAN
"Alice Baker was, as Rosina, ideally cast: a coloratura mezzo with great agility and yet with a
full sonorous low range, and clear ringing high notes." FRANKFURTER ALLEGEMEINE
"Alice Baker offered her flowing, unusually warm and rich timbred mezzo soprano in the
highest of soprano registers as easily as if she were cooing; and yet with an abundance of
tone never lacking.." DIE WELT
"First, an armful of roses to Alice Baker, the American mezzo who sings the role of Suzuki...
Her voice, pure and warm as sunlight, captures both the character's devotedness and her
strength of will. The huge surge of applause and ringing huzzahs when she took her curtain
call at the end of the evening demonstrates Baker's talent for cornmunicating
across the footlights." THE VANCOUVER SUN
"Baker was wonderful as Suzuki. She has tremendous presence and a clear, true voice."
THE VANCOUVER COURIER
"The Suzuki of Alice Baker had vigor and power to sell." ITALIAN PRESS, Vancouver
"Whenever Baker was on stage I felt my attention drawn irresistibly to her..."
THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
"...Alice Baker; handsome in voice and figure as Preziosilla, still enough of a newcomer
to be singing Emilia in Otello in Los Angles, enough of an emerging star to have sung
Carmen opposite Carreras in Rome. Good: the world needs mezzos." OPERA (England)
"The rest of the cast remained unchanged, with...Alice Baker,
the magnificent Suzuki." LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER
"Gifted mezzo-soprano Alice Baker, who was so fine an Emilia in Tuesday's
Otello, developed a warm and involving Suzuki." THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Suzuki, Butterfly's maid, is restricted to expressions of concern about her mistress,
but what magic Alice Baker makes of them! She registers a selfless delight at first...
then reveals layer upon layer of poignancy..." THE SACRAMENTO UNION
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker displays a vocal instrument of arresting power and
warmth in the role of her servant Suzuki. The flower duet they sing is one of
the most beautiful moments in the entire opera." THE SACRAMENTO BEE
"Alice Baker...sang magnificently as Amneris." THE GREENVILLE NEWS
"...the honors clearly went to mezzo soprano Alice Baker, whose impressively
full, throbbing tone shone most movingly." LA DAILY NEWS
"The performance was saved by the vigorous Valentin of Roberto Frontali and
Siebel of Alice Baker. "---Enrico Cavallotti IL TEMPO (ROME)
"The loveliest voice of the performance belongs to Alice Baker, who demonstrated a
sensitive mastery of the vocal line on opening night." TIME OUT (LONDON)
"There was much to admire, too, in the singing. Apologies were made in advance for
the Carlotta, Alice Baker, who was suffering from a throat infection, but in the event
they seemed unnecessary, for she sang with great presence and authority." THE IRISH TIMES
"Also, it requires a mezzo who can sing equally taxing coloratura. I would wish every soprano
had a throat and a tessitura the equal." BELFAST NEWSLETTER
"Baker's mezzo soprano is one of those rare, seamless instruments that can go flawlessly from
dusky low notes to ringing high ones, and she uses it with the kind of confidence that comes
from sheer talent." THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker has a glorious top, real stage savvy and...far more straight dramatic
potential than her role as the maid Nancy showed." THE DETROIT NEWS
"...by American standards, Glimmerglass is an unusually intimate house: a place where words can
tell and tiny inflections, vocal or physical, can make their effect.
It's a house in which it would be good to hear Kathleen Battle, Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt,
Frederica von Stade, Alice Baker...and on through a catalogue of American singers who have
not coarsened their voices in the struggle to fill three-thousand seat houses....."
Andrew Porter THE NEW YORKER
"....the two extraordinary American singers, and especially the..voice of Alice Baker."
STAVANGER OFFENBLAT
"Particularly outstanding was Miss Baker, whose resonant mezzo soared above the orchestra
and chorus. Her voice has a beautiful Italianate timbre that is first-class in its quality,
and her interpretation of the Prologue Aria was quite moving." THE VENTURA STAR FREE PRESS
"The Caccini Amarilli was first sung by mezzo soprano Alice Baker: a rich voice of great range
which capably handled the opulent fioratura." THE PASADENA STAR NEWS
"There was much to admire, on the other hand, in the sumptuous mezzo soprano of Alice Baker."
---Martin Bernheimer, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Alice Baker, whose rich alto has power, both in her chest tones and in the upper register...
evident in the sustained opening of the exquisite aria 'Schlafe, mein Liebster',
whose lovely lullaby she sang so beautifully." SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS
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COMPLETE REIVEWS:
As Carmen:
"Its title character has been interpreted by every notable
mezzo soprano through the years. Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, and Shirley
Verrert are but three who come to mind as memorable Carmens. In the future,
however, Alice Baker will be another. She has it all---a magnificent instrument,
striking beauty, and great dramatic subtlety. Perhaps subtlety is the key to her
success. Others often make of the Gypsy cigarette-maker little more than the
town slut. But Carmen is not that cheap. She may be promiscuous, but she is also
particular. The difference is small but profound and Baker is fully aware of the
difference. Her Carmen is sensuous, for sure, but so much more. Baker's Carmen
knows she is beautiful but more important, knows she is intelligent. Her ability
to manipulate men comes as much from her ability to figure as from her figure.
But Baker is more than a beautiful and skilled actress. She is a singer of
uncommon abilities. Her mellow, mahogany lows are enough to turn on a statute.
Her highs are clean, pure, and effortless. Her middle is authoritative yet
charming. Baker's L'amour est en oiseau (the Habanera) is flawless. With it she
sets the character and draws in not only the hapless Don Jose, but the entire
audience. From then, until her death-scene duet with Jose, the focus of all,
both on and off stage, is constantly on her, just as the part demands." THE
SACRAMENTO BEE
"We had the pleasure of a world class singer who has sung with Pavarotti,
Carreras, and Schwarzkopf---and who did a stunning performance for us. Alice
Baker's supporting cast was also magnificent. There was a standing ovation. I
could not have seen a better performance of Carmen---not even at the MET." THE
CAM REPORT
"Alice Baker's Carmen had an authentic contralto resonance and a
provocatively sullen, fatalistic character." DRAMALOGUE
"If you think you know Carrnen, you won't recognize the lady singing at the
John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood these days. Die-hard traditionalists
expect certain things about the title character in this 1875 opera. They
envision a barefoot Gypsy siren with rose in teeth and cigarette in hand, a
brassy mezzo-soprano who belts out the Habanera and Seguidilla in 'alla
putanesca' style (the way the whores do it.). Well, forget those easy cartoon
caricatures. Alice Baker, the husky-throated Carmen, purrs the Habanera and coos
the Seguidilla the way she utters her spoken dialogue---softly, sometimes almost
inaudibly as if she were uttering sweet nothings. Her Carrnen is a subtle
creature who must love passionately and often--who still loves her haplessly
naive Don Jose even while she is compelled by nature to mistreat and deny him."
THE PASADENA STAR NEWS
"I applaud the Sacramento Opera association for trying something different
here. But while re-interpreting a classic can be rewarding there is risk as
well. For example, this production's Carmen, Alice Baker, gave us insight into
the doubts and insecurities that underlie Carmen's outward bravado. For despite
her protestations of freedom, she is in reality a prisoner of her emotions. She
feels complete only when she is in love, and displays a self-destructive streak
in her choice of lovers and in her behavior towards them. As Carmen, Baker may
have underplayed the two-dimensional "Spanish Spitfire", but vocally, she held
nothing back. Her wide range was astounding, with a lower register that was full
and rich, and glorious high notes that showed no signs of strain, filling the
theater with voluptuous sound." THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
"Alice Baker, in the title role, revealed an exceptionally beautiful and
impressively big mezzo-soprano. It is warm in timbre and is produced without any
apparent effort. While it is limpid in all its registers, it is particularly
lovely in the lower one, investing the more tragic aspects of the role with a
pathos that is deeply moving." THE SACRAMENTO UNION
From a review for Preziosilla in La forza del destino at the Kennedy Center
in Washington DC, critic Allan Kozinn says:
"Alice Baker played the gypsy
Preziosilla with the seductiveness and energy one associates with a more visible
operatic Spanish gypsy, Carmen." THE NEW YORK TIMES
From a review for a production of Faust in Rome, Maurizio Modugno makes
reference to Miss Baker's recent performance of Carmen in the same theatre:
"Closing the cast another two voices to follow: Roberto Frontali (Valentin),
and Alice Baker (Siebel), already seen as a Carmen of note; here of beautiful
voice, and grand pureness of form. " OPERA OGGI
"Alice Baker certainly has the voice to play Carmen: a dark richly toned
instrument that can purr or warble." PRESS TELEGRAM
From a review for Rosina in il barbiere di Siviglia at the Sarasota Opera:
"Baker's gorgeous, richly dark mezzo soprano is the stuff of Santuzza, or
Carmen." THE BRADENTON HERALD
"Alice Baker offered a Carmen with an important mezzo soprano: this is a
world class voice, with a ringing top, smoky color, nuance, and sensuality to
the sound. She possesses the ability to lighten the voice sufficiently to
accommodate the more lyric moments of the score, has a real sense of French
style, and yet at the same time is capable of revealing with equal ease a full
dramatic spinto sound when the music requires it, easily filling the house. And,
she can act. She has sung the role in major houses with success, and this
listener noted in the program that she made her European debut in the role
opposite Josè Carreras in Rome. The audience was certainly convinced of her
ability, as they gave her a standing ovation when she came to take her call at
evening's end." LANSING PRESS
As Ruggiero in Alcina:
"The cast was dominated by Juliana Gondek's mobile, musical and radiant Alcina and by Alice Baker's outstanding Ruggiero. Although her voice is utterly female in its richness and address, Miss Baker can strike the note of luxurious eroticism in Handel's male soprano writing; she is a mezzo of serious feeling and musicality."
--Paul Griffiths THE TIMES (LONDON)
"There was one outstanding performer; Alice Baker, a St. Louis debutante, as Ruggiero. Her timbre is beautiful. Her delivery is fearless and honest. She has a glowing stage presence and vocal presence."
---Andrew Porter THE NEW YORKER.
"Handel's Alcina offered a veritable contest of dazzling coloratura singing. Mezzo soprano Alice Baker was probably the most brilliant new singer heard in that opera performing the trouser role of Ruggiero with the tone and virtuosity of a young Marilyn Horne."
---Carl Cunningham THE HOUSTON POST/SUN
"I could not help admiring the musical and histrionic subtleties of Alice Baker's Ruggiero, qualities that reminded me at times of a mezzo soprano Baker named Janet."
---Leighton Kerner THE VILLAGE VOICE
"Legend has it that castrati such as Carestini, Handel's first Ruggiero, were possessed of a virtuosity such as our ears cannot imagine, but in mezzo soprano Alice Baker, St. Louis offered as nice a make-do as anyone could want. If a touch of fatigue had set in by the time she faced the legato demands of 'Verdi prati', the stalwart Baker---with her vibrant and individual timbre, roused herself for a dazzling display of manly leaps and runs in her final aria di
bravura. "---John Bridges THE TENNESSEAN
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As Rosina in II barbiere di Siviglia:
"We have seen convincing proof of how it is possible for the 'Barber' of Rossini to be fresh and lively when not
left in the hands of cold and mechanical directors, and especially when the company of singers is formed exclusively of first-rank interpreters, and when one can arrive at an ideal harmony between the pit and the stage, as Gianluigi
Gelmetti has done. The Rosina of Alice Baker, singularly explicit and always coming quickly to the point, possesses all of the qualities of an opulent coloratura mezzo-soprano, all the more evident in the cleverness and sensuality
of her character. " OPERN WELT
"Alice Baker's Rosina was delightful. " OPERA (ENGLAND)
"Alice Baker's down-to-earth Rosina had all the resources of an opulent
coloratura mezzo."---Heinz Ludwig OPERA (ENGLAND)
"Alice Baker sang Rosina in a warm, rich, controlled soprano that negotiated with considerable vocal power, elan, and dynamic variety, the virtuoso demands of the wide-ranging pitch changes, scales and rapid patter required of the part. "--- THE FLORIDIAN
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker---who makes her Sarasota debut as Rosina---has an elegant, milky voice with plenty of range, color, and emotion. She also brings humor to the role, and her acting is always perfectly timed."---
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE
"Baker's Rosina becomes more and more fun to watch as the opera moves along. She's a woman who professes to have a meek and obedient nature, while actually remaining firmly in charge of the men around her. As a comedienne, Baker is not subtle---this is comic opera, after all--she embroiders her part with flirtatious little asides to express impatience and exasperation: puffing out her cheeks, fanning self, tucking a handkerchief into her bosom. As a singer, Baker's mezzo voice has a dazzling lift to it, soaring above the rest of the cast and the orchestra in the first-act finale, and again in the quintet in the second act. Her duet with Mok near the opera's end is a sublime exchange on blissful love. " SARASOTA HERALD TRIBUNE
"Alice Baker, making her entrance in Scene 2 as Rosina, Don Bartolo's frivolous young ward, comes on initially like a rather flighty, young girl. But Baker's gorgeous, richly dark mezzo-soprano is the stuff of Carmen or Santuzza."
BRADENTON HERALD
"Alice Baker was, as Rosina, ideally cast: a coloratura mezzo with great agility and yet with a full sonorous low range, and clear ringing high notes."
FRANKFURTER ALLEGEMEINE
"Alice Baker as Rosina offered her flowing, unusually warm and rich timered mezzo soprano in the highest of soprano registers as easily as if she were cooing; and yet with an abundance of tone never lacking, so much so that she can even sing Rossini [notwithstanding the big instrument she possesses] ". DIE WELT
"Rosina dreams of her child-prince....and so longing, with her very womanly figure and bell-deep timbered and ringing voice, Alice Baker awaits the arrival of her March-Prince." FRANKFURTER RUNDSHAU
"Rosina is the puppet of the desires of Don Bartolo. The warm mezzo soprano of Alice Baker is a little heavier that the other voices, yet her coloratura rings out creamily." TAUNUS ZEITUNG
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As Angelina in La Cenerentola
"Alice Baker sang the title role with a powerful, beautifully colored mezzo. She handled the tricky coloratura passages with consummate ease, and sang throughout with constant artistic purpose."
THE DETROIT NEWS
"Mezzosoprano Alice Baker was an attractive Cinderella. Ms. Baker's voice was dramatic at times,
but always clear as a bell." PANTAGRAPH (Illinois)
"Alice Baker as Cinderella was a rich, velvety mezzo with the flexibility to handle Rossini's runs gracefully." MIDLAND DAILY NEWS
"Clearly a capable singer." THE SAGANAW NEWS
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As Suzuki in Madama Butterfly:
" The relationship between Cio-Cio San and Suzuki, her servant, moves beyond the traditional
distance to a visible intimacy... this is a very good Butterfly, remarkable for its two female leads,
who do great things to bring the painted screens to life. Elizabeth Hynes (Cio-Cio San) is terrific,
a really great Puccini soprano with a fabulous range of voice and emotion and a riveting sense of
character. Alice Baker, a powerful and dramatic mezzo with a fine sense of theater, plays Suzuki,
and fully deserved the standing ovation she got on opening night."
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, Vancouver.
"First, an armful of roses to Alice Baker, the American mezzo who sings the role of Suzuki, Cio-Cio San's wise and patient servant. Of all the cast, it was Baker who sang most beautifully opening night. Her voice, pure and warm as
sunlight, captures both the character's devotedness and her strength of will. The huge surge of applause and ringing hurrahs when she took her curtain call at the end of the evening demonstrates Baker's talent for cornmunicating across the footlights." THE VANCOUVER SUN
"Director Pamela Berlin's New York theatrical background is clearly evidenced in the piece. The director... elicits strong dramatic performances from all the cast, particularly from Hynes as Butterfly and mezzo
soprano Alice Baker as Suzuki. Baker was wonderful as Suzuki. She has tremendous presence and a clear,
true voice." THE VANCOUVER COURIER
"The Suzuki of Alice Baker had vigor and power to spare."
ITALIAN PRESS, Vancouver
"American Alice Baker was strong as Suzuki, Cio-Cio-San's maid. There's an eerie, arresting thread woven through her mezzo: it's a voice that remains in the mind and the ear after the curtain falls."
THE EDMONTON JOURNAL
"The only other performer who matched and even surpassed Cho's acting ability was Alice Baker as Suzuki, Butterfly's servant. Whenever Baker was on stage I felt my attention drawn irresistibly to her. Her discovery
of how a rocking chair works, and her subsequent delight in it: and her kind but firm handling of the restless
child, 'Trouble' in the vigil scene, were two humorous moments. her Suzuki was reminiscent of Figaro's Susanna---quick-witted and realistic---but this servant was portrayed in a more restrained Japanese style. It was a
difficult feat, well done. Baker's gorgeous mezzo soprano voice blended beautifully with Cho's in the flower duet. Their slow, graceful dance as they strewed the stage with pink rose petals was a joy to watch. "
THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
"The rest of the cast remained unchanged, with Neil Wilson as Pinkerton,
Peter Glossop, the eloquent Sharpless, and Alice Baker, the magnificent Suzuki."
LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER
"No one but Alice Baker, the Suzuki, commanded vocal freshness and beauty.
OPERA NEWS
"Gifted mezzo-soprano Alice Baker, who was so fine an Emilia in Tuesday's
Otello, developed a warm and involving Suzuki." THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Suzuki, Butterfly's maid, is restricted to expressions of concern about her mistress, but what magic Alice Baker makes of them! She registers a selfless delight at first in the happiness of her mistress and then reveals layer upon
layer of poignancy as she either foresees or responds to her distress." THE SACRAMENTO UNION
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker displays a vocal instrument of arresting power and warmth in the role of her servant Suzuki. The flower duet they sing is one of the most beautiful moments in the entire opera."
THE SACRAMENTO BEE
"Alice Baker's portrayal of Suzuki was poignant, passionate, and meshed wonderfully with Leona Mitchell in the second and third acts." PASADENA STAR NEWS
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As Preziosilla in La forza del destino
"Three other members of the cast were first class: Kevin Langan, Peter Strummer, and Alice Baker;
handsome in voice and figure as Preziosilla, still enough of a newcomer to be singing Emilia in Otello
in Los Angles, enough of an emerging star to have sung Carmen opposite Carreras in Rome.
Good: the world needs mezzos." OPERA (England)
"There were some fine performances in the subsidiary roles too. Alice Baker played the gypsy Preziosilla with the seductiveness and energy one associates with a more visible operatic Spanish gypsy, Carmen."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
"...There are outstanding performances from Alice Baker as the gypsy Preziosilla..."
MUSIC WITH 1230 AM RADIO REVIEW
"Alice Baker was a lusty Preziosilla, witty as a bar wench and rousing as the patriot in Act III."
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
"Alice Baker as the gypsy Preziosilla has an attractive and well trained voice; she performed tastefully in a role that has to be larger than life." THE WASHINGTON POST
"We were treated to all of Preziosilla's music with Alice Baker, a newcomer to the company,
on hand to give it the zing it needs." WGMS Radio. Washington, DC
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As Amneris in Aida:
"Alice Baker was excellent as Amneris. In the first scene of the final act, she sang magnificently."
THE GREENVILLE NEWS
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As Emilia in Otello:
"...gifted mezzo soprano Alice Baker, [who] was so fine an Emilia in Tuesday's Otello....."
THE SAN FRANCISCO CRONICLE
"In supporting roles there was Alice Baker's surprisingly eloquent delivery of Emilia's few lines."
THE LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER
"From the 1986 cast Alice Baker returned as a forceful, supportive Emilia.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
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In Verdi's Manzoni Requiem
"Of the vocal soloists, the honors clearly went to mezzo soprano Alice Baker, whose impressively full, throbbing tone shone most movingly." LA DAILY NEWS
"Three out of four of Currie' s soloists superbly abetted the operatic ambiance---mezzo soprano Alice Baker, tenor Richard Leech, and bass Richard Cowan." THE LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker was the subject of a pre-concert advisory noting that she had been forced because of illness to cancel a concert for the first time in her career, last Friday in Detroit. One listened in vain for any
lingering traces of her ailment Sunday, and she sang with a generous amount of
feeling and warmth." THE REGISTER
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As Siebel in Faust:
"The performance was saved by the vigorous Valentin of Roberto Frontali and Siebel of Alice Baker. "---Enrico Cavallotti IL TEMPO (ROME)
"Alice Baker (Siebel), already seen as both a Carmen and an Isabella of note, here of beautiful voice and great pureness of style." OPERA OGGI
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As Carlotta in Mercadante's Elisa e Claudio at Ireland's Wexford Festival:
"The best singing caine from the Carlotta of Alice Baker, who alone scored a plus vocally." FINANCIAL TIMES (London)
"The loveliest voice of the performance belongs to Alice Baker, who demonstrated a sensitive mastery of the vocal line on opening night." TIME OUT (LONDON)
"There was much to admire, too, in the singing. Apologies were made in advance for the Carlotta, Alice Baker, who was suffering from a throat infection, but in the event they seemed unnecessary, for she sang with great
presence and authority." THE IRISH TIMES
"Alice Baker as Carlotta sings in rich balance, and in excellent characterization, especially in her long lovely aria in the orchard scene." CORK EXAMINER
"Alice Baker showed a glowing mezzo as the heroine's friend." IRISH INDEPENDENT
"Also, it requires a mezzo who can sing equally taxing coloratura. Although Alice Baker professed a sore throat, I would wish every soprano had a throat and a tessitura the equal." BELFAST NEWSLETTER
"Although she was said to be suffering from a throat infection, Alice Baker's performances was first rate." WEXFORD EVENING INDEPENDENT
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As Nancy in Flotow's Martha:
"The best voices belong to Alice Baker (Nancy/Julia) and bass-baritone Paul Geiger (Plunket), who also produced the best characterizations. Baker's mezzo soprano is one of those rare, seamless instruments that can go flawlessly from dusky low notes to ringing high ones, and she uses it with the kind of confidence that ocmes from sheer talent." THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker has a glorious top, real stage savvy and, one guesses, far more straight dramatic potential than her role as the maid Nancy showed." THE DETROIT NEWS
"Alice Baker as Nancy, her pal in the dubious enterprise, is a very promising mezzo with fine stage presence. She and Christman produced some very harmonious vocal lines together---almost like a warm-up for Norma." OPERA (England)
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ALICE BAKER IN CONCERT:
On the occasion of a memorial concert given at Teatro dell' Opera di Roma,
after the untimely death of its intendant, Alberto Antignani:
"It was a simple ceremony from which emerged a profound emotion. In the house, a small group of people from the Theatre, musicophiles, and personalities from the world of Culture, Stage and Screen, amongst them Franco Carraro, Giulietta Masina, Maria Pia Fanfanti, the director Mauro Bolognini, and the singers Veriano Luchetti and Mietta Sighele. Then the conductor entered, Alberto Ventura, and the soloists, soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci and the mezzo soprano Alice Baker having chosen an interpretation of the music intensely veiled in mysticism, almost sotto voce, as if in prayer. Immobile, stone-like in their black gowns, the singers intoned the first verses with
painful expression.. even the "Cujus animam gementem" resulted in attitudes of sincere pain. Then little by little, the emotion of the interpreters generated emotion in the listeners, and at the end, resoundingly warm applause, even in its reservedness. " IL MESSAGGERO DI ROMA
In an article in THE NEW YORKER on the occasion of the inauguration new
Theatre at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival:
"By German standards, Glimmerglass is not an especially small theater: the Opera houses of Bonn,
Bielefeld, Essen,.. and the Gartnerplatz Theatre in Munich have a smaller capacity. It is larger than the
Monte Carlo Opera, where all the great singers once sang and many important operas were created....
where Brigit Nilsson, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Regine Crespin, Carol Vaness, and Luciano Pavarotti have
sung. But by American Standards Glimmerglass is an unusually intimate house: a place where words can tell and tiny inflections, vocal or physical, can make their effect. It's a house in which it would be good to hear Kathleen Battle, Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt, Beverly Hoch, Carmen Pelton; Frederica von Stade, Emily Golden,
Alice Baker, Molly Donnelly; Drew Minter and Jeffery Gall...and on through a catalogue of American [singers] who have not coarsened their voices in the struggle to fill three-thousand seat houses....."
Andrew Porter THE NEW YORKER
In Stavanger, Norway, in Mozart's Grand Mass in C Minor:
"....the two extraordinary American singers, and especially the clear and flexible voice of
Alice Baker." STAVANGER OFFENBLAD
In the Manzoni Requiem of Verdi:
"Of the vocal soloists, the honors clearly went to mezzo soprano Alice Baker, whose impressively full, throbbing
tone shone most movingly." LA DAILY NEWS
"Three out of four of Currie' s soloists superbly abetted the operatic ambiance---mezzo soprano Alice Baker,
tenor Richard Leech, and bass Richard Cowan." THE LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker was the subject of a pre-concert advisory noting
that she had been forced because of illness to cancel a concert for the first
time in her career, last Friday in Detroit. One listened in vain for any
lingering traces of her ailment Sunday, and she sang with a generous amount of
feeling and warmth." THE REGISTER
With Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony for performances of
Mahler's Third Symphony:
"The fine mezzo soprano soloist in the fourth and fifth movements was Alice Baker, the Ruggiero in last summer's Opera Theatre production of Handel's Alcina. " ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH
For performances of Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn":
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker possesses a voice of remarkable size and her control of it is quite
secure. She also possesses considerable exuberance, which carried her through the Mahler songs....
THE FRESNO PRESS
In Berlioz' Romeo et Juliette:
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker added her fine voice, as she sang the tender 'Love's first kiss is ne'er forgotten.' Baker's
clear soprano arias rose above the accompanying harp." VENTURA PRESS
"Particularly outstanding was Miss Baker, whose resonant mezzo soared above the orchestra and chorus. Her voice has a beautiful Italianate timbre that is first-class in its quality, and her interpretation of the Prologue Aria was
quite moving. " THE VENTURA STAR FREE PRESS
For performances at Ambassador Auditorium with I CANTORI:
'The Caccini 'Amarilli' was first sung by mezzo soprano Alice Baker: a rich voice of great range which capably handled the opulent fioratura. The more impressive soloists, Miss Baker, alto Lou Robbins, tenor Byron Wright in particular----displayed more richness and color in their solos." THE PASADENA STAR NEWS
In Handel's Messiah:
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker provided a solid performance and many beautiful tones." LOS ANGELES TIMES
In Mendelssohn's St. Paul Oratorio:
"Of the four soloists, this listener was most impressed with the warm liquid tone of mezzo soprano Alice Baker, who
unfortunately had only one solo turn and was heard but briefly in two quartet segments in the second part of the work. One wished to hear more from her." THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
For Beethoven's Missa Solemnis:
"There was much to admire, on the other hand, in the sumptuous mezzo soprano of Alice Baker." Martin Bernheimer, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Mezzo soprano Alice Baker, made for this listener, the most consistently
appealingly mellow sounds of the great quartet." THE REGISTER
For the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven:
Clear, precise, solo portrayals from mezzo soprano Alice Baker." THE STAR (Illinois)
For Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea:
"The most notable and beautiful sounds came from Alice Baker." OPERA NEWS
In Bach's Christmas Oratorio:
"Alice Baker, whose rich alto has power, both in her chest tones and in the upper register, as tremendous breath control was evident in the sustained opening of the exquisite aria 'Schlafe, mein Liebster', whose lovely lullaby she sang so beautifully." SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS
In the works of Gilbert and Sullivan:
"Alice Baker brought rich vocalism to the title role as Iolanthe." LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Alice Baker sang Ruth with a rich, ample mezzo." THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
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