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The L.A. Times

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Winterreise with Julius Drake for Chamber Music Northwest

February, 2021

Bien plus dans le rôle de diseuse que dans celui de chercheuse d’émotions faciles, malgré un visage très expressif, la mezzo-soprano s’attelle à porter les textes du poète allemand Wilhelm Müller par une diction extrêmement précise. Plus encore que Coote, et plutôt dans la continuité d’une Brigitte Fassbaender, Fleur Barron emporte le cycle transposé dans le grave avec une voix tout juste légèrement poitrinée à l’occasion, dont elle maîtrise l’équilibre sans jamais trop en pousser le souffle en fin de phrase. Fleur Barron se glisse dans le Voyage d’Hiver avec une splendide expressivité. Cette excellente interprétation rappelle que si le cycle est depuis plus d’un siècle majoritairement porté par les barytons, il a été écrit sur une clé de ténor et peut tout autant être développé par des sopranos ou mezzo-sopranos de la qualité de Fleur Barron.

Opera Today

Schubert Recital with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake at Oxford Lieder Festival

October, 2020

Barron’s opulent tone and colour intimated the urgent passions of the poetic text, aided by the conspiratorial breathlessness of Drake’s pulsing accompaniment which surged and shrank with barely restrained excitement.... ‘Totengräbers Heimweh’ (Gravedigger’s Longing) was terrifyingly tense and theatrical.  Barron’s controlled shaping of the fragmented repetitions was gripping, and with wonderfully rich glossiness her mezzo sank down into the nether regions

Seen and Heard International

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Schubert Recital with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake at Oxford Lieder Festival

October, 2020

Fleur Barron, an accomplished, rich-toned mezzo with a lively stage presence

Forum Opera

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

Winterreise with Julius Drake for Chamber Music Northwest

February, 2021

Perhaps it is a product of COVID-fatigue or the most severe winter I have experienced in decades, but this Winterreise was an emotional rollercoaster. Weather and mood aside, it was all Barron and Drake’s doing, as they vividly expressed the emotions that consume the young man. Barron’s face and body are wonderfully expressive, but it’s the voice that matters, and hers is quite remarkable with its distinctive rich timbre; clarity and depth to the point of cavernous; and evenness from top to bottom. Her articulation of the text is clear and exact but never at the expense of the musical line. At times Barron hurled out the words defiantly, but the anger was always tempered by eloquence and dignity, which combined to make songs such as ‘Auf dem Flusse’ und ‘Einsamkeit’ particularly moving.

Seen and Heard International

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Winterreise with Julius Drake for Chamber Music Northwest

February, 2021

Barron’s mezzo-soprano is multi-layered and vibrant: imagine a voice that seems to have the blood in one’s veins and the life forces of nature running through it.  Wonderfully even, both all encompassing and crystal clear, Barron’s mezzo draws one into the emotional journeys it charts. I’ve lost count of the performances of Winterreise that I’ve heard with Drake serving as an assured partner, guide and follower, but on this occasion his playing seemed to explore new paths and visceral peaks.  Time and again I was surprised by unpredictable changes and extremes.  Always they were persuasive.

Opera Today

Winterreise with Julius Drake for Chamber Music Northwest

February, 2021

Barron's voice is deep and mellifluous, especially in her lower register, which found new inflections on repeated phrases....dressed in an asymmetrical, black-and-brown outfit, barefoot, Barron imbued her singing with such a remarkable intensity that she easily kept her public captive for more than an hour. It was an evening that was not easy to forget. And isn’t that the most desirable attribute of a performance?

Bachtrack

Orphée et Eurydice (Gluck), Cape Town Opera

September, 2019

Fleur Barron is magnificent as Orphée, her stellar performance underpinned effectively by sopranos Brittany Smith and Hllengiwe Mkhwanazi...Barron’s richly resonant, multi-layered voice contrasts pleasingly with the lighter registers of her fellow performers, climaxing effortlessly in the exquisite aria "J’ai perdu mon Eurydice" 

Weekend Special

The Rake's Progress,

Aldeburgh Festival

June, 2019

But setting the stage alight was British-Singaporean mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron as Baba the Turk, the Bearded Lady, who played her part to the full in a burlesque-type performance with costume designer, Anna Ardelius, decking her out in ‘Madame Arcati’ fashion finishing her off with a tight-fitting silver-sequinned head covering. Her aria and monologue ‘As I was saying, both brothers wore moustaches . . .’ was sung divinely.

Planet Hugill

The Rake's Progress,

Aldeburgh Festival

June, 2019

Of the cast we heard I would say Barbara Hannigan has picked three knockout performers: Fleur Barron's Baba the Turk was charming, funny and even a little sexy (if you like bearded women, that is).

The Times

The L.A. Times

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The Rake's Progress,

Ojai Festival

June, 2019

Fleur Barron's Baba was the one revelation.  Her meltingly rich mezzo and flair removed the ridiculousness [of the character]

L.A. Times

The Rake's Progress,

Ojai Festival

June, 2019

The two women in Tom's life, the loyal Anne Truelove and mezzo soprano Fleur Barron as his exotic wife, Baba the Turk, gave wonderfully powerful and lyrically contrasting performances.  

San Francisco Classical Voice

The Rake's Progress,

Ojai Festival

June, 2019

Fleur Barron, an earthy Baba the Turk in 'The Rake's Progress', sounded like a Carmen in the making.

New York Times

Eugene Onegin,

Opera de Toulon

May, 2019

Olga est Fleur Barron, authentique contralto anglo-singapourienne. Le « joli feu follet » espiègle, mutine, a la grâce de sa jeunesse. La projection, les couleurs, la vivacité en font une Olga exemplaire. Son arioso du premier tableau est un modèle de chant, expressif, avec des graves (sol !) puissants ne sentant jamais l’effort. On adore.

Forum Opera

Eugene Onegin

Opera de Toulon

May 2019

Sa sœur Olga est confiée à l’irlandaise Fleur Barron, mezzo au timbre pulpeux, à la présence de ballerine virevoltante, mais qui ne joue pas ici la carte ambigüe de la séduction. La voix est ductile, bien projetée. Quelques aigus pépient joyeusement au-dessus de graves étoffés et bien placés.

Olyrix

The Rake's Progress

La Monnaie/de Munt

March 2019

Fleur Barron, dans le rôle mystérieux de Baba la Turque, femme à barbe voilée, star de show et nouvelle conquête de Tom Rakewell s’offre avec des graves assurés. Surjouée et très modulée mais toujours féminine et joliment factice, la voix de la mezzo surprend et fait le pont avec intelligence entre les différents registres de la distribution.

Olyrix

Barkouf (Offenbach)

Opera National du Rhin

Dec 2018 - Jan, 2019

On saluera sans réserves la prestation de Fleur Barron en Balkis (amie de Maïma et amoureuse de Xaïloum), aussi remarquable par son mezzo de velours que par ses qualités d’interprète.

Bachtrack

Barkouf (Offenbach)

Opera National du Rhin

Dec 2018 - Jan, 2019

Aucune réserve, en revanche, quant à la prestation de la mezzo-soprano irlandaise Fleur Barron (Balkis) : voix de velours, diction parfaite, présence scénique indéniable.

Opera Online

Barkouf (Offenbach)

Opera National du Rhin

Dec 2018 - Jan, 2019

Le contraste est net avec la stupéfiante Fleur Barron, dont l’identité de mezzo ne permet pas le doute un seul instant, et dont l’aplomb fait plaisir à voir.

Forum Opera

Winter Fragments (C.D.)

for Resonus Classics label

Oct 2018

The six-part Winter Fragments, featuring mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, uses the voice like an instrument, even more so than the music of Britten or Tippett. She has an excellent voice with a rich, lovely timbre, steady tonal emission and superb styling and pitch.

Art Music Lounge

Winter Fragments (C.D.)

for Resonus Classics label

Oct 2018

The Berkeley Ensemble, conducted by Dominic Grier and dedicated to music of the 20th and 21st centuries, provides endlessly responsive playing, whether alone or as part of the Winter Fragments song cycle, sung by Fleur Barron, who is also exceptional in the Sonnet for Orpheus

The Guardian

Rigoletto

Northern Ireland Opera

Oct 2018

Principal casting was impressive....Of special note was Fleur Barron as Maddalena, who brought out the lascivious Carmen-like qualities of the part with vividness.

Bachtrack

Rigoletto

Northern Ireland Opera

Oct 2018

Fleur Barron’s Maddalena was a saucy, manipulative creature and she sang with confidence and ease.

Seen and Heard International

Nabucco

Opera National de Montpellier

May 2018

Fenena fait figure de révélation de la soirée, malgré les interventions trop rares de Fleur Barron, mais avec un impressionnant grave charpenté pour une mezzo : le chant correspond à la parole "Già dal fral, che qui ne impiomba, Fugge l'alma e vola al ciel!" "L'âme fuit le lourd corps humain et vole vers le ciel !". Une voix à suivre (en l'ajoutant à vos favoris) pour continuer à voir cette Fleur éclore.

Olyrix

Nabucco

Opera National de Montpellier

May 2018

On admire également la beauté envoûtante du timbre de Fleur Barron, superbe Fenena dotée d’une présence magnétique. On suivra avec intérêt la carrière de cette jeune artiste.

Classique News

Bernstein 'Songfest'

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Jan 2018

The highlight of the concert, however, was a rare opportunity to hear Songfest, a symphonic song cycle featuring six soloists. The cast of young soloists were uniformly excellent, but particularly excellent were mezzo sopranos J’Nai Bridges and Fleur Barron, whose voices contrasted wonderfully, Bridges all silky lyricism and Barron with an astoundingly gutsy lower register

Bachtrack

Recital with Julius Drake

King's Place, London

Sep 2017

The word ‘indisposed’ must send a pulse of dread through the heart of the concert hall director.  How is one to find a replacement mezzo soprano who can sing anything from Bach to Berkeley with just 24 hours’ notice?  Fleur Barron, who flew into London for this concert with cellist Natalie Clein and pianist Julius Drake when illness prevented Ruby Hughes from performing, did more than simply ensure that the ‘show went on’.  She brought incredible poise and expressive weight – not to mention a thrillingly dark and rich-veined mezzo, and a striking stage presence – to Kings Place for this concert...

Seen and Heard International

Recital with Julius Drake

King's Place, London

Sep 2017

Rapture was a mood struck often during the evening...in the final piece, Schubert’s wonderful ‘On the stream’, the piano echoed the phrases of Fleur Barron’s beautifully sustained song, and Clein’s cello spun a rapturous counterpoint...No less moving were the three songs by John Tavener for voice and cello, based on poems by Anna Akhmatova, and Tavener’s solo cello piece Threnos. To succeed these pieces need a beautifully sustained line and hair-line accuracy of tuning, and the performers [Barron and Clein] gave us both.

The Telegraph

Die Siebentodsuenden (Weill)

Tanglewood Music Festival

Aug 2016

The cast was strong across the board, but mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron as Anna was the charismatic star, projecting her character’s sass but also her sincerity, with a tone that was idiomatically dark and smoky.

The Boston Globe

Die Siebentodsuenden (Weill)

Tanglewood Music Festival

Aug 2016

...the best tribute was the 'Seven Deadly Sins' featuring a charismatic young mezzo-soprano named Fleur Barron, a mesmerizing Anna.

NPR Public Radio

"10 Best Performances of 2016"

Die Siebentodsuenden (Weill)

Tanglewood Music Festival

Aug 2016

Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins was masterfully led by mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, Nuno Coelho, conductor, with Nicholas Muni as director. Ms. Barron gave a masterful performance. Not only was her voice beguiling in every way, she moved decisively, and somehow naturally, through the opera. Each of her skills contributed to a larger convincing performance in this ice-cold piece.

The Berkshire Review for the Arts

Die Siebentodsuenden (Weill)

Tanglewood Music Festival

Aug 2016

Both sides of Anna were played by the English mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, who was asked to sing and dance. Barron’s voice was clear and pleasant...where she excelled was crafting a character, using her voice, stage presence and just enough dance movement. It was a dazzling performance. 

Ionarts

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