Press

• More info  
  03 Apr 19 BACH St John Passion
  London

  “Christine Rice’s gorgeous aris “Von den Stricken meiner Sunden”[…] [is] just [one] of the vocal high-points in Part One.”

  Michael Church, The Independent, 3 April 2019

  “The other soloists — polished soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo Christine Rice and tenor Andrew Staples — raised their dramatic temperature to match the staging, as did Rattle himself, sometimes pushing the reach of Bach’s music to expressive extremes.”

  Richard Fairman, Financial Times,  3 April 2019

• More info  
  20 Jan 19 Concert, Pro Musica Vocale
  KKL Lucerne

  “Der absolute Höhepunkt des Abends ist jedoch die Mezzosopranistin Christine Rice. Die englische Starsängerin stürzt sich mit körperreicher Stimme in den Kampf mit Orchester, Chor und Orgel, dramatisch und eindringlich. In «And therefore to-day» erreicht der Steigerungsfuror fast Wagner’sche Dimensionen. Ein Tosen im wuchtigen Musikapparat, den die Sängerin scheinbar mühelos überstrahlt… Aber auch in den ruhigeren Momenten gestaltet Christine Rice mit grossem Fluss, lässt ihren dunkel gefärbten Mezzosopran frei und offen durch die Gefühle gleiten.”
  Roman Kühne, Luzerne Zeitung, 21 January 2019

• More info  
  29 Nov 18 BACH Christmas Oratorio
  Boston Symphony Hall

  “Mezzo-soprano Christine Rice sang many lovely and memorable moments throughout the evening; my favorite was the aria, Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh (Sleep, my beloved, enjoy Your rest), rendered with love and poignancy, warmth and an apt frisson of tragedy. Rice’s later aria, Schließe, mein Herze (Enclose, my heart) included a gorgeous obbligato violin part with Alexander Velinzon, a thrilling pairing of equals in this duet.”
  Cashman Kerr Prince, Classical-Scene, 30 November 2018

• More info  
  07 Jun 18 OFFENBACH Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  Dutch National Opera

  “Trailing long, blonde tresses, Christine Rice was a vocally and physically voluptuous Giulietta, her earthiness complementing the slender sound of Irene Roberts as the Muse in the Barcarolle. Rice also brought off the coloratura in “L’amour lui dit: la belle!”.”
  Jenny Camilleri, Bach Track, 4 June 2018

  “De Britse mezzosopraan Christine Rice zorgde in haar acteren en met de pracht van haar zingen voor een grootse uitwerking van de geraffineerde Giulietta. Zij heeft de liefdesdronken Hoffmann in haar macht tijdens de betoverende liefdesnacht met zoete muziek.”
  Franz Straatman, Placer de Opera, 4 June 2018

   

• More info  
  15 Mar 18 ROSSINI Mosè in Egitto
  Teatro di San Carlo, Naples

  “Amaltea è la spigliata Christine Rice, dominante.”
  Salvatore Morra, Giorna della Musica, 20 March 2018

  “…molto gradevole e ben emessa. La cantante ha più di una freccia al suo arco come dimostra in un’aria importante come La pace mia smarrita, eseguita con grande disinvoltura…”
  Bruno Tredicine, Opera Click, 21 March 2018

  “L’Amaltea di Christine Rice ha voce dal bel timbro…”
  Luigi Raso, Ape Musicale, 19 March 2018

  “Christine Rice was Amaltea, Faraone’s wife who advocated the Hebrews’ cause: she sang with a smooth mezzo of her own, a faultless diction and acting, and a finely deployed coloratura.”
  Lorenzo Fiorito, Bach Track, 19 March 2018

  “…così come al soprano Christine Rice, molto brava nel gestire virtuosismi ed emozioni per Amaltea.”
  Paola De Simone, Connessi all’Opera, 17 March 2018

• More info  
  26 Oct 17 ADES The Exterminating Angel
  Metropolitan Opera

  “Christine Rice, an English mezzo, delivers the aria “Over the sea” with wistful yearning.”
  Wilborn Hampton, Huffington Post, 27 October 2017

  “…Blanca (Christine Rice, full-voiced and self-assured)…”
  Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review, 27 October 2017

• More info  
  01 Jun 17 HANDEL Semele
  Garsington Opera

  “Christine Rice is her usual splendid self as the raging Juno…”
  Rupert Christiansen, Telegraph, 2 June 2017

  “With fine contributions from… Christine Rice (Juno)… this was a splendidly sung performance…”
  Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 2 June 2017

  “Christine Rice was in splendidly rich voice, putting in a great comic turn as Juno…”
  Mark Pullinger, BachTrack, 2 June 2017

  “…accolade goes to Christine Rice who, piercing Juno’s nails into Iris’s palm as her coloratura roulades attest to her suffering, uses every inch of her wide range to convey the goddess’s fury. Hearing her low notes burn one could not doubt her scorching spite and resentment. Rice’s Juno is both terrifying and comic, and her flashes of vocal fire are the equal of her husband’s lightning strikes.”
  Claire Seymour, Opera Today, 3 June 2017

  “…the sublime Christine Rice who nevertheless sang the part gorgeously.”
  Mark Valencia, Whatsonstage, 4 June 2017

  “Rice is such a star that she has to work quite hard not to seem one. Her formidable low notes are almost up, or down, there with Marilyn Horne’s.”
  Michael Tanner, The Spectator, 10 June 2017

  “…Christine Rice, in magnificently vengeful mode…”
  Cara Chanteau, Independent, 5 June 2017

   

• More info  
  24 Apr 17 ADÈS The Exterminating Angel
  Royal Opera House

  “The main cast is as in Salzburg, and reads like a starry cross-generational roll call: John Tomlinson, Thomas Allen, Anne Sofie von Otter, Christine Rice.”
  Erica Jeal, The Guardian, 25 April 2017

  “…and memorable cameos come from Christine Rice…”
  Richard Morrison, The Times, 25 April 2017

  “Christine Rice as the pianist sings with exemplary clarity and expression…”
  Mark Valencia, Whatsonstage, 25 April 2017

  “…Adès turned his hand to romantic sweetness in the shape of a stunning aria by Christine Rice’s Blanca…”
  David Karlin, Bach Track, 25 April 2017

  “All praise to a superbly integrated cast – Christine Rice and Anne Sofie von Otter among its brightest stars …”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 25 April 2017

  “The cast list reads like a family-tree of British singing-aristocracy, with John Tomlinson and Thomas Allen relishing their character roles as fusty doctor and lusty conductor respectively, while Christine Rice sings beautifully as the latter’s wife, Blanca…”
  Claire Seymour, Opera Today, 25 April 2017

  “It’s a virtually flawless ensemble cast…Rice catches beautifully the stillness of her set pieces, especially the poignant Act 2 aria ‘Over the sea’.”
  Jonathan Cross, Opera Magazine, July 2017

• More info  
  07 Feb 17 BACH Mass in B Minor
  Symphony Hall Boston

  “Soprano Malin Christensson’s voice shone like a cool sliver of moonlight in her three duets, in particular the rapturous “Et in unum Dominum” with mezzo-soprano Christine Rice, the soprano’s light lyric tone gliding above Rice’s firm, dark lower register. Rice’s… “Agnus Dei” was arrestingly lovely, and the perfect lead into the majestic “Dona nobis pacem.” ”
  Zoë Madonna, Boston Globe, 4 February 2017

  “Christensson’s glowing soprano and Rice’s rosy-toned mezzo complemented one another in the work’s duets. The “Christe eleison” flowed in cascading phrases… Rice’s best singing came in the “Agnus Dei,” where Bach’s dark lyricism sounded with a touch of sweet agony.”
  Aaron Keebaugh, Boston Classical Review, 3 February 2017

• More info  
  23 Jan 17 Recital
  Wigmore Hall

  “Neither Drake nor Rice put a foot wrong as the constantly interrupted phone conversation with the lover who’s ended the relationship moves from putting on a brave face to a courageous cantilena of truthfulness, the seemingly endless depth and richness of the mezzo voice with its flawless upper register resonating around the hall. Never at any point was the sound forced other than to make a point of extreme desperation. The endgame was all the more devastating for the piano bringing into focus the final, funereal motif, seemingly an adaptation of a theme from one of Chopin’s Etudes, and for the way Rice continued to ring the changes on the simple words “je t’aime”. Absolutely remarkable, an out-of-body experience and a performance which is unlikely to be surpassed in the operatic world this year.”
  David Nice, The Arts Desk, 24 January 2017

• More info  
  04 Nov 16 OFFENBACH Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  Royal Opera House

  “…Christine Rice brings a rich-toned mezzo to Giulietta …”
  Clare Colvin, The Express, 13 November 2016

  “Christine Rice likewise dazzles as the sensuous erotic courtesan Giulietta…”
  Cara Chanteau, The Independent, 8 November 2016

  “The women are excellent. Sofia Fomina’s Olympia, with her steely, clockwork coloratura, contrasts nicely with Christine Rice’s truly dangerous Giulietta.”
  Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 8 November 2016

  “Christine Rice’s sumptuous Giulietta was the pick of Hoffmann’s amours…”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 8 November 2016

  “Christine Rice vamped it up as the glamorous courtesan, Giulietta, her plum-rich mezzo contrasted with Lindsey’s lighter voice in the famous Barcarolle.”
  Mark Pullinger, Bach Track, 8 November 2016

  “…Christine Rice, as Giulietta, the Venetian, was marvellous in her far too small role.”
  Michael Tanner, The Spectator, 3 December 2016

  “Christine Rice’s lovely, big mezzo supplied some genuine sensuality to Giulietta’s odalisque languor, and she and Grigolo were a formidable pair in their duet.”
  Peter Reed, Opera Magazine, January 2017

• More info  
  30 Sep 16 MOZART Don Giovanni
  English National Opera

  “The women are excellent. Rice blazes away thrillingly in her act two aria. Lynch is silver-toned and superbly accurate, and Jones’s unorthodox take lets her reveal levels of vulnerability that some interpreters miss.”

  Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 1 October 2016

  “There are some distinguished performances. As Elvira, Christine Rice sings a magnificent “Mi tradi”.”

  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 1 October 2016

  “Christine Rice’s increasingly distracted Donna Elvira exuded star quality and her showstopping “Mi tradi”‘ confounded Wigglesworth’s attempts to stifle applause by motoring through the numbers.”
  Mark Valencia, whatsonstage.com, 1 October

  “Christine Rice’s Donna Elvira, wild-eyed with near raving intensity, is all the more potent for the control this sympathetic performer exerts in one astonishing aria after another.”
  Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 9 October 2016

  “The mesmerising centre of attention is Christine Rice’s Elvira, a hopeless, frazzled, complaining mess, but sung and played with focused fury – her appalled horror at her unwanted “love that will not die” is very memorable, and the accompagnato, very spaciously and lovingly conducted, is the most human thing in the whole show. At Giovanni’s last supper she is Mary Magdalene – and Jones indulges the profane-religious angle here, with Giovanni’s blasphemous Eucharist of wine and female flesh very much to the fore.”
  Robert Thicknesse, Critics’ Circle, 11 October 2016

  “Christine Rice acts and sings the role gloriously…”
  Michael Tanner, The Spectator, 8 October 2016

  “Christine Rice, whose Elvira degenerates into a wild-eyed avenging fury, is in terrific voice.”

  Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 3 October 2016

  “…Christine Rice’s excellent Donna Elvira…”
  David Mellor, Daily Mail, 9 October 2016

• More info  
  29 Jul 16 ADES Exterminating Angel
  Salzburg Festival

  “The vocal writing is tailor-made for the 22 top-drawer soloists…this is athletic, demanding music which is performed with polish and flair.”
  Shirley Apthorp, The Financial Times, 29 July 2016

  “…and Ed Lyon and Sophie Bevan were ardent as the tragic young couple, Eduardo and Beatriz.”
  Hugo Shirley, Opera Magazine, October 2016

  “One of the most touching performances came from Christine Rice, as Blanca, who is give two of the score’s highlights… More lyrical respite comes in the form of Leticia’s Act 3 aria, which holds up the action after she has worked out how the guests are to effect their escape.”
  Hugo Shirley, Opera Magazine, October 2016

• More info  
  22 Apr 16 BIZET Carmen
  Esplanade Singapore

  “As modern-day Carmens go, Christine Rice is one of the best. Singing the title role in this concert version of Bizet’s famous opera, she was not just vocally compelling but conveyed through facial inflexions and body language a potent image of Carmen’s alluring captivating and sensuous femininity.”
  Marc Rochester, The Straits Times, 25 April 2016

• More info  
  27 Oct 15 HANDEL Alcina
  Teatro Real Madrid

  “Con una voz y un físico perfectos para este papel de …la británica no sólo compuso un personaje creíble, sino que cantó de manera superlativa tanto pasajes líricos como agilidades, con timbre igual de atractivo en agudos y graves: su Sta nell’ircana fue el aria mejor cantada del estreno.”
  Luis Gago, Cultura, 29 October 2015

  …Christine Rice took the prize as a marvellous “Ruggiero in the first-ever staging of Handel’s Alcina at the Teatro Real. A lyrical mezzo of balanced contrasts, modulations and beautiful expression, with impeccable coloratura, her ‘Verdi prati, selve amene’ was a high point of the evening.”
  Victoria Stapells, Opera, March 2016

• More info  
  16 Aug 15 Sherlock Holmes Prom
  Royal Albert Hall

  “The highlights of the afternoon…came from…Mezzo-soprano Christine Rice, resplendent in a nineteenth century opera gown, [who] gave us two arias that Sherlock Holmes’ “woman”, Irene Adler, is supposed to have sung – “Una voce poco fa” from The Barber of Seville and “Ah, Tanya, Tanya” from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Her deep tones and smooth delivery brought some much-needed contrast to the mostly-instrumental programme.”
  Caroline Crampton, News State Man, 17 August 2015

• More info  
  05 Jul 15 BRITTEN The Rape of Lucretia
  Glyndebourne Festival Opera

  “Christine Rice has never have done anything more deeply felt than her heart-rending Lucretia…Here is music drama of the very highest power and quality.”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 6 July 2015

  “Leading the cast is Christine Rice’s grandly sung Lucretia, noble in tone yet tragically vulnerable in her physical and emotional isolation…”
  George Hall, The Guardian, 7 July 2015

  “Christine Rice is a young, vibrant Lucretia, not statuesque and stoic, but spontaneous in her emotions, and singing with quick contrasts of light and shade.”
  Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 7 July 2015

  “Christine Rice is often devastating as Lucretia, the colour leeching out of her voice following her rape…”
  Edward Bhesania, The Stage, 7 July 2015

  “Lucretia was sung by Christine Rice, whose rich, mature mezzo gave her character stature, nobility and expressive power.”
  George Hall, Opera News, July 2015

  “The excellent Christine Rice…very much alive  with spontaneous reactions and quick contrasts of colours in her singing.”
  Richard Fairman, Opera, September 2015

• More info  
  10 Mar 15 WEILL Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
  Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

  “Christine Rice’s Jenny was fresh-sounding yet convincingly world-weary…”
  Erica Jeal, Opera, May 2015

• More info  
  12 Jan 15 OFFENBACH Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  Metropolitan Opera

  “The cast performs with high ensemble spirits and good theatrical manners…Christine Rice creates a bravely sensual Giulietta.”
  Martin Bernheimer, Financial Times, 14 January 2015

  “The mezzo Christine Rice, in only her second role at the Met, is sultry as Giulietta.”
  Wilborn Hampton, Huffington Post, 13 January 2015

• More info  
  18 Dec 14 HUMPERDINCK Hansel & Gretel
  Metropolitan Opera

  “The mezzo-soprano Christine Rice appeared in concert with the Met Orchestra in 2011, but was making her house debut as Hansel. It followed another recent trouser (or at least semi-trouser) role for her, Bradamante in Handel’s “Alcina,” with the English Concert chamber orchestra at Carnegie Hall. In both parts, her voice has been bright and lean, her diction crisp and energetic…Their chemistry delightful, Ms. Rice…danced, crept and cowered with ease, radiating sweetness without ever tipping over into sentimentality.”
  Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 19 December 2014

• More info  
  10 Oct 14 HANDEL Alcina
  Barbican; English Concert

  “…Rice firm of tone and unaffectedly sincere…”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 11 October 2014

  “…Christine Rice delivered breathtaking, immaculate coloratura in Bradamante’s Vorrei vendicarmi.”
  Anna Picard, The Times, 13 October 2014

  “Christine Rice (playing the cross-dressing Bradamante)…the star attractions in a supremely stylish production led by Harry Bicket and The English Concert. Rice…sang Bradamante with thrilling animation…”
  Laura Battle, Financial Times, 13 October 2014

  “There were great performances from Christine Rice, thrillingly accurate as principled Bradamante…”
  Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 13 October 2014

• More info  
  03 Oct 14 ROSSINI Moses in Egypt
  Welsh National Opera

  “…Christine Rice turn their arias into show-stoppers.”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 4 October 2014

  “…Christine Rice’s rich-toned Amaltea…”
  Rian Evans, The Guardian, 5 October 2014

• More info  
  16 May 14 MOZART Cosi fan tutte
  English National Opera

  “…Christine Rice’s richly expressive Dorabella.”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 17 May 2014

  “The women were best, with Christine Rice’s Dorabella the most substantial achievement, strongly characterised…”
  Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 18 May 2014

  “Thank heavens that Christine Rice is in terrific vocal and comedic form as a frumpish Dorabella seizing her last chance to stray…”
  Richard Morrison, The Times, 20 May 2014

  “Of the quartet of lovers only Christine Rice as Dorabella is exceptional…”
  Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 19 May 2014

  “As a feisty Dorabella, Christine Rice clearly enjoyed delivering the performance of the evening, using her luxuriantly warm mezzo with verbal acuity.”
  John Allison, Opera, July 2014

• More info  
  22 Jan 13 BIRTWISTLE The Minotaur
  Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

  “The superb Christine Rice…”
  Sameer Rahim, The Telegraph, 22 January 2013

  “A strong cast has largely been re-assembled from the premiere, led by Christine Rice as Ariadne…”
  Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 20 January 2013

  “The same trio of soloists – Christine Rice (Ariadne)…are back to give phenomenal performances. Rice, almost constantly on stage, unnerving as quasi-narrator and lustful protagonist, was both terrific and terrifying.”
  Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 20 January 2013

  “…immaculately rehearsed production is pitch-perfect in its clean-lined austerity, and Christine Rice (Ariadne)…are all superb.”
  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 18 January 2013

  “Mezzo Christine Rice is back in the role of Ariadne…no praise too high for…Rice’s performance – centre-stage virtually the whole evening…”
  Michael Church, The Independent, 18 January 2013

  “Christine Rice surely deserves recognition as one of the great operatic artists of our time. Even when she has to sing loudly her tone loses none of its lustre, and as always she acts with sovereign economy and point: one hangs just as keenly on her gestures as on her voice.”
  Michael Tanner, The Spectator, 2 February 2013

• More info  
  23 Oct 12 VERDI Requiem
  Philadelphia Orchestra

  “…British mezzo-soprano Christine Rice, whose warmth and musicality were matched by a sensitive intelligence and keen commitment to ensemble.”

  Victoria Martino, The Huffington Post, 1 November 2012

  “Of the vocal soloists the most consistently effective was the least well known hereabout, Christine Rice, a British mezzo-soprano…she sang with lovely tone, fine expressivity and good diction in her middle and upper registers.”

  James R. Oestreich, The New York Times, 24 October 2012
  “British mezzo-soprano Christine Rice…wonderfully held her own with crystal clear tonality and an extremely fine tuned sense of musical communication. Her expression of the text was such that one need not look at the translations. If one did, one would miss the magnitude of her acting ability.”

  Jake Johansen, The Examiner, 23 October 2012

• More info  
  17 Oct 12 HARBISON Closer to my own life
  Carnegie Hall

  “Christine Rice was the excellent soloist, masterfully phrasing the composer’s arcs as if she were a human extension of the horn section…her diction…made the printed text unnecessary.”

  Bruce Hodges, www.seenandheard-international.com, 19 October 2011

  “A powerful new work sung beautifully by Rice. Rice, who specializes in both Baroque and Birtwistle contemporary, sang in her big, glamorous voice, following Harbison’s strongly profiled motifs…Her tone is sensuous and dark, just right for this work of dark and disturbing music and words.”

  Susan Hall, www.berkshirefinearts.com, 17 October 2011

  “Christine Rice’s deep burnished voice conveyed the texts with consistent authority…”

  Gene Gaudette, www.classicalsource.com, 16 October 2011

• More info  
  15 Apr 12 VERDI Rigoletto
  Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

  “…with Christine Rice as his sister Maddalena on sultry form.”

  Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 15 April 2012

  “…Christine Rice is feisty as Maddalena…”

  John Allison, The Telegraph, 11 April 2012

  “Christine Rice makes a superb Maddalena.”

  George Hall, The Guardian, 10 April 2012

  “Christine Rice’s seductive Maddalena and Matthew Rose’s morose Sparafucile are both near ideal.”

  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 2 April 2012

  “Christine Rice as his sister Maddalena also deserve[s] honourable mention.”

  Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 2 April 2012

• More info  
  18 Feb 12 OFFENBACH Tales of Hoffmann
  English National Opera

  “…Christine Rice at her creamiest, able to create in a few gestures and notes what many singers would take an evening to convey.”

  Michael Tanner, The Spectator, 18 February 2012
  “Christine Rice brought her customary beauty of sound and dramatic know-how to Nicklausse…”

  Rodney Milnes, Opera, April 2012

  “A bonus is that Nicklausse, Hoffmann’s ambiguous muse, has more action. Since he is sung by Christine Rice, in excellent form as a Richmal Crompton schoolboy, no one should complain.”

  Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 19 February 2012

  “…fabulously sung by Christine Rice…”

  Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, 19 February 2012

  “Still, it’s a triumph for the ENO, with the principals being given luxurious support by Christine Rice’s warm mezzo muse/schoolboy…”

  Paul Levy, Wall Street Journal, 17 February 2012

  “Nicklausse, his companion on his adventures, is a level-headed Just William (the convincing Christine Rice)…”

  Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 14 February 2012

  “It would almost be worth attending just to hear the delightful Christine Rice as Nicklausse, Hoffmann’s muse, whose voice is acquiring some thrilling darker hues.”

  Sam Smith, www.londonist.com, 14 February 2012

  “Christine Rice sings an impressively rich-toned Nicklausse…”

  Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 13 February 2012

  “Christine Rice’s Nicklausse is vocally glamorous…”

  George Hall, The Stage, 13February 2012

  “…mezzo Christine Rice is his confidant Nicklausse…”

  Michael Church, The Independent, 13 February 2012

  “Superb as Hoffmann’s friend/muse Nicklausse, Christine Rice sports schoolboy short trousers and grubby knees – a neat comment on the immaturity of Hoffmann.”

  Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 13 February 2012

  “Through it all, Christine Rice’s boyish Nicklausse is an irresistible and truly inspiring Muse, rhapsodic in her big Act II aria, and both elegant and touching in the great Barcarolle.”

  Hilary Finch, The Times, 12 February 2012

  “…Christine Rice’s tremendous schoolboy Nicklausse.”

  Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 12 February 2012

• More info  
  01 Jun 11 BIZET CD: Carmen
  Opus Arte

  “The cast is excellent. Christine Rice brings to the protagonist rich, malleable tone, sung and spoken French with real flavour to it… focused acting, and more than a touch of glamour; there’s a fine line to be trodden between being sexually provocative and being vulgar, and Rice treads it carefully.”
  George Hall, Opera Magazine, October 2016