NEWS AND REVIEWS
Handel Apollo et Dafne
Rameau Pygmalion (L’Amour)
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
May 9, 2023 - San Francisco Classical Voice
“Daphne’s role is much the opposite of Apollo’s, beginning serenely — before Apollo starts to harass her — and quickly amping up into energetic and articulate assertions of her right to live free from the god’s advances. Soprano Mary Wilson caught perfectly the combination of anger, pride, and sorrow in Daphne’s varied arias and in the protagonists’ dramatic duets.”
“Mary Wilson returned as Amour, gracefully bringing the statue to life with some lovely mystical music...
The overall effect of the evening was humane in the best sense — talented musicians generously sharing music they obviously love.”
The Oratorio Artist: An Interview with Soprano Mary Wilson
May/June, 2022 - Classical Singer Magazine
“Soprano Mary Wilson has made a name for herself in oratorio repertoire. She shares her experiences in this interview. Wilson is also a masterclass presenter at the CS Music Convention.” (click here for full article)
Mendelssohn Elijah
BACH FESTIVAL SOCIETY OF WINTER PARK FL
February 21, 2022 - Orlando Sentinel
“All the soloists delivered on the moments provided by Mendelssohn, from soprano Mary Wilson’s reassuring “Be not afraid” aria to…”
Haydn Creation
KEY CHORALE SARASOTA FL
February 16, 2020 - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“From her first notes Mary Wilson’s soprano proved most angelic with a spinning glimmer and easy flexibility. Trilling along with orchestral twitters she depicted the soaring and song of birds in the opening part two aria.
Ferrill and Wilson wove together beautifully in a love duet as Adam and Eve which would have fit well in a Mozart opera. Yet in this context it felt elevated by the bliss of Eden that shone through the entire third and final part of “The Creation.”
Handel Messiah
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY
December 25, 2019 - Music City Review
“Another magnificent moment was Soprano Mary Wilson’s performance in the delightful shift from secco recitative to the accompanied (“And the Angel Said unto Them” followed by “And Suddenly there Was with the Angel”) that opens the second half of Part One. She created a nuanced dramatic shift that articulated her character’s awareness behind the words she was singing as though her recognition of the “heav’nly host” emerged slowly in its presence - a moment well-articulated by Maestro Guerrero’s delicate direction.”
Handel Messiah
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
December 22, 2019 - BoomerCity.com
“Soloists Mary Wilson… performed with breathtaking feeling from their hearts.”
Artist Profile Interview
MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
December 2, 2019 - DailyMemphian.com
“Messiah' soprano for hire: Mary Wilson loves to tell Handel's old, old story.” (click here for full article)
Mozart Requiem
MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
November 23, 2019 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“[Yaniv] Dinur and the combined ensembles were joined in Friday’s opening of the weekend’s concerts by soprano Mary Wilson,... Each of the vocalists delivered lovely solo moments throughout the course of the piece,”
Pergolesi Stabat Mater
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
August 12, 2019 - Berkeley Daily Planet
“Possessed of an incomparably bright, lush and full soprano, Mary Wilson also combines flawless technique with an ability to get inside the music, as it were, and to vocally portray the emotional content of the words she sings… Mary Wilson has for many years been an invaluable asset to the American Bach Soloists.
…this pair of singers is outstanding; and here they excelled in Pergolesi’s operatic showpiece, a piece that some critics, however, have found inappropriate in a sacred work. No one, however, has found fault with the ensuing soprano aria, “Vidit suum,” which Mary Wilson sang exquisitely, wringing from it every expressive element of pain and tenderness, and bringing it to a plaintive close with a forlorn pianissimo.”
Pergolesi Stabat Mater
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
August 6, 2019 - San Francisco Classical Voice
“Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater Shines in Newly Discovered Arrangement.
Soprano Mary Wilson and baritone William Sharp were the wonderful soloists, alert to the sacred somberness, operatic flourishes, and intimate character of the vocal lines throughout.
Wilson brought a keen, urgent edge to her first aria, with its image of suffering and compassion as a sword. The duet that followed brought the two voices into striking, parallel alignment, heightened by a sudden spurt in tempo at the third stanza. Later on, in a more extensive duet, the soloists built to an embracing intensity and identification with the Virgin: “Make me weep with thee.” The soprano-baritone arrangement, along with the choral interpolations in this account produced both a dramatic tension and sense of spaciousness through the varied and expansive score. Wilson made the falling phrases in one aria (“She saw her sweet offspring dying”) a musical embodiment of the text. A burnished choral Amen brought this distinctive performance to a gratifying end.”
Power of Romanticism and Ressurrection
BACH FESTIVAL SOCIETY OF WINTER PARK
April 29, 2019 - Orlando Sentinel
"Soprano Mary Wilson’s voice angelically floated over the dynamic choir on a lovely “Prayer” passage from Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana.”
Mahler Symphony No. 2
VIRGINIA SYMPHONY
April 26, 2019 - Virginia Gazette
“Adding to the vocal and emotional thrill of this work were mezzo-soprano Susan Platts and soprano Mary Wilson… Wilson regaled us and Mahler with her beautiful pure solo sound as a prelude to choral flourish which also, in combination with Platts, added ethereal beauty. The reaction on the literally thunderous and chilling close to the work was a jack-in-the-box spontaneous jumping up of the crowd. Throughout the 1,700-seat hall, the cheers were athletic-event loud, the applause vigorous and unrestrained (for many, many minutes)... Gloriously justified.”
Pergolesi Stabat Mater
BACH FESTIVAL SOCIETY OF WINTER PARK
March 1, 2019 - Orlando Sentinel
“And the music was lovely. Festival veterans Mary Wilson and Meg Bragle provided the vocals, backed by a perfectly balanced string quintet. Wilson, the soprano, and Bragle, singing mezzo, have a beautiful blend and the kind of psychic link that lets them cut off phrases simultaneously and seemingly effortlessly. They explained they are longtime friends and musical collaborators, as they took questions from the audience on everything from favorite music to life on the road.”
Concert Preview Interview
BOULDER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
February 7, 2019 - SharpsAndFlatirons.com
“Soprano Mary Wilson Sings about Childhood with Boulder Philharmonic. Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.” (click here for full article)
R. Strauss Vier letzte Lieder
DELAWARE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
January 29, 2019 - BroadStreetReview
“Amado enlisted acclaimed American soprano Mary Wilson for these iconic songs, a touchstone for singers. Surprisingly, this was Wilson’s first time performing them, something certainly not apparent in her radiant and rich interpretation.
Wilson rose to the vocal and dramatic challenges of this demanding work — not really a soprano solo with accompaniment, but a duet (almost a concerto). …she sang with perfect poise, ever-unfolding depth, and admirable vocal restraint, never attempting to dominate — something that might tempt a lesser artist.”
A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
January 4, 2019 - Berkeley Daily Planet
“Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and soprano Mary Wilson joined American Bach Soloists for a splendid 4:00 pm concert on New Year’s Eve at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre. Musical Director Jeffrey Thomas announced from the stage that he intends to offer similar concerts every New Year’s Eve. If future such events are anything like this one, Bay Area audiences are indeed fortunate, for this was magnificent.
…soprano Mary Wilson, who needs no introduction to Bay Area audiences who have heard her many wonderful performances over the years with Jeffrey Thomas’s American Bach Soloists, brought her refreshingly bright, gleaming tone to this concert’s selection of soprano arias from George Frideric Handel.
Likewise, Mary Wilson offered splendid coloratura in her first aria, “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto.
Another highlight was Mary Wilson singing the immensely sorrowful lament “Lascia ch’io piangere mia cruda sorte.” A final bright-hued duet brought this wonderful New Year’s Eve concert to a happy ending. What a splendid way to bring in the New Year!”
A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
January 2, 2019 - San Francisco Classical Voice
“The program, which centered on Handel arias and duets, was a showcase for the vocal splendors of soprano Mary Wilson and countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen. …both singers dazzled.
Wilson joined Cohen for the achingly tender “Io t’abbraccio” (I embrace you), a farewell embrace. Their two high voices joined in splendid parallel and transversing lines. It felt at once ethereal and nakedly exposed. Their body language reinforced the vocal mastery, the lovers exchanging wistful glances, then turning away as the fates and Handel gradually unwound the embrace.
Wilson took the stage alone for the famous — and famously repurposed — aria, here lyricized in Handel’s Rinaldo as “Lascia ch’io pianga mia cruda sorte” (Let me weep over my cruel fate). Wilson made the most of reprises, enlarging this softly murmurous piece with flares of ornamentation that never felt showy for their own sake. A quiet fire burned beneath the piece’s melodic placidity.”
Handel Messiah
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
December 15, 2018 - Classical Sonoma
“Highlights were many. Ms. Wilson’s fioritura in “Rejoice Greatly” was impressive,”
Handel Messiah
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
December 13, 2018 - Berkeley Daily Planet
“Another perennial highlight ensued with the coloratura aria “Rejoice greatly,” gorgeously sung here by soprano Mary Wilson.”
Vaughan-Williams Dona Nobis Pacem
RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC
November 18, 2018 - Providence Journal
“This was by far the best program so far this season. It opens with Mary Wilson’s lone soprano intoning “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” And from there is covers a vast and varied musical landscape, building to towering heights only to end as it began, offering peace. Joining Wilson, the crystalline soprano soloist, was…”
Arts Alumni Legacy Award Winner
ROSEMOUNT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
May 31, 2018 - Pioneer Press
"Opera singer and Rosemount grad returns for concert with high school choir." (click here for full article)
Bernstein Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish”
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
March 19, 2018 - The Boston Musical Intelligencer
“Mary Wilson floated her “Din-Torah” lullaby, ethereal and otherworldly—exactly as Bernstein’s star trek asks.”
Bernstein Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish”
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
March 16, 2018 - The Arts Fuse Boston
“Among them was soprano Mary Wilson, filling in on short notice... She made the most of her moments, singing her second- and third-movement solos with child-like purity of tone, note-perfect intonation, and elegant diction.”
Bernstein Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish”
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
March 16, 2018 - Boston Globe
“And Mary Wilson, stepping in on short notice, contributed honorably as the evening’s soprano soloist.”
Bernstein Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish”
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
March 16, 2018 - Boston Classical Review
“Soprano Mary Wilson, making her BSO debut and subbing at the last minute..., delivered her solo passage with a light voice that grew in strength as the performance unfolded.”
Bach St. Matthew Passion
MERCURY ORCHESTRA
March 11, 2018 - Texas Classical Review
“Mary Wilson’s soprano contained silvery tinges that lent her arias an air of purity. She spun out the melody of “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland Sterben” in smooth long-breathed lines.”
Handel Gloria
Bernstein Glitter and be Gay
BOSTON BAROQUE
January 4, 2018 - The Boston Musical Intelligencer
“Coloratura soprano Mary Wilson gave an exemplary, apparently effortless account, mixing virtuosity, touching introspection, and outright beauty. Her breath control and thoughtfully varied dynamics gave the real vitality to innumerable melismas (some very long indeed) with which the composer highlighted key words in the text.
…Wilson sailed through all the considerable technical challengers with brilliance to spare, but just as importantly, she noticeably had fun. Bernstein designed the aria to be milked, and Wilson never held back. She could change moods on a dime, and did so most entertainingly. The audience responded heartily on their feet.”
Handel Gloria
Bernstein Glitter and be Gay
BOSTON BAROQUE
January 1, 2018 - The Boston Musical Intelligencer
Boston Baroque and Mary Wilson Revel in Bach & Handel
“Soprano Mary Wilson and Boston Baroque strings send Handel’s Gloria into a sky lit up with fireworks. The seven movements never let up over their 15 minutes… Wilson made real the splendorous galaxy of Baroque embellishment, delighting with her outstandingly guided melisma-upon-melisma and trilling. And her emotive breaths starting far back in the voice, emerged gradually, ultimately exploding meteor-like in full voice.
…Wilson, Pearlman and orchestra held this listener in rapturous captivity.”
Handel Messiah
DUKE UNVIERSITY CHAPEL
December 2, 2017 - Classical Voice North Carolina
“…featured four exceptional soloists, all exceptionally well matched in terms of vocal splendor, technical polish, stylistic sensitivity, and refined oratorio skills. Mary Wilson, a Chapel veteran, sang with inspiring mastery of her part, placing the words clearly and precisely on the vocal tone, even in the highest registers, making her a rarity among sopranos and even rarer still among American sopranos. … In all cases, the soloists exceeded expectations and in addition their ornamentations were distinctive and compelling, giving those repeated sections special importance.”
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 13, 2017 - Boulder Daily Camera
“The four vocal soloists were also world class… with DeYoung blending gorgeously with the transcendently soaring voice of soprano Mary Wilson.”
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 13, 2017 - Sharps & Flatirons
“…and an outstanding quartet of soloists delivered an immaculate performance of the Ninth Symphony. The four solo parts are some of the most thankless roles in the repertoire, written with no mercy, but they were made as beautiful as possible by the quartet of soprano Mary Wilson,… they all sang with great assurance, even with some very brisk and exhilarating tempos.”
Mahler Symphony No. 2
PACIFIC SYMPHONY
June 9, 2017 - Orange County Register
“…while soprano Mary Wilson floated her heavenly entrance over the hushed choristers and joined Lattimore as they soared in their final triumphant duet.”
Pergolesi Stabat Mater
NEW YORK CITY BALLET
May 13, 2017 - Opera Wire
“…tonight were American singers Mary Wilson and Meg Bragle, both hailed as experts in the Baroque repertoire. Wilson, a former finalist in the 1999 Met Council auditions has traversed the US in the roles of Strauss, Verdi, and Mozart. She is now faculty at the University of Memphis.
Their careful singing throughout the entire work was appropriately styled; never overbearing, using period ornamentation and singing with touches of straight tone throughout, a common practice in early music.”
Handel La Resurrezione
AMERiCAN BACH SOLOISTS
May 9, 2017 - San Francisco Classical Voice
“You could not ask for a more angelic voice, by the way, than Wilson’s: She hits the center of every pitch, every time, her runs are crystalline, the tone is purity itself, and as a bonus, she was all smiles and very generous in sharing her performance.”
Handel La Ressurezione
AMERiCAN BACH SOLOISTS
May 7, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle
“But the evening’s star was soprano Mary Wilson, whose performance as the angel was at once lyrical and triumphant, a dazzling array of legato melodies and ornate coloratura. Hers was the singing that lingered longest in a listener’s memory.”
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
PORTLAND SYMPHONY
April 24, 2017 - Portland Press Herald
“Among the soloists, Wilson and Cutlip gave powerful accounts of their music…”
Handel Saeviat tellus inter rigores
Vivaldi Salve Regina
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
August 6, 2016 - The Rehearsal Studio
“It is unclear whether the Carmelites would have had such resources at their disposal, not to mention a vocalist to meet the virtuosic challenges of the soprano line (yet another example of Handel honing his operatic skills “by other means”). Fortunately, Wilson was up to the demand of every one of Handel’s virtuosic twists, turns, and leaps into the highest register.
This again features Wilson’s impeccable soprano singing, this time frequently in dialog with a solo violin performed by Elizabeth Blumenstock. In many respects the Salve Regina almost amounted to one of Vivaldi’s concertos, coupling the violin with a soprano rather than another violin.”
Handel Messiah - DVD
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
July/August 2016 - Fanfare Magazine
“The four soloists are excellent. …we recognize that we will have singing that combines tonal beauty, complete security of technique and production, and imagination. Repeats of bias are mediately ornamented, and each of the four singers is capable of using the full dynamic range while maintaining the quality of their timbres. Soprano Mary Wilson displays evenness of tone throughout her range and lots of gorgeous pianissimos.”
Handel Messiah - DVD
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
April 2016 - San Francisco Classical Voice
“Everyone’s technique is fully up to the work’s demands, and their frequent and gratifying embellishments are always tastefully applied“
Rossini Stabat Mater
BACH FESTIVAL SOCIETY OF WINTER PARK
February 28, 2016 - Orlando Sentinel
“The sopranos and soloist Mary Wilson neatly put a bit of a wail into their singing, augmenting the lyrics' lament. Wilson's bright tone was the highlight of the four featured soloists. When she sang of the glory of paradise near the work's conclusion, her voice rang over the chorus in glorious brilliance.”
Bach Cantatas
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
January 22, 2016 - Classical Sonoma
“Soprano Mary Wilson… in captivating solo work. All four soloists were a distinct pleasure to hear, balancing gracefully with the instruments.
In the Aria (no. 5), “Prepare, Jesus, even now the path for yourself,” violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock demonstrated her crisp, full sound in accompanying soprano Ms. Wilson. The soprano, with sustained lyricism throughout her range, brought out the best in this da capo aria, her voice poignant and richly colored.”
Rutter Requiem
SACRAMENTO CHORAL SOCIETY
October 24, 2015 - Sacramento Bee
“Soprano soloist, Mary Wilson, had her first opportunity to perform in the “Pie Jesu,” and she was magnificent. Her singing was confident and effortless, and her high notes were nothing short of superb.”
Handel Gloria
BACH SOCIETY OF ST. LOUIS
October 19, 2015 - St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Great “Gloria” from the Bach Society… Wilson sang the Midwest premiere under his baton in 2002, making it a perfect choice.
The “Gloria” is a demanding showpiece for coloratura soprano. Wielding a crystalline voice of spot-on accuracy, Wilson was more than up to its challenges, giving a bravura performance that had the audience on its feet in that rarity, the spontaneous standing ovation.”
FEATURE ARTICLE
October 18, 2015 - St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Bach Society opener takes a look back: Soprano Mary Wilson returns to sing as 75th season begins” (click here for full article)
FEATURE ARTICLE
October 17, 2015 - St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Soprano Mary Wilson is grateful for Bach Society's Young Artists program” (click here for full article)
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
PACIFIC SYMPHONY
October 2, 2015 - Orange County Register
“It didn’t hurt that the Pacific Chorale sang incisive and nimbly or that the vocal quartet — Mary Wilson, … — teamed tautly and soloed compellingly.”
Mozart Exsultate, jubilate
Mozart Regina Coeli
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL
August 10, 2015 - Sharps & Flatirons
“Wilson arrived onstage for Mozart’s virtuosic solo cantata for soprano and orchestra, “Exsultate, jubilate.” Here and in the following “Regina Coeli” for soprano with chorus and orchestra, Wilson sang with a bright, unforced sound and sparkling technique in the fioratura passages. She sang with great attention to the text and phrasing”
Mozart Exsultate, jubilate
Mozart Regina Coeli
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL
August 9, 2015 - Boulder Daily Camera
“Wilson availed herself with joyous aplomb in Mozart’ “Regina Coeli” and selections from Handel’s “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day,” and commanded the stage with her coal acrobatics in the former composer’s “Exsultate, jubliate.” Wilson’s beautiful tone and razor-sharp precision of pitch were complemented by an infectious personality.”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
March 2015 - Choral Journal
“The vocal soloists are all well matched with the ensemble, particularly soprano Mary Wilson, whose “Et incarnatus est” is moving and stylistically spot on.”
Bach St. John Passion
BOSTON BAROQUE
March 3, 2015 - Boston Globe
“a rustic flavor to soprano Mary Wilson’s “Zerfleisse, meine Herze.” Here everything was simple, direct, and luminous.”
Bach St. John Passion
BOSTON BAROQUE
February 28, 2015 - Boston Music Intelligencer
“Mary Wilson, soprano, brought a classical restraint to her first aria (“Ich folge dir gleichfalls”); her second (“Zerfleisse, meine Herze”) was a model of emotion worthy of an opera.”
Recital
KEY CHORALE SARASOTA
February 23, 2015 - Sarasota Observer
“Mary Wilson gave a recital… and it was exactly what vocal chamber music — or any chamber music — should be: intimate, charming and beautifully done.
…”Widmung,” one of the classics of the Lieder repertoire. It was absolute perfection, musically, vocally, and emotionally. Elly Ameling couldn’t have done it better.
Finally, the soprano — who is a great speaker, charming and knows when to stop talking and start singing — tossed off Musetta’s aria form Puccini’s “La Bohème.” ..the two simply won over the audience with their charisma and musical ability.
Look for Wilson, and, when you find her, get tickets. She’s terrific.”
MARY WILSON SINGS HANDEL - CD
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
January 2015 - Opera News
“Best of the Year! Star Quality: …and Mary Wilson in Laudate pueri with American Bach Soloists.”
Distinguished Artist Recital
AMERICAN BACH SOLOSITS
August 1, 2014 - Not for Fun Only
“During American Bach Soloists' Summer Festival & Academy, I heard soprano Mary Wilson in a recital featuring 3 virtuoso solo cantatas. Her voice is wonderfully secure, even & focused & has a nice firm feeling. She seems to be a very efficient singer & sounded consistently fresh despite the demanding program. Her interpretations were musical & decorous & her stage presence cheerful. She communicated the texts so clearly that I didn't feel the need to read the translations.
A conductor-less ensemble of 8 accompanied her for Handel's Tra le fiamme, & there was good synchrony between her & gamba player Kenneth Slowik. The Bach cantata Non sa che sia dolore had swaying tempos, and Ms. Wilson easily expressed its happy conclusion. The concluding Vivaldi cantata In furore iustissimae irae used an orchestra of 12 & was the only piece with a conductor. Ms. Wilson tackled the tricky coloratura passages effortlessly, as if there was nothing to worry about.
At the end of the concert, Ms. Wilson received a warm audience response & treated us to 2 Handel opera arias as encores. Maestro Thomas announced the 2nd encore simply as "Piangero," & the knowledgeable ABS audience knew right away he was referring to Handel's Julius Caesar. Ms. Wilson signed CDs in the lobby afterward. During the intermission my concert companion had a conversation with a patron who called herself an American Bach groupie.”
Distinguished Artist Recital
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
July 20, 2014 - San Francisco Examiner
“Wilson’s performance was one of deft clarity that skillfully transcended the religious pednatry of the text.
In the Vivalid cantata, In furore iustissiame irae (in the furor of your most just wrath), all virtuosity goes to the soprano, complete with a dazzling melismatic treatment of the final “Alleluia.” Wilson dazzlingly jumped through all the hoops Vivaldi set for her, bringing the entire program to a stunning conclusion.
Through these two encore arias, those of us on the audience side could appreciate the complementing faces of light and darkness in the stunning qualities of Wilson’s voice.”
MARY WILSON SINGS HANDEL - CD
AMERICAN BACH SOLOLISTS
May/June 2014 - Fanfare Magazine
“Mary Wilson is the featured soloist… her rich overtones give gravitas to the recording, as well as displaying, especially in the “Alleluia,” a facile and expert craftsmanship. …this would be one that every Handel lover should have.”
MARY WILSON SINGS HANDEL - CD
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
June 2014 - Opera News
“The luminous American soprano Mary Wilson, who spearheads three of Handel’s sacred vocal works on this new release from American Bach Soloists, doesn’t impose a domineering personality on the music; she seems more like its humble servant. She just happens to be an unusually gifted servant. Her light, alluring, velvety voice is as soothing as a soft warm blanket… Wilson’s voice contains so much quiet charisma that we fully accept it when the orchestra obediently follows suit, turning delicately accompanimental and allowing her to expound on the joy her love of the Lord brings her. But she’s just getting started: Wilson is fully equipped to surmount the manifold musical and technical challenges Handel has in store for her in these three demanding works. The five-movement Silete venti is followed by the eight-movement cantata Laudate Pueri Dominum, which traverses a broad spectrum of the Italian vocal styles and forms Handel was cheerfully (and profitably) learning to embrace during his first sojourn in Rome. Wilson is just as adept with the quick, wide leaps of “Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus” as she is with the long, tender phrases of the haunting aria “Sit nomen Domine,” which features abundant duet work with the superb oboe soloist John Abberger. The closing, six-movement Gloria, authenticated only in 2001 as genuinely Handelian, in unceasingly melodic and attractive The cheerful, extended roulades of the insidiously appealing first movement are just a warm-up for the virtuoso vocal fireworks of the dazzlingly fleet closing “Quoniam tu solus sanctus.” In all of these, Wilson is not only amazingly consistent and accurate; she somehow retains her beautifully nuanced phrasing. The third movement is a lovely and upbeat “Laudamus te” that makes an unexpected but gratifying mid-movement segue to a triplet-feel “Gratias agimus tibi.” These performances are a splendid, wide-ranging showcase for her.”
MARY WILSON SINGS HANDEL - CD
AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS
Summer 2014 - Early Music America
“American soprano Mary Wilson’s crystal clear and agile soprano voice is perfectly suited to Handel’s music; I find many soprano voices too heavy and resonant for Handel, especially in opera, but Wilson makes every note ring out clearly in fast coloratura passages. I especially enjoyed her performance of the Gloria... I found Thomas’s tempi to be careful and deliberate, which permits Wilson more freedom in vocal execution and musical expression. In short, a wonderful recording.”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
May/June 2014 - Fanfare Magazine
“WOWZA! …It starts with soprano Mary Wilson, whose beautiful and flexible voice leaps and skips through the Kyrie…”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
Summer 2014 - Early Music America
“Special praise to soprano Mary Wilson, whose coloratura soars over the chorus in the Kyrie like a burst of fireworks.”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
May 2014 - Opera News
“Soprano Mary Wilson somersaults through Haydn’s post-Baroque filigree with the accuracy, control and daring of an aerial gymnast; the long, slow phrases of the “Et incarnatus est” and “Benedictus” movements display her erudite phrasing and beautiful middle voice.”
Bernstein Symphony No. 3 "Kaddish"
PORTLAND SYPHONY
March 20, 2014 - Portland Press Herald
“… a superlative performance, enhanced by Wilson’s marvelously clear and powerful voice. She could be heard, sotto voce, over the massed choruses. Her long, lyrical solo in Kaddish III was the high point of the symphony”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
March 2014 - Choir & Organ Magazine
“The group of soloists is led superbly by Mary Wilson, whose clarity and warmth add immense pleasure to a presentation to value.”
Brahms Ein Deutches Requiem
MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
February 24, 2014 - Commercial Appeal
“Wilson’s voice is crystalline, strong and delicate at the same time. Her rendition of “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit” (You now have sorrow) was breathtaking.”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
January 2014 - The New York Times
“Boston Baroque, led by Martin Perlman, performs the stormy opening movement with rhythmic verve and intensity. A fine quartet of soloists, including the bright lyric soprano Mary Wilson and the magnanimous bass-baritone Kevin Deas, jostle for the spotlight with the orchestra.”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
January 2014 - International Record Review
“…joyousness, clever intonation and appealing melodiousness… superbly rendered in Pearlman’s vibrant, idiomatic and fluent account. Mary Wilson… her admirable clear coloratura is a great asset in the spritely “Quoniam” and her opening phrase in the ethereal “Et incarnatus est” is sensitively delivered.”
Mozart Exsultate, jubiilate
Mozart Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!
EUGENE SYMPHONY
January 19, 2014 - Eugene Register-Guard
“Substitute soprano up the task at Hult.
The singer began her set with the Italian aria, “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!,” which Mozart wrote for insertion into an opera by Pasquale Anfossi. The aria covers a range of no less than two octaves and a fourth, and Mary Wilson sang with robustness and clarity, delivering the text (her character laments that she has been wooed falsely) with considerable ardor.
The joyous text of “Exsultate, jubilate” provided a nice contrast to “Vorrei spiegarvi.” As in “Vorrei,” technical hurdles abound, but Wilson negotiated these with seeming effortlessness, producing a lovely, refulgent sound.
…her power presence and dramatic delivery of the German text (“Der Hölle Rache”) captivated everyone in the audience in the Silva Concert Hall.”
Haydn Lord Nelson Mass - CD
BOSTON BAROQUE
December 2013 - BBC Music Magazine
“…and the quartet of soloists led by agile soprano Mary Wilson proves a well integrated team.”
