Vaughan Williams Celebration Concert / City of London Choir 2022
“The poise of soprano Anita Watson, floating up to the high ‘A’s with impressive control, felt just right.”
Arcana
Micaëla: Carmen / Welsh National Opera
“…a bright, personable village girl, beautifully composed in her big aria, with bags of presence and never at all the simpering victim.”
The Arts Desk
“Anita Watson captured the opera’s true tragedy, that of the spurned Micaëla and her devotion to José and to his dying mother, in an impeccably sung account of her exquisite music.”
Bachtrack
“Anita Watson was a strong Micaëla.”
Opera
“Anita Watson was a surprisingly forthright Micaëla, and it worked: this Micaëla was much more than a one-dimensional ‘good girl’ – the foil to Carmen, introduced in to the opera to satisfy Bizet’s bourgeois audience. She was not intimidated by the groping eyes of the soldiers in Act 1, making her utterances more integrated into the dramatic tension than is sometimes the case. And during her Act 3 time seemed to stand still: Watson conveyed Micaëla’s quiet heroism most impressively. This was a moment of serenity amid the prevailing moral chaos.”
Opera Today
“I enjoyed the lovely sound of Anita Watson’s sweet natured Micaëla…”
Plays To See
“…this Micaëla was attractively delineated as a brave young woman who soon gained one’s respect. Watson’s reading of the aria ‘Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante’in Act III was aurally beautiful and fully weighted with meaning.”
Seen and Heard International
“Anita Watson sings sweetly as an unexpectedly bearable, forthright Micaëla.”
The Spectator
“Anita Watson’s radiant Micaela…”
The Sunday Times
“Anita Watson’s Micaëla is sweetly sung and charmingly acted.”
The Times
Governess: The Turn of the Screw / English National Opera
“Hers is a gorgeous, liquid lyric soprano…”
The Arts Desk
“…she inhabited the character flawlessly.“
Bachtrack
“Without disguising the governess’s complexity (like Quint, she says of Miles, “You shall be mine”), Anita Watson powerfully makes her a woman driven more by moral anxiety than by luridly subjective fantasy.”
The Guardian
“As the Governess, Anita Watson sang with a beautifully sweet tone and finely, entrancingly nuanced phrasing; her words – there were no surtitles though copies of the libretto were supplied – were as crystalline as her conception of her own ‘mission.’”
Opera Today
“Anita Watson’s superbly expressive Governess…”
The Times
”Anita Watson, brought extensive experience of her role to a taut, tortured account of the Governess.“
WhatsOnStage
Governess: The Turn of the Screw / Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse
“Anita Watson’s Governess benefited from a gleaming upper register with the right touch of psychotic hysteria towards Miles and Flora.”
Opera News
Governess: The Turn of the Screw / Teatro La Fenice
“Her free, generous use of a blessedly fresh, full, unforced lyric soprano promises much for the future.”
Opera
Haydn: Nelson Mass / Birmingham Bach Choir
“Anita Watson and Felix Kemp soared through their virtuoso solos…”
Midlands Music Reviews
Donna Anna: Don Giovanni / Nederlandse Reisopera
“Anita Watson unveiled a lithe soprano and delivered a heartfelt “Non mi dir””
Bachtrack
Donna Anna: Don Giovanni / Scottish Opera
“Capturing the audience with her clear and pure tone, Anita Watson plays the role of Donna Anna. Watson gave a most moving performance of her anguished character.”
Out in Perth
“The best singing comes from Anita Watson’s Anna – a sincere and refined performance.”
Financial Times
“Vocal honours must go to Anita Watson’s Donna Anna…”
The Reviews Hub
“…gave a very impressive account of Anna’s arias.”
Seen and Heard International
Pamina: The Magic Flute / Welsh National Opera
“Anita Watson is the freshest, most natural Pamina imaginable, delightfully uninhibited in her scenes with Papageno, clear-voiced and deeply touching in “Ach, ich fühl’s.“
The Arts Desk
“Watson had a lovely cantabile line and pearly tone…”
Opera
“It is hard to imagine a more ideal Pamina than Anita Watson. Her rich, silky soprano wrapped itself lovingly around Mozart’s delicious melodies, and Watson’s well-shaped phrasing created strong character and spirit. ‘Ach, ich fühl’s’ managed to be heart-wrenching without Watson lingering overly long on the aching phrases, and she and (Mark) Stone blended well in ‘Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen.’”
Opera Today
“Anita Watson playing the role of Pamina produced a fine performance, in which her bright, clear and well-projected soprano captured the innocence of the character.”
OperaWire
“Anita Watson was a delightful Pamina, singing quite beautifully and possessed of a strong and attractive stage presence.”
Seen and Heard International
Countess Almaviva: The Marriage of Figaro / Welsh National Opera
“It’s Anita Watson who shines here as the Countess Almaviva.”
Art Scene in Wales
“Anita Watson also excelled as the Countess: her moment of reflection in the aria “Dove sono” was one of the performances of the night.”
Bachtrack
“As the Countess Almaviva, Anita Watson was suitably aristocratic of tone…”
Opera
“Anita Watson makes the most of her musical moments including a beautifully judged version of Dove sono.”
Plays To See
Mimì: La bohème / Nederlandse Reisopera
“Anita Watson sang an endearing Mimì. Her charisma and crystal clear voice gave Mimì exactly the tenderness the role needs and she sang wonderfully in her death scene.”
Opera Magazine NL
Mimì: La bohème / Opera North
“Most of the audience I guess were new to opera, and genuinely startled and moved by Mimì’s decline and Rodolfo’s panic. Here the performances of Anita Watson and Ji-Min Park were at their impassioned best.”
The Telegraph
Anne Trulove: The Rake’s Progress / Teatro Municipal de Santiago
“The cast is dominated by the tender and soft soprano of Anita Watson, whose voice displays perfect and almost supernatural delicacy.”
Economía y Negocios
