F E A T U R E D R E V I E W S
“For her impressive debut solo CD, soprano Gabrielle Haigh chose to visit repertoire reflecting musical relationships that swirled around the 19th-century Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. Haigh is well-qualified to bring both excellent vocal qualities and a high level of scholarship to the Circolo Respighi project. She and her colleague, pianist Randall Fusco, present these 23 pieces with sensitivity and penetrating understanding. Haigh and Fusco’s performances of Ottorino’s settings are lovely and atmospheric.”
ClevelandClassical.com
“Rather than the yellow-gold of summer, her soprano is the reddish gold of a sunny autumn day. She is a serious artist, yet her approach to the songs in Il Circolo Respighi is fleet so that, whatever their content, they never come off as depressing. Randall Fusco’s piano accompaniment is superlative.”
— Nicole De Sapio
Five stars: Art Songs by a Fine American Artist (Il Circolo Respighi Recording)
Fanfare Magazine
“Her voice has a lovely roundness with no difficulties throughout the range and she is as steady as a rock. The sound is clear and the balance is absolutely equal. Highly recommended for all those who want to explore the rarer end of Italian song.”
— David Cutler
Four stars: A masters and pupils album exploring some less well-known Italian songs, well performed by US soprano, Gabrielle Haigh (Il Circolo Respighi Recording)
Fanfare Magazine
"What is clear throughout the disc is how well Haigh handles this material: she has a firm, clear, well-supported soprano voice that seems
thoroughly at home in repertoire from this time period, and she presents all the songs with respect and with close attention to their emotional underpinnings – without ever overdoing their sometimes-excessive sentimentality."
infodad.com
"The program has real substance in terms of the literary merit of its song lyrics; the thesis of the program is also of interest. Of even greater significance are Respighi’s settings of three poems by Ada Negri. These songs are evocative of the elements, the fading daylight, and their profound effect on human emotions, from quiet contemplation to alarm.
A crowning touch to a great album." (Il Circolo Respighi Recording)
Atlanta Audio Club
"Haigh’s voice had a sweet tone layered with just enough vibrato for the style. Her voice floated gently in the surrounding space, while the melodic flourishes were spun with clarity and agility." (as Eurydice in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo)
South Florida Classical Review
"Gabrielle Haigh’s soprano is ideally cast in the role of Benjamin." (as Benjamin in Handel's Joseph and His Brethren)
Gramophone Magazine
"Soprano Gabrielle Haigh... successfully conveyed the youth's open-hearted innocence." (as Benjamin in Handel's Joseph and His Brethren)
Newsletter of The American Handel Society
“For her single, airborne aria, an Angel (the soprano Gabrielle Haigh, in fine filigreed voice) hovered above the other singers in a high pulpit.” (as Angel in Handel's Joshua)
San Francisco Classical Voice
“Gabrielle Haigh was a pure-voiced Angel.” (as Angel in Handel's Joshua)
Mercury News
“Gabrielle's voice was exquisite, nuanced and sensitive. She conveyed the emotional and thematic lines of the piece perfectly. Some singers have a naturally beautiful voice, some are naturally musical, and some have a sound foundation of training; she is among the lucky few who have all three.”
Tuesday Musical Club
Gabrielle Haigh: “Best Female Performance” (Julia Jellicoe in The Grand Duke)
International Gilbert Sullivan Festival
“Soloist Gabrielle Haigh sang with unfailing sensitivity.”
ArtsNash Music Review
“Gabrielle Haigh… as Carlotta… had the audience giggling throughout.”
The Varsity (Cambridge, U.K.)
“The production really takes off with the first solo from Gabrielle Haigh as Mabel, singing Poor Wand’ring One; her sheer range and vocal control hold the audience breathless.”
The Varsity (Cambridge, U.K.)
“This is followed by Roderick Williams O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel… It opens with a haunting soprano solo (Gabrielle Haigh), full of awkward
but evocative intervals.”
Planet Hugill, Harmonia Mundi “Veni Emmanuel” CD Review
The most remarkable and interesting work was performed early in the program, Roderick Williams’ O Adonai et Dux domus Israel. A solo very high soprano sings jagged chant-like phrases that are echoed by the sopranos. The stratospheric soprano soloist was Cleveland native Gabrielle Haigh; it was a triumph for the performers.
BachTrack, Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, impresses with music for Advent
“The most startling, and in many ways the most satisfying, was an ambitious piece by English baritone Roderick Williams… For this difficult work, …the sopranos sang from above in the organ loft (including a fine solo by Cleveland native and choir member Gabrielle Haigh). … It was a virtuoso performance that showed the skill and courage of these young singers at their best.”
ClevelandClassical.com
“Cleveland native Gabrielle Haigh sings a beautiful, stratospheric solo in Roderick Williams’s O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel.”
ClevelandClassical.com, Harmonia Mundi “Veni Emmanuel” CD Review