“Alison Kettlewell’s Venus and Erika Mädi Jones’s Elizabeth could not be more contrasted; the dark intensity of Venus’s opening phrases were one of the highlights of the performance, but the sheer musical and dramatic intensity with which the part of Elizabeth was delivered was, I suspect, one of the things most people will take away from this performance.”
Peter Reynolds, Bachtrack
“His Elisabeth, Erika Mädi Jones, provides a marvellously interesting portrait of troubled repression, musically as well as visually. Her brilliant “Dich, teure Halle” on her first appearance (superbly accompanied under conductor Anthony Negus) shows an excitability that can quickly turn to revulsion at all the troubadours’ talk of high-minded love. Even the suggestion that she give out the prizes sets her cowering. Is her unexplained death suicide?”
Stephen Walsh, www.theartsdesk.com
“Umso mehr begeistert die junge Erika Mädi Jones als frische, wortdeutliche Elisabeth, hell und klar in der Höhe, weich und präsent in allen Lagen.”
Helmut Pitsch, Opernnetz
“Though all of the principal performances could do with more dramatic focus, Erika Madi Jones nevertheless creates a positive impression with her cleanly sung Elisabeth and Alison Kettlewell contrasts with her effectively as her polar opposite, the love goddess Venus.”
George Hall, The Stage
“Forced to run around the font to demonstrate Elisabeth’s girlishness, Jones delivers a touching, well- focused Allmächt’ge Jungfrau!”
Anna Picard, The Times (£)
“The sultry blonde charms of Alison Kettlewell’s Venus and the virginal purity of Erika Mädi Jones’ Elisabeth vied for his affections – both of them projected testing music with admirable security.”
Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph
“Youngish singers make strong showings in principal roles. Elisabeth is sung with fervour by the impressive Erika Mädi Jones”
Rian Evans, The Guardian
“Erika Mädi Jones’s Elisabeth […] was a very captivating performance and she sang with resplendent and intelligently nuanced tone throughout. I look forward to hearing her again.”
Jim Pritchard, Seen and Heard International
“Erika Mädi Jones made, in all respects, a wonderful Elisabeth, without being either annoyingly virginal or too pushy. Both her vocal and acting abilities will, I hope, have been noted by agents.”
Michael Tanner, The Spectator
“Erika Mädi Jones evinced real flesh-and-blood intensity as the flip-side love, the angelic Elizabeth. Anyone who can open her account so movingly with a love song to a building, “You, dear hall,” gets my vote even before an impressively poignant Act 3 lament to the Virgin sung over sorrowful woodwinds.”
Colin Davison, Gloucestershire Echo