“Just as the orchestra expanded to do justice to its sumptuous sound, Martín showed himself to be a mature maestro who crafted the pieces with the skill of a goldsmith, although all eyes were inevitably fixed on the American Rachel Willis-Sørensen for her ability to harmonize her vocal presence with high-class phrasing. Few voices are so pure and natural in this repertoire, few so capable of conveying the feeling of impending death in the sublime Im Abendrot.”
Beckmesser
“It is truly difficult to find a more brilliant performer today than the American Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who at 42 years of age commands the brutal splendor of her voice in these final Strauss lieder.”
Beckmesser
“La « Reine du Bal » et de cette soirée est bien Rachel Willis-Sorensen. Sans se départir d’une diction irréprochable, la soprano possède en effet une rondeur et une chaleur de timbre aux allures de mezzo, avec…une puissance impressionnante, même dans les moments les plus durs, ce qui en fait un personnage vocal d’une incroyable maturité, à l’image de son caractère d’Arabella.”
Olyrix
“The “Queen of the Ball” and of this evening is undoubtedly Rachel Willis-Sorensen. Without compromising her impeccable diction, the soprano possesses a roundness and warmth of tone reminiscent of a mezzo, with…impressive power, even in the most challenging moments, making her a vocal performer of incredible maturity, much like her character Arabella."
“As the title character, Willis-Sorensen brought a smart sensibility and a rich sound to her music—totally believable as someone who wasn’t going to let herself be married off casually, just to save the family’s finances, no matter how much she loved them. She has a major voice—a big sound—and knows how to use it to express a variety of emotions.”
Broadway World
"...a naturally powerful instrument."
New York Times
“The first performance of Arabella this season was distinguished by a felicitous series of debuts. Chief among them was Rachel Willis-Sørensen’s first stage performance of the title role, portrayed with warmth and dignity...Willis-Sørensen’s soprano, even and unforced across its range, projected easily through the house, and her phrasing in ‘Mein Elemer!’ revealed genuine introspection. She sang not as the flirtatious ingénue of tradition but as a young woman quietly testing the limits of her resolve.”
Seen and Heard International
“That being said, the soprano Willis-Sørensen displayed an opulent tone that had a variation of dynamics. The soprano could display a floating piano, especially in her first solo, “Mein Elemer!.” Here she also showcased a spectacular legato line with a resonant middle voice. Her voice rode over the orchestral waves with delicacy, the dynamics never soft. It all felt organic as she sang the lyric lines of this introspective section, and when she got to the waltz part of the aria, her voice displayed a gleaming quality, flexible runs, and brighter timbre as she rode the legato lines in her higher tessitura. In her duet “Aber der Richtige,” she began with a lush middle voice and a piano sound that slowly grew into her higher range.”
Operawire