Medea

Broadcast and discussion begin at 1:00 PM EST.

Sondra Radvanovsky has always had a controversial voice which is moving and exciting to some listeners and ugly and grating to others. She is blessed with blazing high notes but also has a bottled middle and lower register with a timbre that is hooded and sometimes opaque in the middle.

The tone leans toward the metallic and dramatic rather than lush beauty. Her vibrato is not always even or controlled – it can oscillate fast and sharp or slow and flat. Last night, the vibrato was even and not prominent. The weird, unique and sometimes alienating qualities in the voice suited the character and vocal writing brilliantly.

Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera