“In between, the orchestra sat, lest it get between the Swedish mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter and her hauntingly exquisite expression in Berlioz’s song cycle ​“Les nuits d’été.”

“Anne Sofie von Otter as L’Opinion Publique – what a performer! She whispers, screams, and sends glances into the hall like Jupiter’s flashes so that no one misses her message.”

“Anne Sofie von Otter is impressive as L’Opinion Publique.”

“von Otter’s generous personality is reflected in the way she puts over every item, with care for text and a honeyed sweetness of tone.”

“As Charlotte Andergast, Anne Sofie von Otter sings with timbral richness and deep attentiveness to her character’s complex and ultimately tragic persona. Shaping her vocal lines to compelling effect, she reveals the serious cracks masked by Charlotte’s self-obsession and apparent personal strength.”

“Just as good was the duet ​‘We are women’ with Anne Sofie von Otter’s wry Old Lady offering ideal support. As in her earlier ​‘I am easily assimilated, von Otter made it clear that this trickster is campy, but with a touch of steel.”

“Anne Sofie von Otter played a nicely deadpan Old Lady, giving a dry twist to the role’s humour.”

“Anne Sofie von Otter was a deluxe Marcellina”

“Anne Sofie von Otter gives a lesson in grandeur [as Madame de Croissy]. The only member of the cast who isn’t French, her diction is impeccable, as is her ability to impose tension into each of her appearances”

“Anne Sofie von Otter makes her Finnish National Opera debut in the role of the lauded pianist Charlotte, a grand ​‘artiste’ with little ability to empathise with the struggling daughters she visits for the first time in seven years…von Otter plays the aloof diva with total conviction”

“With her aristocratic demeanour and her ability to express a great range of conflicting emotions, von Otter was perfectly cast as Charlotte, her commitment to the role complete.”

“Anne Sofie von Otter beguiled as the ailing Leonora, addicted to various substances”

“All praise to a superbly integrated cast – Anne Sofie von Otter among its brightest stars”

“Anne Sofie von Otter – on searing vocal form – portrayed Countess Geschwitz with brooding intensity, a woman with a quiet obsession and constantly snatching sorrowful glances at the object of her infatuation.”

“Not every singer could bring this off. You need one who can approach all music without prejudice, preconceptions or star mannerisms and simply communicate through song — a rare gift. Von Otter has honed the art of singing to such a point that she is purely expressive, no matter what she’s singing. Hers is not a powerhouse voice, but this only furthers her artistry. She can be brassy (in an ABBA encore, ​“Gimme Gimme Gimme”), she can be straightforward or she can be purely, limpidly beautiful, as she was in Anders Hillborg’s ​“Kväll,” lyrically accompanied by Johnny Gandelsman on solo violin, and in Caroline Shaw’s ​“Cant voi l’aube,” a luminous setting of a 12^th-century troubadour text that was one of the evening’s standouts.”

“The mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, singing with richness and vulnerability, plays Leonora”

“Making these characters convincing required power and consistent vocal presence, which was especially apparent from Anne Sofie von Otter as senile Leonora”

“The performance was driven primarily by the great artist and legendary mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter…vocally, she is the absolute central power of the production. She sings with unmatched dedication and is perfect as the object of ultimate desire.”

“Anne Sofie von Otter’s Muse/​Nicklausse, [is] a role she can still deliver with plenty of lissom tone”

“Anne Sofie von Otter is a memorable Leokadja Begbick, strutting and commanding the stage, singing with eerie beauty. Always a treat when singing”

“Anne Sofie von Otter sings and struts splendidly as the widow Begbick whose brothel-keeping skills more or less run the town”