Press
Reviews
“A cast of talented New York performers puts the songs and the gags over with panache. As Ruth, the composer, Antoni Mendezona unfurls her soprano beautifully in “When You’re Away” and its reprises.”
Herbert: The Only Girl
By Eric Meyers, Opera News
March 2016
“As Ruth, the composer next door, Antoni Mendezona used her fine soprano in a winning way, making us cheer for her taming of Kim.”
The Only Girl
By Meche Koop, Voce di Meche
May 9, 2015
“…Antoni Mendezona turned in a captivating performance as Sisa, the mother of two boys, Basilio and Crispin, who disappear, prompting her derangement.”
“Mendezona’s coloratura dazzled and pulled heartstrings during her lament in the woods.”
Filipino Opera gets its Washington premier at the Kennedy Center
By Grace Jean, Washington Post
August 10, 2014
“Like a thunderbolt in a dark and forbidding landscape, the character Sisa burst onto the stage and launched into an unforgettable, heartrending, four-hankie vocal and acting performance that might not be seen again in a long time.”
“O Inang Bayan na sadlak sa dusa (O Motherland mired in sorrow) raced through my thoughts as I beheld the grief-stricken mother in search of her lost sons, her voice rising from the gloomy depths to the gloomy beyond. She wept, she wailed, but she sustained the great soaring voice until she was reduced to a moan, until life mercifully left her.”
“What a searing scene. I could only gasp in awe and hold my breath. That electrifying solo performed by coloratura Antoni Mendezona rammed into my soul and shattered it to pieces.”
“An aside: The whistle-like portion of Mendezona’s Sisa aria reminded me of the popular Queen of the Night aria in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.””
Love in the grip of tyranny
By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, Philippines Inquirer
September 18, 2014 at 12:05 am
“The opera’s showstopper was no doubt soprano Antoni Mendezona who sang “Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa” with all the high notes clear and distinct as a bell and to boot, acting with desired intensity.”
“But in the curtain call, the audiences came to life and gave its standing ovation to the Sisa of Mendezona.“
A Noli like no other in Resorts World
By Pablo A. Tariman, VERA Files, Yahoo! News, Philippines
Sep 13, 2014
“It was evident that the lead singers committed themselves to delivering the rich tones and powerful voices demanded in such an emotional opera. One scene that stood out was the part where Sisa found her unconscious son Basilio in the forest. The emotional turmoil had taken over Sisa and eventually it took its toll on her body. Sisa dies from anguish and exhaustion.”
‘In both scenes, Sisa hugging her son and Basilio lamenting on his mother’s death, the singers brought across the intensely emotional weight that comes with such an experience.”
At the gala night of ‘Noli Me Tangere: The Opera,’ celebrating world-class Filipino artistry
The great Filipino opera shines through traffic and typhoon
By Ramil Digal Gulle, InterAksyon
September 17, 2014
“The real showstopper is Sisa’s (played by Antoni Mendezona) aria, a mother’s longing and expression of never-ending love for her children, as dark and gut-wrenching as Kurt Weill’s Solomon Song.”
Broadway World Reviews: NOLI ME TANGERE OPERA Manila
By Vince Layson Vicentuan, Broadway World
September 14, 2014
“Another member of the Manila cast who also appeared in Washington DC is Fil-Spanish coloratura Antoni Mendezona, who earned a standing ovation on Thursday for her role as Sisa. Her emotional solo “Awit ng Gabi” as she looked for her sons Crispin and Basilio in the woods could well be the musical highlight of the entire opera.”
‘Noli Me Tangere’ opera makes triumphant return to PH
By Vladimir Bunoan, ABS-CBNnews.com
09/12/2014
“Most memorable was Mendezona as Sisa, who, driven mad by the disappearance of her two sons, wanders the forest, beautifully echoing the trilling of birds, matching note for note the orchestra’s avian warbles and chirps.”
In the mother tongue: ‘Noli Me Tangere: The Opera’
By Rome Jorge, Rappler
September 15, 2014
“I was so moved by the performance of Antoni Mendezona as Sisa. I’ve seen a few interpretations of Sisa which usually involves screaming and capitalizing on her mental breakdown. But hearing her express her pain as a suffering mother through opera songs was a mind-blowing experience.“
Four Shows in 9 days
By Daphne
September 22, 2014
“Antoni Mendezona, for sure, will be earning raves for her turn as Sisa, the madwoman. Her performance of the aria ‘Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa” will surely be remembered.”
INKCANTO | The great Filipino opera shines through traffic and typhoon
By Ramil Digal Gulle, InterAksyon.com ·
September 17, 2014