Selected review excerpts
Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
“As sung by Meyerson, this was a terrific performance. She has a voice used with intelligence to exploit its power, shading, and range. She colors her voice according to the text, making her, without makeup or costume, a remarkable singing actress…moving and utterly convincing in the integrity of her performance.” (Denver Post)
Mahler’s Third Symphony
“Mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson sang her warning to the world of man in the fourth movement in rich, warm sounds.” (The New York Times)
“Janice Meyerson, who sang Nietzsche’s midnight poem, has one of those rich altos that just pour out effortlessly, and she sings words and music beautifully. A lovely job.” (Boston Globe)
“The contralto soloist, Janice Meyerson, is an expressive singer with that none-too-common asset, an effortless low register.” (Christian Science Monitor)
Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde
“Miss Meyerson’s dark, burnished vocal sounds, often achieving the depths and highlights of polished mahogany, expressed perfectly the varying moods of these delicate lyric poems. The artistry and feeling of conviction in her performance were evident without being effusive.” (Omaha World-Herald)
Adriano in Rienzi
“Mezzo Janice Meyerson, who undoubtedly had the largest voice on the stage, handled the only major pants role in Wagner with ease…not only with her voice but with her acting….Her Ortrud must be astonishing.” (Newark Star-Ledger)
“The American mezzo Janice Meyerson offers a fierce and powerful Adriano.” (Le Soir)
“Janice Meyerson tackled the killer-mezzo role of her travesti lover with consistently warm tone.” (The London Times)
“American mezzo Janice Meyerson impressed in her Act 3 aria in the trouser role of Adriano.” (Opera)
Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde
“Miss Meyerson sang Brangaene’s warnings in a voice that was dark velvet.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
“Meyerson delivered Brangaene’s warning with a wonderfully vibrant and free sound, with beautifully managed decrescendos on the top notes.” (Boston Globe)
Eboli in Don Carlo
“Janice Meyerson threw herself into the part of Eboli with the impetuousness of an Agnes Baltsa. Like her, she is more concerned with dramatic identification than with just beautiful singing. That came out particularly in her strikingly powerful ‘O don fatale’.” (Opera)
“Janice Meyerson as Eboli, with her blazing aria of despair, was one of the vocal high points of the evening.” (NRZ)
“Janice Meyerson is visually ideal and vocally captivating as Eboli.” (Oper und Konzert)
Amneris in Aïda
“Janice Meyerson has abundant resources, metallic timbre, and the right temperament for Amneris.” (Clarin)
“Janice Meyerson is indeed an estimable mezzo….She faced with elegance and bravery the tremendous first scene of the final act.” (La Nación)
Carmen in Carmen
“Janice Meyerson made a seductive, dark-voiced Carmen. She was at her best in the ‘Air des Cartes,’ which she built in one long phrase of snowballing intensity.” (The New York Times)
“Janice Meyerson, whose gloriously dark-hued voice does wonders with Carmen’s Habanera and Seguedille.” (Denver Post)
Herodias in Salome
“Of the principals, only Janice Meyerson as Herodias was consistently capable of projecting above the orchestra’s crescendos, her mezzo slicing through with appropriate edge.” (Musical America)
“As Herod and Herodias, Salome’s demented stepfather and mother, Allan Glassman and Janice Meyerson delivered the best all-around performances…. Janice Meyerson matched him well, singing with expansive tone and making the evil of Salome’s manipulative mother chillingly manifest.” (Sun-Sentinel, Miami)
Kostelnička in Jenůfa
“Janice Meyerson shows that in Janáček, it is the vocal credibility of the character that is important…Her bright, soaring mezzo-soprano does not miss any opportunity for lustrous tone.” (Hessische Allgemeine)
Phaedra in Hippolyte et Aricie
“Janice Meyerson performed her role [Phaedra] with enchanting vividness and almost veristic acting.” (Opera)
Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana
“[Meyerson’s] voice is beautiful, with wide coloric and expressive range, technical security and beauty of tone from the resonant chest tones to the bright, clear top.” (Bridgeport Post)
Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera
“Janice Meyerson…[sang Ulrica,] producing big Italianate chest tones that didn’t compromise her access to formidable top notes; she has a genuine theater voice, temperament, and presence.” (Boston Globe)
“Meyerson’s voice was deep dark velvet, befitting a gypsy fortuneteller…[As Ulrica,] she creates a lasting impression with her exotic looks and unique voice.” (Gauntlet, Calgary)
Preziosilla in La Forza del Destino
“…the attractive Preziosilla of Janice Meyerson with beautiful mezzo sound.” (Orpheus, Germany)
Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle
“Janice Meyerson sang Judith strongly, with fresh tone and lots of dramatic sense.” (Village Voice)
Prince Cyrus in Handel’s Belshazzar
“Best of all was mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson in the engagingly human ‘trouser’ role of Prince Cyrus.” (Milwaukee Sentinel)
Old Woman in de Banfield’s Lord Byron’s Love Letter
“Janice Meyerson belted out a verismo aria with a youthful strength that filled the house and would do Santuzza proud.” (The New York Times)
“…a superb portrayal.” (Washington Post)
Aunt Sue in Floyd’s Slow Dusk (2014)
“…a stunning character turn from mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson as the meddling Aunt Sue, whose opposition to the impending marriage of Micah (John Kaneklides) and Sadie (Carolina Castells) provides the opera’s simple plot. Her powerful performance dominated the opera, almost overpowering Mr. Cordova’s ensemble.” (Superconductor)
Verdi’s Requiem
“The star of the evening was mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson, a phenomenal artist of extraordinary expressive subtlety.” (Boston Globe)
“The one soloist who was stunning was mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson, who has a rich, plummy, and communicative voice. In ensemble, she carefully gauged herself to blend with her colleagues, but when let loose on a solo, her singing rang through the long nave of the cathedral with grand authority.” (Times Record, Albany)
Berio’s Folk Songs
“It was good to have mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson back in our midst. If Boston had any kind of orderly operatic life, she would have been one of our most valuable house singers. As it is, she has sung the great mezzo roles elsewhere, and made only rare visits back to the city where she was trained. She brought many qualities to the folk songs—an inherently dramatic presence; a darkly glamorous voice under excellent technical control; and the ability to put over the sense of each song.” (Richard Dyer, Boston Globe)
Bach’s Mass in B
“Of the vocal soloists, Janice Meyerson struck most deeply into the music in a poised and breathtakingly restrained ‘Agnus Dei’.” (Fort Wayne News-Sentinel)
Bernstein’s Songfest, Tanglewood
“…especially Janice Meyerson’s bronzed alto singing of ‘What Lips My Lips Have Kissed’.” (Village Voice)
Bernstein’s Songfest, London Proms
“…the mezzo Janice Meyerson being especially fine” (Musical Times)
Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony, New York Philharmonic
“Mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson was the feral, deeply involved soloist in the final ‘Lamentation.’ She is obviously a singer to watch” (New York Daily News)
Bernstein’s memorial service, New York
“Janice Meyerson’s exquisite singing of ‘Music I Heard with You’ from ‘Songfest’ ” (New York Daily News)
CD of Donald Harris’s music
“For the Night to Wear and Les Mains are expertly sung by mezzo Janice Meyerson, whose diction and dramatic inflection, notably in the former, seem ideal.” (Fanfare: The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors)
Recital
“From the opening phrases of Berlioz’s ‘Villanelle,’ three aspects of Ms. Meyerson’s singing emerged…the lush, dark richness of her sound…her penetration of the texts with resulting communication of emotional content…the tone excitingly round and unforced…Roles such as Carmen, Amneris, and Santuzza may have a new champion.” (Atlanta Constitution)
Mary in Der fliegende Holländer
“Janice Meyerson was memorable as Mary, a role that can easily go unnoticed. Her imperious bearing and regal voice developed a strong character and presence on the stage in all of her appearances.” (ConcertoNet)
Frugola in Il Tabarro
“Mezzo-soprano Janice Meyerson took the small role of Frugola and sang it large, making her character into a domestic mirror of the restless Giorgetta.” (Arizona Republic)
“Janice Meyerson as the junk-collecting, cat-loving Frugola added spunk and humor to an otherwise serious opera.” (Arizona Daily Star)