NEW YORK JOINS LONDON, PARIS, SALZBURG, CHICAGO, AND SAN FRANCISCO IN RAVE REVIEWS FOR SUSAN GRAHAM'S PERFORMANCE IN GLUCK'S IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE SUSAN GRAHAM SANG THE ROLE OF IPHIGÉNIE WITH "TRAGIC GRANDEUR" AND "COMMANDED THE STAGE" "THE OPERA SHOULD BE SEEN FOR HER PERFORMANCE ALONE" This week, the Metropolitan Opera presented its first performance of Iphigénie en Tauride since World War I. Not surprisingly, critics from the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, and the New York Sun were joined at the opening by colleagues from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, Musical America, the Associated Press, Variety, and elsewhere. And they were not disappointed. The work is fresher than ever, and as for the title role, critics were unanimous: Susan Graham ruled. Gluck's 1779 masterpiece Iphigénie en Tauride "has enjoyed a renaissance, thanks to the star power of the superb American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham," writes Anthony Tommasini in the New York Times, praising "her intense and vulnerable performance," and how "She sang with rich, throbbing sound and tragic grandeur, including a magnificent interpretation of 'O malheureuse Iphigénie'." New York's two major tabloids don't usually cover opera, but the theater critics of the Daily News and the Post were free to attend the big show at the Met while much of Broadway was dark, because of the stagehands' strike. "Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham was in glorious voice Tuesday night. Equally important, she sings the title role with a full understanding of its dramatic power," raved Howard Kissel for the Daily News. "Her performance was shattering." Likewise, in the Post, veteran dance and drama critic Clive Barnes was lavish in his praise for "the creaminess and dramatic plangency of Graham's voice," and called her "the always impressive mezzo-soprano...who's made the title role her own. You can see and hear why." The AP's Ron Blum observed that "Most of the night's burden falls on Graham, who commanded the stage from start to finish. The mezzo-soprano sings virtually nonstop during the opening 20 minutes, and Graham was constant emotion, bringing believability to her vulnerability, anger, and dismay.... The opera should be seen for her performance alone." The Washington Post's Philip Kennicott flew north to check on the General Director of DC's National Opera - a.k.a. tenor Plácido Domingo, who sang Iphigénie's brother, Oreste. Despite which, he conceded that "As Iphigénie, Susan Graham was the proper star of the evening... Graham can negotiate wide skips, begin melodic lines in a near-whisper, produce seamless and nuanced phrases, and never lose the warm, pulsing quality of voice that makes her so fine in French repertoire." The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Patrick Stearns commended the heroine's performance throughout: "The title role was rendered magnificently on all levels by mezzo-soprano Graham," and Variety joined the chorus: "Susan Graham heroically throws herself into the title role and, as always, sings French in an exemplary manner." Musical America mentioned Ms. Graham's long history with this role: "A common element in most cities has been the uncommonly persuasive presence of mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, who riveted audiences with the title role at the Salzburg Festival in 2000 and has now sung it more than 50 times.... Graham gave a performance of characteristic intensity and thorough dramatic involvement. The richness of her full-bodied singing was as attractive as ever." And the New York Sun's more detailed report stated: "Ms. Graham...was solid from beginning to end... She was regal, but not without bite... And she loves the French language. Always, she sang with understanding... She knows that her primary task is to sing.... The role is a tour de force for her, and she is a tour de force for it." Susan Graham repeats Iphigénie en Tauride at the Met on December 1, 5, 8, 11, 14, 19, and 22. www.metoperafamily.org