„Hannigan’s orchestral control was outstanding, producing from the players a dazzlingly coloured and finely textured musical response, while the silver-voiced Aphrodite Patoulidou, ululated and declaimed her way through the challenging solo part with supreme confidence.“
“Patoulidou embodied existential loneliness. Aphrodite Patoulidou – an exclamation mark is urgently needed after this name. The voice of this Greek woman from Hannigan’s talent development program floated through the room almost unearthly. An appearance like something out of a David Lynch film, a nightshade siren who had to report on the very last things, while the orchestra laid only highly expressive melodies, without any harmonic substructure or further support, under this morbid monologue. Patoulidou not only sang her part, she embodied this existential loneliness with few gestures and looks, vulnerable and strong at the same time.”
“Lace train in gold and then Claude Vivier and the third woman. Woman? Ah, a goddess! Aphrodite Patoulidou, the clearest soprano, lyrical, it seems to me, and what a beauty, also in posture and expression, the lace train in gold is only appropriate, a single lament from Vivier… and you can hear that too…Sensational when the singer slaps her hands on both cheeks to produce a kind of high-pitched chuckle, and the lyrics are also heartbreaking… With her facial expression including make-up, the reddest lips and hair like ebony and her elegant expression, I can’t help but think of Callas, but her empire dress may also contribute to this, almost like Empress Eugenie, which is also considered one of the most beautiful women of Europe, but only as an aperçu.”
„With the soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou, she (Hannigan) has secured a seemingly magical coloratura magic power. Her voice shimmers in woodwind and string instrument modes, as if floating in the lofty heights of the universe. With her, the attribution that a voice is equal to an instrument is unconditionally justified…Vivier’s poetic confession […] is translated by Patoulidou in an almost fabulously heavenly way. And even more. Stars imagining mighty leaps in time and space, she causes them to escalate into screams by tapping their cheeks. Not just a final concert program highlight.
“Pure voice, excellent diction, impeccable accuracy, reduced and magnificently dosed vibrato, the Greek soprano sings her part magnificently and opts with good reason for a bias of welcome simplicity, without trying to bring the listener back at all costs to the green paradises of the childhood.”
“The Greek singer Aphrodite Patoulidou makes a remarkable appearance. Holding an extremely rich and woody voice in the bass, but also clear and assured in the treble, she draws lines of sung lyrics with a joyful and celestial narration. Combining classical and contemporary registers, this multi-talented artist who also sings metal music, offers an intensity of timbre and impeccable prosody bringing a personal touch to the opus in record time.”
“Soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou delivered a marvellous performance, her innocent and youthful tone carrying an ominous and haunting quality. The final line, “The angelic voices rouse the senses so that everything awakens with joy”, concluded the soprano-child’s praising of the afterlife, leaving the audience feeling transported, if somewhat uneasy.”
“Aphrodite Patoulidou gave an impressive Philharmonie debut. She not only sang in an understandable way with a clear, beautiful and confident voice, but also designed every line of the childishly naive lyrics that tell of the “heavenly joys”. She was accompanied sensitively by the orchestra – let’s not forget that a fellow singer made sure that the voice was always present over the orchestra. By the way, the Vita of Patoulidou is interesting to read: her repertoire not only ranges from Purcell to Claude Vivier, but she occasionally sings heavy metal and is also artistically versatile outside of music.”
“In Aphrodite Patoulidou, Hannigan had found a singer who knew how to describe the “heavenly joys” of the Wunderhorn verses with balanced singing and wonderfully designed arches.”
“The Greek soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou steps in. She sings of the “heavenly joys” without flattering timbre, with a clear sense of the hidden allusions to murdered innocence. The applause is big and respectful.”
“The young singer Aphrodite Patoulidou fantastically plays an Anne Trulove clear, precise, deep, full of emotion, with a voice that runs clean on the seats. I sign her name.”
““…the closing song, in which soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou meritoriously evokes heaven through the eyes of a child, flutters carelessly into the air again.”
“…parfait tant vocalement que scéniquement. Le jeu est naturel sans perdre le souci du détail, les récitatifs très bien menés, le tout servi par de belles voix et une technique vocale solide, ce que les nombreux ornements viennent démontrer.”
„Soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou’s Susanna is attractive, clever and we root for her from the moment we meet her. Her lovely voice captivates us from start to finish.“
“The Greek soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou, with a voice characterized by a full, warm underside, sings Vivier’s piece about a child who has to comfort herself in an unprecedentedly moving way. Unshunned sadness in a dream debut.”
“But the highlight is the intermezzo between these two pieces, when Patoulidou comes forward from the back of the room with the key harp. Together with violinist Vilde Frang (who will solo in Berg’s Violin Concerto the following days) and Hannigan as singer, an Icelandic folk song will be played. Three women in the spotlight on the red stairs in front of the trestle: a powerful image.”
“the expressive Greek soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou, who displayed a shimmering, transparent timbre and sense of dramatic connection that called to mind conductor Hannigan’s own gripping style as a singing actress.”
“the charismatic soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou who gave a heartbreaking voice to the more ritually colored work “Lonely child “. The naked, self-revealing tone of the concert, however, was set from the beginning, surprisingly, when Patoulidou from a position outside the hall performed a Greek lullaby with her own accompaniment on key harp (!).”
“Aphrodite Patoulidou, on the other hand, fills the leading role in “Lonely Child” by Claude Vivier, an important Canadian composer of the twentieth century, with gripping intimacy, clarity in the high register and colourful nuances.”
“The soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou was an entrancing soloist in Vivier’s “Lonely Child,” a head trip of a piece in a musical language both direct and mysterious.”
“… But it was the evening’s final piece and presentation that had fans leaping to their feet and exuberantly applauding. Claude Vivier’s “Lonely Child” was rendered with compelling beauty by soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou, a rising star with many talents. In two nights at the festival, she has quickly garnered a following for her vocal clarity and expression. Her “Lonely Child” performance with the LUDWIG ensemble conducted by festival music director Barbara Hannigan was hauntingly beautiful.”
“The performance of this young soprano is magnificent: the voice is clear, of a rich precision, the attitude is dignified and touching in this role of deceived and neglected woman. She is Ideal …”
“a compelling singer of Anne Truelove. Hannigan found her in the Greek Aphrodite Patoulidou, moving effortlessly through the difficult passages of her part. The best-known piece from the opera is Anne’s great aria, written in baroque style, which Patoulidou crowned with a radiant, long-held high C.”
“grandiose vocal performances with a distinctive stage presence and skilful gestural admixture. Patoulidou, in particular, can let her energy out without over-revving, creating a strong but not kitschy image of Anne.”
“The big scene of Anne at the end of the first act makes Aphrodite Patoulidou, devotedly accompanied by Hannigan…as the central moment of the performance.”
“…and especially Aphrodite Patoulidou (Anne), a soprano whose beauty of voice can be compared to the beauty of the stars in the summer sky! A phenomenal voice with all the attributes of charm in the true sense of the word. A magnificent move by Hannigan and it is clear that she sought and found an equal here.”
“Aphrodite Patoulidou est grecque, et la tragédie est son milieu naturel. Affaire de regard, de port de tête, de profil. Grave, sérieuse, sincère. Elle est de vocation une Ann Truelove. Le timbre est d’une beauté prenante, incarnée, charnelle, évidente. Il est des voix qui ont de naissance les couleurs du drame, où l’âme palpite avec presque impudeur, c’est son cas. Elle est bouleversante de sincérité, de tendresse et de virtuosité à la fois dès l’air « Quiet Night » au premier acte, suivi de sa prière « O God Protect dear Tom » et de la cabalette « I go to Him ».”
“Aphrodite Patoulidou makes Anne Trulove’s aria in the first act into a beautiful soprano jewelry, which raises expectations for her big scene in the second act. And then it happens. Elegantly and dramatically, she turns up to her high C, and I shiver.”
“a rare strong and wonderful Anne Truelove. (…) And when Patoulidou sings the famous scene “No word from Tom” the tears continue to flow – along my cheeks. Because we are with her, inside and out. Up against the highest difficult tone, like a projectile in a dark space of uncertainty.”
“Α charming young and vibrant “Rake’s Progress” performed by the sweetest voices where Aphrodite Patoulidou’s incisive golden lustrous soprano voice makes Anne Truelove the show’s shimmering focus.”
“The young singer with the predestined name Aphrodite Patoulidou interprets Anne Trulove and scores in a limpid voice, deep yet in a very noble design. The notes oscillate between richness and clarity with precision.”
“The young singer Aphrodite Patoulidou fantastically plays an Anne Trulove clear, precise, deep, full of emotion, with a voice that runs clean on the seats. I sign her name.”
The Rake’s Progress, Aldeburgh Music Festival, Snape Maltings 2019
“Greek soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou as a pure-toned Anne Trulove. …her Cabaletta had just the right steely determination and her closing lullaby, ‘And no word from Tom’, wonderfully tender, its heartbreak delivered the evening’s emotional climax.”
“Surprising and highly effective the performance of Aphrodite Patoulidou as Belinda: she is graceful, refined, she has a very beautiful voice, whispering and gives body to a necessary character. She is Greek, I could not expect anything else, because she carries in her blood and in her name, the elixir of gods and myths.”
“She opens the evening with a Greek folk song she has arranged. She accompanies herself with a traditional instrument, a kind of harp or dulcimer, which she holds in her hands and plucks. She is standing on one of the balconies among the spectators. Gracefully, almost intimately and naturally, the tones flow together to form a melody. Most of the time she stays in the high register, which benefits her soft, bright soprano tone”
Greek Lullaby on the Nyckelharpa, DR Koncerthaus Copenhagen opening for Danish National Symphony
“It all began in the dark with Aphrodite Patoulidou on one of the terraces of the concert hall. Armed with the Swedish medieval instrument the nyckelharp, she opened the door to the music of the dark with a rolling Greek lullaby, where her crystal clear, simple soprano voice laid out beautifully in the room on a quivering base of spicy sound from the special instrument.”
“The naked, self-revealing tone of the concert, however, was set from the beginning, surprisingly, when Patoulidou from a position outside the hall performed a Greek lullaby with her own accompaniment on key harp (!).”
“healthy timbre with great comfort in the high notes, the musicality, the vernacular pronunciation of the German language, the concentration on stage, ideally served a most difficult role!”
“Patoulidou in a role of the highest vocal and hypocritical demands and at the same time, with extremely difficult kinesiology (she sang for long on the ground!) Filled the stage with the emotion and the spasmodic intensity of her voice and with her body – language she stressed the despair, the fear, the psychic vibrations of Sophie.”
“ soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou, who through the certainly more advantageous but also more vocally demanding role of Sophie, which requires superhuman strength, offers generous promises of future impressive evolution in international waters: the (…) multi-talented soprano gives a shocking performance.”
“The triumphant, however, is the twenty-six-year-old Aphrodite Patoulidou! Performing from the beginning of the play and for almost one third of its length on the floor, she responds more than ideally to the almost exterminating interpretive, hypocritical -and even physical to a degree- demands of its role.”
“Aphrodite Patoulidou is gifted with an expressive face and has a beautiful voice that can express a wide variety of emotions. She is greatly at home both in parlé chanté and at trips to the high register. “
“Aphrodite Patoulidou impresses in her 45-minute Poulenc solo number as an abandoned woman on the phone especially in flowing “Parlandoton” as well as in violent emotional outbursts.”
“Aphrodite Patoulidou enchanted in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Invited by the Harmonieorkest Symphony Orchestra, the Greek soprano impressed with her interpretation”
“anche se la vera malignità esce dall’ugola di Aphrodite Patoulidou. Soprano (e violinista) di formazione, incanta sotto ogni punto di vista: per la prestazione vocale ai limiti, ma mai sopra le righe, per la sensualità con cui tiene la scena, per la capacità di variare registro e di riversare sensazioni da baccanale sul pubblico. Merita quasi il paragone con la sua connazionale Diamanda Galas, e contribuisce molto alla piena promozione di questa intensa esibizione.”
“Tout Petit Moineau” laisse la part belle à Aphrodite Patoulidou, nouvelle soprano du projet. Sa voix mêlée au piano, puis à des sons électroniques transporte totalement.“
“…mais c’est incontestablement Aphrodite qui m’a fait ramasser ma mâchoire tombée au sol : une présence scénique magnétique, et une, ou plutôt des voix à faire dresser les poils. Par exemple « Mon Petit Moineau », sorte de « Great Gig In The Sky » 3.0, la fait commencer en tremolo de soprano jusqu’à s’exploser en voix de poitrine, je n’avais jamais entendu ça. C’est poignant, c’est beau, c’est fou…”
« The tension built and light and darkness juxtaposed via sublime soprano vocals from new vocalist the incredibly talented Aphrodite Patoulidou … Partway through the set, a technical issue with the microphone means we’re treated to the full power of Aphrodite’s voice as she projects her voice to the audience, without the PA to assist keep them entertained whilst the offending cable was fixed, what a voice… »
„Particolarmente notevole la performance di Aphrodite Patoulidou, che scopriamo provenire dal mondo dell’opera, come si può facilmente intuire ascoltandola, che accompagna ad una esibizione canora straordinaria dei movimenti sul palco che catturano immediatamente tutti i presenti.“
“Aphrodite s’en sort remarquablement, vocalement… On est carrément plus joué, habité et sans retenue. Aphrodite grimace, se tord, dandine de façon flippante et incarne la folie du groupe.”
“While she seems to be a joyful girl and at times a hysterical woman. As encore she even sang supported by the crowd who was singing the same tone over and over.”
„The mesmerising vocals of Aphrodite Patoulidou were simply amazing and proves that an opera voice definitely belongs in the experimental music setting“
“Les tableaux s’enchainent ponctués par les transformations de la chanteuse Aphrodite, qui passe d’une Hamlet au féminin à Shéhérazade, avec sa voix de Soprano qui fait hérisser les poils.”
„Tandis qu’Aphrodite apporte une touche de folie remplie d’énergie, mais aussi un côté très théâtral, notons au passage que sa prestation du « Tout Petit Moineau » est tout à fait saisissante. Sa capacité vocale permet vraiment d’apporter une certaine vigueur supplémentaire dans les morceaux comme « Downgrade Desert », et « Himalaya Massive Ritual ».“
Aphrodite Patoulidou 