Press & Reviews
Tannhäuser
Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi Di Trieste, Trieste, 9,13, 17 April 2010
"L'australiana Miranda Keys che di Elisabeth offre con adeguata espressione un profilo molto incisivo."
"The Australian Miranda Keys offers with appropriate expression, a very effective profile of Elisabeth."
Götterdämmerung
Festival D'Aix-En-Provence, Aix En Provence, 9,13, 17 April 2010
"Gut einstudiert prononcierten die drei Nornen (.... und die leuchtend helle Miranda Keys)."
"The pronunciation of the three Norns was well studied (... and the bright shining Miranda Keys)."
Ariadne Auf Naxos
Salzburg Landestheater, January/February 2008
"Miranda Keys ist eine makellos ihre Einsamkeit zelebrierende Ariadne..."
"Miranda Keys is an immaculate Ariadne, celebrating her solitude..."
"Miranda Keys kontrolliert ihre Heroinengeste als Ariadne jederzeit exakt, hat Schmiegsamkeit und lyrische Kraft, schwingt sich schön dramatischer auf."
"Miranda Keys controls her heroic gestures as Ariadne with unerring precision, demonstrating flexibility and lyrical power, soaring up with beautiful drama."
"Und Miranda Keys als Hauptdarstellerin bewältigte ihr Drama mit kraftvoller, ausgewogener Stimme und legte damit die Latte der Frauenriege zu hoch..."
"..and Miranda Keys in the title role mastered her drama with a powerful, even voice, and thus raised the bar of the female team..."
"Die Australierin Miranda Keys singt ihren Erinnerungsmonolog 'Ein Schönes war' kultiviert, aber noch sehr verhalten. In Folge schwingt sich dann die Stimme zu beeindruckender dramatischer Attacke auf, mit strahlender Höhe und ohne sichtbare Anstrengung mit kraftvollem Zugriff."
"The Australian Miranda Keys' performance of her monologue 'Ein Schönes war' is cultivated, yet very restrained. Her voice then soars up to an impressively dramatic attack, with marvellously pure height and seemingly effortless power."
"Miranda Keys è un' Ariadne dalla freschezza giovanile ed possiede tutti gli adeguati suoni acuti e gravi."
"M.K is an Ariadne of youthful freshness, and possesses all the right sounds, high and low."
Albert Herring
Glyndebourne on Tour, October/November 2007
HEADLINE:Miranda Keys steals the show with a minor comic masterpiece
"Susan Gorton is an effective... housekeeper to the hugely promising Miranda Keys's magnificent Lady Billows, who steals the show. Her speech at the crowning of Albert, where in mid-rant she loses her way and the whole thing turns into a garbled mess of morallising rubbish, is a minor comic masterpiece, which Keys brings off brilliantly."
"Much is very good, though. Miranda Keys' Lady Billows is sung in a promising dramatic soprano that enables her to quell all of Britten's notes as well as local opposition."
"So English is the formidable Lady Billows, that you'd never know the soprano was Australian. A convincingly aged-up Miranda Keys commands the stage with her imperious demand for conformity and shakes the rafters with her incisive voice, which impressed many at Cardiff this year, where she reached the finals."
Götterdämmerung
BBC Proms, 2007"There was also a great night for those spotting potential future stars... The Norns had a hard battle with the orchestra, from which only Miranda Keys' gleaming, urgent soprano emerged triumphant."
Recital
Linbury Studio Theatre, ROH, 27th October 2007, with Phillip Thomas, piano
"For one of the best sections of the whole event came now while the adjudicating panel deliberated: this was a short recital by the soprano Miranda Keys, accompanied by Phillip Thomas at the piano.... two of Barber's Hermit Songs were not a problem and she particularly expressed well Agee's text "I weep for wonder, wandering far alone..." in "Sure on this Shining Night". A Sibelius song ran the gamut from smiles to high drama as a young girl finds she has been cuckolded, but what the other songs were about - the audience were not given the words - was difficult to appreciate completely, regardless of how excellent the singing was, particularly in the wonderful, long, Straussian lines of "Befreit"... Miranda Keys has a powerful voice and is very remniscent of her Australian compatriot, Lisa Gasteen, a current Brunnhilde - just as Miss Keys will undoubtedly be a future one. Both came to the fore through the Cardiff Singer of the World Compatition. Miranda Keys has a most engaging personality on the platform... She sang a Walton song delightfully as a well - deserved encore giving us a wink at the end and later acknowledged the enthusiastic applause for a splendid recital with a thumbs-up."
"While the panel - Dame Anne Evans, Graham Clark, Lionel Friend and Neil Howlett - deliberated, Miranda Keys, winner of the 2006 Bursary, accompanied by the excellent Philip Thomas, gave a short song recital which included several pieces from her programme for the 2007 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World song prize.... As before, I was impressed by the way in which her programme slowly broadened and weighted her voice from the almost coloratura agility of Mendelssohn's 'Neue Liebe' and 'Hexenlied' through the greater warmth and breadth of Barber's 'Saint Ita's Vision' and 'Sure on this Shining Night', to the drama of Rangstrøm's 'Pan' and Sibelius's 'Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte'. She finished with two pieces which I have not heard her sing before, Richard Strauss's 'Befreit' and 'Zueignung', both sumptuously done. I was particularly grateful to hear her sing 'Zueignung', a favourite of mine. Her encore, Walton's 'Old Sir Faulk', displayed her talent for comedy. Elegantly and simply dressed (although her glittering necklet, which kept catching the lights, was an unwelcome distraction), standing in a spotlight on a darkened stage, she created a magical atmosphere which she could break with a humorous remark to the audience and then effortlessly re-establish a moment later."
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2007
St. David's Hall, Cardiff, 14th & 17th June, 2007
Additional Content:
Miranda's BBC Singer of the World Profile, including competition repertoire and comments.
"Australian Miranda Keys offered one of Strauss's Four Last Songs plus arias from The Bartered Bride and Fidelio. Hers is a silvery tones instrument that has potential to develop into a full dramatic soprano. .... we shall certainly be hearing more of her."
"Miranda Keys... not short of power, displayed real finesse in "Fruhling" from Strauss' Four Last Songs, touchingly evoked Marenka's predicament in "Och, jaky zal... Ten lasky sen", and navigated the perils of "Abscheulicher!" with assurance."
"She threw her cards on the table straight away with "Dich teure halle" from Tannhäuser- an audacious choice, given that this aria greets a hall of song and precedes a song contest. I think it turned out to be her best number, as it suited the rich, warm amplitude of her voice and displayed her bright, gleaming high notes. She is a great communicator and achieved an instant rapport with the audience, who loved her cheery manner, full of winks and thumbs up signs to the orchestra. She scaled down beautifully for a complete contrast in her second number, Berg's "Die Nachtigall", before finishing with a pile-driving piece never before attempted in the competition, "Santo di patria" from Verdi's Attila. This is a fiendishly tricky, wide-ranging aria, and she threw herself at it with all the vehemence it demands, yet keeping control of her voice in all but a couple of slightly 'skidding' top notes. It was a bravura display which deservedly brought the house down."
Rosenblatt Song Prize Final
St. David's Hall, Cardiff 15th June, 2007
"I was surprised to find how well her large, full voice 'fined down' to the intimacy of a piano-accompanied recital. She chose a well balanced programme full of light and shade, with a nicely varied mixture of styles. She opened with two evocative Mendelssohn songs, "Neue Liebe" and "Hexenlied" which required and recieved plenty of vocal lightness and agility, broadening the voice to greater intensity in Barber's "Saint Ita's Vision" and holding the audience on her poised sound in a lovely, lyrical rendition of the same composer's "Sure on This Shining Night". Quilter's "Love's Philosophy" showed her ability to convey light humour. Two lovely Swedish songs followed, Rangstrom's quiet, exquisite "Pan" and Sibelius's "Flickan kom ifran sin alsklings mote", a passionate tale which displayed her ability to portray several characters in the same piece, an essential weapon in the Lieder singer's armoury. She ended with Walton's quirky "Old Sir Faulk", a stylish contrast with what had gone before."
Attila, Lyric Opera Dublin
National Concert Hall, Dublin, 25th May, 2006
"The Australian Miranda Keys was an outstanding Odabella; she has a large, well-focussed dramatic voice with plenty of passion and musical imagination."
"The evening was dominated by two outstanding performances.... Australian soprano Miranda Keys encompassed the difficult vocal requirements of the vengeful Odabella, the only female of the cast, with considerable aplomb. Equally adept in both legato and coloratura, she dutifully topped the various ensembles with seeming ease."
Thérèse Raquin, Opera-Te
Linbury Studio Theatre, ROH
"Miranda Keys exemplifies everything that matters to me in an opera singer. She is a first rate musician and is always prepared no matter the complexity of the vocal part. She has a lush, big, beautiful sound and is an artist in the truest sense of the word, meaning she can take dots and lines on a page and paint a vocal landscape out of them... She is a great actress too - always completely believable. And on top of all of this, she has a great sense of humor - absolutely essential in the opera world, as well as in the portrayal of comic as well as tragic characters."
"The smaller roles were capably done, with Miranda Keys making her mark as Madame Raquin's friend, Suzanne..." George Hall, Opera Magazine, June 2006
Hansel and Gretel, Scottish Opera on Tour
April/May, 2005
"However, Miranda Keys had a secret up her sleeve as she transformed in Act 3 from heavily lagged Hausfrau to scarlet-clad coloratura Superwitch. This was a bravura performance which stole the show."
"... Miranda Keys doubled as their mother and an entertaining scarlet-clad, body-popping witch..."
"At one glorious point, Miranda Keys, a deliciously over-the-top witch, parodied Wagner (Humperdinck's friend and mentor) as she weilded her broomstick like a Brunhilde. "I try so hard to be nice!", she sings. We don't believe a word of it."
"There was nothing stereotyped about Miranda Keys' witch. No haggard old crone, she was clad in scarlet and obviously fond of her food - roast Hansel and Gretel gratinee was next on her menu."
HEADLINE:"Listen to a real bitch of a witch"
"Don't beat me with that again," begs Miranda Keys (The Mother) as the Father raises a menacing broom - and her words are like a chilling drop in temperature. It's just as chilling, of course, when Keys slips into a darkly symbolic alter ego as the Witch - even her way of sharpening knives is a sinister echo of Hansel and Gretel's mother, although this time round the broomstick is a cause for gleeful choruses about high-flying rides. Keys isn't alone in matching strong, assured vocal performances with persuasive characterisation....."
Idomeneo, Glyndebourne on Tour
Regent's Theatre, Stoke-On-Trent, 23rd November 2003
"Last night was special, too, for Miranda Keys, who made her Glyndebourne debut as Elettra. It was one of those understudy-goes-on-and-wows-the house moments and she rightly got a big round of applause. But all the singing was accomplished and as professional as we've come to expect from this world-class group."
Placido Domingo's 25th Season Charity Dinner
Covent Garden, 4th July 1997
"Your performance of the aria "Come Scoglio" was simply extraordinary!"
Hertford Symphony Orchestra Concert
Castle Hall, Hertford, 9th November 2002
"The concert opened courageously with the "Prelude" and "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. Miranda Keys proved an impressive Isolde, her commanding vocal presence supported with musical understanding"
National Opera Studio Showcase
Queen Elizabeth Hall, 30th May 2002
".. Ariadne auf Naxos was brilliantly done, and if I single out one performer - Miranda Keys as Ariadne - it is because she managed to deliver the music superbly while engaged upon a witty send- up of her character. We will surely be seeing more of her and many of her colleagues in the next few years." Opera Magazine, August 2002
"A wealth of talent was on display at the annual showcase of young artists from the National Opera Studio... But the evening's highlight was the teamwork involved in the head - on collision of tragedy and vaudeville in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, in which the superb soprano of Miranda Keys stole the show."
National Opera Studio on Tour
Penarth, 11th March 2002
"Even while suffering from an infection, Miranda Keys (singing the role of Amelia in Simon Boccanegra Act I duet, from "Come in quest' ora bruna" onwards) demonstrated that she is a soprano of very considerable potential, a big sound used effectively.."
Cosi Fan Tutte, Royal Scottish Academy
8/10/13/15 May 2000
"... Keys impressed as Fiordiligi. She sparkled in the recititives, negotiated the triplets in "Come scoglio" with apparent ease and acted well... A mature performance."
"Such a visual feast combined with fantastic singing and stagework should be making Scottish Opera very nervous. It was difficult to believe these talented singers have yet to embark on professional careers. The two female leads, Miranda Keys (Fiordiligi) and Andee Louise Hypolite (Dorabella) are certainly singers to keep an eye on. They both have powerful voices with a stage presence to match..."
Owen Wingrave, Royal Schools Opera
26th/30th June 1999
"... the formidable Miss Wingrave, Owen's aunt, sung by Miranda Keys, a budding dramatic soprano stiffly corsetted in duty, honour and discipline."
"The opera was well cast and impressive, in particular... Miranda Keys (Miss Wingrave) who utilised her powerful voice with dramatic consequences."
Trial By Jury, Royal Schools Opera
10-15th March 1999
"Miranda Keys shows evidence of an eminently brilliant career..."
Albert Herring, Royal Schools Opera
16th/20th February 1998
"Miranda Keys as Lady Billows achieved a feat which eluded most, if not all, of the professionals I have heard in the role - every word was audible and distinct."
"I enjoyed the singing from the second cast I heard, in particular... Miranda Keys, a fiercely well - articulated Lady Billows."
Cosi Fan Tutte, Oxford University
October 1997
"Of the six singers, four do honour to their London music colleges - especially the Australian soprano Miranda Keys as Fiordiligi (another La Stupenda in the making?). Her totally secure account of the fiendish "Come Scoglio" was rightly applauded both by us and the ubiquitous chorus, now forming an on-stage audience.."
Cosi Fan Tutte, Royal Schools Opera
22nd February 1997
"... The most pleasurable aspects of the performance were the lively contributions of the singers, most notably of the two Fiordiligis : 22 - year - old Miranda Keys from Australia sounded like a young Margaret Price - and looked the part - with a rock steady "Come Scoglio", high notes thrillingly attacked and low notes ripe for development..."
"... But the real surprise was Miranda Keys... Though she has only been at the Royal College a short time, she sang an absolutely sensational "Come Scoglio", the likes of which one does not hear from more established singers.... We may eagerly look forward to the true potential of this soprano.."
Recordings
Republic: The Revolution (Soundtrack)
James Hannigan, April 2004
"Hannigan uses rich chord textures and swelling string passages throughout the orchestral performances. "A New Day Begins" uses these techniques as a perfect bed to exemplify the sonourous Miranda Keys and the skilled solo violinist Ralph Allin in their amazing, yet subtle performances."
Recital and Oratorio Reviews
Verdi Requiem, Internacional Festival Cervantino
Teatro Juarez, Guanajuato, Mexico, 10th October 2001
ARTS PAGE HEADLINE:
"Miranda Keys shone in the performance of the Verdi Requiem in the Theatre Juarez"
"The Verdi Requiem resulted in a demonstration of why the Orquesta Symphonie de Estado de Mexico is considered to be the best in the country. It also displayed the quality vocals of Miranda Keys, who with her natural stage presence, greatly moved the audience. It resulted in a standing ovation.."
Verdi Requiem, Imperial College, London
19th March 1999
"Miranda Keys sang the final movement with such dulcet intensity that the audience was stunned to a long silence before the well deserved applause erupted."
Verdi Requiem, Leicester Choral Union
December 16th 1998
"There was no sign of the flagging in the final outburst of the "Libera Me" which shattered in impact, particularly as it was followed by closing bars of such sublime repose, superbly realised by Miranda Keys and the chorus."
Lloyd Webber Requiem, Derby Choral Union
20th November 1998
"Of the soloists, Miranda Keys has a voice with a remarkable range and power but one which she used effectively in quieter passages."
Recital Tour of the Philippines
October 1998
"Keys possesses a voice of extraordinary beauty, supple and rich, and with tremendous power. It is a rare gift.."
"The songs demonstrated Keys' rich, luminous resonant voice, clarity of diction, a wide range of expression, a striking sense of drama, and fine control of dynamics. How stunning were those long sustained fortissimos and pianissimos!"
"... She was at her best in Liszt's vocal setting of the Petrarch Sonnet no. 104, "Pace Non Trovo".... It was as though she was telling a complete story of love and helplessness, and her voice said it all.."