MACBETH STATE OPERA OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Kate Ladner, in the important role of Lady Macbeth, is outstanding, showing character development and emotional range throughout her performance…..Her on-stage character shows all the elements of her disturbing journey, from the beginning to her final aria, giving the audience what they want – and that is to empathise, to look inside her soul as a human being, for better or for worse. INREVIEW

Although the work is called Macbeth, the action in Verdi’s opera centres on, indeed stands or falls by, its Lady Macbeth. To this end, Verdi stated that he wanted a singer with an expressive, even harsh voice for this harridan of a role. With soprano Kate Ladner, we have an ideal exponent of this trying role. From the early scene where she reads Macbeth’s letter containing the witches’ prophecy, she is the one who takes charge of the situation and dominates the action. In keeping with Verdi’s flowing idea, the arias are shortened and Ladner’s greatest moment perhaps comes with the rather short but oh-so effective, so-called ‘mad or sleeping walking’ scene. However, Ladner is much more than a one-dimensional figure, using the beauty of her voice, as much as her assertiveness to spur her husband on. With Lady Macbeth, she has added a further layer to her already wide range of roles undertaken for State Opera, from the petulant Salome to Tosca and Violetta. LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE

Adelaide has produced some impressive singers and Kate Ladner is one of them. Verdi wrote that Lady Macbeth was a role that should not be sung. He said that the role of Lady Macbeth required a soprano whose voice did not possess traditional beauty; he preferred a voice that was “rough, hollow and stifled,” and insisted that “every word has a meaning, and that it is absolutely essential to express that meaning both with the voice and in the acting.” I think Ms Ladner has studied the context of Verdi’s requirement to the letter as far as the acting is concerned. The voice, on the other hand, is glorious, flexible, dynamic and brimming with emotional and vocal integrity. GLAM ADELAIDE

Kate Ladner is at her best in the iconic sleep walking scene, and her rendition of ‘Una macchia è qui tuttora!’ is almost unnerving. BAREFOOT REVIEW

Kate Ladner as Lady Macbeth gives a moving performance in the second, particularly the famous ‘Una macchia è qui tuttora!’ or sleepwalking scene. She is the strength behind Macbeth and also his downfall. Her ‘Vieni t’affretta’ from Act 1 Scene 2 is another highlight. STAGE WHISPERS

MACBETH BUXTON

Verdi wrote that Lady Macbeth “should have something devilish” about her: Kate Ladner conveyed this in spades, with exceptional presence and strength as Lady Macbeth, using her voice as a true dramatic instrument to attack the role with vibrato, grit, and even an eerily childlike vulnerability as her mind unhinged. Ladner’s unearthly Sleepwalking Scene was set up by an immaculately delivered…   BACHTRACK Buxton

Ladner ranged from sibilant hisses and low, curdled asides to terrifying. hawk-like shrieks, all the while projecting a sensuality which made it hard to take your eyes off her while she was on stage. Her sleepwalking scene was a masterclass in tight, luminous vocal control.  THE ARTS DESK Buxton

Kate Ladner was outstanding, no other word will suffice. Full toned, expressive and with vocal clarity and committed acting to match, hers was a performance that I will cherish. SEEN AND HEARD Buxton

SALOME STATE OPERA OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

And then there was Salome herself. Kate Ladner was excellent, particularly with her extended aria at the end where she caresses and kisses Jokanaan’s severed head (which, by the way, looked very real – bravo special effects department!). The role of Salome is an enormous challenge for any soprano – it especially tests the lower register…Ladner did it well. The State Opera did it well. BAREFOOT REVIEW

Edwards, working with Ladner for the first time….”Kate has created her own Salome,” Edwards says. “She’s a courageous performer, physically very fit and extraordinarily beautiful. And she sings the part brilliantly.”   INREVIEW interview with director Gale Edwards

The final moments were worth waiting for as Kate Ladner captivated a spell-bound audience with a sustained performance, singing and acting with only the very well made head of Jokanaan. Ladner’s Wagnerian voice and emotional performance matched the impressive playing of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as she held the hair, caressed him and finally kissed him. INREVIEW

DIE MEISTERSINGERS

Kate Ladner excelled as a remarkably fresh Eva, in flowing white dress…As Ladner’s voice soared softly and effortlessly through the theatre. BACHTRACK