Der Rosenkavalier | Chicago | January 2006

“Schwanewilms not only looked the part but sounded it, radiantly so. She commanded a warm, creamy middle range and lustrous high notes that floated over Strauss’s sumptuous orchestrations.”

Chicago Tribune

“With her svelte figure and Elisabeth Schwarzkopfesque beauty, Anne Schwanewilms not only looked the part of the Marschallin but was fully inside the music and words…Her soprano revealed a warm, creamy middle range and lustrous high notes that floated over Strauss’s sumptuous orchestrations. This Marschallin wore melancholy like a fine French perfume in her monologue, and her natural dignity and grace rescued the finale from any hint of mawkishness.”

Opera

“She has a lovely silvery soprano, strong enough to hold its own in the large Civic Opera House but with a soft edge that gives her Marschallin womanly warmth. Slim and graceful, she found a fine balance between self-awareness and imperiousness….Schwanewilms captivated the eye and ear, especially in her Act 1 monologue. Longing to freeze time in its tracks, she seemed to be having a quiet conversation with herself, a touching, poetic one…As she unfurled Strauss’s long-lined, wistful phrases, as she compared time to a wind rustling against her face, we could almost feel that unsettling breeze ourselves.”

Chicago Sun-Times