Amy Beach – A Mirage, op. 100
mentions
“The soprano has radiant top notes, clear diction, and a sure sense of phrasing. Beck is a versatile pianist, who matched Marisa Karchin’s attention to the intricacies of the texts and provided vivid accompaniment. The two were a powerful pair when demonstrating the intensity of “The Storm.” ”
“Marisa Karchin serenades Andrea Farley-Shimoto with her resonant voice, her fingers playing on the edges of wineglasses while Farley-Shimoto’s feet swipe at gravel, a feast for the ears as the low sun envelopes half of their playing space in shadow. Throughout there is wonderful rapport between dancers and musicians (...) the dancers partner Karchin (...) even floating her in midair as she continues to sing”
“The highlight, though, was Marisa Karchin, a Chorus, a Narrator, a soprano whose lines were lyrical, emotional, strange and yes, romantic.”
“This was a voice almost entirely in the upper register, confident, emotional when necessary, dramatic when needed, and–most important–articulated with diaphanous clarity”
“Inside a miniature Greek amphitheater, [Karchin] draws out a melody from water-filled glasses on a serving tray. Her voice is as effervescent as the sound she makes by rubbing the glass rims.”
“It was soprano Marisa Karchin’s performance of a set of songs by Clara and Robert Schumann and Helen Grime that stole the show. In Clara Schumann’s O lust, O lust (“Oh Joy, oh joy”), Op. 23, No. 6 (1853), Karchin’s voice rang with jubilant exultation.”
“The American soprano Marisa Karchin manages to embody a fairy as elegant as endearing and the voice is of an exemplary accuracy. It is not surprising that she received the 2018 Joy In Singing International Art Song award this year”
“The poignant final scene, where a man sits by the bedside of a woman who is dying, is almost magical… Osada’s music for the gorgeous lyric soprano of Marisa Karchin was especially effective here.”