In the press

 

  • “...Nazan Fikret as a gleaming, formidable Queen of the Night, her accustomed ease apparent in what has  become a signature role.” 
    The Guardian / Sarah Noble

    “The Queen of the Night, Nazan Fikret... nailing the stratospheric demands of the part with edgy coloratura...  she delivers the two great arias with classic authority.” 
    The Reviews Hub / Ron Simpson

    “Nazan Fikret as the Queen of the Night... made her performance seem effortless, she was able to achieve  such clarity and power…” 
    Leeds Living / Tallulah Treadaway

    “Nazan Fikret projects decaying splendour as the Queen of the Night and there’s a hint of pathos in the first  of her two fiendishly stratospheric arias.” 
    Ilkley Gazette / Geoffrey Mogridge

  • “Among the four sopranos, all stylish and confident in the florid writing, Fikret retained the most rapturous  tonal focus...” 
    Opera / Yehuda Shapiro

    “Aoife Miskelly’s Licida and Nazan Fikret’s Aristea project firmly and cleanly, the latter with a noble bearing as  she bemoans her lot at the outset, but stirs herself to a resounding rebuke of Licida in Act Two in some  magnificently sustained high notes.” 
    Opera Today / Curtis Rogers

    “Nazan Fikret – whose terrific debut as a 13-year-old Flora in The Turn of the Screw I saw many years ago – is a fine, strong, emotional singer…” 
    Opera Now / Robert Thicknesse

    “...Aristea delftly sung by Nazan Fikret.” 
    Opera Scene / Mke Smith

    “Nazan Fikret managed to give a bit of spunk to Aristea, one of those put-upon, passive Baroque heroines.  Fikret's Aristea managed to seethe under that passive acceptance, and she had a terrific revenge aria, yet her  duet with Page's Megacle was finely touching.” 
    Planet Hugill

  • “Adding a note of pathos is Soprano Nazan Fikret’s Sister Genovieffa. Once a shepherdess, she would love to  hold a lamb once more. The irony of offering an Agnus Dei in penance is unmissable.”
    Mark Aspen

  • “Nazan Fikret [who] powers through the Queen of the Night's ledger lines with tremendous zest and  admirable precision.” 
    The Times / Richard Morrison

    “The sheer strength of Nazan Fikret’s soprano, coupled with the precision in her phrasing and some excellent  coloratura in ‘Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen’, make her a formidable Queen of the Night.”
    MusicOMH / Sam Smith

    “In this demanding role, Nazan Fikret manages the coloratura sharply...” 
    The Telegraph / Nicholas Kenyon

    “As Queen of the Night, Nazan Fikret is very familiar with the Mozart role having previously sung it with  Glyndebourne, Wexford and Garsington. Anchoring the performance with confident delivery, using her  remarkable stage presence, she comfortably negotiated her aria[s] as a suffering mother...”
    Seen and Heard International / Clive Peacock

    “In this demanding role, Nazan Fikret manages the coloratura sharply...” 
    The Telegraph / Nicholas Kenyon

    “As Queen of the Night, Nazan Fikret anchors the production with confident delivery…”
    Warwickshire World

  • “…Nazan Fikret brings vocal firmness and dexterity to Anne Trulove, rounding off Act I with a redoubtable top  C: one of the most dangerously exposed high notes in the whole soprano repertoire.”
    The Stage / George Hall

    “Nazan Fikret, a silver-toned soprano whose growing reputation is built on the unaffected beauty of her voice  and the intelligence with which she deploys it.” 
    Opera / Mark Valencia

    “…Nazan Fikret’s gleaming Anne Trulove…” 
    The Financial Times / Richard Fairman

    “Fikret, who sings with a wonderfully silvery tone and great depth of feeling throughout. This is one of several  superb performances in an evening...”
    The Guardian / Tim Ashley

    “...the Bedlam scene is movingly done. As Anne Trulove, Nazan Fikret — who sings with model clarity  throughout — delivers a beautiful lament-lullaby...” 
    The Times / Richard Morrison

    “It was Nazan Fikret's strong yet touching performance as Anne Trulove that really anchored the  performance. She trod a firm, direct line through all the mayhem. Fikret brought out a sense of Anne's  strength of purpose underneath her nervous manner. She sang with elegance and emotion, and always held  the stage so that her appearance brought focus. The scene in Act Two where she finds Tom whilst Baba waits  on the side was heart-wrenching indeed.” 
    Planet Hugill

    “Soprano Nazan Fikret is deeply affecting as fragile yet resolute Anne.” 
    The Observer / Stephen Pritchard

    “Nazan Fikret was very convincing as Ann Trulove singing with purity and personality, and nailing the top C of  her first aria with precision.” 
    Plays to See / Tim Hochstrasser

    “Nazan Fikret as Anne Trulove particularly impressed with her dexterous and versatile soprano.” (ArtMuseLondon / Karine Hetherington) 

    “Nazan Fikret doing particular justice to her role. Aptly dressed as a crusader, she has to fight to save her  man, and sings with particular grace and determination.” 
    Ox in a Box / Edward Bliss

  • “Cinderella’s sisters were brilliantly cast with Nazan Fikret (Clorinda) and Lauren Young (Tisbe), fully  deserving the duet from Semiramide (!)” 
    Opera / Hugh Canning

    “Nazan Fikret and Lauren Young are a well-matched duo as the stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe, singing with  gleaming polish...” 
    The Times / Rebecca Franks

    “Fikret and Young gave wonderfully engaging performances... [they] made a terrific double act, and  whenever they were on stage their presence was felt.” 
    Planet Hugill

    “As the corseted and cossetted Tisbe and Clorinda, Lauren Young and Nazan Fikret, respectively, relished  their ghastliness and delivered it which a high gloss finish.” 
    Opera Today / Claire Seymour

    “Nazan Fikret and Lauren Young make a notably fine double act...” 
    The Guardian / Erica Jeal

    “Also strong is the bossy, mean-minded sister act of Nazan Fikret’s Clorinda and Lauren Young’s Tisbe...” (The Stage / George Hall

    “Cinderella’s two stepsisters are only ugly on the inside, a fact that allowed Nazan Fikret (Clorinda) and  Lauren Young (Tisbe) to huff and flounce deliciously as their disdain turned to jealousy at the changing  fortunes of their downtrodden sibling. The pair sang with vivid expression and their competitive duet was a  delight.” 
    Bachtrack / Mark Valencia

  • “The Three Ladies, Nazan Fikret, Kezia Bienek and Claire Barnett-Jones, were vocally a fearsome trio...”
    Opera / Rian Evans

  • “Nazan Fikret gives a standout performance as the deceived and bewildered princess, captivating throughout  both vocally and dramatically.” 
    The Stage / Inge Kjemtrup

    “Of the solo sextet, soprano Nazan Fikret sang with a luminous beauty that sent my eyebrows northwards.  She plays Teofane, a Byzantine princess who’s engaged to the Saxon Emperor Ottone but is stolen away by  Adelberto, who’s engaged to Ottone’s sister Matilda… Do keep up. Or, alternatively, just revel in Fikret's voice.  Already an established talent, she's en route to the top and on this showing she’s practically there.” (Bachtrack / Mark Valencia) 

    “Nazan Fikret made a delicate seeming Teofane. Subject to much yet always surviving, Fikret might have  drooped elegantly and effectively in her 'pathetic' arias, but she engaged us musically and suggested Teofane  had stoic qualities of her own, underneath. Fikret had an engaging way with her music and always held the  stage even when not being very positive, a fine performance indeed.” 
    Planet Hugill

    “The surprise came from soprano Nazan Fikret who lent her pure and enchanting voice to the character of  Teofane with touching simplicity and delicate restraint.” 
    Baroque News

    “Soprano Nazan Fikret makes a fearful yet beautifully crystalline princess Teofane.” (The Guardian / Stephen Pritchard) 

    “…all three female soloists sang with terrific poise and intensity, persuasively defining and developing their  characters.” 
    Opera Today / Claire Seymour

    “Nazan Fikret proved a charming Teofane...” 
    Opera / Hugh Canning

    “Soprano Fikret is stand-out as the bewildered would-be bride with tremendous control and restrain...”
    British Theatre Guide / Karen Bussell) 

  • “Nazan Fikret sparkled through the Queen of Night’s high-wire acrobatics...” 
    The Telegraph / Rupert Christiansen

    “...the real surprise was Nazan Fikret's Queen of the Night, ready to be heard on opera stages all round the  world.” 
    The Arts Desk – Best of 2020: Opera / David Nice

    “…this fast-rising soprano had all the notes and flexibility the part requires.” 
    Opera / Mark Valencia

    “...she nailed all the notes in both arias, flinging out stonking F sharps into the stratosphere. She sings the  role so well, one hopes she won’t be typecast, because she is a fine comic actor too.” (The Sunday Times / Hugh Canning) 

    “The young Nazan Fikret was a particularly stunning, ferocious Queen of Night.” 
    The New Statesman / Emily Bootle

    “...a spite-filled delivery by Nazan Fikret...” 
    The Stage / Amanda Holloway

    “Nazan Fikret’s Queen of Night was fiery and memorable, with more mellifluous coloratura than one often  hears in the famous aria.” 
    The Argus / Joe Fuller

  • “Nazan Fikret’s glorious Blonde… Fikret is exceptional, wonderfully secure over the role’s exacting range…”
    The Guardian / Tim Ashley

    “Rather more florid, aptly, was the fast-rising Fikret as Blonde. What pipes this young artist has! As she  massaged her unguents into Stiff’s naked back it was easy to see why he desired her: he was like putty in her  hands. My, but the go-to child Flora of the early noughties has come a long way. On this evidence her  burgeoning career as a coloratura soprano is going to make quite a noise.” 
    Opera / Mark Valencia

    “As Blonde, Nazan Fikret has the finest voice in the cast, clear and rich, with plenty of character. The  production makes the most of her many comic moments, like her second act aria “With smiles and kind  caresses,” complaining about Osmin’s advances, here sung as she gives him a massage, and takes out all her  frustrations on his back.” 
    The Arts Desk / Gavin Dixon

    “Nazan Fikret’s Blonde was another powerful piece of characterisation, salacious and wily, with a voice in full  gleam. Strong acting and movement again followed musical excellence: the torturous ‘massage’ she gives  Osmin whilst singing of women’s capacity to manipulate men was full of risqué mischief.”
    Bachtrack / Benjamin Poore

    “In the role of the English maid Blonde, Nazan Fikret’s gale-force performance is a brilliant comedy turn…”
    The Independent / Michael Church

    “There are strong vocals throughout… Nazan Fikret’s sparky Blonde having fun as she deals effectively with  Osmin’s importunate bullying.” 
    The Stage / George Hall

    “Blonde, played by Nazan Fikret, charms with comic timing and vocal pyrotechnics; her initial scene with  Osmin is side-splitting, as his gentle massage turns into painful karate chops, as Fikret makes it clear who is  the master and who the slave.” 
    Classicalsource / Amanda Jane Doran

    “Nazan Fikret’s Blonde was not a maiden one would want to mess with: confident, subtly comic, she reached  to the extremes of the role’s extended vocal expanse with ease.” 
    Opera Today / Claire Seymour

    “There are strong vocals throughout… Nazan Fikret’s sparky Blonde having fun as she deals effectively with  Osmin’s importunate bullying.” 
    The Stage / George Hall

    “Nazan Fikret’s vibrant, take-no-prisoners Blonde pummels Matthew Stiff’s firmly sung Osmin black and blue  during what’s meant to be a relaxing massage…” 
    The Times / Neil Fisher

    “Nazan Fikret’s no-messing Blonde provoked ready laughter.” 
    The Observer / Fiona Maddocks

    “Vocally, The Seraglio is tricky, but [the soloists] all did well with their wide-ranging and technically  demanding roles — the women were especially good.” 
    The Sunday Times / Hugh Canning

    “…Blonde, sung by the irrepressible Nazan Fikret… Fikret has a powerful soprano voice but also a talent for  comedy that is right to the fore here.” 
    Plays to See / Owen Davies

    “Nazan Fikret made an equally impressive Blonde, big on charm and personality yet also with a confident  handling of Mozart's music… Fikret created lively and believable interactions, full of soubrette charm yet with  a soprano voice which had a bit of steel and temperament to it too.” 
    Planet Hugill

    “Richard Pinkstone and Nazan Fikret inhabited the roles of Pedrillo and Blonde with an easy authority and the  orchestra under John Andrews were attentive to every detail and nuance.” 
    East Anglian Daily Times / Gareth Jones

  • “Nazan Fikret not only delivers the murderous coloratura, but a genuine and resounding passion. A world  class Queen of the Night!” 
    Dagens Nyheter / Camilla Lundberg

    “The Queen of the Night has two of the most formidable arias in the opera literature and requires vocal  chords of steel and stratospheric height.... Nazan Fikret was the most formidably brilliant. A voice for the  grand opera houses..." 
    Seen & Heard International / Göran Forsling

    “Nazan Fikret’s Night Queen is a mother, witch and egocentric primadonna, with powerful acting, and  supremely devilish coloratura…” 
    Svenska Dagbladet / Karin Helander

    “The Queen of the Night has her great aria in Act II and soprano Nazan Fikret swings freely and easily into  the highest soprano heights in “Der Hölle Rache”.”  
    Dala-Demokraten / Anne Pettersson

  • “Nazan Fikret’s Fiordiligi can get around all the notes in ‘Come scoglio’ and provides engagement and  emotional warmth in ‘Per pietà’.” 
    Opera / George Hall

    “Nazan Fikret’s silver-toned Fiordiligi… Fikret’s ‘Come scoglio’ is technically secure and most beautifully done.”
    Gramophone / Tim Ashley

  • “The principals were led by Nazan Fikret’s clear-voiced, sympathetic Elin, and Tom Scott-Cowell’s finely sung  Korimako. These are two really promising young singers who have already begun to establish themselves in  various houses, and it’s safe to assume that we will be hearing more from them.” 
    MusicOMH / Melanie Eskenazi

    “Scott-Cowell (Korimako) and Fikret (Elin) convinced as the torn apart lovers, and their voices blended  beautifully in their duets…” 
    Bachtrack / Nick Boston

    “Soprano Nazan Fikret displayed the most crystalline voice in a demanding role opposite counter tenor Tom  Scott-Cowell.” 
    Sussex Express / Susan King

    “Nazan Fikret portrays Elin’s divided loyalties with conviction and has a high voice that she uses strongly.”
    Classicalsource / Peter Reed

    “Soloists were impressive” 
    The Stage / George Hall

  • “Nazan Fikret a Queen of the Night that nailed both arias.” 
    Brian Dickie

  • “Soprano Nazan Fikret as Arasse has a beautiful voice with radiant height. She sings the many ornaments  with taste and ease. It is a pity that she only has two arias to sing.” 
    Alba Classic / Benjamin Rous

    “The British soprano Nazan Fikret in the role of the king's servant Arasse has an impressive voice. Together a  top line-up (of soloists) present amazing examples in the baroque singing tradition.”
    Place de l'Opera / Franz Straatman

    "...the soloists all cast exceptionally well... Nazan Fikret (Arasse) and Myrsini Margariti (Laodice) convince in  every note.” 
    Theaterkrant / Henri Drost

    “The sopranos Myrsini Margariti (Laodice) and Nazan Fikret (Arasse) seemingly effortlessly sing their  coloratura like birds below a window frame.” 
    nrc.nl / Joep Christienhusz

    “…the voices are a treat... all six singers throw their high notes and coloratura as if they were throwing rose  petals at a wedding.” 
    Brabant Cultureel / Camiel Hamans