Ruiten, RTÉ NSO / Markson National Concert Hall, Dublin

I was looking forward to hearing Lenneke Ruiten, and she did not disappoint. This Dutch soprano made a strong impression during her Irish tour last year, and in this concert she sang Mozart's lovely motet Exsultate, Jubilate, written for a virtuoso Italian singer when the composer was just 17.
Ruiten's singing was captivating. With no obvious effort, she met the legion of technical challenges, from sustained cantabile to florid coloratura. But above all other things was her deep musicality and her ability to make virtuosity serve expression. Like all true treats, it made you feel good.

The Irish Times, Monday July 14, 2008 (Martin Adams)

Eire des bijoux
West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Bantry (Irlande)

...Découverte de ce festival, la jeune soprano Lenneke Ruiten [notre photo] en compagnie de partenaires à sa mesure, Sharon Kam (clarinette) et Finghin Collins (piano), dans les Six German Songs de Spohr.
Diction superlative, projection aisée, fraîcheur de son, la Néerlandaise fait merveille. Vous avez dit Barbara Bonney?...

Diapason, septembre 2007, France

Ruiten, Collins, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Music Network tour with pianist Finghin Collins, Ireland (February 15-22, 2007)

The Dutch soprano Lenneke Ruiten does not just have an outstanding voice, easily capable of the widest range of volume and colour. She makes a song disclose the feeling that inspired the poetry.
The success of this concert, the last of six in a Music Network tour with pianist Finghin Collins, also lay in the programme. Songs by Mozart and Turina's Tres Poemas were the frames for thematic groupings by Schumann, packed with floral imagery; by Strauss on motherhood; Poulenc's cycle La courte paille; and songs by Duparc on death.
Ruiten and Collins were an always-reliable partnership.

Lenneke Ruiten made no attempt to be aurally or visually spectacular. She just became each song in turn; and the ability to get on with that most subtle of tasks was underlined when a few quiet sniffs towards the end revealed that she had a cold.
There's nothing precious in this young woman's temperament or musicianship! The immediate contrasts and stylishness of the Poulenc, the voluptuousness of Duparc's Extase and Élégie, and the intimacy of the Schumann - all those were taken in her stride.

If I had to pick one moment, it would be Strauss's Wiegenlied Op. 41 No 1. I have heard this song's extraordinary, soaring and sustained lines many times, from some excellent singers. But never have I heard it sound with such quiet ecstasy that it seemed breathless. Of course, it wasn't really breathless; but that's the art of song. It was a moment I wished to preserve. I can't. But Ruiten will do it again.

Irish Times, Saturday, February 24, 2007 (Martin Adams)

Lenneke Ruiten surprising New Year sound

The sound of popping corks, the Blue Danube and the Radetzky March. This would have to be a New Year's concert - and so it was. Conductor Michel Tabachnik led his North Netherlands Orchestra in practically every cliché imaginable in this context - from the Strauss polka 'Auf der Jagd' to 'Unter Donner und Blitz', in which the percussion section was even more audible than usual.

Striking elements were the charm, the modest orchestral sound and the panache the head conductor created here and there. Sometimes with success - in the case of the Blue Danube a little artificially. But it was all packaged in a sophisticated performance full of flowing, danceable lines. Music for the millions at a high level, with a surprise in the shape of an exceptional soloist - soprano Lenneke Ruiten, laureate several years ago at the prestigious 's Hertogenbosch International Voice Competition.

It was not for nothing that she presented one encore after the other, as the audience simply could not get enough of her elegant, smooth and above all melodious sound, in which not a single flaw was to be found. She hit the mark at once in a Handel aria from Giulio Cesare - you could hear how musical and inspired this soprano's interpretation of the baroque score was. It is an aria which has to be kept small and intimate, and evidently Ruiten is an expert at this. Other repertory, mostly suited to the same approach, also came out well - for example Puccini's Musetta from 'La Bohème', which turned up in the encores. Or 'O mio babbino caro', another treat from the same composer. Or - have we ever heard it sung more delightfully? - the vocal waltz Frühlingstimmen by Johan Strauss Jr.

Leeuwarder Courant 06-01- 2007 Rudolf Nammensma

Enjoying music performed with tasteful lightness

It is almost unimaginable that no waltzes and galops by Johann Strauss II would be played at a New Year's concert, whether we are in Vienna or not. These can be combined with light opera arias and songs from operettas, preferably with a singer clad in appropriately extravagant attire.

And Strauss was not missing from the North Netherlands Orchestra's programme, which began with the Blue Danube and ended with the Radetzky March, in which we were allowed to clap along happily, conducted by Michel Tabachnik. But apart from this, the NNO's programme did not rely so much on popularity, since Tabachnik, who conducted with verve, directed his Strauss in such a way that the composer's purely musical qualities were also carefully highlighted.

Singer Lenneke Ruiten's opera selection was serious in tone, with arias which were for the most part quite serious and were also sung that way. It was an opportunity to enjoy exemplary singing. One qualifying remark is in order, namely that Handel and Rossini suit her better than something from Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilea, for which a somewhat broader voice would be appropriate. On the other hand, Verdi's Caro Nome was absolutely perfect in atmosphere, as was O mio babbino caro by Puccini. In the Strauss in three-four time, sung with a light touch, we heard her at her lightest - but it was tastefully light.

Dagblad van het Noorden 05-01-2007 Paul Herruer

NNO's New Year's concert is exuberant

…An important element of the festive spirit, apart from the joyous music making of Tabachnik and his musicians, was the exuberant and sparkling musicality of soprano Lenneke Ruiten. Perhaps she first had to get into her stride, but very soon admiration grew for the fantastic control, the unexceptionally accurate intonation, the lightness and naturalness of this superb soprano voice. It was a pity the texts were not available, so that we could only roughly follow the emotions depicted. But in this case it hardly mattered. Ruiten's musicality was completely convincing. This was an evening in which the audience were fully involved in the festivity, from the conductor's New Year's greetings in Frisian to the Radetzky march in which the audience clapped along, loudly or softly as indicated by the conductor.

Friesch Dagblad 06-01-2007 Dingeman van Wijnen

Erlebnis Stechau

Brandenburgische Sommerkonzerte mit Rossini und Mozart im Schlosspark

Kaffe, Kuchen, Rostbratwurst, Schliebener Wein und leichtes Flanieren eleganter Damen und Herren unter schattenspendenden Bäumen: mehr ländlich edles Ambiente ist einfach nicht zu haben. Trotzdem war dies nur die Einstimmung in die Open-Air-Operngala der Brandenburgischen Sommerkonzerte im Schlosspark Stechau.

Die Hauptakteure waren zwei junge Sänger und ein vorzügliches Kammerorchester. Die Sopranistin Lenneke Ruiten und der Altus Yosemeh Adjei sangen Arien und Duette von Gioacchino Rossini und Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, begleitet von der Polnischen Kammerphilharmonie unter der Leitung von Wojciech Rajski.

Man erlebte zwei Stars auf der Startrampe. Yosemeh Adjei hat eine sinnlich und offen klingende Altstimme, weit entfernt vom oft gehörten, engen Fistelton, der dieser Stimmlage gern anhaftet. Die Niederländerin Lenneke Ruiten studierte in Alkmaar und München und spezialisierte sich in Österreich und Frankreich auf das deutsche und französische Lied. Trotzdem ist sie ein Operntalent im lyrischen Fach und im Belcanto. Die glänzende Virtuosität, die die typischen Belcanto-Partien verlangen, kann sie mit Emotionalität und Ausdrucksvermögen aufladen. Genau das wünscht man sich in Mozart-Opern. Ihre stärksten Momente hatten die Sänger in drei Szenen aus der Rossini-Oper „Tancredi“.....

....Tancredis Geliebte Amenaide gehört der Gegenpartei des Helden an, auch dies Gelegenheit zu einer innigen Gesangsnummer, die Lenneke Ruiten schlichtweg hinreißend sang. Noch besser gelang ihr nur Mozarts Konzertarie „Bella mia fiamma“, komponiert für Josepha Duschek, in deren Prager Haus Mozart eine glückliche Zeit verlebte. Mozart schrieb Josepha eine klingende Liebeserklärung, Lenneke Ruiten holte sie in die Gegenwart.....

....Zurück zu Rossini. Natürlich hat das Liebespaar Tancredi/Amenaide eine in Freud und Leid zerrissene, hinreißende Duettszene. Deren schönste Passage musste als Zugabe am Ende wiederholt werden, so gut gelang sie den Beiden.....

Lausitzer Rundschau, 24. Juli 2006, Irene Constantin

Schleswig-Holstein-Musik-Festival, 18-07-2006

Mozarts 'Entführung' mit kabarettreifen Sprüchen

HANNOVER. Scharfe Konkurrenz fürs Opernhaus aus dem Funkhaus: Mozarts 'Entführung' ohne Bühnetechnik - nur Kunstpalme, Sonnenschirm und Sitzgelegenheiten dümpeln auf dem Podium des Großen Sendesaales vor dem Orchester. Trotzdem ist der Saal voll besetzt und das Publikum zum Schluss total begeistert.

Ein Grund: Herbert Feuerstein spielt den Bassa Selim; er hat die angestaubten Zwischentexte aufgefrischt. Der Bassa kommentiert die Handlung mit kabarettreifen Sprüchen....

...Auch die Solisten sorgen für Begeisterung. Lenneke Ruiten singt ein wunderbar agiles, hell strahlendes Blondchen. Passend zum Gärtner Pedrillo: Andreas Winkler auf den Punkt präsent mit lockerem, klarem Tenor. Elena Mosuc gibt eine recht dramatische Konstanze, die trotz Stimmgewichts die Koloraturen ganz munter hinkriegt. Steve Davislims Belmonte zeigt tenoralen Schmelz und hübsche warme Klangfarben.

Dass man sich mit Aurelia Eggers' szenischer Einrichtung groß in Szene setzen kann, beweist Michail Schelomianskis Osmin mit enormem Spielwitz. Sein Name hat Klang, die Stimme Tiefgang, wie es sich für einen Haremswächter gehört.
Riesenbeifall für knapp drei Stunden Opernspaß auf hohem Niveau.

Neue Presse, 18-7-06, von Günter Heiss

Herbert Feuersteins Annäherung an Mozarts "Entführung"

Flensburg - "Meine Konstanze: gekauft, bezahlt, aber noch nicht ausgepackt!" So knapp hat noch niemand die Problemlage zusammengefasst, mit der der Bassa Selim in Mozarts Singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail drei Akte lang zu kämpfen hat. Wenn es dann auch noch Herbert Feuerstein leibhaftig ist, der diese Worte spricht und sich dabei der Widerspenstigen nähert, hat er damit Hoch- und Tiefkultur auf einen Nenner gebracht. Mit seiner persönlichen Lesart der Oper hat sich der Komiker am Dienstag in die Schar der Mozart-Gratulanten eingereiht. Als Moderator und Bassa Selim hatte er die Lacher im Deutschen Haus Flensburg dabei vom ersten Ton an auf seiner Seite. Und selbst weniger geglückte Kalauer kommen aus dem Munde des Komikers einfach gut, der die Rezitative der Oper für seinen SHMF-Auftritt durch eigene Texte ersetzt hat.

Ein bisschen wirkt diese nun wie eine Mozart-Revue, in der den Sängern die Rolle der Highlight-Lieferanten zufällt. Da ist zum Beispiel der kurzfristig eingesprungene Jörg Dürmüller, als Tenor ganz dem unverbildeten Schönklang verpflichtet. Den frei und natürlich formulierten Liebeschwüren seines Belmonte hört man gerne zu. Mit einem ähnlichen Gesangsideal und einem noch helleren Timbre scheint ihm Andreas Winkler als Pedrillio nachzueifern. Es ist nichtsdestotrotz hübsch anzusehen, wie dieses Paar seine Possen mit Michail Schelomianski treibt, der die Rolle des Osmin (Feuerstein: "Ein Seele von Mensch!") erstaunlich lyrisch ausgestaltet.

In dem rührenden Kulisschen auf der Bühne des Deutschen Hauses erlebt man dabei keineswegs die angekündigte konzertante Aufführung, sondern auch viel Bewegung: etwa wenn Feuersteins Lippen sich denen der Konstanze (mit vollem, dunklem Edelsopran: Elena Mosuc) nähern und die im letzten Moment deutlich macht, dass sie in Sachen Leidenschaft doch weiter auf ihre Altersklasse setzt. Die agilste Erscheinung unter den Solisten ist allerdings Lenneke Ruiten, deren federleichter Sopran keine Wünsche offen lässt. Dass das Orchester auch ihn nur selten übertönt, spricht für das im Verlauf der Aufführung immer besser funktionierende Feintuning zwischen den Sängern und der NDR Radiophilharmonie, die unter Alessandro de Marchi spritzig und gewichtslos zum Einsatz kommt. Einen wunderbar frischen Akzent setzt am Rande dabei der Schleswig-Holstein Festival Chor, der seinem ersten Leiter Terry Edwards auf diese Weise ein hervorragendes Zeugnis ausstellt.

Oliver Stenzel, Kieler Nachrichten vom 20.07.2006

Delft Chamber Music Festival 2005

Heavenly gloom from promising soprano Ruiten

…And the young soprano Lenneke Ruiten, who won the International Voice Competition three years ago, gave a fine demonstration of her capacities. A real revelation was Schubert's Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, in which she alternated merry yodelling with heavenly gloom. The fresh and flexible sound of her voice came out beautifully in a number of Debussy songs, casting a sunny light over Beethoven's somewhat corny Scottish song settings…

Volkskrant 1-8-2005, Frits van der Waa

…One of the highlights of last weekend was soprano Lenneke Ruiten's performance. Three years ago she went home from the international competition in 's Hertogenbosch loaded with prizes, and ever since her star has been rising steadily. Her rendering of a few songs by Debussy, with Thom Janssen at the piano, was sublime. Freshness of sound, subtlety of interpretation, what more can you ask for? Since Elly Ameling, no Dutch singer has reached such heights in this repertoire…

Haagse Courant, 1-8-2005, Aad van der Ven

…After the interval soprano Lenneke Ruiten had the main role - a role she performed with flair. First with Miroir de peine by Hendrik Andriessen and then with eight songs composed by Debussy for the love of his youth Madame Vasnier (an amateur singer). In Andriessen's beautiful cycle, Ruiten was accompanied by the ten-member Festival string ensemble, including [Isabelle] Van Keulen, Liza Ferschtman and Quirine Viersen. Ruiten went right into the words, proving again, after her successful CD of French songs, that she is very much at home in this repertoire. Thom Janssen accompanied her in the Debussy songs with a great deal of imagination, matched by Ruiten's first-rate interpretations…

Trouw, 2-8-2005, Peter van der Lint

CD: MÉLODIES FRANÇAISES

The 2002 International Voice Competition in 's Hertogenbosch was conclusively won by the Dutch soprano Lenneke Ruiten. She carried off no fewer than five prizes, including the Caroline Kaart prize. This prize gave Ruiten the opportunity to record a CD - and that CD has now appeared. Ruiten and her regular accompanist Thom Janssen chose French repertoire with songs by Fauré, Chausson, Poulenc and Duparc. In addition to very well-known songs such as Fauré's Après un rêve and Duparc's Soupir the listener can also enjoy relatively unknown works by Chausson and Poulenc. Ruiten's mercurial soprano fits this music like a glove; the timbre of her voice, rich in harmonics, with a shimmering, sparkling edge in the high register, gives extra life to the French texts, each word of which Ruiten makes clearly audible. Right from the first song, Fauré's Notre Amour, Ruiten and Janssen create the right atmosphere and expectations.

You immediately feel: I want to hear all of this. The lower register of Ruiten's voice has developed agreeably; nowhere does it sound unpleasantly thin or nasal. In this CD Ruiten fulfils all the promises of her triumph in 's Hertogenbosch. In Poulenc's delightful song Les chemins de l'amour she is just as charming as Yvonne Printemps.

Peter van der Lint; Trouw, 2-7-05

Lenneke Ruiten, one of our most gifted sopranos of the younger generation, is building up a fine career. She initially studied flute and later voice with teachers including Meinard Kraak and Diane Forlano; masterclasses with Ameling, Holl, Hotter, Tear, Berry and Rudolf Jansen supplemented her training. Her fresh, open sound makes her an ideal interpreter of 18th-century repertoire, and she is on the way to becoming a first-class Mozart soprano. She combines the clarity of her voice with excellent diction; each word of her almost immaculate French can be heard clearly on this CD (her third), which really impressed me.

It features a fine selection of well-known and less well-known songs. Ruiten knows what she is singing and has the courage to sing out in all her registers, and in view of that I am happy to overlook the occasional less successful moment. Sometimes subtlety is sacrificed to a healthy dose of nerve, and there is something to be said for that. These are just marginal comments about an impressive CD, on which Thom Janssen's piano playing is superb.

Roeland Gerritsen; Luister magazine, July/August 2005

Ruiten excels in varied programme

Lenneke Ruiten (soprano) and Thom Janssen (piano) with songs by Schubert, Webern, R. Strauss, Chausson, Fauré and Flothuis. Heard at Museum De Cruquius, Thursday 14 April.

Soprano Lenneke Ruiten is an all-rounder. The singer who won practically all the prizes at the International Voice Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch in 2002 has by now proved herself in the opera theatre, in oratorio and in particular in the Lieder repertoire.

She demonstrated this versatility again during the varied recital she gave with her regular duo partner Thom Janssen in Museum De Cruquius. It ranged from the flowing lyricism of Schubert to the atonal intervals of Webern, from the light touch of Fauré to the dark passion of Chausson.

[…] In many of the songs flora and fauna played an important role, for instance in Schubert's lengthy ballad Viola, which depicts the sad fate of a flower that blooms too soon. Ruiten and Janssen made a beautiful bitter-sweet story of it, a fine prelude to Richard Strauss's Mädchenblumenlieder, in which various types of women are compared with kinds of flowers. Ruiten was outstanding in Mohnblumen, a virtuoso song full of leaps. And although she does not yet quite have the sultry warmth for this over-ripe lyricism, her Epheu was a wonderful picture.

In the songs by Anton Webern, settings of spiritual texts by Hildegard Jone, there are many references to growing and flowering. This is demanding music, with crystalline structures and difficult intervals. But Ruiten sang it with such flexibility and perfect intonation that it might have been Schubert. Ruiten has a lovely fresh, natural sound and a spontaneous expressiveness which makes her ideally suited to Schubert's Lieder.

But evidently she also feels at ease in the French repertoire. Her third CD, which appeared recently, is entirely devoted to it. In the darkly coloured songs of Chausson she delves into unsuspected depths in her voice. And wherever necessary, she is not afraid to let herself go. The Waterschapszaal in Museum De Cruquius was almost too small for the final notes of Fauré's Notre amour. Pianist Thom Janssen, who had stayed somewhat in the background until then, also played his trump cards in the French repertoire. The rich harmonies flourished under his hands.

Flothuis's graceful Four Trifles, with their musical winks and expressive rhythms, are already almost like an encore. But to satisfy the enthusiastic audience, they were followed by Le colibri by Chausson and Poulenc's infectious Les chemins de l'amour.

Winand van der Kamp, Haarlems Dagblad, 16 April 2005

Clear and solemn St Matthew's Passions

J.S. Bach's St Matthew's Passion by the Residentie Orchestra/Residentie Bach Choir conducted by Arnold Östman. Heard on 25/3 in Dr. Anton Philipszaal, The Hague.

…The young soprano Lenneke Ruiten distinguished herself in the positive sense. With her fragile but distinctive voice, light as a feather, she is as captivating as she is promising…

NRC, 26-03-05, Jochem Valkenburg

In Östman's St Matthew's Passion time stands still

Soloists, Radio Boys' Choir, Residentie Bach Choir and Residentie Orchestra conducted by Arnold Östman with Bach's St Matthew's Passion. Heard on 24/3 in The Hague (Philipszaal).

…The young Dutch soprano Ruiten sang the aria 'Blute nur' met motherly tenderness…

Haagse Courant, 25-03-05, Winand van de Kamp

Lenneke Ruiten transforms concert hall into living room

Recital: Lenneke Ruiten (soprano) and Thom Janssen (piano). Works by Schubert, Webern, Strauss, Chausson, Fauré and Flothuis. Venue: AMSTERDAM, Concertgebouw, Recital Hall, 18 February. Radio broadcast: 25 February, Dutch Radio 4, 1 p.m.

….It was quite a week for her. It started on Sunday with a recital in Groningen, then there were daytime rehearsals with Opera Zuid for Gluck's Orfeo, a production which had its premiere in Maastricht on Saturday. And then on Friday there was this concert in Amsterdam.

With Drei Gesänge and Drei Lieder by Anton Webern she absolutely floored the audience in the completely sold out hall. This was no mean feat: Webern did not write music for a relaxing Friday evening after a busy week. It is really an achievement for someone to sing these songs so excitingly that everyone moves towards the edge of their chairs. How amazing it is that she can sing these songs, with their seemingly strange turns, so naturally and with such perfect intonation that they sound quite familiar. Both in the high and the low registers her voice kept its strength and colour, while every word of the text had its effect. This is not just technical skill, but true art.

Since her debut in this hall one and a half years ago, this singer, whose voice is still so fresh and bright, has nevertheless matured enough to take on the pure late romantic music of Richard Strauss. Of four songs by Strauss, Mohnblumen in particular was a gem. Thom Janssen was again an ideal accompanist, this time enticing an almost orchestral sound from the piano, without ever overpowering the voice. How different were the songs by Chausson and Fauré. Fragile in mood - but again, Ruiten made music out of every word. It makes us wonder about her French CD, in which this work plays a major role.

The rarely heard Four Trifles by Marius Flothuis were a surprise. Ruiten played the audience effortlessly with them: people smiled, people laughed. She had changed the atmosphere of the Recital Hall, with a few hundred people in the audience, into that of a living room….

Noordhollands Dagblad, 21-02-05, Hans Visser

Musica Ducis delivers primal scream with goose bumps

Erasmus Festival. Musica Ducis Brabantiae and Vocaal Ensemble Markant, soloist: Lenneke Ruiten, conductor: Alexandru Lascae. 's Hertogenbosch, Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, 3 November 2004.

... There was also a Netherlands premiere of another piece by Vasks, Latvija. This piece was almost as spectacular as Dona nobis pacem, mainly thanks to the soprano Lenneke Ruiten, whose voice, with a carrying capacity to defy the imagination, filled every corner of the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk. Bloodcurdling and imposing. ...

... Lenneke Ruiten excelled again during this evening, in the five-part song cycle Slopiewnie by the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. Light-hearted and humorous music, excellently suited to Ruiten's capabilities.

Brabants Dagblad, 4 November 2004, Rinus van der Heijden

Shepherd King sparkles

Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra and soloists conducted by Gérard Korsten with Mozart’s ‘Il re pastore’ in the Robeco Summer Concerts, Concertgebouw, 29-8-2004

…The second last concert in this series, last Sunday evening, was one to remember. Mozart’s opera Il re pastore (the Shepherd King) was given a glowing performance by the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra and a few fantastic soloists...

…For the last performance of this production the Netherlands Opera had put a fantastic group of singers on the stage. Sunday evening’s performance was a good match for it. The Danish soprano Henriette Bonde-Hansen as Aminta was a true revelation. Her voice contrasted beautifully with Lenneke Ruiten’s lighter soprano. At the end of the first act their voices mingled spectacularly in an excellently sung duet. Ruiten is rapidly becoming a wonderful Mozart singer. In her aria ‘Barbaro! Oh Dio mi vedi’ her phrasing did not always come out perfectly (like a swimmer reaching for the wall and just missing), but apart from that Ruiten was completely convincing. In the coming years the Netherlands Opera will be staging a new Mozart-Da-Ponte cycle, and with a voice like Ruiten’s near at hand I know what I would do. And I don’t mean a token role like Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, no, I’m talking about Susannas, Despinas and Zerlinas…

Trouw, 31-8-04, Peter van der Lint

Mozart breathes freely in shepherd’s opera

Robeco Summer Concert: opera ‘Il re pastore’. Music: W.A. Mozart. Libretto: P. Metastasio. By Lenneke Ruiten, Henriette Bonde-Hansen (sopranos), Cécile van de Sant (mezzosoprano), Guy Fletcher, Patrick Henckens (tenors). Heard: AMSTERDAM, Concertgebouw, Sunday evening.

Mozart wrote his opera Il re pastore for a party, and the music is as festive as only the genius from Salzburg could have made it. The performance of this work in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw was festive too. But it was the ladies who really stole the show: Lenneke Ruiten and Henriette Bonde-Hansen…

...Using words by Pietro Metastasio he wrote a series of absolute showpieces. The first singer to shine in one of these was the Alkmaar soprano Lenneke Ruiten. As the shepherdess Elisa she sang of her love for her Aminta - and this soon turned into a stream of coloraturas. She sung them with a lovely sense of style, with the right amount of vibrato in the right places. She also sounded so wonderfully fresh – just right for a girl who still believes in happiness. Ruiten herself seemed to be enjoying the ease with which all those notes poured out of her throat. In the second act she had another aria, but in this one she was disappointed and sorrowful, because it seemed she would not be allowed to marry Aminta. There will certainly be more – and more mature – Mozart roles in store for her...

Noord Hollands Dagblad, 31-8-04, Hans Visser

Lenneke Ruiten shows vocal versatility

Concert: Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Yakov Kreizberg.
Soloist: Lenneke Ruiten (soprano).
Programme: Exsultate jubilate, KV 165 by W.A. Mozart, Serenade for winds op. 7 by Richard Strauss, Knoxville, the Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber, Serenade no. 1 by Johannes Brahms.
Heard on 20 January 2004, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

Lenneke Ruiten’s engagement with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra was essentially still a result of the prizes she won at the International Vocal Competition in ’s Hertogenbosch in 2002. But her current performances show that Ruiten has grown as a vocalist; by now she has proved her versatility by singing a wide variety of styles and genres. In the meantime she has already set out on the path which will lead to the Netherlands Music Prize.

The soprano from Alkmaar opened her two performances this week with Mozart’s motet Exsultate jubilate, which she will also sing in a few weeks’ time in Japan, where she has been invited to perform as a soloist. This work gives her ample scope to demonstrate her sensitivity, as she did with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Ruiten’s approach to the young Mozart’s pattern of lines is one of mobility and subtle phrasing. In this Exsultate jubilate Ruiten’s subtle manner of singing ended in sparkling coloraturas, smooth and quick as lightning.

A little later in the program she sang Knoxville, Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber. This song requires the singer to bring out the narrative aspects of a prose poem set to music, embedded in melody of course and preferably with sultry American hues. In Ruiten’s performance the serene emotions came from within, with her energetic voice acting as a medium. She performed the work with great skill and empathy.

Noord-Hollands Dagblad, 23-1-2004, Jos Ruiters

Young and impetuous élan

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yakov Kreizberg with soprano Lenneke Ruiten. Heard on 20 January 2004 in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

…Because of the prizes she won in ’s Hertogenbosch, Ruiten has a reputation to live up to, and she succeeded in doing so with her fresh and uninhibited performance in the Concertgebouw on Tuesday. In Mozart’s Exsultate jubilate the joy and triumph sounded very sincere. Ruiten has the ability to get right into a sound; for instance, she hung gloriously in the ‘ju’ of ‘jubilate’, let her vibrato do its work and in passing gave a correct interpretation of the text as well.

In Barber’s deliciously languid childhood memory, Lenneke Ruiten’s vocal personality came out even better. With a good feel for the atmosphere and the text, Ruiten stepped into the shoes of the legendary American soprano Eleanor Steber, for whom Barber composed his Knoxville, Summer of 1915 in 1947 …

Trouw, 22-1-2004, Peter van der Lint

Ruiten stars in high notes

Concert: Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yakov Kreizberg with soprano Lenneke Ruiten. Heard on 20 january, Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

The soprano Lenneke Ruiten, triumphant winner of the first prize and four extra prizes at the International Vocal Competition in ’s Hertogenbosch in 2002, made her debut with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra yesterday evening in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with music by Mozart and Barber. Among her audience at this concert … was Elly Ameling, who won the competition in ’s Hertogenbosch in 1956 and one of whose masterclasses Lenneke Ruiten attended.

…Lenneke Ruiten is a light soprano, with a lovely, smooth and radiant high register. Ruiten’s interpretation of James Agee’s text about his childhood memories was expressive and finely varied ...

…For the moment Lenneke Ruiten seems to be particularly outstanding as a Mozart soprano. In Munich, where she did part of her training, she has already sung Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro in the Prinzregententheater. And Mozart’s Exsultate jubilate, which she sang yesterday evening, was a beautiful rendition: a good alternation of moods between the jubilant and the quieter movements, effortless coloraturas and a radiantly perfect conclusion in the ‘Alleluia’…

NRC Handelsblad, 21-1-2004, Kasper Jansen

‘Er ist’s’ in the winter too

Lieder evening with Lenneke Ruiten and Thom Janssen in the Frankfurter Römer, Frankfurt, Germany

Lenneke Ruiten is an experienced Lieder singer. Her fine, limpid voice definitely tends to the lyrical rather than to the dramatic. It is also easy to imagine the young Dutch soprano as a Mozart singer. In her song recital in the Kaisersaal series in the Frankfurter Römer with the excellent pianist Thom Janssen she presented a varied programme which included works on the tacit theme of flowers, plants and blossoming.

Lenneke Ruiten was convincing if only because of the purity of her tone production. Her articulation was as clean as can be imagined, so that in the eight Schumann songs selected the texts could be understood optimally. In Anton Webern’s Drei Lieder op. 25, which fitted in with the flower and flourishing theme, Lenneke Ruiten covered a very large range, singing difficult intervals with secure intonation. High points of the Brahms block were the intimately performed folksong Da unten im Tale and Meine Liebe ist grün on a text by Schumann’s sorrowful and melancholy son Felix.

The performance, which was simple and unobtrusive in the positive sense, was always carefully considered and serious. Thom Janssen radiated certainty and calm, playing with precise and delicate shading, giving the singer frequent opportunities to use her fine piano tone and never forcing her to overstretch the volume. In this respect Francis Poulenc’s little song cycle Fiancailles pour rire succeeded exquisitely: performed with a rich French flair, very tender in the Fleurs, not at all neoclassically caustic, but alternating in mood between the late Romantic and the impressionist. Richard Strauss’s Mädchenblumenlieder op. 22 fitted in well both stylistically and thematically.
The encores given by the duo, who did part of their training at the Conservatory in Alkmaar, were two songs by Richard Strauss, ending in virtuoso, almost opera-like Amor coloraturas.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 12-1-2004, Guido Holze

Springs awakens love

An evening of Lieder with Lenneke Ruiten in the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurter Römer, Frankfurt, Germany.

For music lovers who like to meet hopeful artists of the younger generation on the threshold of their careers, the concerts in the Kaisersaal are an excellent address. This time it was Lenneke Ruiten who left her visiting card. The Dutch soprano won the renowned vocal competition in ’s Hertogenbosch in 2002 and is already acquiring her first engagements in major venues. She presented a notably long and varied programme.

Ruiten is a likeable performer; her friendly, even joyous expression while singing proves that she is enjoying herself and loves making music for the audience.

Frankfurter Neue Presse, 13-1-2004, Andreas Bomba

Ruiten the favourite in IVC’s Crown Concert

…With an extremely subtle performance of songs including Richard Strauss’s Amor, Ruiten demonstrated what is needed to win a competition like this: a fine voice, but first and foremost musical intelligence, style and character.

As a result of her sincere, intelligent and never over-strained presentation, songs which are much less accessible than opera were more highly rated than the extrovert belcanto arias. Lenneke Ruiten starts with the content and lets the form emerge from it; many candidates start with the form and often forget the content …

Crown Concert of the Dutch International Vocal Competition on 6 October 2003 with the Brabants Orchestra conducted by Ivan Angélov. Heard yesterday in Theater aan de Parade in ‘s Hertogenbosch.

Marjolijn Sengers