“Soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn sang the double role of Margherita and Elena, bringing an ideal combination of power and lyrical flexibility to the roles. Her Margherita was beautifully sung with a convincing and touching naivety, yet expansive in the more lyrical moments and with a surprising strength when she denies Faust just before her death. By contrast, Llewellyn’s Elena was wonderfully radiant and rightly seductive.”
Planet Hugill

“Elizabeth Llewellyn was at her radiant best in her two incarnations as Margherita and Elena, differentiating the two beautifully. As Margherita in love she unleashed waves of powerful velvety sound but then found exactly the right sense of pathos and stillness as she is imprisoned and seeks salvation. As Elena she was full of dangerous allure. The wide-eyed faces of the Capital Arts Children’s Choir (a distinct asset to the evening) marvelling at it was a delight!”
Classical Source

“Elizabeth Llewellyn, playing both Margherita and Elena, was marginally more suited to the latter, though her singing had great beauty and poise.”
The Guardian

“Elizabeth Llewellyn brought her sweet yet rich and beautifully shaped soprano to the fore in the roles of Margherita and Elena.”
Music OMH

“The role of Margherita was taken by Elizabeth Llewellyn, who has previously impressed as Magda in Puccini’s La rondine for Opera Holland Park and in Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony at the Barbican. She is a spectacular singer: she has great stage presence, a powerful voice which never seems to harden and, most of all, she absolutely inhabits the roles she takes on, always with the utmost musicality and integrity. The Act III aria in which she reflects on her fate (‘L’altra notte in fondo al mare’) was vocally beautiful as well as dramatically affecting; she also boasts a splendid vocal trill. In her alternative persona as Helen of Troy in the fourth act, Llewellyn was glorious in her duet with Pantalis her companion; her vision of the destruction of Troy, later in the act, was gripping in the extreme, and she soared easily and freely over the ensemble towards the end of the act.”
Seen and Heard International

“…Magda’s Chi il bel sogno di Doretta, which Llewellyn sings lusciously with her warm, smoky tone and gleaming high notes…Both leads rise magnificently to their passionate duet in Act III, when it becomes clear that they cannot live together, Llewellyn unleashing her Tosca voice (which she has already shown off in Germany) with plenty of “spinto” blade… A huge OHP hit: Llewellyn is a star.”
The Sunday Times​

“To ice the cake in shades of yellow and scarlet, Elizabeth Llewellyn sang Magda with a voice of pure operatic joy. Her soprano timbre, rich, powerful and faintly smoky, was irresistibly seductive and multi-layered, and somehow she found heartbreak in the score’s simplicities. Llewellyn is an exceptional artist who oozes star quality and ought to be top of the ‘grab’ list for any half-decent UK casting director, but for some reason isn’t. Don’t miss this too-rare opportunity to hear her: she’s a great singer at the peak of her craft.”
What’s On Stage

“…a voice that threaded its lovely way seamlessly across all of Puccini’s bar-lines, never striking a less than entirely lovely sound: she is a truly special artist.”
Opera magazine

​“The night belongs, though to Elizabeth Llewellyn as Magda and Matteo Lippi as Ruggero. Llewellyn has a voice like best dark chocolate in the lower register and crystal clear water in the upper. She achieves an impressive variation of tone and packs in huge amounts of immaculately acted emotion. Her reading aloud of the letter from Ruggero’s mother in the third act is a good example of impassioned excitement mixed with horror. It is a very fine performance indeed.”
Lark Reviews

“When are the big international opera houses going to wake up to the great British talent that is Elizabeth Llewellyn? With her opulent soprano – shaded middle register, full bloom at the top, cutting chest voice – she was born to sing Verdi and Puccini, and her stage presence is undeniable from the moment she steps out… our hearts are with her from the start.”
The Artsdesk​

“It’s a role that requires wit, grace, elegance and the ability to float seraphically above the stave – all qualities that Llewellyn has in abundance. She plays exquisitely with the phrasing of Magda’s one showpiece aria, “Che il bel sogno di Doretta”, and rises confidently to its moments of climax, but mostly one appreciates the sheer charm and lightness of touch with which she paints the chattier aspects of her music.”
The Telegraph

​“Magda is one of Puccini’s top vulnerable heroines, and the role is magnificently sung by Elizabeth Llewellyn, blessed with a voice of sumptuous range, security and fullness; you first hear her generous lower range, which as it expands higher keeps its character and flexibility. Llewellyn also has a powerful presence; she is compelling as the worldly woman taking one last chance at love, and easily strides between archetype and straightforward characterisation. In every respect she rises to the occasion.”
Classical Source

​“…yet again Llewellyn…proved what a fabulous Puccini soprano she is.  The voice is a good size with a smoky lower register, a velvety middle of complex depth and a top that opens up magnificently… Her Magda was vulnerable, hopeful and determined just as she should be.”
Opera Traveller​

“Elizabeth Llewellyn successfully combines sophistication and sincerity….her voice is ideally warm and lyrical, and easily fills the theatre. Opera Holland Park is lucky to have her.”
Financial Times

“The soloists were led by, and effectively overshadowed by, Elizabeth Llewellyn …She was thrilling, living the role throughout and with full vocal and dynamic range. In act three, Llewellyn and the orchestra conspired to provide moments of magic in her soliloquy as she reminisces; her pitching, too, was noteworthy in its accuracy. Magda’s love scene with Ruggero was one of the evening’s many highlights; she effectively lifted it to another level.”
Seen & Heard International

​“Elizabeth Llewellyn is a perfect Magda, warm and lively yet wistful in her Act I soliloquy.”
Mark Ronan

​“Singing Magda, Elizabeth Llewellyn has obvious stage presence and the vocal stature to go with it; the bottom of the voice is full and has an appealing spice to it that makes it quite distinctive, while her middle is luxuriously warm….Commitment to the role was absolute, from the grace of her salon presence, through breathless excitement in Bullier’s, to her sacrifice in the third act.”
Bachtrack

“Elizabeth Llewellyn gives a stand-out performance as Magda, showing the delicate touches of her range against the power of her top flight displayed through the bigger numbers, making this production worth a visit for her performance alone.”
The Arbiturian

“It is, however, Elizabeth Llewellyn as Magda and Matteo Lippi as Ruggero who make the evening special. Llewellyn has the precision and focus to make her vocal line feel sweet and clean, but her soprano is also blessed with richness and strength that gives both her sound and the character a good deal of weight.”
Music OMH

“As Magda, Llewellyn commands the right blend of wry self-knowledge and creamy expansive tone to cover her character’s transition from bored semi-retired performer to radiant lover and regretful realist. She also finds real warmth and tenderness in the final scenes, which carried across into the arena.”
Live Theatre UK