Santuzza, portrayed by Anna Pirozzi, Italy’s sensational dramatic soprano heard earlier this season in La Gioconda in Catania, positively sets the stage ablaze with her huge charisma. As soon as she starts, one is mesmerized, dumbfounded by the sheer power and command of her instrument. Though the role does not require technical pyrotechnics, it does require a potent voice, most often a mezzo and occasionally a dramatic soprano. Pirozzi has the most powerful non‑Wagnerian female voice working today, bar none.
Anna Pirozzi, dressed in shades of black and pregnant, conveys an unusual sense of closeness with her warm, dramatic singing as Santuzza.