"Perfectly cast in the title role, that of the wealthy young widow Hanna Glawari, was soprano Susannah Biller. Her Hanna was confident and bright comedically, appropriately sadder-but wiser in the ways of romance. Not surprising, though, one could barely wait for her vocal numbers which treated the audience to a deliciously attractive mid-range that soared and a beautiful clarity in her high notes. As noted previously, her “There lived a Vilja, a maid of the woods” was simply hypnotic.
… partner in a romantic affair is the handsome and insistent Count Camille de Rosillon, sung by tenor John Riesen."
