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“The benefits of this casting were immediately apparent both for the music and the drama. Ms. Moore knows how to project a beautiful imperiousness. The proud shell over the vulnerable core.
As well she manages a sly insincerity that lets the audience in on her character’s truth but never her fellow players. She laid a beautifully subtle trap for Aida in their duet and then her frustration in Act IV with Radames” continued refusal to renounce Aida was palpable.
Vocally because of her naturally higher vocal placement she showed an ease of amplitude in many parts of the role that most interpreters simply can’t. The repeated “Vieni, amor mio” in her chambers at the top of Act II, which are usually ungainly sounding, here were the voluptuous love call Verdi intended.
The beauty of her instrument made her simply a woman wronged and not the usual vicious intriguante. She played an extraordinarily nuanced Judgment that kept building on itself. First bringing applause after her short arioso following the confrontation with Radames and then unleashing an inferno of tireless vocalism at the denunciation of Ramfis. Honestly the first Amneris I’ve seen live who didn’t run out of steam on the final pages. She was richly rewarded for her efforts by the audience.” Parterre Box

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“Soprano, Latonia Moore (Madama Butterfly, Porgy and Bess) as the Ethiopian slave, Aida is breathtaking with not only a voice that conveys power and emotion, but the acting chops to buttress it. She is formidably matched by Tenor, Russell Thomas (Tosca, Titus) as her secret lover and army commander, Radames; and Soprano, Melody Moore (The Broken Jug, Hansel and Gretel) as Amneris, not just her mistress, but a delightfully scheming rival and an Egyptian princess to boot.” Indulge Magazine

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“Of particular note was Melody Moore’s Amneris. Regal, spiteful, yet deeply in love with Radames, Moore brought the tortured character of Amneris to life. She exemplified Verdi’s unique ability to sympathize with his characters: although a reigning princess, she too is a victim of her passions. As did Shakespeare and Elliot, Verdi found the humanity behind the masks of his characters. Musically and dramatically, this production offered a convincing love triangle.” Seen and Heard International

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“Soprano Melody Moore, last seen at HGO as Senta in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, stands out as Amneris, exploring this traditionally mezzo-soprano role with considerable depth. In the beginning, her performance leans toward comedy as she tricks Aida into revealing her love for Radames, but after she exposes her rival, she drops the playfulness to reveal imperious cruelty, conveyed through her robust tone in its middle and lower registers. Her resurgence in the opera’s final act as an ostensibly sympathetic character is a curious story choice, but Moore… makes the most of it, singing with full conviction of her love for Radames and grief over what has transpired.”

Houstonia Magazine

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“Soprano Melody Moore, as jealous Amneris, daughter of Pharaoh who’s also in love with Radames, has a powerhouse voice … Her confrontation scene with Aida was dramatically striking, and her plangent last words sung above the tomb of her unrequited lover, “Pace, Pace, Pace,” were a benediction made from tears.”

Houston Press

“At the start of Act 2, Moore gave an especially cozy turn to Amneris’s sinuous phrases invoking Radamès; when Amneris pretended to be Aida’s friend, Moore’s light, conversational delivery made the pretense convincing.

And whenever the music took off above the staff, her voice welled up with a vibrancy and focus that equalled Wilson’s. Moore helped generate the ensembles’ electricity, and her abandon enabled the Judgment Scene to give Aida’s theatrics a walloping climax. ”

Texas Classical Review

“Fellow soprano Melody Moore, as Amneris, proves a worthy foil for Aida dramatically and vocally.”

Houston Chronicle