"Actrice et chanteuse remarquable"

"A remarkable actress and singer"

"Above all stands Noa Frenkel’s magnificent Tzia, whose dark contralto conveys both authority and vulnerability, making palpable the immense weight of the secret she carries. Under Valentina Carrasco’s direction, the acting is remarkably natural, every gesture and every phrase serving the emotional truth of the drama."

"La contralto israélienne Noa Frenkel, qui se produit régulièrement dans le répertoire contemporain, incarne Tzia Bonaria Urrai de toute son imposante présence scénique, figure inexorable du destin mais aussi mère aimante et attentive. Sa voix dispose de graves profonds et se pare d’une couleur particulièrement sombre, accentuée, qui convient à la perfection pour ce rôle central."

"Israeli contralto Noa Frenkel, who regularly performs contemporary repertoire, embodies Tzia Bonaria Urrai with her imposing stage presence, an inexorable figure of destiny but also a loving and attentive mother. Her voice has deep bass notes and is adorned with a particularly dark, accentuated color, which is perfectly suited to this central role."

" [...] Noa Frenkel, dont la voix basse et étonnamment proche de celle d’un haute-contre voulu d’abord par le compositeur, incarne avec des graves poitrinés le rôle central de Tzia [...]"

"[...] Noa Frenkel, whose low voice, surprisingly close to that of a countertenor as initially envisioned by the composer, embodies the central role of Tzia with chesty bass notes [...]"

"Dans le rôle-titre, Noa Frenkel, particulièrement saisissante dans ses graves profonds, épouse à merveille les facettes de son personnage, tour à tour maternelle et distante, tiraillée entre la vie qu’elle soutient et la mort qu’elle dispense – parfois à contrecœur."

"In the title role, Noa Frenkel, particularly striking in her low register notes, perfectly embodies the facets of her character, by turns maternal and distant, torn between the life she sustains and the death she dispenses – sometimes reluctantly."

"Der Fokus des Sinfonietta-Konzertes liegt allerdings im Auftritt der phänomenalen Noa Frenkel, einer Sängerin, die aus dunkelvioletter Altlage mühelos drei Oktaven in eine orangene Höhe schnellt."

"However, the focus of the Sinfonietta concert lies in the performance of the phenomenal Noa Frenkel, a singer who effortlessly leaps three octaves from a dark violet contralto range to an orange high."

"Sängerisch dürfen Motseri [...] und Frenkel ‒ endlich mal wieder eine echte Altstimme ‒ in Poppes Komposition jeweils ihre Schokoladenseiten demonstrieren, was zu einer reinen Freude wird."

"Vocally, Motseri [...] and Frenkel – finally a real alto voice again – are each allowed to demonstrate their best sides in Poppe's composition, which is a pure joy."

"The opera's characters are named A, S, N and K, after the interpreters they were written for: Anna Prohaska, Sarah Maria Sun, Noa Frenkel and Katja Kolm, who repaid the favour by throwing themselves into their parts with complete conviction"

"Ms. Frenkel has a voice usually labeled a “force of nature.” But unlike her virtuosic colleagues, she doesn’t zoom from a tenor to high soprano voice. She aptly and deftly soars from a baritone rumble to high contralto, with all the sprechtstimme tricks of a German Expressionist."

"Und die Neue Musik-Spezialistin Noa Frenkel gestaltet mit ihrem eisklaren Alt Oskar Loerkes Gedicht "Die Laubwolke" als berückendes Solo. Elegisch schwingen die Klangflächen, wenn sie von herbstlichen Lichtern kündet, die Stimme aus höchsten Höhen in tiefste Tiefen stürzend und wieder erhebend, mühelos wie ein Vogelflug."

"And the new music specialist Noa Frenkel, with her crystal-clear alto, performs Oskar Loerke's poem 'Die Laubwolke' as a captivating solo. The soundscapes resonate elegiacally as she speaks of autumnal lights, her voice plunging from the highest heights to the deepest depths and rising again, effortlessly like a bird's flight."

"Noa Frenkel und Chiara Annabella Feldmann brillieren als Virtuosinnen der feinsten allmählichen Übergänge vom Flüstern ins Ächzen, vom Raunen ins vage Singen, des verheißungsvollen Schreitens und Tänzelns zwischen bedeutungsschwangeren Verrichtungen."

"Noa Frenkel and Chiara Annabella Feldmann shine as virtuosos of the finest gradual transitions from whispering to groaning, from murmuring to vague singing, of promising striding and dancing between meaningful actions."

"[...] Us Dead Talk Love [...] a stream of consciousness about the body and its flesh, which Saunders matches to an increasingly histrionic vocal line, composed for the spectacular virtuosity of the contralto Noa Frenkel"

"[...] the standout piece of the festival’s opening weekend was the UK premiere of Rebecca Saunders’ Us Dead Talk Love (2021) [...] featuring the outstanding vocal virtuosity of Noa Frenkel. [...] Frenkel’s voice soared and writhed, matching the ensemble in variety of timbre and rhythmic agility."

"Das Hauptwerk des Konzertes war aber „Us Dead Talk Love“ der renommierten Rebecca Saunders [...]. Dargeboten [...] von der Stimmkünstlerin und Altistin Noa Frenkel, was ein Ereignis für sich darstellte."

"The main work of the concert, however, was "Us Dead Talk Love" by the renowned Rebecca Saunders [...]. Performed [...] by the vocal artist and alto Noa Frenkel, which was an event in itself.

"Den Höhepunkt des Abends stellte Rebecca Saunders „Us Dead Talk Love“ nach einem Text von Ed Atkins dar. Die emotionale Sprach- und Gesangstechnik von Noa Frenkel, die Kommunikation der Musiker mit der Sängerin und die reflektierenden Instrumentalpassagen boten spannungsgeladene Hörerlebnisse. Abschnittweise wirkte die Sängerin wie in Konfrontationsstellung zu den Ensemblemusikern, so dass sich ein intensives Kräftemessen entwickelte."

"The highlight of the evening was Rebecca Saunders' 'Us Dead Talk Love' based on a text by Ed Atkins. Noa Frenkel's emotional speech and vocal technique, the communication between the musicians and the singer, and the reflective instrumental passages offered a thrilling listening experience. At times, the singer seemed to be in confrontation with the ensemble musicians, resulting in an intense clash of forces."

"Noa Frenkel's love of science fiction is refelecetd in her stunning interpretation of a series of works for solo contralto voice with electronic treatments by Sebastian Schottke.[...] These are elegantly crafted scored electronics, meticulously navigated by Frenkel, enriching her perfromance with the intimate feel of a duet with her sonic avatar self."

"Noa Frenkel verströmt als Prinzessin Amba hingegen weit ausgreifendes Melos, dessen Eindringlickeit in der Konfrontation mit dem Widersacher noch bedeutend anwächst."

"Noa Frenkel, as Princess Amba, exudes a far-reaching melody, the intensity of which increases significantly in the confrontation with the antagonist."

"Dans un rôle complexe et contrasté, entre féminité violentée et virilité puissante et vengeresse, la mezzo-soprano Noa Frenkel se révèle époustouflante et dotée de moyens très amples, y compris lorsqu’elle est obligée de passer d’un registre à l’autre ; graves caverneux alternent avec les aigus percutants, avec toute la détermination et la pureté qu’exige le personnage."

"In a complex and contrasting role, between violated femininity and powerful, vengeful virility, mezzo-soprano Noa Frenkel reveals herself to be breathtaking and endowed with very ample means, including when she is forced to move from one register to another; cavernous low notes alternate with striking high notes, with all the determination and purity that the character demands."

"[...] la vaillante Amba de Noa Frenkel (contralto) est époustouflante dans une prestation qui parait conjuguer la détermination de Turandot (Puccini), la sensibilité d'Aida (Verdi) est, en fine, les tourments de Faust (Gounod) puisqu'elle se perd dans les ténèbres de la virilité. Un role apart mais universel, emblématique de cet opèra qui transcende une réflexion sur le genre, humain ou lyrique."

"[...] Noa Frenkel's valiant Amba (contralto) is breathtaking in a performance that seems to combine the determination of Turandot (Puccini), the sensitivity of Aida (Verdi) and, ultimately, the torments of Faust (Gounod) as she loses herself in the darkness of virility. A unique but universal role, emblematic of this opera which transcends a reflection on gender, human or lyrical."

"[...] la mezzo israélienne Noa Frenkel se joue de cette androgynie en interprète affutée de « la contemporaine », capable de passer du chanté au parlé dans un même souffle."

"[...] the Israeli mezzo Noa Frenkel plays with this androgyny as a sharp interpreter of "the contemporary music", capable of switching from singing to speaking in the same breath."

"La partition réserve les plus grandes difficultés vocales au personnage d’Amba, interprétée par la mezzo-contralto: elle doit jongler entre l’ombre de ses graves et la puissance de ses aigus, surtout lorsque sa réincarnation masculine la fait passer d’une voix parlée profonde à des sauts chantés aigus avec virtuosité."

"The score presents the greatest vocal challenges to the character of Amba, interpreted by the mezzo-contralto: she must juggle between the shadow of her low notes and the power of her high notes, especially when her male reincarnation makes her switch from a deep spoken voice to virtuosic high sung leaps."

"Noa Frenkel ragt heraus im Part der dunklen Mahnerin und Warnerin Kassandra [...]."

"Noa Frenkel stands out in the role of the dark admonisher and warner Cassandra [...]."

"Mit großer sängerischer und schauspielerischer Aussage gestaltete die Altistin Noa Frenkel ihre Doppelrolle als Josefina und Alfild. Eindrücklich stellte sie die Mütter der Kinder mit ihrer Körpersprache und Stimmführung dar: einesteils die psychisch kranke Alfild und andernteils die sprachlos scheiternde, kaltherzige Josefina."

"With great vocal and dramatic expression, the alto Noa Frenkel portrayed her dual role as Josefina and Alfild. She impressively depicted the children's mothers through her body language and vocal delivery: on the one hand, the mentally ill Alfild, and on the other, the speechless, failing, cold-hearted Josefina."

"[...] Musik, die für die unterschiedlichen Handlungsstränge je eigene Klangwelten findet – das reicht von Assoziationen an Bach-Choral und Passionsgeschichte über irrwitzige Vokaleinlagen für die psychisch kranke Mutter Alfild (großartig: Noa Frenkel) [...]."

"[...] Music that finds its own soundscapes for the different plot lines – ranging from associations with Bach chorale and Passion story to ludicrous vocal interludes for the mentally ill mother Alfild (magnificently played by Noa Frenkel) [...]."

"[...] während Noa Frenkel in der Doppelrolle der Mütter in Abgründe blicken lässt. Ihre verstörende Wahnsinnsszene, in der Alfild glaubt, ein Pferd zu sein, ist [...] der Höhepunkt der Aufführung."

"[...] while Noa Frenkel, in the dual role of the mother, allows us to look into the abyss. Her disturbing mad scene, in which Alfild believes she is a horse, is [...] the highlight of the performance."

"Die Altistin Noa Frenkel in der Doppelrolle der beiden Mütter fasziniert durch das ungeheuer breite Ausdrucksspektrum ihrer Stimme."

"The alto Noa Frenkel in the dual role of the two mothers fascinates with the incredibly broad expressive range of her voice."

"Josefinas Bigotterie und Alfhilds Kindheitstrauma eines sexuellen Missbrauchs, aus dem sie in die Fantasiewelt entflieht, werden von der israelischen Altistin Noa Frenkel eindrucksvoll verkörpert."

"Josefina's bigotry and Alfhild's childhood trauma of sexual abuse, from which she escapes into a fantasy world, are impressively embodied by the Israeli alto Noa Frenkel."

"Ein, vielleicht das Highlight war dagegen Rebecca Saunders 'Us Dead Talk Love'. Richtig krass: die Kontra-Altistin Noa Frenkel, die sich mit einer, nein drei, sieben, gefühlt dreizehn Stimmen durch die Partitur knurrt, keucht, schreit und sirrt. Und wie eine Gewitterwolke an ihrer Seite: Das vierköpfige Ensemble Nickel. Ein musikalischer Exorzismus zur Sonntagsmessenzeit. Zum Niederknien."

"One, perhaps the highlight, on the other hand, was Rebecca Saunders' Us Dead Talk Love. Really cool: the contralto Noa Frenkel, who growls, gasps, screams and buzzes through the score with one, no- three, seven, feels like thirteen voices. And like a thundercloud at her side: the four-piece ensemble Nikel. A musical exorcism at Sunday Mass. Something to kneel before."

"The result of the production of singer Noa Frenkel, Sebastian Schottke and the ZKM | Hertz-Lab is as brilliant as you can interweave fixed and interactive visuals as well as sounds and music, spoken and written texts into 60 minutes of breathtaking performance. In a triptych projection, Frenkel switches constantly between her role as performer and herself, Noa Frenkel. The music enables the listener to structure ideas using modern electronic textures as efficiently as possible. The virtuosity of Frenkel’s playing, the perfection of this live performance, and the complex integration of several layers of media and meaning truly deserved an Honorary Mention for this work."

"Auf der Seite der Amazonen beeindruckt die Altistin Noa Frenkel / Die Hohepriesterin mit dem Umfang und der Projektion ihrer Stimme [...]."

"On the Amazons' side, the alto Noa Frenkel / The High Priestess impresses with the range and projection of her voice [...]."

"Así pues, un viaje al Éxodo a través de numerosas reverberaciones textuales, estéticas y musicales, servidas en estas grabaciones de forma ejemplar bajo la supervisión del propio Dániel Péter Biró, pues forma parte el compositor del control de la sutilísima electrónica que articula Mishpatim (Laws), junto con Dominik Pahnke y Sam Wolk (con los excepcionales medios del SWR Experimentalstudio). A ellos se suma una siempre excelente Noa Frenkel, magnífica en su cuerda de contralto y abarcando una gama de tesituras y colores que confieren muchos matices y personalidad a cada uno de los textos, ya sean más puramente recitados en un modo post-litúrgico, ya por medio de técnicas extendidas contemporáneas."

"Thus, a trip to the Exodus through numerous textual, aesthetic and musical reverberations, served in these recordings in an exemplary way under the supervision of Dániel Péter Biró himself, since the composer is part of the control of the very subtle electronics that Mishpatim articulates (Laws ), along with Dominik Pahnke and Sam Wolk (with the exceptional means of the SWR Experimentalstudio). Added to them is an always excellent Noa Frenkel, magnificent in her alto voice and covering a range of tessitura and colors that grant many nuances and personality to each of the texts, whether they are more purely recited in a post-liturgical way, or by means of contemporary extended techniques."

"Die Komponisten und der Toningenieur jagten Noa Frenkel eine Stunde lang durch Massen von Texten und Visuals. Ihre komplizierten Gänge über die Bühne, schnell wechselnde Positionen und Gesten im Rhythmus der Bilder – beinahe schon Tanztheater –, dazu Frenkels Stimm- und Gesangsakrobatik machten die Zuschauer schwindeln."

"The composers and the sound engineer chased Noa Frenkel through masses of texts and visuals for an hour. Her complicated walks across the stage, quickly changing positions and gestures in the rhythm of the images - almost dance theater - added to Frenkel's voice and sound acrobatics made the audience dizzy. "

"In schnell gesprochenen englischen Monologen spult die exzellente Sängerin und Performerin Noa Frenkel [...] die Hintergrundinformationen zur Musiktheaterperformance herunter."

"In rapidly spoken English monologues, the excellent singer and performer Noa Frenkel [...] rattles off the background information on the music theatre performance."

"Die Ensembleleistung mit dem distinguierten Terry Wey und der souveränen Noa Frenkel ist erstklassig."

"The ensemble performance with the distinguished Terry Wey and the masterful Noa Frenkel is first-class."

"[...] Noa Frenkel se livre à un appel au divin en supplication les deux paumes levées vers le ciel. Dès la première note, l’électronique joue avec les graves ombragés de la tessiture, qui résonnent par les enceintes colorées d’une teinte androgyne. Cet appel est porté avec un grain de voix particulier, presque rocailleux, qui convient très bien aux circonstances."

"[...] Noa Frenkel makes a supplication to the divine with both palms raised to the sky. From the first note, the electronics play with the shaded low notes of her vocal range, which resonate through the colored speakers with an androgynous hue. This appeal is delivered with a particular, almost gravelly, vocal timbre, which is very well suited to the circumstances."

"In den unteren Regionen der weiblichen Singstimme gibt Noa Frenkel der Mutter eine herbe Kraft und Wärme."

"In the lower regions of the female singing voice, Noa Frenkel gives the mother a metallic strength and warmth."

"Einzigartig ist die Figur der Mutter, die der wunderbaren Altstimme der Sängerin Noa Frenkel anvertraut ist. Durch sie kommt ein Moment der Ruhe und Stärke in den zweiten Teil des Abends, entsteht ein musikalischer Flow, der einen in seinen Bann zieht."

"The character of the mother, entrusted to the wonderful alto voice of singer Noa Frenkel, is unique. Through her, a moment of calm and strength enters the second part of the evening, creating a musical flow that captivates the listener."

"Während Noa Frenkels erdig-dunkler Alt aus der Partie der Mutter eine Wagner‘sche Erda macht. Das geht unter die Haut."

"While Noa Frenkel's earthy, dark alto transforms the role of the mother into a Wagnerian Erda. It gets under your skin."

"Der Höhepunkt des Abends war, als eine der beiden Eulen ganz unerwartet (?) anfing zu singen. Die herausragende Sängerin Noa Frenkel, Spezialisten für gegenwärtige Musik, kann offensichtlich auch so gut Vogelstimmen imitieren, dass die Eule ihr „antwortete“. Das war tief berührend, weil vollkommen authentisch und das zahlreiche Publikum hielt den Atem an."

"The highlight of the evening was when one of the two owls unexpectedly (?) began to sing. The outstanding singer Noa Frenkel, a specialist in contemporary music, can obviously imitate bird calls so well that the owl 'answered' her. It was deeply moving because it was completely authentic, and the large audience held its breath."

"Noa Frenkel fasziniert mit ihrem ingeniösen Spiel von Stimme und deren elektronischem Echo"

"Noa Frenkel fascinates with her ingenious interplay of voice and its electronic echo"

"Die fantastische Altistin Noa Frenkel etwa berührt nicht nur mit ihrer musikalischen Vermittlung der Texte von Can Xue und ihrem fast schamanisch sattem Timbre, sondern vor allem mit ihren Haltungen, mit dem Erleiden, wo vielleicht gar nicht gelitten werden muss, mit dem Erzählen, wo eigentlich keine Geschichte ist."

"The fantastic alto Noa Frenkel, for example, touches the audience not only with her musical interpretation of Can Xue's texts and her almost shamanic rich timbre, but above all with her attitudes, with suffering where perhaps there is no need to suffer, with storytelling where there actually is no story."

"In an extravagant, register-leaping aria for contralto voice—delivered spectacularly in Ghent by Noa Frenkel, a regular Czernowin collaborator—the woman sings of crawling outside the gate, in search of familiar grasslands, and encountering “something hard and moving” under her feet."

"[the] cantata Signor dall’Empia Gente was sung by Ms. Frenkel with an outpouring of vocal lava. It bears mentioning that Ms. Frenkel is that rare bird – a true contralto, and her vocal color, the very lowest a female voice can ever be, is arresting in the best possible way. I found myself hearing Mahler and Wagner even while Frenkel performed this refined baroque music. Far from undermining the piece, her rich Erda-like instrument expanded rather than obscured the significance of the work’s spiritual message."

"The contribution of singer Noa Frenkel, authentic soul of this piece and of the whole set, has a lot to do with the brilliance of Nikodijevic's work. Her admirable version, full of musicality and diversity of registers, of Berio's classic, turns this Folk Songs to a recording of reference."