"[A]s Alcina, the Circe-like queen..., Rosamund Illing was superb. Hers was a full characterisation of remarkable emotional range, augmented by a technique which at one minute enables her to project a pianissimo deep into the theatre, and at the next to suddenly release a shaft of glorious sound. Illing's was a notably tragic reading of the role, sustained by the intensity she brought to the singing of her two abandonment arias in act two."
Jim Davidson, The Age (April 29, 1996)

"Singing her first Alcina, and in glittering costumes created by Michael Stennett, Rosamund Illing introduces a most appealing characterization to the role....Here is a sorceress capable of an exceedingly withering look, but also with a human frailty not often depicted in this part. Early on opening night, it was possible to detect in Illing a sense of nervousness and an over-consciousness on the stage movements. But in the second and third acts, as Alcina vents her anger and desperation, Illing's performance glowed with a pleasing maturity and a vivid confidence."
Jeremy Vincent, The Australian (April 29, 1996)