'.. Central to the strength and credibility of this performance was soprano Ilona Domnich, who gave Magda a depth of character that had elements of Verdi's tragic Violetta from La Traviata, in that she must sacrifice her true love, and also of Strauss's Marschallin from Rosenkavalier, the older woman facing up to inevitable loss. Making Ruggero's hope for children the necessary end to Magda's deception, the stumbling block of her own romantic dream, Domnich's creamy soprano was artfully delivered, carrying real emotional validity right to the final poignant high farewell.. '
The Guardian, Rian Evans more...

'..This was Mélisande’s night; it was her feelings that mattered, whilst the other characters inhabited her world trying to explain the unexplainable: what does this Mélisande feel? Whatever the answer, it was all so touching, so delicate, as complex as a woman’s soul. Ilona Domnich rose to the occasion with a dreamlike interpretation: a secure, firm voice of attractive colour; her performance at times like a frightened animal, at times like a comforting mother to the deeply troubled Golaud. She was helped to create this impression by her subtlely flowing costume, long blonde tresses and a remarkably expressive face which did not hesitate to laugh with relief when the doors close at the end, leaving her alone with Pelléas outside the castle..'   **** Auditorium 2013 more...

'..I was struck by a  combination of a voice of silken beauty with a powerfully affecting sensitivity. Ilona Domnich gave the most compelling performance of the piece I've ever witnessed: not big in gesture, but minutely observed, utterly credible, and sung with a disarming, jewel-like beauty. I've seen a lot of Voix Humaines...This was the first I've ever known to leave me on the edge of tears. ' ****  Michael White, Opera Now 2008   more..

    '..Ilona Domnich’s Mélisande is as mesmerising as the other characters keep saying she is — her voice finds a place where you could confuse girlish temerity with repressed passion, her subtle performance well up to Mélisande’s moody, confusing allure.   **** Kieron Quirke Evening standard, 2013 more..

'.. At its heart is Magda, played by Ilona Domnich as a sensuous, elegant woman with plenty of mystery and conspiratorial charm (inspired in Occhipinti’s production by the outrageous Marchesa Luisa Casati). A magnetic presence, Domnich sings with passion and skilled lyricism. She uses the power of stillness to suggest a character with a rich internal life living out her ultimate fantasy, balanced with the kinetic energy of a consummate actress who almost fools herself into believing her assumed role. An expert seducer consciously allowing herself to be seduced, Magda uses Ruggero to fall in love with love again. There is something both touchingly desperate and coldly deliberate about the way Magda pursues him; yet, when her fantasy threatens to become reality, the complexity of her sorrow is truly moving. Magda plays with fire, and does not escape unscorched; we both love and pity her. .. '
The Bachtrack, Charlotte Valori 

"...Alan Ewing’s Golaud prowled Minotaur-like in a cavern of misery, crucified by love for Ilona Domnich’s radiant, childlike Mélisande, the most mesmerising, tender and idiomatic impersonation of this role that I have seen."        ****       Anna Picard, The Independent, 2013 more..