Wagner: Amfortas! Die Wunde! (from Parsifal)

“though possessing an undoubted princely nobility and boyish enthusiasm well suited to the younger roles, Vogt sounds thin and strained in places...his performance seems most effective when allied to the foil of Camilla Nylund's soprano” The Independent, 22nd February 2013

“In the prayer from Rienzi Vogt is very good indeed, with the flexibility to manoeuvre his way around the sometimes delicate filigree of the vocal writing...Nott faithfully follows the dictates of the music in these small-scale performances, and the orchestra plays well for him” MusicWeb International, 29th April 2013

“On this disc, he sings things he would never perform in the theatre, his obvious characteristic being an ethereal quality ideally suited to Lohengrin. It casts new light on Walther in Meistersinger and on Parsifal, though there his resources are stretched to the limit...Jonathan Nott seems to be a remarkable Wagner conductor.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 ****

“His tone is more clean-cut [than Domingo's]...silver to Domingo's gold. His delivery...[is] thrilling, and not without real character and verbal sensitivity...He is lavishly supported here by his homeland orchestra..Altogether, this recording, in good sound, is more than promising.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 *****

“All credit to O'Neill for being able to make so much of this difficult assignment...in the more robust passages - Siegfried's reaction to the sleeping Brünnhilde, Parsifal remembering Amfortas's suffering - [his] authority and potential are unmistakable.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2010

“This is an exciting calling card from a singer with every chance of a big Wagnerian future.” The Observer, 18th April 2010

“Bleeding chunks of Wagner can make for awkward home listening. But clever programming and the ringing heldentenor of O’Neill make this opera recital less bloody than some...O’Neill wrestles with father figures and magic swords in a voice powerful and noble.” The Times, 1st May 2010 ****

“This disc, which has the luxury of Claudio Abbado's magisterial, refined conducting, shows that Kaufmann is at least as fine a Mozart singer as a Wagner one… His outburst from Act II of Parsifal… is a thrilling foretaste of things to come… In Florestan's great aria from Fidelio we have a perfectly controlled expression of agony and exaltation. Everything here makes you crave to listen to this major artist in complete recordings, preferably, given his acting, on DVD.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2009 *****

“…Fidelio, is the centrepiece of this disc: it receives a powerful performance from both tenor (his opening "Gott" is heart-piercing) and conductor. Kaufmann ends where he began, with Wagner. …his beautiful phrasing and controlled singing in the "Winterstürme" shows why he has become the most sought-after tenor of his generation, and is a highlight of this exciting new release.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2009

“No other compilation that has crossed my path comes within striking distance of this collection...The baritone-like richness to his singing in the Wagner extracts is especially compelling. That Kaufmann has Claudio Abbado and the superlative Mahler Chamber Orchestra to accompany him only makes the project even more special.” The Guardian, 27th November 2009 *****

“Aside from the smooth, warm masculinity...he has enormous versatility, helped by a voice that, whilst tenor, has the deep tone and resonance of a baritone...These qualities also make Kaufmann the perfect Wagnerian tenor, his voice soaring above Wagner’s lush orchestral textures, and dramatically upping the ante for the many heart-on-sleeve climaxes.” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 24th September 2009

“Kaufmann is slowly but surely demonstrating that he may be the next hot tip. A calling card to be treasured.” Classic FM Magazine, November 2009 ****

“[Rienzi's prayer] demonstrates Storey's plangent, shaded tones and his heroic timbre, as well as the inherent unsteadiness that tends to surface in long-breathed lines. This is least apparent in his Italian roles, especially Calaf and Otello, where he sounds quite at home...this is a welcome signpost to a fine if not perfect tenor, who is well worth hearing.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 ****

The Independent wrote of his Siegfried at Covent Garden in October 2005; “Treleaven is splendid. His singing is unusually varied and he has remarkable staying power. If there is one thing that most Siegfrieds cannot convey, it is a feeling of lightness. Treleaven does it!”