Wagner: In fernem Land (from Lohengrin) (Grail narrative, Gralserzahlung)

“As Siegmund, his dark, baritonal timbre comes into its own. In Rienzi’s Prayer and Tannhäuser’s Roman narration, his Italianate timbre — surely what Wagner wanted — easily negotiates the bel canto turns and grace notes overlooked by burlier singers...No Wagner tenor sings Lieder with such musicianship, colour and sensitivity. With this glorious disc, Kaufmann sets a standard for our time.” Sunday Times, 3rd February 2013

“a matchless Wagner recital...Tannhäuser’s Act 3 Rome Narration is a triumph of heroic timbre, dramatic intensity and musical sensibility...The gem for me is the Wesendonck Lieder, intended for soprano and yet, thanks to singing of such melting ardour, perfectly “owned” by the world’s leading Wagner tenor.” Financial Times, 2nd February 2013 *****

“When I listen to Wagner, this is how I dream it should sound.” Musical Toronto, 5th February 2013

“His artistry is exceptional. His sexy, heroic way with Siegmund, and the marvellous introversion he brings to Lohengrin's In Fernem Land, leave us in no doubt as to why he is today's interpreter of choice for both roles. Yet he brings the same insight and intensity to his new material...Best of all is Rienzi's prayer, in which his almost oceanic tone blends with the elegance of the fine Mozart singer he once was.” The Telegraph, 7th March 2013 ****

“This new disc is mostly magnificent, but had me pining for more...Kaufmann may never sing Siegfried in the theatre, but the Forest Murmurs here, in an usually extended version, makes one long to hear him in the complete role; the Tannhäuser Rome Narration even more so, a shattering account...all told this is a further testimony to [Kaufmann's] lonely greatness among contemporary Wagner tenors.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 *****

“To judge from the performances on this wide-ranging sampler, the Met's new Parsifal seems ready for coronation as the reigning Wagnerian tenor of his generation.” Opera News, April 2013

“Turn immediately to the Tannhäuser excerpt...Kaufmann both darkens and stresses up his voice to portray the failed pilgrim's predicament...The other operatic excerpts...also find the tenor pushing the confines of a recital disc excitingly towards the level of live performance...the disc is something of a triumph.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“Kaufmann is so careful that the sudden fire of some of his operatic performances can shock...[He] lets us in to the naivety and the purity of [Siegfried]...his enacting of Tannhäuser’s “Rome Narrative...is tremendously effective...it is as near to an internal Tannhäuser as we are going to get” Opera Today, April 2013

“his Siegmund, naive and ecstatic rather than virile and forceful, is striking. Vogt's vocal ease and cleanness of line is appealing in Weber and Wagner, and he proves an accomplished, elegant Mozartian.” The Guardian, 12th April 2012 ***

“Vogt has an attractive if slender voice, and for him to sing on this album called Heroes seems a bit odd, since he is more suited to tender regrets than to thrilling outbursts of tone. He shows a Lieder singer's sensitivity to words, and is almost ideally suited to Lohengrin's narration, perhaps the high-point of his recital.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 ***

“[Vogt] offers the gentlest presentation of [Siegmund's] music that I've heard, and notably touching it is. He impresses even more with Lohengrin's narrative, where stage experience pays dividends...Vogt phrases exquisitely, and though the gentleness of sound is again evident, the strength of the character's convictions throughout is clear.” International Record Review, July/August 2012

“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 ****

“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 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 ****

“I heard Jess Thomas the American tenor at Bayreuth last year singing Lohengrin like an angel. My simile is as yet relative, as I have not yet reached that stage, but relative also in the sense that so many of the native-born Wagnerian tenors one encounters emit sounds which to my ear do not qualify as ‘singing’ at all, being rather related to the noise newsboys make when calling a paper; i.e., a strong, carrying shout […] Mr. Thomas sings, and sings most sensitively, producing a steady flow of pleasing tone. He sings with intelligence and musicianship, too.” Gramophone Magazine