LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: REVIEW EXCERPTS
CARAMOOR FESTIVAL 2009
as NEMORINO in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore
Mr. Brownlee, on a career roll right now, had the requisite vocal qualities
for Nemorino: pliant phrasing, deftly dispatched coloratura passagework,
easy top notes and, when called for, real carrying power. From his first
moments Mr. Brownlee brought out the yearning in Donizetti's music. You
could only laugh so much at this earnest simpleton. That Adina is not
only a successful landowner but also a woman of learning who reads books
might threaten other suitors. But Nemorino is in awe of her accomplishments.
In "Una furtive lagrima," the show-stopping aria in which Nemorino dares
to hope that Adina may actually love him, Mr. Brownlee sang with melting
legato and expressive intensity. He offered a variation on the second
stanza, from a source in Donizetti's own hand, according to Mr. Crutchfield,
that made this touchstone aria seem almost new.
- Anthony Tomassini, NY Times
The chief delight of the July 18 performance of this opera by ‘Bel Canto
at Caramoor’ was the role debut of Lawrence Brownlee as Nemorino. Until
now, he has enjoyed acclaim almost completely in the "Rossini tenor" repertoire
that, besides the operas written by the Pesaro master, takes in brilliant
high roles such as Tonio in "La fille du régiment" and Arturo in "I puritani."
The tessitura of Nemorino sits a little lower, and, more to the point,
his music is almost exclusively lyrical, with a minimum of fioratura and
little tradition of interpolated stratospheric notes. So it was a pleasant
surprise to hear Brownlee wrap his honeyed....voice around this music.
Because he carries so little weight up to the top of the staff, the technically
tricky climaxes of "Una furtiva lagrima," which all sit right on the tenor
passaggio, spun out so easily that the aria took on an unaccustomed though
ravishing feeling of repose. He also commands an easy, unforced legato
that made the music sound particularly elegant, even in the fast-ish tempo
set by conductor Will Crutchfield, director of opera for the Caramoor
Festival. The tenor decorated the second stanza of the aria with ornate
though unfussy variations (according to the program notes, "in Donizetti's
own hand")...
- James Jorden, Musical America
Lawrence Brownlee stands out among the current stellar crop of bel canto
singers: Full command of a smooth, pingy sound; even scale and crisp diction;
plus confidence up to ringing high Ds make him a go-to guy for technically
demanding Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti roles. The affable Ohio-born
tenor scored a triumph at Milan’s La Scala before embarking on the conquest
of virtually every American opera house. The Metropolitan Opera audience
responded vociferously to his Count in an April 2007 run of The Barber
of Seville; playing Prince Charming in the company’s La Cenerentola this
May, he walked off with the HD simulcast.
Will Crutchfield, the presiding bel canto guru at Katonah’s leafy Caramoor
festival, had the smarts to snare Brownlee for both of his opera programs
this year. Each represents a role debut for the singer, whose repertoire
is growing as fast as his renown. It’s amazing that Brownlee’s never done
the lovelorn suitor of Donizetti’s over-easy but touching L’elisir d’Amore.
- David Shengold, NYtimeout.com
Lawrence Brownlee (who headlines both Caramoor operas this summer) is
one of the fastest rising young singers on the international opera scene.
Having made his professional debut only 7 years ago, he has already appeared
at La Scala and Covent Garden and won critical acclaim for two leading
roles on the Met stage. Quickly becoming one of the main go-to bel canto
tenors of the day, he added another notch to his belt singing his first
Nemorino Saturday night. Even while cutting a dashing figure in a tuxedo,
Brownlee effectively depicted the lovestruck schlub at the center of the
story. His smooth tenor filled the house, easily reaching the money notes
that the opera aficionados in the crowd were noticeably anticipating.
- Matt Blank, Playbill Arts
METROPOLITAN
OPERA
as DON RAMIRO in Rossini's La Cenerentola
Another reason I was eager to attend this season’s Cenerentola
was finally to hear Lawrence Brownlee, the young American contender in
the Rossini tenor stakes and, by the sound of audience response, already
a singer the Met has taken to its heart. Brownlee has, on the evidence,
a larger, more liquid sound that Juan Diego Florez’s more nasal
tone or Barry Banks’s more brilliant but less sensuous instrument,
and he appears to be the equal of both in rapid-fire coloratura. Don Ramiro,
the prince, is, alas, not much of a role — besides a couple of duets
(with Angelina and Dandini) and parts in the concertati, he only has one
bravura scene — I have always been surprised when a leading tenor
like Florez or Vargas condescends to take it on. Brownlee seemed comfortable
on stage in all the silliness required of Don Ramiro in this production,
..... I look forward to hearing him again this summer in the semi-staged
operas being performed at Caramoor.
- John Yohalem, Opera Today (June 2009)
Friday night's premiere was a joyful occasion thanks to an outstanding
cast, starting with the two lead singers — Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina
Garanca and American tenor Lawrence Brownlee.”
Brownlee, who debuted in Barbiere two years ago, is that rare
phenomenon, a light lyric tenor who can loft effortlessly to a high D
with no sense of strain or diminution of quality. His technique is a match
for Garanca’s, and he deservedly won a huge ovation for Prince Ramiro's
big aria, ‘Si, ritrovarla io giuro.’ Brownlee is one of the few African-American
singers currently performing leading roles at the Met, and it's good the
company is bringing him back again next season, when he'll appear in Rossini's
Armida alongside Renée Fleming.
- Mike Silverman, The Associated Press, May 2, 2009
Cesare Lievi’s 1997 production handily retains its charm and distinctive
humor, and there are terrific performances from singers making their Met
role debuts as Angelina (a.k.a. Cinderella) and her prince charming, Don
Ramiro.
American tenor Lawrence Brownlee, the Don Ramiro, is fast consolidating
his reputation as the Rossini tenor of choice in the absence of Juan Diego
Flórez. Don Ramiro makes his initial entrance disguised as his valet Dandini,
but from the start there was no mistaking the patrician quality of Brownlee’s
singing. His honeyed tone and exemplary diction contributed handsomely
to ‘Un soave non so che,’ the alluring duet he soon sings with Angelina.
And Brownlee’s technical brilliance made Don Ramiro’s big Act 2 aria into
a real showstopper.
-George Loomis, MusicalAmerica.com, May 4, 2009
Gioachino Rossini's romantic fairy tale comedy La Cenerentola...was
revived on May Day in a winning rendition featuring some newcomers and
some recreating their roles. Elina Garanca and Lawrence Brownlee were
the striking new principals.” “Tenor Brownlee, as Don Ramiro, Prince of
Salerno…immediately reconfirmed, in his bright and fluid entrance recitative,
‘Tutto è deserto,’ the fine impression he made at his debut, in Rossini's
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, two seasons ago. The Latvian mezzo and
American tenor were soon, in their duet, ‘Un soave non so che,’ trading
lustrous phrases and fluent florid musical figures.” “In his ‘Sì, ritrovarla
io giuro’ sequence of cabaletta, cavatina, and second cabaletta, Brownlee,
with flair, displayed ringing high notes, smooth legato, and pyrotechnical
proficiency.
-Bruce-Michael Gelbert, newyorkqnews.com/qmetropolis.com (May
2, 2009)
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