Mark Valencia at backtrack.com writes about Adrian Angelico’s role debut and his “brilliantly sung Sesto”:
“Angelico, a trouser-role specialist who is now male in life as in art, is a golden-toned mezzo-soprano whose versatility is only bounded by the roles available to him. Strauss has recently been his home composer as both Octavian and the Komponist, but a role like Sesto is meat and drink to him, nowhere more so than in the aria “Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio” with its rhapsodic basset clarinet obbligato (splendidly rendered by a soloist from the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra).”
Blogger Robert Hugill at planethughill.com writes:
“As Sesto, mezzo-soprano Adrian Angelico brought a classical dignity to the role. Angelico (—) made an appealing Sesto, singing with fluidity and a lovely feeling for line, at times there was almost something Gluckian about his performance. But there was also never any doubt that this young man burned with intensity for Vitellia.”
Edward Gardner conducts Bergen Philharmonics and Rodula Gaitanou directs one of Mozart’s masterpieces: La clemenza di Tito. Role debut as Sesto and debut in Bergen taking place already 13, 15, 17, 19 March if the virus allows.
You can see the streamed production here until 15 April 2021.
Photo: Patricia Valera