LA
CENERENTOLA, WELSH NATIONAL OPERA
|
The
Daily Telegraph, September 2007
|
“Colin
Lee, a sunny Ramiro, can give Juan Diego Florez
a run for his money in the matter of tenorial
pyrotechnics” |
The
Times, October 2007 |
“Stylishly
but a bit staidly conducted by Carlo Rizzi,
it is partly redeemed by … the fearless
and elegant Don Ramiro of the South African
tenor Colin Lee, who could give Juan Diego
Florez a run for his money in this repertoire.
Both are immeasurably superior to their Glyndebourne
counterparts last summer …” |
The
Sunday Telegraph, October 2007 |
“There
are two good reasons for seeing Welsh National
Opera’s new production of La Cenerentola:
Marianna Pizzolato as Cinderella and Colin
Lee as her Prince. Lee reconfirms his credentials
as a new and valuable Rossinian tenor, firing
off high notes with sweet tone and winning
ease.”
|
musicweb-international.com,
September 2007
|
“His
Don Ramiro offered a fine display of what
one hopes to hear from a tenore leggiero –
comfortable at high pitches, graceful phrasing,
clarity of tone, capable of both gentle piani
and ringing forti. And of course a radiant
top C. Here, too, is a young singer, who surely
has a great future.” |
icWales, October 2007 |
“Lovers
of vocal fireworks that have made Juan Diego
FLorez flavour of the month will be delighted
with Colin Lee singing a Ramiro that puts
him up there with some of the exponents of
Rossini acrobatics. His singing is both titillatingly
flamboyant and reliably solid.” |
LA
DONNA DEL LAGO, GARSINGTON OPERA |
Opera
Now, November/December 2007 |
“With
most major opera houses struggling to find
one decent Rossinian tenor, Garsington came
up trumps with two. Colin Lee sang Uberto
(later James V) – a role bristling with
fiendish runs and vertiginous high notes –
with security and ease. His voice has a rare
purity of tone, he doesn’t aspirate
his way through taxing passages and he played
the straight man with gentle charm.” |
Opera
News, July 2007 |
“Colin
Lee imposed himself upon the role with an
eminently positive stage persona and unimpeachably
strong high notes that took him right to the
top of any plausible tenor register..... he
becomes a more and more credible exponent
of this repertoire with every appearance.” |
The
Sunday Express, June 2007 |
“Rossini’s
Scottish melodrama La donna del Lago is rarely
performed because so few singers can survive
the vocal gymnastics. Garsington Opera has
managed to find them … rising star South
African-born tenor Colin Lee hit the high
notes in a manner reminiscent of Juan Diego
Florez.” |
The
Oxford Times, June 2007
|
“But
loudest acclaim on the opening night was for
tenor Colin Lee’s James V, whose seeming
ease with the fiendishly high tessitura could
not fail to inspire awed admiration.” |
LA FILLE DU REGIMENT, ROYAL OPERA HOUSE |
“If
Juan Diego Florez hadn't anything to do with
the Royal Opera's new Fille du regiment and
Colin Lee had sung the complete run of Tonio
rather than this single performance, I can't
imagine anyone would have felt remotely short-changed.
Lee doesn't quite have Florez' amazing projection,
but in other respects - warmth, lyricism and
refinement - he is a formidable and personable
tenore di grazia. His fluid phrasing and subtle
attack give Donizetti's music, already saturated
with charm, extra shadings of delight. Add
unforced acting, and Lee's gawky, innocent
Tonio became irresistibly touching and humorous.
He sailed into "Ah! Mes Amis" with
a sweet, rather puppyish swagger, and the
bullseye top Cs were all the more effective
for their elegant, seemingly effortless delivery.
It was a winning performance, one that connected
perfectly with the contained broad humour
of the production as a whole, and he worked
well with the extraordinary tomboy creation
of Natalie Dessay's Marie ...” |
Opera,
April 2007 |
| “En
ce 27 janvier, le hasard du calendrier me
donnait l’occasion, rare, de découvrir
un ténor. En effet, pour une seule
représentation, Juan Diego Florez avait
laissé sa place au jeune ténor
sud africain Colin Lee qui, pour l’occasion,
prenait le rôle de Tonio. Doué
d’une technique sans faille, cet interprète
déploie une quinte aigue stupéfiante
de facilité et parfaitement timbrée.
A ce titre, son air du premier acte, se clôturant
sur les célèbres 9 contre ut,
lui valut une ovation justement méritée.
Mais le talent de cet artiste ne s’arrête
pas là. Musicien d’une subtile
sensibilité, maître d’un
contrôle du souffle étonnant,
Colin Lee sait aussi phraser le meurtrier
deuxième acte (Pour me rapprocher de
Marie) avec une délicatesse qui force
l’admiration. Un nom à suivre,
indiscutablement.” |
|
| LA
JUIVE, OPERA DE PARIS, BASTILLE |
“Avec
Colin Lee, celui-là même qui
se fit particulièrement remarquer à
Londres tout dernièrement en alternant
avec Juan Diego Florez dans La
Fille du Régiment, Gérard Mortier
avait affiché l’un des ténors
les plus prometteurs de la nouvelle génération.
Dans un français impeccable, Colin
Lee détailla ce rôle périlleux
avec une luminosité permanente qui
augure de grands moments.” |
|
L’ELISIR
D’AMORE, GRANGE PARK OPERA |
South
African-born Colin Lee sparkles in the lead
role, his clear, controlled tenor filling
the auditorium and his closing solo eliciting
deserved bravos and an outbreak of foot-stomping. |
Hampshire
Chronicle, June 2006 |
| LE
COMTE ORY, GARSINGTON OPERA |
Colin
Lee's excellent Ory first appeared in his
hermit disguise as a phoney guru of the flower-power
era. His disguise as 'Soeur Colette' was even
funnier (what on earth did he get up to at
school?), evidence of how much more complete
a performer he has become. Indeed, this Ory
represents a major step forward in his already
burgeoning career as a Rossini tenor - fearless
on the high notes, he sang with focused, plangent
tone. Besides confirming his Rossinian credentials,
this performance suggested that he might also
have a valuable future in lyrical French parts
such as Bizet's Nadir. |
Opera,
August 2005
|
Ory
himself needs an astonishingly fluent singer,
and Garsington found its tiptop answer in
the South African Colin Lee, a sparkling entertainer,
pliant, charismatic tenor whose top range
deserves to have more mainstream companies
scampering after him. |
The
Independent, June 2005 |
| For
more reviews click on this link |
