Those operas and others vanished with the final eight weeks of the Met’s season. So we asked some of the singers who had been waiting years to perform them to give us some musical phrases that they — and we — lost. Here are their voices, and edited excerpts from the conversation
Seattle Weekly called him a “heroic, Italian-style tenor to the marrow,” declaring his voice, “bold, bright, resonant and effortlessly hall-filling.” He’s easily among the top tenors on the operatic stage today with a voice that is expansive, powerful and full of color and depth. New York City native Brian Jagde is a supernova among the celestial bodies swirling about the operatic universe today.
Jagde’s voice, with its coppery ring, seemingly effortless high notes and extraordinary lyric spin given its heft, cannot help but please, even in phrases where his character is most heartless. His palpable pain as he discovers what his callousness has wrought is a top-drawer effort by an artist who seeks to humanize his character.
The first thing to know about Brian Jagde is that his name is pronounced "Jade," like the jewel. He is definitely sparkling, in personality and in talent. Though the prizewinning tenor's earlier education included computer science and business, Jagde seemed destined to be an opera singer.
Brian Jagde is exemplarily cast due to his beautiful sounding as well as extraordinarily heroic timbre of the tenor and also convinces with a transparent and credible performance! With his expressive and clearly led top notes Jagde sings himself into the hearts of the audience! Bravo!"
It was quite a year for American Brian Jagde as he solidified his status as one of the most acclaimed spinto tenors of his generations, debuting five roles in one year.
Brian Jadge wird im November sein Rollendebüt als Chevalier des Grieux in Puccinis »Manon Lescaut« in der San Francisco Opera geben (8., 13., 16., 20., 24.11).
While Brian’s spent his life residing just outside New York City (where he currently resides), he’s spent much of his professional career traveling to a multitude of cities—both domestic and international— enjoying the gems each unique place has to offer. For Brian, it’s San Francisco—his favorite US city—that holds an incredibly meaningful place in his heart.