Best Of 2019: OperaWire’s Top 11 Singers Of The Year

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.

11. Brian Jagde

“His voice resounded with sonority and ease” – OperaWire

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.

It all started at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo where he headlined a new production of “Turandot,” role for which he has garnered great acclaim. Performances of the run were broadcast worldwide. He followed that with his role debuts as Luigi and Turiddu in “Il Tabarro” and “Cavalleria Rusticana” with the Dresden Philharmonic. Concert performances were recorded for a future release on Pentatone.

Then came his house debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in his role debut as Enzo in “La Gioconda,” an opera that had not been performed at the house since 2005. OperaWire noted his performance was “youthful” and that was later seen when “La Gioconda” was broadcast live in cinemas.

In the summer he went to Paris for his house debut in “La Forza del Destino.” The role of Alvaro marked his fourth role debut of the season; he performed it a whopping 10 times during the run. In the fall, he opened the Dutch National Opera’s 2019-20 season in an acclaimed production of “Cavalleria Rusticana.” It marked the first time the tenor would perform the role in a staged production and reviews were outstanding, calling his performance “solid” and noting “he posses a dark, round, beautiful voice, with potent high notes.” The production was recorded on radio and video and is set to be broadcast on Takt1.

His final role debut of the season saw him return to the San Francisco Opera where he sang his first Des Grieux in “Manon Lescaut.”

The year also saw Jagde become an ambassador for Opera for Peace and Opera America and also performed benefit concerts for Time’s In and the Kaufman Center. His performance in “Das Wunder der Heliane” was also released on DVD and was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards.

In 2020, Jagde makes his Wiener Staatsoper debut and returns to the Metropolitan Opera house for his principal role and his first HD performance in “Tosca.”

Here is in a clip from San Francisco Opera’s “Manon Lescaut.”