Jagde undertook the role in promising fashion for the first time in September, but since then his command of the assignment has only grown more assured and polished ... best of all was his “Nessun dorma” in Act 3, a grand and glorious rendition that combined huge reserves of sound with phrasing of untrammeled eloquence."

After an auspicious performance of Radames in last year’s Aida, Jagde has clearly arrived as a world-class heroic tenor in this role debut as Calaf ... His “Nessun dorma” showed a huge breadth of space, moving seamlessly from an intimate whisper to a hall-filling embrace ... his highs beautifully rode the crest of the orchestral wave."

The young tenor Brian Jagde comes from the Operalia competition, and surely it was on the "council" of Domingo to include him in the cast. He was not mistaken, as he achieved one of the greatest ovations of the night for his performance as Macduff without reservations and an intriguing voice.