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Richard "singing beautifully" in Fidelio "The Victoria-born artist brings an emotional intensity to the music that shows you why he's one of the world's most sublime tenors. He soars above the complex orchestration without ever sounding forced. His daunting "Gott! Welch Dunkel hier" aria builds believably from the soft tones of a near-dead prisoner to sweet yet ecstatic heights."(Georgia Straight, 27 March, 2008) "Well-known international tenor Richard Margison, top-billed as Florestan, easily navigates the difficult vocal lines of "In des lebens Frühlingstagen." Every syllable is clear, every note audible from the nosebleed seats." (Vancouver Courier, 26 March 2008) "...musically he performs wonders in the part of Florestan, his singing beautifully phrased and his aria slightly held back so as to contain excitement, and when the release came, it felt as if unbearably accumulated." (Vancouver Sun, 23 March 2008) 'Magnificent' in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde "Victoria-bred, world renowned tenor Richard Margison has a voice so magnificent it breaks from his body as naturally as light breaks the day." (Times Colonist, 10 January 2008) 'Aida' a grand season finale "Margison, a powerful Radames, met the challenge of singing his showpiece "Celeste Aida" just moments into the opera and his duets with Daltirus soared." (The Cincinnati Post, 26 July 2007) Richard in Turandot at the Met "Canadian tenor, Richard Margison-a telling vote of confidence on the part of the Met that the role is a perfect fit for his stentorian, increasingly heroric-sounding tenor." (Opera Canada, Summer 2007) Richard "radiating" in Hamburg "Richard Margison (Pollione) proved a radiating tenor with obviously unflappable striking power." (Hamburger Abendblatt, 31 May 2007) As Calaf in the Metropolitan Opera's Turandot "Richard Margison, the tenor who sang Calaf, can pump out sound, but the effort was audible, though he rose to the occasion for the greatest-hit moment, "Nessun dorma." (New York Times, 3 April 2007) "The rich-toned Canadian tenor Richard Margison as Calaf, her suitor, while in obviously excellent form." (New York Post, 2 April 2007) Reviews of Richard's recording of songs by polish composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg with the ARC Ensemble (Sony, 2006) "The songs, one of which alludes to the 1941 massacre at Babi Yar, are given tender and passionate readings by Richard Margison." (New York Times, 14 January 2007) "All the performances are first-class in the sense that I don't see how they could be improved upon. Canadian tenor Richard Margison lends his handsome voice and interpretive commitment to the Halkin songs." (ClassicalNet, 8 January 2007)
"Margison [sang] Beethoven's Adelaide and Der Kuss. This listener first heard him sing Adelaide more than 25 years ago, while he was still a student at the Victoria Conservatory. He sang it beautifully then, when his voice was still rather small. He sings it more beautifully now, so last night's rendition was something special. ...He sang selections by Massenet, Verdi and Puccini, including the ever-popular barn-burner, Nessun dorma. The results were spectacular. Most of the rest of the program was given to a set of show and pop tunes in which Margison was joined by 14-year-old daughter, Lauren. Lots of talents in those genes." (Ottawa Citizen, 23 July 2006)
"The Gustavus of Richard Margison basked in good humour, with plenty of strength and majesty in the voice." (Opera, December 2006) "Richard Margison's Gustavo was a pillar of strength and majesty." (Opera News, October 2006) "Canadian tenor Richard Margison portrayed Gustavus III in bold strokes - whether sweeping grandly into his chambers, laughing off the soothsayer's prediction or singing ardently in his love duet with Amelia. His vocal splendor, ringing top notes and spine-tingling power more than made up for acting that sometimes seemed an afterthought. But he carried off the gallows scene magnificently, and his third act romanza, musing on his lost love, was impassioned and heartfelt. Gustavus met his end authentically, with a gunshot." (Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 July 2006)
"Replacing Marcelo Alvarez as Riccardo was Richard Margison, a slightly better actor, who sang better than I have ever heard him and produced a more Italianate sound than Alvarez. He was superb in a truly impassioned love duet and in his final aria, which was really quite moving." (Opera, February 2006) "Richard Margison…both goes for and gets every note in what is a long and demanding part." (Observer, 20 November 2006)
"The singing was very fine. That was apparent as soon as Richard Margison, as the hero Radames, sang the almost impossible aria Celeste Aida at very top of Act 1. It's no surprise that this Canadian tenor is in great demand in opera houses around the globe." (Globe and Mail, 27 May 2006) "As Radamès, Richard Margison is in splendid vocal form....the tenor's high notes are projected with power and sureness indispensable to the success of Celeste Aida. As well, in the moments of tenderness, his voice shimmers with colour. Also, his ecstatic Morir! si pura e bella in the fourth act had an admirable expressive quality." (Forum Opéra, May 2006)
"As expected, his penetrating tenor rang reliably through the house. But I have never heard him sing so expressively or with such beauty of tone as he did in "In der Lebens Frühlingstagen." (Opera News, June 2006) "[Richard Margison's] performance proved that this vocally awkward role, which leads so many tenors to shout, can be sung lyrically. This was a dignified and moving portrayal, and he was at his best when it mattered most: the anguished scene when we meet Florestan, chained and half-starved in a dark dungeon." (New York Times, 22 March 2006) "[Richard Margison] began Florestan's music - "Gott! Welch Dunkel hier!" - with unusual quietness. The cry of "Gott" was no cry at all, but rather a whisper. It certainly had no exclamation point. But this was an arresting choice, and Mr. Margison shaped the rest of his music well, too. He did virtually no barking or straining, in a punishing role (brief as it is)." (New York Sun, 22 March 2006) "Canadian tenor Richard Margison is the owner of a fine voice that can do almost anything. He has no trouble with Beethoven's difficult tessitura or cruel dynamic changes." (ClassicsToday, 22 March 2006)
"As Winston's fellow-worker O'Brien, who eventually tortures him into conformity, Richard Margison sang big and bold, and was impressive throughout. (Opera News, July 2005) "Margison was wonderful as O'Brien. Clear articulation of the words and a beautiful timber helped him to stamp his mark on the role, and he should be excellent as Riccardo in the autumn's revival of the recent Un Ballo In Maschera." (Music OMH, May 2005) "The tenor Richard Margison used his burnished voice to convey the blithe cruelty of O'Brien." (The New York Times, 5 May 2005) "...the dramatic tenor is ideally suited for O'Brien - who is a freaked-out insane sadist. The high overtones of the tenor voice are perfect for conveying that insanity and fanaticism." (International Herald Tribune, 4 May 2005) "In more central roles, Richard Margison makes a chilling O'Brien..." (The Telegraph, 4 May 2005) "Richard Margison's O'Brien had icy malevolence." (The London Evening Standard, 4 May 2005)
"Richard Margison brings to the title role fervor, strength and near-perfect singing." (The Met Opera House, 29 March 2005) "Don Carlo was inhabited by a fiery Richard Margison. His singing was deliberate, lyrical, and assured..." (The Columbia Spectator, 24 March 2005) "...(Richard Margison) brought his familiar strengths to his performance: warm colorings, clarion sound, ardent phrasing." (The New York Times, 5 March, 2005)
"Richard Margison’s Ramerrez sounded wonderfully boyish. Lucid and luminous, his voice soared as he sang “Amai la vita” and tenderly caressed his final “un viso d’angelo” at the end of Act I. The dramatic and vocal rapport between Ramerrez and Minnie in the cabin scene of Act II was profoundly moving and musically magical. The outlaw’s little Act III aria, 'Ch’ella mi creda libero e lontano,' was pure gold, heartfelt and not a jot oversung." (Opera News, August 2004) "His voice, beautifully big and easily produced, fits this role like the proverbial glove...he turned in his most persuasive work yet as the suave bandit whose love for Minnie makes him reform." (Seattle Times, May 10, 2004) "Margison...has a big voice that blooms at the top, with more gradations in his singing than I remember from previous encounters." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 10, 2004) _____________ "Richard Margison [gave] a superbly confident rendition of "Nessun dorma." Few are the tenors who can walk easily in Luciano Pavarotti's footsteps in this aria. Toronto's Richard Margison happens to be one of them." (Toronto Star, review of COC's Turandot, January 23, 2004) "Richard Margison offered a beautifully sustained rendition of the Belgian-born French composer César Franck's sentimental but nevertheless moving 'Panis Angelicus.' Just to have heard the thrilling sound of Margison's ringing tenor tones would have made the afternoon worthwhile." (Toronto Star, Review of CBC Holiday Celebration, December 22, 2003) Richard Margison as Pollione in the Washington Opera's Norma "Richard Margison's robust tenor fit the role of Pollione snugly; he took care along the way to infuse phrases with a good deal of dynamic nuance." (Opera News, January 2004) "Margison is a wonderfully secure, stentorian Pollione without missing a nuance or note of the role's sometimes tender lyricism." (Opera Canada, Winter 2003) Superb in San Francisco as Manrico in Il Trovatore! "Canadian tenor Richard Margison has made frequent appearances in San Francisco, but he has never sounded so suave, or as attractively lyrical, as he did in his assumption of Manrico, the troubadour of the opera's title. ...Margison sounded impressively heroic." (ContraCosta Times, June 17, 2003) "His Manrico had lots of nuance and phrasing - an ability to go soft and sweet to great effect in the most straitened circumstances of the drama" (Andante, June 25, 2003) Richard Margison makes his stage debut as Florestan in the Seattle Opera's Fidelio "Richard Margison certainly intensified the evening's overall impact. In resplendent voice, the Canadian tenor sang his first onstage Florestan, producing a vast range of vari-colored tones with what seemed to be the greatest ease. It was ironic to hear him sing of his dungeon's "grauenvolle Stille" (gruesome silence) while he filled the auditorium with such sweet notes. The great arc of sound he described on the word Leiden (suffering) was almost painfully beautiful." (Opera News, August 2003) "Margison is a delight to hear, from his first entrance (a surprisingly soft "Gott! Welch Dunkel hier") to the joyous finale. Handsomely produced with a ringing top and burnished tone, Margison's voice makes Beethoven's challenging lines sound easy." (Seattle Times, May 5, 2003) "When Richard Margison...opened the second act, the opera seemed to come alive with his sweet, beautiful singing. No leathery tenor here. Everything he did had impact and purpose. The evening marked his stage debut in the role. He will excel in it." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 5, 2003) As Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Met "This dramatic tenor role, with its punishing tessitura, was sung with impressive confidence by Richard Margison." (New York Times, March 31, 2003) "Tenor Richard Margison was imposing as Bacchus." (San Francisco Chronicle, March 30, 2003) As Calaf in Turandot at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden "It's hard to think of a Royal Opera Calaf in the Serban production who has sung the role so musically and effortlessly as Richard Margison. He…sounds much easier at the top of the range and sings 'Nessun dorma'…as the nocturnal reverie Puccini intended rather than the macho Victory Song that most tenors indulge in." (Opera, December 2002) "It is rare nowadays to find a Calaf who has all the notes but who, wonder of wonders, sings off (sic) words and brings a fine legato to shaping the voal lines. Richard Margison is this paragon of Calafs" (The Stage, October 2002) "The eveness of his singing is a glory in itself. He is legato personified, and legato with an authentic thrill to the sound." (Evening Standard, September 2002) "…his 'Nessun Dorma' rang out heroically" (Sunday Telegraph, September 2002) "Solid Margison as the prince from the defeated kingdom of Tartary is a tenor in the Pavarotti mould, large, square and beautifully toned…" (The Lady, October 2002) "As Calaf Richard Margison also impresses vocally - his 'Nessun Dorma' reached new heights…" (What's On, October 2002) Reviews of Richard Margison Sings Verdi (CBC Records) "The Canadian tenor is one of the few artists today able to cope convincingly with the heftier demands of the spinto roles of Verdi and Puccini. Margison's tonal resources are ample, and the beefy quality of the sound he produces suggests much of the characteristic brightness of the Latin tenor." (Opera, January 2003) "Richard Margison captures that headstrong verve expertly in the eight arias on his new, all-Verdi album, With his bright, robust sound, Margison…is fearless, reliable, and he can cut through the fiercest orchestra." (Opera News, September 2002) "He shows with this new release that he is also a powerful Verdi Singer, who can count the likes of Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti as his peers. Margison shows off his rich timbre and perfect tonal focus." (Opera Canada, Summer 2002) Richard Margison Conquers Sydney as King
Gustav in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera "Richard Margison was a near perfect as the benevolent Gustavus Rex. He sang with accuracy and style. Like most real-life kings, Margison would not make a Hollywood idol ...but he made up with regal poise beyond any such idol!" (Andrew Byrne, July 31, 2002) ************************ "The Canadian tenor is one of the few artists today able to cope convincingly with the heftier demands of the spinto roles of Verdi and Puccini. Margison's tonal resources are ample, and the beefy quality of the sound he produces suggests much of the characteristic brightness of the Latin tenor." (Opera, review of "Richard Margison Sings Verdi" recording, January 2003) "The singing was very fine, especially the contributions of Richard Margison as a lyrical Canino with subtle phrasing." (Opera News, review of Belgian National Opera's I Pagliacci, July 2002) "Equally at home in French and verismo styles, he shows with
this new release that he is also a powerful Verdi singer, who…can
count the likes of Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavaroti as
his peers." (Opera Canada, review of
Margison Sings Verdi, Summer 2002) "Richard Margison...gave the audience exactly what they wanted - ringing top notes and lots of excitement." (Opera Now, review of concert at Faenol Festival, January/February 2002) "Margison...sang with uncommon sweetness, plangency and point" "The fine tenor, Richard Margison, brought vocal ardor, pinging top notes and lyrical sensitivity to his portrayal of Pollione." (New York Times, October 2001) "He's a tenor of heroic musical proportions, as he proved in the celebrated aria, "Celeste Aida" (San Diego Union, May 2001) "At a time when Verdians are not exactly growing on alberi, Richard Margison is that rare thing, a tenor with real Italianate tone and a generous, ringing top." (Opera, October 2001) "Richard Margison may well be the leading Radames in the world today. He possesses the ringing tone, the diction and the authority that so often seem missing in current singers who attempt Verdi." (Opera Canada, review of Aida in San Francisco, Fall 2001) "…it has both brass and beauty, and its power is so forceful and concentrated that you have to remind yourself that the source is a human throat…" (Globe and Mail, review of Roy Thomson Hall concert, November 2000) "…he presented the passionate familiarities of "E lucevan le stelle" with such heart-wrenching tenderness that there couldn't have been a dry eye in the building" (Toronto Star, review of Roy Thomson Hall concert, November 2000) "Margison zapped "Nessun dorma" fervently enough to make one momentarily forget that Italian tenor who sings it clutching a white tablecloth" (Financial Times, review of Metropolitan Opera Benefit Concert, October, 2000) "As her lover, Enzo, Canadian tenor Richard Margison was the linchpin
of the evening...Margison gave the audience their money's worth
and then some. Looking more than ever like a prosperous Edwardian
bon vivant, the Toronto resident radiated pleasure in singing loud
and high. His big moment, the aria Cielo e mar! garnered the evening's
most enthusiastic ovation." "...with Richard Margison's thrilling column of tenor tone (in
the arias Celeste Aida and Nussun Dorma)..." "Margison is magnificent, handling the elegantly sculpted
but long vocal lines with impeccable bel canto technique and vocal
weight and he hits those high Cs"..." "...Richard Margison singing with liquid italianate
tone and fine musical instincts as Faust"... "Canadian tenor Richard Margison, making his Lyric
debut, brought vigorous, open tone and plenty of passion to the
role of Pollione" "Richard Margison as Calaf...is a major talent, singing
with freshness, fearlessness and a ringing tone. This is a tenor
to watch. Margison's acting, additionally, was involving and persuasive..."
"Richard Margison was easily the best, his brazen
tenor moving seamlessly to the two (real) high Cs ending Act II,
yet tender in "Ah sì, ben mio,"... "Mr. Margison has a hefty physique and a voice to
match: a bright, ringing sound." "The vocal star of the evening was clearly Richard
Margison, whether portraying an Inca king or a bard in Verdi's Hymn
of the Nations. Singing in a natural, open, ringing manner, Toronto's
latest gift to the Metropolitan Opera sounded every decibel the
world-class tenor he has become."
Last Updated: March 27, 2008
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