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Il barbiere di Siviglia "Russell Braun swaggered with robust savoir-faire, vocal as well as dramatic" (Opera, July 2007) "For seven years, Russell Braun has been a frequent Figaro here, but in this latest foray he offered something more - the manner more commanding, the handsome, burry voice more fully rounded, the handsome face and figure more pliantly expressive. Vocally and artistically, he seems to have reached an enviable point of equilibrium. Sexy and smart and fully his colleagues' peer in either high notes or low comedy, this Figaro let no one forget which role gives Rossini's opera its title; and when he stepped onto the passerelle for his curtain call, the audience's ovation loudly proclaimed him a barbier di qualità" (Opera Canada, Summer 2007) 'Commanding title role' in Elijah "Baritone Russell Braun was unflappable in the din, and the cellos accompanied his supplications sweetly." (Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2007) "His all Canadian-connected soloists were led by baritone Russell Braun's embodiment of the prophet, at once virile and heart-rending, no more so than in the air "Lord God of Abraham." (Chicago Sun-Times, 18 June 2007) Russell appears for the first time at the new Four Season Performing Arts Centre in Toronto - as Guglielmo in the COC's Cosi fan tutte "Russell Braun (Guglielmo) sang with a fine sense of style and balance all evening." (Globe and Mail, 19 October 2006) "Baritone Russell Braun's dramatic skills shone nicely." (Toronto Star, 18 October 2006) "There was a particularly strong on-stage chemistry between the Guglielmo (Russell Braun) and the Dorabella (Krisztina Szabo). Braun's baritone is robust and steady, and in his performances, there is always a probity that is attractive. Szabo sang Dorabella with finesse and subtlety." (National Post, 19 October 2006) "Guglielmo was Russell Braun's second major role with the COC back in 1992; he made a wonderful impression then and remains ideal in the part today." (ConcertoNet, 2 November 2006)
"A tremendous debut from Canadian baritone Russell Braun as Valentin - a glorious performance in terms of vocal beauty and expressive intensity." (Guardian, 19 September 2006) "Russell Braun won special cheers for his poetic Valentin." (Evening Standard, 18 September 2006) "Russell Braun, making an overdue Covent Garden debut, is a sterling Valentin." (Daily Telegraph, 18 September 2006) "Russell Braun's debut as Valentin was impressively lyrical." (Music OMH, 18 September 2006)
"Russell Braun portrays an Oreste of great distinction." (Le Monde, 11 June 2006) "Russell Braun, who portrayed Oreste...was also remarkable." (Le Figaro, 12 June 2006) "Russell Braun has the courage and vocal assurance of an Oreste." (Les Echos, 12 June 2006)
"Braun played the philandering if somewhat deluded count to the hilt, suitably haughty while revealing some human weakness. Wearing a fabulously opulent dressing gown, he gave an emotional delivery of Vedro mentr'io sospiro. His commanding stage presence, lush tone and precise diction show why he is in great demand." (Winnipeg Free Press, 17 April 2006) "The performance was an unalloyed treat. Braun, who is enjoying a flourishing international career, is an opera natural. His rich, flexible baritone voice and natural stage presence were at their best in Kitchener, especially in a selection of Mozart and Rossini arias and duets." (Toronto Star, 17 January 2006) "It was quickly evident that the voices matched perfectly. In Er und Sie, Braun's remarkable range and superbly covered tones - no matter how high - blended marvellously with Bayrakdarian's soaring soprano and superb shading, setting the stage for a performance that was filled with such power, subtlety and humour that the audience was mesmerized from beginning to end. Braun slips easily into a bel canto in his upper register that is as smooth as velvet, yet he has rich, full-voiced low tones which escape many lyric baritones. Mondnacht was a marvellous example of both qualities." (The Record, 16 January 2006)
"Music Toronto opened its fall season with a rare treat for lovers of song and singing: Franz Schubert's masterpiece Winterreise (Winter Journey), performed passionately and vividly by the Canadian baritone Russell Braun and his wife, the Canadian pianist Carolyn Maule. ...individual, strongly imagined, often moving, and unfailingly gripping. Certainly he plunged deeply into the emotional centre of each of the 24 songs, bringing it to bleak or unnerving or pathetic life. The pianissimo major-key transition in the final verse of Gute Nacht was heart-breaking. The fierce indictment of his faithless beloved in Die Wetterfahne was riveting." (Globe and Mail, 17 September 2005) "The audience last evening was privileged to witness a performance by an artist at the height of his vocal and interpretive powers. Braun met its vocal demands with resolute beauty of tone and technical assurance. He was in excellent voice, his lyric baritone firm yet flexible, with the widest possible dynamic range at his complete disposal, encompassing the two-octave vocal writing with ease. It was a highly nuanced and heartfelt reading, without artifice. I have always found his expressive timbre to be ideally suited to lieder, but on this occasion, he communicated the pain of the protagonist better than one would think possible. Carolyn Maule offered sympathetic support at the piano, with the two of them truly performing as one. ...This performance, together with the just released CD, solidifies Russell Braun's position as an important lieder singer of our time." (La Scena Musicale, 17 September 2005)
"Braun sang Giovanni's part in the duet with a masterful command that allowed no escape for his prey (none of the usual smarm here), and his soft second "andiam," echoed by Zerlina, set up a flawless transition into the duet's final measures. He had bounded in at the beginning of the concert, bubbling with humorous life, to embody the merry bird-catcher in The Magic Flute. Morphing into the darker figure of Don Giovanni, Braun then sang a thrilling, manic, superbly articulated rendition of "Finch'han del vino." He filled "Non più andrai" from The Marriage of Figaro with ironic mischief and gave some broad comic touches to an aria, originally written for Così fan tutte..." (The Toronto Star, 8 June 2005)
"Braun was forceful and clear, with ripe tones and great command of sonority and incantatory line as both the priest and the Angel of The Agony at Judgment Day."(The Toronto Star, 27 April 2005) "Tenor Michael Schade as Gerontius and baritone Russell Braun as a priest and angel continue to astonish. With each hearing, their vocal powers keep growing." (Classic 96.3 FM, 27 April 27, 2005)
"Lyric baritone Russell Braun (as Elijah) has a noble, expressive voice, easily conveying resolve, anger, compassion and resignation." (The Seattle Times, 16 April 2005)
"The men, Russell Braun (Guglielmo) and Michael Schade (Ferrando) , are equally well matched. Truly superb, actually. Schade's "Un'aura amorosa" is both musically elegant and charged with emotion. Both hearty/heartless tricksters bring off their comic shtick extremely well while simultaneously managing to seem like real people." (San Diego Magazine, February 19, 2005)
"... the attention he paid to projecting a clear articulation of the texts and a precise weighting of vocal attack produced a kind of music-making whose subtlety wasn't even approached the following evening." (Toronto Star, 25 January 2005)
"... baritone Russell Braun, made a hair-raising
entry from the audience for "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's Il
Barbiere di Siviglia and also gave us a taste of a role he's learning
for San Diego Opera with Wolfram's ode to the evening from Wagner's
Tanhäuser." (Opera Canada, Volume XLV, Winter
2004) Russell Braun makes his role and San Francisco Opera debut in the title role of Eugene Onegin "In his company
debut, baritone Russell Braun was an alluring...Onegin, his singing
fluid and knowing." (San Francisco Chronicle,
26 November 2004) A Stunning Role Debut as Enrico in the Canadian Opera Company's Lucia diLammermoor "This left Braun to give the evening's best performance, using his increasingly rich, powerful baritone to create a gripping portrait of a desperate man driven to evil deeds." (Opera News, December 2004) "Canadian baritone Russell Braun gave us a stunning portrayal of Enrico, superbly sung and malevolently acted, using his commanding height and polished stagecraft to bring this inexcusable villain vividly to life." (Globe & Mail, 28 September, 2004) "In voice and character portrayal, Russell Braun was superb as Enrico." (Tamara Bernstein, National Post, 28 September 2004) "Canadian baritone Russell Braun [brought] an even finer lyric voice to the role of Enrico." (Toronto Star, 27 September 2004) "Braun, in the evening's best performance, uses his rich, powerful baritone to create a gripping portrait of a desperate man driven to evil deeds." (Eye Weekly, 30 September 2004)
"Replacing an ailing Thomas Quasthoff, German baritone
Russell Braun, singing the part of Elijah, was everything the ear
could desire - those who did not to buy tickets because the star
they were expecting was indisposed missed hearing a performer every
bit as impressive. Braun's is a bright baritone, charged with dramatic
power and lyric beauty, a voice with a brilliant tenor ring and
exquisite attention to nuances of the German language. His "It is
enough" was delivered as stirringly as any baritone aria of Verdi
- imagine a vocal tour de force like the Count di Luna's "Il balen,"
albeit sung against a backdrop of Judean desert, and you get the
idea." (Register-Guard, 13 July 2004) As Pelléas in Glyndebourne "Russell Braun's Pelléas, a role that sits well in his mellifluous voice (with an excellent top)." (Independent, 26 May 2004) "Beautifully sung by Russell Braun." (Observer, 30 May 2004) "Russell Braun made the passive, almost infantile figure of Pelléas seem humanly believable." (Daily Telegraph, 25 May 2004) "The German-Canadian tenor Russell Braun sings an
upstanding, virile Pelléas." (Financial Times,
24 May 2004) In duo recital with Michael Schade in San Diego "Schade and Braun were superlative partners, blending
their voices with harmonious confidence. In duets by such composers
as Monteverdi, Schumann and Saint-Saëns - which were sensitively
and ever so attentively accompanied by pianist Carolyn Maule, Braun's
wife - the singers created a kind of synergistic artistry that was
a pleasure to behold. This was male vocalism of a high order, singing
that brimmed with artistry and energy. ...Schade and Braun were
altogether terrific." (San Diego Union Tribune,
1 March 2004) As Zurga in the San Diego Opera's Les Pêcheurs de perles "Braun is one of the most gorgeous baritones I've heard in ages." (San Diego Magazine, 15 February 2004) "And as Nadir's best friend (and romantic rival
for Leila's affections) King Zurga, German-born baritone Russell
Braun has a big, resonant, heroic voice that underpins the drama
of the opera. In real life, Schade and Braun are best friends and
regular singing partners, and their vocal blend in the opera's best-known
duet, "Au fond du temple saint," is about as perfect a harmony as
you'll ever hear. (North County Times, 18
February 2004) Russell Braun's Powerful Figaro in the Met's Il Barbiere "The evening's one consistently bright spot was the Figaro of Russell Braun, who entered as if shot from a cannon and remained a spry, winning presence throughout. Braun's elegant, soft-grained timbre and meticulous handling of verbal and musical detail were a joy to hear; he was wily but not venal in his dealings with Almaviva, impish but not lewd in his duet with Rosina, and in every way he made a classy, endearing factotum." (Opera News, January 2004) "The title role couldn't have been more engagingly filled than it was by Braun, who has the wide-open personality to dominate the very busy production and whose sunny, lyric voice has just the right amount of heft and burr to carry commandingly." (Opera Canada, Winter 2003) "The assets of the current cast include...Russell Braun's solid, powerful Figaro. Mr. Braun produced Rossini's detailed roulades with the right measure of showy clarity." (New York Times, October 24, 2003) "Figaro was Russell Braun, and he owns a first-rate instrument -- vibrant and warm at the same time." (New York Sun, October 27, 2003) Russell Braun Fabulous as Count Almaviva in Montréal "Vocally, Russell Braun dominates the cast, embodying with panache a count who is, in turn, arrogant, tender and passionate. His magnificent baritone voice, adapts flexibly to the nuances of the role: he shows us a man overcome with passion and who quickly takes on the behaviour of a thwarted nobleman. But what tenderness when he sings the remorseful "Contessa perdonno" at the end of the opera; it becomes a thrilling, dazzling expression of love. Gifted by a fine physique, his dramatic involvement is total." (Forum Opéra, September 2003) As Pelléas in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande at Festival Vancouver "The amazing Russell Braun...is the Pelléas of choice just now pretty much anywhere in the world." (Georgia Straight, August 21-28, 2003) "Russell Braun, surely the prime Pelléas on the international circuit today, brought an ardent lyricism to a role he seems destined to inhabit for some time. He was vocally impeccable." (Opera Canada, Winter 2003) "Baritone Russell Braun, reiterating Debussy's obsessive, erotic theme, rocked as Pelléas." (Vancouver Sun, August 18, 2003) Russell Braun's Die Schöne Mullerin with Carolyn Maule (piano) "I have never heard Schubert's Die schone Mullerin sung better. Russell Braun infused this piece with so much sorrow there were more than a few damp eyes in the audience, and it was hard afterwards to return to the mundane. Braun has a strong, beautifully-controlled voice in all dynamic ranges...Braun pays enormous attention to detail - each note seems chosen and polished and his diction was crystalline. Add his gift for characterization and he has presented his audience with a young miller with attitude as well as pathos." (Review Vancouver, August 13, 2003) _____________________________________ "The recital's biggest treats were the two Canadian singers who dared to plumb these turbulent musical waters (Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch): soprano Monica Whicher and baritone Russell Braun. They were perfectly matched in having large, flexible voices, superb vocal control and a clear sense of where to draw the line between drama and bathos." (Toronto Star, March 26, 2003) "His was a rich-sounding Elijah, alternately passionate and tender, fierce and tormented,…at his best in the more delicate singing of Part II, during the prophet's invocation of the sleep of death." (Minnesota Star Tribune, February 7, 2003) "Braun brought his beautiful, wide-ranging...baritone, a musicality both intuitive and trained, and a strong sense of the character portrayed. Don Giovanni's mandolin-accompanied serenade, Deh vieni alla finestra was perfection." (Globe & Mail, November 23, 2002) "Braun's Mozart songs were exemplary in their definition and shading with each line caressed to within an inch of its life." (The Scotsman, review of duo recital with Michael Schade at the Edinburgh Festival, August 24, 2002) "From the passionate tenderness which inspires his next conquest (Deh! vieni alla finestra - delicious!) to the terror which he faces when his end is near, the singer performed with great virtuosity" (Le Soleil, review of Don Giovanni, March 3, 2002) "Russell Braun held the dark centre of the opera together with a fine portrait of Count Almaviva, suitably dark, treacherous, haughty, and passionate." (Globe&Mail, January 2002, review of Opera Ontario's production of Le Nozze di Figaro) "Russell Braun nearly brought the house down with his mischievous performance of Figaro's first aria from the Barber of Seville." (Guardian, June 12, 2001, review of Richard Tucker Foundation Concert at the Royal Opera House, London) "Russell Braun's magnificent opening night performance was the Canadian baritone's debut as Billy, but he already owns the role. His innocent goodness, youthful high spirits and kindness emanated not only from his singing but from his whole being…" (National Post, April 2001) "Braun's warm lyrical tone creates a truth-filled, transcendent Billy" (Globe&Mail, March 2001) "His innocent goodness, youthful high spirits and kindness emananted not only from his singing but his whole being" (National Post, March 2001) "But the jewel of the concert came in the middle with Russell Braun's performance of Kindertotenlieder. In the midst of wit and drama, Braun's singing supplied heart. The dark lyricism he brought to these beautiful songs mourning the death of children spoke so sensitively of love and loss and yearning that one stopped admiring the music, the voice, the performance and simply became absorbed in the feeling of what was being communicated. Here, indeed, one found that a singer and a modest orchestra could be as intimate as Mahler could ever hope for". (Toronto Star, November 2000, review of Mahler concert at the Glenn Gould Studio) "Bounding onstage to catch up with the orchestra already deep into the first page of Figaro's aria, he was the very image of Rossini's self-important, self-satisfied barber. Barely subdued by his white tie and tails, hands stuffed in pockets, he whipped through the aria with gusto...this was a Figaro as bracing as a sudden wind off the lake" (Chicago Sun-Times, September 2000) "Canadian baritone RUSSELL BRAUN was a charmingly boyish Figaro with voice and stage smarts to spare. He inhabited the part with complee confidence and showed real comic clair in the complex Act II shaving scene" (Globe and Mail, April, 2000, review of the Metropolitan Opera production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia) "MR. BRAUN, a Canadian baritone with a rich, flexible timbre, was a fine partner in the duets and notably more natural interpreter in his solos. These included graceful accounts of three Shakespearean settings from Finzi's Let Us Garlands Bring and beautifully weighted renderings of two Mascagni songs La tua stella and Rosa." (New York Times, April 1999) "Braun's performance of Britten's The Highland Balou (text by Robert Burns) was spectacular. Here, along with the miracle of Braun's technical prowess was Braun's trademark expressive warmth" (The Record, Kitchener-Waterloo, May 1998) "BRAUN'S turn came with the Fauré cycle L'horizon chimérique, beautifully breathed and shaped into that caressing French manner of dreaming obsession; the singer's command of vocal colours was haunting." (Toronto Globe & Mail, March 1997) "RUSSELL BRAUN is a high baritone, perfect for Pelléas: his bearing was always reserved yet yearning, exactly correct, and his Act IV scene with Mélisande was portrayed admirably." (Opera News, October 1997, review of l'Opéra de Paris production of Pelléas and Mélisande) "RUSSELL BRAUN portrays the count with proud authority, and the color of his voice makes a future orientation toward a more dramatic repertoire almost certain." (Opera International, April 1996 review of l'Opéra de Monte Carlo production of Le Nozze di Figaro) "RUSSELL BRAUN's Aeneas achieves that rare balance, in this difficult and enigmatic role, between the intractable aura of a brave soldier and moral weakness - as Dido might have recognized it." (Gramophone Magazine, June 1996, reviewing the recording of Dido and Aeneas) "The real star of the show was RUSSELL BRAUN, making his company debut in the title role. Here was a Barber with all the dash, verve and vivacity one associates with the role. Braun's large voice is full in all registers and dynamic levels, and his acting is as natural and commanding as it is charismatic - a man born for the stage." (Opera magazine, August 1995, review of l'Opéra de Montreal production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia) "What remains is the revelation of the evening: the Figaro of RUSSELL BRAUN. As soon as he arrives on the stage, he possesses it, dominates it, makes it how own place which he will exploit with ease and brio, as the air of gallantry he uses in his entrance shows. What an actor and what a voice! I do not think that many baritones today can command this role as he does. The timbre is magnificent, the diction perfect, the voice subtle in the minutest intonations, capable of power and virtuosity that are electrifying. His presence makes this production a jewel of humour. We discovered a singer out of the ordinary whom we hope to see and hear again, often and soon." (Le Devoir, Montreal, April 1995 review of l'Opéra de Montréal production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
Last Updated: July 11, 2007 © 2000 Moira Johnson Consulting, All Rights Reserved
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