Don Pasquale / The Metropolitan Opera
Nicola Lischi
Opera Brittania
An ironclad technique allows him to faithfully respect all the dynamics indicated by Donizetti. The recitative “Povero Ernesto” is an imaginative play between forte and piano; in the first phrase of the aria, he adheres to every marking, from the staccatos on the first two syllables of ‘Cercherò lontana terra’, to the marcato on ‘Lontana’, all in the same breath ...
“If it is true that perfection does not exist, the Ernesto of Matthew Polenzani missed it by a hair’s breath. The timbre of his medium size tenor is pleasant and enticing, but it is his phenomenal technique that sets it apart. His performance was almost like a singing lesson. His voice, rich with overtones, is vibrant and flows free all throughout his remarkable range, with no friction whatsoever, a clear sign that the tenor has mastered the art of singing “sul fiato”, on the breath. As a consequence he is able to produce long breaths and an impeccable legato, not to mention a ringing top. The facility and naturalness with which he sails around and above the passaggio are astonishing; the ease he shows in the terribly arduous cabaletta (E se fia che ad altro oggetto), waltzing over phrases that constantly float between F and B flat, is staggering. An ironclad technique allows him to faithfully respect all the dynamics indicated by Donizetti. The recitative “Povero Ernesto” is an imaginative play between forte and piano; in the first phrase of the aria, he adheres to every marking, from the staccatos on the first two syllables of ‘Cercherò lontana terra’, to the marcato on ‘Lontana’, all in the same breath. Or, at the end of the same cavatina, the double messa di voce he performed on the A flat on “cancellar”. These are just a few examples of the chiselling and polishing job that Polenzani employed in his approach to the score.”
— Nicola Lischi, Opera Brittania