| Stuart Skelton |
 Stuart Skelton - Heldentenor WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL PRIX LAURITZ MELCHIOR Stuart Skelton has emerged as one of the finest heroic tenors of his generation. His repertoire encompasses some of opera’s most challenging roles, from Wagner's Lohengrin, Parsifal, Siegmund and Rienzi to Strauss’s Kaiser and Bacchus, Saint-Saëns’ Samson, Dvorak's Dmitrij and Prince, Beethoven's Florestan and Britten’s Peter Grimes. He has garnered critical acclaim particularly for his vocal beauty, superb musicianship and the dramatic intensity of his portrayals. What the critics are saying about Stuart Skelton Erik (The Flying Dutchman), State Opera of South Australia 'Tenor Stuart Skelton adds yet further depth as Erik, Senta’s hapless suitor. He sings with wonderful control and elicits genuine sympathy with his hopeless affections: the Dutchman is not the only one to suffer fate’s raw deal.' Graham Strahle, The Australian, November 9 2009 'It’s the casting of Stuart Skelton, a superb Siegmund in the Ring that sets the seal on the male roles, handsome, warm and totally credible.' Ewart Shaw, The Advertiser, November 9 2009 Peter Grimes (Peter Grimes), Opera Australia 'Singing Grimes, Skelton achieves immaculate control and precision without losing the roughness of character. His voice flashes with power yet achieves a mystical serenity in the sustained high notes of the great aria The Great Bear and the Pleiades with which Grimes interrupts the venal pleasures of the locals in the storm-swept pub. Skelton shambles, smiles, loses control, flashes with anger and becomes possessed by the vision that destroys him in a performance that could scarcely be bettered.' Peter McCallum, Sydney Morning Herald, October 19 2009 'Tenor Stuart Skelton's sympathetic interpretation of Peter Grimes matches Armfield's conception brilliantly. His Grimes is a socially awkward misfit who feels misunderstood and persecuted. Obsessively single-minded in proving his social worth, he's rough but not brutal. When he strikes Ellen Orford, it is a spontaneous lashing out in frustration rather than a deliberate act of callous violence. Vocally, Skelton is magnificent. His ringing tonal clarity and resounding power capture his character's resolute strength, while the focused sensitivity and scrupulous dynamic control of his exquisite sotto voce singing create unforgettable moments of searing beauty. When he sang the role in London earlier this year he was favourably compared with the likes of Peter Pears, Jon Vickers and Philip Langridge. On the evidence of this performance, it was not hyperbole. He really is that good.' Murray Black The Australian, October 20, 2009 'Stuart Skelton as Peter Grimes gives a performance of explosive intensity. His heavy-set, shambling Grimes is ogre one minute, gentle giant the next, and he sketches out each facet with equally unflinching honesty. His voice is massive, a true Heldentenor, but plumbs extraordinarily lyrical depths: the pianissimo beginning to his "Now the Great Bear and Pleiades" is a moment of finely-wrought beauty; his mad scene, an astonishing piece of visceral virtuosity.' Sarah Noble, The Opera Critic October 2009 Visit Stuart Skelton's website at www.stuartskelton.com. 2010 Schedule August 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, Western Australian Opera, Perth, Leoncavallo I pagliacci (Canio) October 4 - 25 (TBA), ABAO, Opera de Bilbao, Spain, Floyd Susannah (Sam) 2011 Schedule February 16-March 14, English National Opera, London, Wagner: Parsifal (Parsifal) April 6, 9, 13, 16, The Met, New York, Berg Wozzeck (The Drum-Major) June 26-July 9, Zurich Opera, Switzerland, Wagner: Parsifal (Parsifal) July 11-August 17, Santa Fe Opera (US) Berg: Wozzeck (The Drum-Major) Melba Recordings performances: |