Press

Vanessa in Washington

“And on Thursday, “Vanessa” sounded fresher than ever, steered by an attentive and extra-physical Noseda, supported by a perfectly cast collection of singers and buttressed by the University of Maryland Concert Choir under director Jason Max Ferdinand […]

Baritone Thomas Hampson was superb in the supporting role of the Old Doctor, a magnetic presence on the stage, drawing dark humor with slow deliberation, as though with a syringe. He was comic minus the relief; if anything his barbed wit contributed to the opera’s undercurrent of cruelty […]

The opera ended with the feel of a music box winding to a halt — and ready to be wound up again. For those unfamiliar with this most technical of love stories, Saturday’s repeat would make a fine introduction. But even those who went on Thursday might find themselves returning for another go-round — as vicious cycles go, this one is rich with pleasures.”

The Washington Post

“Two distinguished veterans rounded out the cast of principals. Baritone Thomas Hampson played the Old Doctor: a warm-hearted, if foolish, neighbor who observes the central drama without quite comprehending it. For a singer well into the fifth decade of his career, Hampson sounded remarkably fresh, while still managing to convey the doctor’s advanced years. He was especially touching in the ländler “Under the willow tree,” in which the old man conjures a remembrance of flirtations past.”

Musical America