Customer Reviews

Bo Skovhus ~ Arias

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Bo Skovhus' lovers undoubtedly awaited this comprehensive choice of arias, which almost concludes his (still young) operaic work. Well known alongside less known operas constitutes a perfect choice. From Verdi through Thomas, from Korngold to Britten and the Russian arias, mastering the variety of languages, and dealing with every single role in a very sensitive way. This unique choice and the qualities of his full, beautiful and warm voice makes one regret, that the entire opera was not recorded with him in the relevant roles, like Thomas's Hamlet for example, or Britten's Billy Budd. It leaves a taste of wanting to hear more of this young and talented Baritone, whose repertoire is much larger than could be presented in one - indeed excellent - CD.

Bo Skovhus' performance is superb. His voice is so masculine and powerful but at the same time is silky and delicate. If you can imagine the voice as a piece of fabric, you would say that his voice is like black velvet. The passion his voice conveys is amazing. His vocal technique is almost perfect, the breathing is so controlled and the vocal line is constant. The aria "O du mein holder" is performed gorgeously and so the "Avant the quitter ces lieux". His phrasing and diction are excellent also. If all the other baritones stop singing, we would not have to worry at all, because the supreme beauty of his voice will be more than enough. If you don't believe in angels, you haven't heard him sing.

I just can't heap enough praise on Skovhus. I saw him for the first time at the Houston Grand Opera in a production of Billy Budd and was sold. This CD demonstrates very well what an immensely expressive and flexible voice Skovhus possesses. He has incredible core to his voice which allows him to attack bravado sections with zeal, but also has the musical expressivity to pull back and caress piano lines with ease and artistry while still maintaining his core sound. Hampson, who is notorious for becoming breathy and pop-like in pianissimo passages, can't touch Skovhus with a 10, 100, or 1000 foot pole.

Skovhus is undoubtedly one of the most talented lyric baritones of our time. He ranks right up there in terms of vocal talent with Brynn Terfel, and far beyond Terfel in terms of total artistry. In fact, I wouldn't be going to far to claim that Skovhus is one of the best baritones EVER (my apologies to James Maddalena). Trust me when I say that you would do yourself a disservice to NOT buy this CD.

What a wondrous singer...I absolutely agree with all the other reviews here but add:

1) he sounds as though he's singing in his First Language, whether it be French, English, German or Russian.

2) he lets his soul come out (simce Mme Callas this remains a rare event).

3) Sidebar: the San Francisco Merry Widow, whilst a delight and a wonder, is NOT fair to this man's voice.

A magnificent recital album. Every prominent opera singer out there should be jealous.

In the forward to this cd, John Bell Young, makes the argument that the darker, mellow baritone is an often underated part of the opera repetoire. I don't fully agree with him - there are fantastic, exciting lead roles for these men: Hamlet, Nabucco, Rigoletto, and The Barber of Seville - all glittering showcases of virtuoso. And even the supporting roles they often play, are thrilling - Scarpia can easily steal the show away from Tosca and her hero with his magnicent, albeit short, scenes; and Escamillo often wins not only the affection of Carmen, but that of an entire opera house... Still, all said and done, this is an interesting introduction to a man who is every bit as dashing, musical, and talented as any tenor to grace the stage.
Bo Skovhus showcases such extreme range in vocal talents and emotion. His tone is beautiful. His breath control and phrasing are astounding. Diction is clear and defined - especially the German arias. This is an extremely talented man.
The Korngold aria is mesmerizing in it's romantic beauty. But my favorite selections on this album are the pieces from "Hamlet"; this is french lyricism at its most marvelous, glorious, heart-sweeping grandeur. I can not imagine a better man to play this most famous anti-hero.
I cannot recommend this cd highly enough. While some Italian arias would have been a nice addition, I won't hold it against my recommendation. Skovhus's interpretation of the tenor's aria from "Werther" makes up for this.
Next time you are out purchasing yet another famous tenor's album, to hear the one hundreth version of "Celeste Aida", buy this cd instead. Give this baritone a chance, and soon you'll be humming songs a minor third lower.

I first heard Bo Skovhus on a Laser Disc recording of the War Requem. I was very impressed. However until this opera recital I had not heard him again. This is truly an impressive recording. I place him up there with my other favorite baritones! He's still young so, hopefully, he has many more good years left in him!