Oedipus in OEDIPUS REX

Los Angeles Opera

“The singing was tremendous. Stunning soloists — Russell Thomas, J’Nai Bridges, and Morris Robinson — dominated…. What we got in the theater was a feast of the raw, powerful, emotional singing that opera lovers hunger for…. Thomas [was] magnificent in his authority and surety, a study in the vanity of conceit.”
–Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times

“A superb cast... The tenor Russell Thomas rendered the title role with the same disciplined, nuanced passion that he has lately brought to performances of Verdi’s Otello.”
–Alex Ross, The New Yorker

“Oedipus, confident in his brilliance and abilities, tempts fate from the first notes. Russell Thomas, with his warm, luxurious tenor is able to span the great divide from pomposity to self-pity to annihilating shame when the truth is made evident.”
–Jane Rosenberg, Seen and Heard International

“A veritable dream cast of singers starts with Russell Thomas as Sophocles’ doomed King. Let’s face it, Stravinsky didn’t write the most grateful music for the voice. It’s a challenge to everyone’s technique and the writing for Oedipus is particularly schizophrenic vocally. Consequently the tenors charged with the leading role fall mostly into two disparate categories. Those who are good on the high clarion passages, who are usually of the Helden breed, and the Mozart singers who find the more introspective parts a good fit. No such compromise is necessary with Mr. Thomas who proves his incredible versatility yet again. He sails through the role with nary a sign of strain or discomfort. His public utterances ring out generously and he’s able to scale down to a mesmerizing whisper when it’s required of him.”
–Patrick Mack, Parterre Box