Cavaradossi in TOSCA

Lyric Opera of Chicago

“The most thrilling Tosca experienced at Lyric in decades. From tenor Russell Thomas’ radiant “Recondita armonia” at the start of the opera to soprano Michelle Bradley’s offstage vocal entrance in her debut in the title role, their energy was palpable, their couple chemistry throughout the evening extraordinary.”
–Dennis Polkow, Newcity Stage

“The highlight of this new-to-Chicago staging is Russell Thomas, the beautiful American tenor, as Mario. Thomas is an accessible tenor, a singer with a humanistic quality, a performer who attaches kindness to every note. He’s figured out that his painter, Mario, is as uninterested in power as anyone playing him thus should be in the bravura; he’s an idealistic seeker and that is how he sings. It’s quite magnificent, in a very contemporary, tolerant and openhearted sense of that word.”
–Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

“A pair of dynamic voices brought new energy to the complex roles of Tosca, sung brilliantly by Michelle Bradley and Russell Thomas, who, from his first aria, let it be known that his is a Cavaradossi to be reckoned with. This was no ordinary night at the opera. It was a rare opportunity to see a beloved dramatic opera given renewed vitality.”
–Dwight Casimere, The Times Weekly

“This Tosca is the highlight of the Lyric Opera season [with] a dazzling vocal triangle. Portraying Cavaradossi, tenor Russell Thomas partners well with Bradley, hitting the high notes with a strong “Recondita ammonia” and a despairing “E lucevan”. Bradley and Thomas make beautiful music together and garnered show-stopping raves from the audience throughout the production.”
–Betty Mohr, The Epoch Times

“Russell Thomas’s Cavaradossi is romantic and brave. Thomas’s tenor voice ranges flawlessly from sweet to strong, with an acting performance that brings added depth and heartbreak to the story.”
–Joe De Rosa, Chicago on Stage

“Tenor Russell Thomas as Mario is likewise a fun character actor and emotionally uplifting singer. They make a couple whose love is easy to get invested in. These two performances are rooted in verismo, operatic realism…”
–Jacob Davis, Around the Town Chicago

“Russell Thomas’s third act “E lucevan le stelle,” sung on Cavaradossi’s last night alive, offered a splendid scene of resignation and fragile tenderness. The bravura pairing of Thomas and Bradley is one that the opera world, and hopefully Chicago, would do well to see again.”
–Nancy Malitz, Chicago on the Aisle

“Tosca presents two glorious voices, soprano Michelle Bradley and tenor Russell Thomas, in the lead roles…along with a story that resonates with the desperate moment we’re living in.”
–Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader

“Thomas is an American tenor whose acting skills are as formidable as his magnificent voice, which leaves you wishing he had even more to sing than he already does.”
–Hedy Weiss, WTTW

“Russell Thomas was a standout from the beginning, playing Cavaradossi as an artist and revolutionary.  His plangent tenor was a perfect fit in the role, singing with passion and gorgeous high notes that rang into the audience.  There was a real tenderness in his portrayal, as well as sensitivity and high humor in answering Tosca’s jealousies. He sang both his Act 1 and Act 3 major arias with power, emotion, and style.  He also brought an interesting ambivalence to the moment when Tosca tells him he must face a mock execution.  Thomas looks very much like he wants to believe it, but dark doubts cloud his face.”
–Henson Keys, Parterre Box

“There was an atmosphere of old times in the public's devotion to the singers… The main merits of the evening fell on the courage of Russell Thomas - a tenor with an imposing voice and penetrating color…”
– Rubén Amón, El Confidencial

“As Cavaradossi, tenor Russell Thomas was the most impressive of the three principals. Thomas produced reams of fluid tone, incisive phrasing, and impeccable Italian. The lead-in to Act I’s “Recondita armonia” was delivered with steady lyricism, and Act II’s “Vittoria” rang with squillo.”
–Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News

“Tenor Russell Thomas as Cavaradossi was appealing from the start, with full, round tones that drew one in. The opening scenes of the first act gave audiences the opportunity to hear Thomas’s talent, including the exchange with Bradley’s Tosca. The two worked well together – each responded with similar intensity. Thomas’s finest moments in the second act built to the intensity that culminates in Cavaradossi’s exclamations of ‘Victory’ to spite Scarpia.“
–James Zychowicz, Seen and Heard International

“The vocal and dramatic chemistry between Bradley and the tenor Russell Thomas, her Cavaradossi, was palpable, each energizing the other’s performance. The effect was often thrilling. His big voice may be more brawny than beautiful, but ‘Recondita armonia’ blazed with full-throated ardour, and Thomas delivered the painter’s stentorian cries of ‘Vittoria!’ with ease to the back of the 3,500-seat theatre.”
–John von Rhein, Opera Magazine

“The singers portraying these two roles, tenor Russell Thomas and soprano Michelle Bradley, are wonderfully well-matched vocally and dramatically and they generate sparks in their romantic duets in the first and third acts. Thomas has a natural, easy feel for Puccini’s Italian musical stylings. He could hardly have been more comfortable as Cavaradossi, delivering the character’s soaring lines with technical assuredness and thrilling expressiveness.”
–Kyle MacMillan, Chicago Sun-Times