Florestan in FIDELIO

San Francisco Opera

“When his voice finally breaks free, in the heart-wrenching aria that opens Act II of Beethoven’s only opera, it does so in a harrowing musical spasm of dark fate and faith’s distant glimmer. As the seemingly doomed Florestan, tenor Russell Thomas turned agony and idealism into a gripping portrayal of the human spirit stretched to the limits. In a voice scoured by his character’s isolation and ordeal, Thomas ranged from fiercely raw lows to high notes flung heavenward in heedless abandon.”
–Steven Winn, San Francisco Classical Voice

“As the victim, able tenor Russell Thomas displays near-dead weariness from his captivity but must rise to the occasion for his thrilling and iconic call for “Freiheit! Freiheit!” which he does with imposing skill.”
–Victor Cordell, Berkshire Fine Arts

“Thomas used his full expressive range to develop a complex portrait of the character in his solo scene, giving voice to his pain and despair and then blossoming into lyrical transport with his consoling vision of Leonore. [Thomas and van den Heever] had the chemistry to make the finale truly cathartic.”
–Thomas May, Musical America

“Thomas invested Florestan with a heroic tenor…musically focused and majestically shaped. The voices of Thomas and van den Heever invested their reuniting duet with beautifully intertwining lines and emotional resonance. Their part in the final duet made it even more of a highlight than it usually is. The well-cast voices…lifted this whole endeavor into a winner.”
–Harvey Steiman, Seen and Heard International

“The jailed and starving Florestan, embodiment of the resistance, is sensitively played by acclaimed tenor Russell Thomas. His velvety, yet powerful aria communicates pure despair, and we all feel his pain and suffering. The fact that Thomas can sing with such gusto while sitting crouched on a stool is mindboggling.”
–Jennifer Charron, Theatrius

“Soprano Elza van den Heever, in what is effectively the title role of Leonore, and tenor Russell Thomas as her husband Florestan, rose to their respective star moments — a luminous account of the Act 1 aria “Komm, Hoffnung” for her, a compelling rendition of his Act 2 solo.”
–Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

“The singing on all counts is superb. Soprano Elza van den Heever is a ravishing Leonore vocally and dramatically, and tenor Russell Thomas, who has sung works by Donizetti and Bellini here, partners her with equal security and passionate phrasing. Their Act 2 duet thrilled and drove the opera to a perfect finish.”
–Caroline Crawford, Local News Matters

“Russell Thomas and Elza Van Den Heever have well-matched heroic voices that exhibit great beauty of tone. Thomas's voice has grown from romantic to heldentenor, while retaining the more lyric tones of his fluent pianissimo and the ability to act with his voice. His noble opening "Gott, welch Dunkel hier" showed his bright, trumpet tones punctuated by dark dramatic notes and the sweetness of a well-placed pianissimo. The sounds of soprano and tenor in harmony were a joy to hear as they conveyed their elation in the final duet.”
–Maria Nockin, Broadway World

“As Florestan, Russell Thomas gave an intense, nuanced account of “Gott! Welch dunkel hier!”—more man-in-extremis than clarion tenor.”
–Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal

“Tenor Russell Thomas portrayed Florestan with strength and power. Chained hand and foot to a chair in the bowels of the detention center, he emerges from the darkness with the powerful cry of, ‘Gott (god),’ sustaining the note with ardent power. That alone was worth the performance. Thomas continued the aria with exquisite steadiness and beauty that cut through the darkness like a fine-edged sword.”
–Lois Silverstein, OperaWire

“Russell Thomas’s Florestan was well sung and moving in both despair and joy; seeing a Black man freed from chains has special resonance for Americans, given our history—and the ongoing effects of systemic racism.”
–Lisa Hirsch, Opera News

“Russell Thomas nailed Florestan’s coruscating aria at the start of Act 2. Even when freed, Thomas conveyed the soul-scarring reality of a long, unjust imprisonment.”
–Steven Winn, Opera Magazine