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Donald E. Osborne, Director California Artists Management 564 Market Street, Suite 420, San Francisco, CA 94104-5412 415 362-2787 / fax: 415 362-2838 / Skype: calartistsdon / Email |
Susan Endrizzi Morris, Director California Artists Management P.O. Box 2479, Mendocino, CA 95460-2479 707-937-4787 / cell: 415-302-1083 / Skype: sueendrizzi / Email |
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Steve Davislim
tenor |
Twice awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee award, Australia’s leading young tenor
Steve Davislim is at the
forefront of the new generation of singers. He has been acclaimed throughout the
world for his beautiful lyric voice, strong stage presence and remarkable
agility.
Mr.
Davislim has appeared with many of the leading opera companies of the world,
including the Staatsoper Berlin (Almaviva), Hamburg Opera (Almaviva and Tom
Rakwell/The Rake's Progress), Royal
Opera, Covent Garden (Fenton/Falstaff),
Australian Opera in Sydney (Don Ottavio, David/Die
Meistersinger, Lenski/Eugene Onegin),
the Volksoper in Vienna where he has sung Tamino, Belmonte,
Die lustige Witwe and Tom Rakwell, Helsinki (Cosi fan tutte) and the Chatelet in Paris in the title role of von
Weber’s Oberon repeated in Caen and at
London’s Barbican Centre. In 2005 he made his debut with Chicago’s Lyric Opera
as Jacquino in Fidelio under Christoph
von Dohnanyi and with the Semper Oper in Dresden in
The Rake's Progress.
A turning point
in his career came with his engagement to sing the title role of
Idomeneo
at the season opening of
La Scala,
Milan
in 2005, under Daniel
Harding. Since then he has sung
Lucarnio
in Händel's Ariodante in
Barcelona,
Belmonte at the Schleswig
Holstein Festival, Tamino in Naples,
Lensky in Hamburg and a much acclaimed
Görge in Zemlinsky's
Traumgörge in Berlin. He was invited back to La Scala in 2007 for
the world premiere of Fabio Vacchi's
Teneke, under Roberto Abbado. In 2008 he made his
Metropolitan Opera debut singing Pedrillo in
Entführung aus dem Serail, a role he repeated in Chicago that season. He sang his first Maxin
Der Freischütz last year in
Baden-Baden. Highlights of the current season include Haydn’s
Creation in Australia, Szymanowski’s
Symphony No. .3 under Pierre Boulez in Vienna, Martinu’s
Julietta with the Berlin Philharmonic
and again in Geneva with Jiri Belohlavek, Schumann’s
Faust-Szenen in Leipzig and at La Scala, and
Idomeneo at La Scala and on tour (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and
London) conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock.
Steve
Davislim has performed with the most prestigious orchestras in Europe, the
United States and Australia: the Cleveland, San Francisco and Chicago Symphony
Orchestras, the Australian Chamber and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the
Royal Danish Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestras of Zurich, Vienna, Turin,
Madrid, Dresden, Brussels, Lyon and the London BBC Symphony Orchestra, and in
festivals including the BBC Proms, Lincoln Center Festival, Lucerne and
Salzburg, where he sang in Puccini’s
Turandot under
Valery Gergiev (recorded for Decca and TDK DVD). He
has worked with such
esteemed conductors as Yuri Ahronovitch, Gary Bertini, Sir Colin Davis, Rafaele
Frühbeck de Burgos, Adam Fischer, John Eliot Gardiner, Valery Gergiev, Michael
Gielen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bernard Haitink, Thomas Hengelbrock, René Jacobs,
Armin Jordan, Lorin Maazel, Marc Minkowski, Roger Norrington, Antonio Pappano,
Michel Plasson, Riccardo Chailly, Marcello Viotti, Franz Welser-Möst, Philippe
Herreweghe and David Zinman.
His
numerous recordings include Brahms Rinaldo
(EMI) with Michel Plasson, Holliger's
Schneewittchen (ECM), Beethoven's
Symphony No. 9 with David Zinman (Arte Nova), Beethoven’s
Christ on the Mount of Olives and
Mozart’s Requiem (Opus 111), Tippet’s
A Child of Our Time with Colin Davis
(LSO Live), Rossini's Petite Messe
Solennelle, Martin’s Le vin herbé
and Haydn’s Creation (Harmonia Mundi)
and Martinu’s Julietta under Charles
Mackerras (Supraphon). He has made numerous recordings for the Australian label
Melba, including a solo album of Richard Strauss songs with the State Orchestra
of Victoria under Simone Young, Saint-Saens’
Hélène and
Nuit Persane, Britten’s Folksongs and Schubert’s
Winterreise, and several recordings
for DGG including Handel’s Lotario and
Rodelinda with Alan Curtis, Bach
cantatas with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and Mozart’s
Requiem under
Christian Thielemann.
Steve
Davislim began his musical training as a horn player. He studied voice at the
Victorian College of the Arts with Dame Joan Hammod, working also with Gösta
Winbergh, Neil Shicoff and Luigi Alva. He attended Irwin Gage’s Lieder class and
the International Opera Studio in Zurich, after which he began his career with
Zurich Opera.
April 2011
Please discard any previously printed materials.
Press comments:
Recording of Szymanowski’s Symphony No 3, ‘Song
of the Night,’ with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Pierre Boulez:
“This astonishing piece sets ecstatically
mystical poetry by the great Persian poet Rumi, which imagines the soul in
flight among the stars and planets. The Vienna Philharmonic glows. Steve
Davislim infuses Szymanowski’s sinuous quasi-oriental lyricism with real
yearning.”
The Telegraph – September 25, 2010
Mostly Mozart Festival debut at Lincoln Center
in Davidde Penitente:
“Steve Davislim imbued the tenor solos with
suavity and style.”
Financial Times – August 25, 2010
“A te, fra tanti affanni, an elaborate
showpiece for tenor, begins with an intricate solo instrumental quartet. Tenor
Steve Davislim sang with robust tone and ardent lyricism.”
New York Times – August 22, 2010
Turbulent Heart: Music of Vierne
and Chausson, Melba Records:
“Davislim’s
voice has beautifully polished finish, and bloom and his French declamation
resonates with sophisticated stylish eloquence. This disc shines light on a bold
forgotten style.” Sydney Morning Herald - April 24, 2010
“Dramatic elegance is an apt description for
these French symphonic poems and their performance by Australian tenor, Steve
Davislim. Having reviewed an earlier disc by this singer, my admiration grows
with this recording. His range of expression in Vierne’s music covers the horror
engendered in his setting of ‘Les Djinns’ through the joyful anticipation of
love mixed with sadness of unfulfilled love in ‘Eros’ and the soulful
questioning of the beautiful, delicate aspects of life in ‘Pysché.’ Steve
Davislim brings great sensitivity to Chausson’s ‘Poème de l’amour et de la mer.’
From the above you will realize that there is mainly sadness expressed in these
works, but oh! so exquisitely!”
Fine Music - April 2010
"Davislim has a voice of penetrating beauty.
Highly recommended."
The Northern Echo - February 1, 2010
“Australia’s
leading tenor Steve Davislim performs a programme of rarely heard works by
Chausson and Vierne. Davislim has a voice of penetrating beauty which is
perfectly balanced by the Queensland Orchestra. Highly recommended.
The Northern Echo (UK) – February 1, 2010
**Diamant Opéra** (Special
Commendation):
“An Australian tenor and a French
conductor transform Chausson’s celebrated Poème
de l’amour de la mer partnered with some extremely rare and passionate works
for voice and orchestra by Vierne. This is a revelation and one of the
highlights of the start of 2010. Struck with admiration while listening to this
disc, the lack of imagination on the part of symphonic organisations and the
timidity of the public makes one’s head swim. Without doubt the Poème
de l’amour et de la mer is performed more today than it once was, but is
sung by female voices when it was intended for a tenor. It is true that Chausson
sets more in the lower than the higher part of the range but this suits Steve
Davislim perfectly, as powerfully sure in the lower notes and as he is shining
in the highest. All of the romantic repertoire for ‘bari-tenors’ would welcome
him with open arms. Add to this exemplary French diction and phrasing, an
expressive use of rubato, a warm tone colour, a natural musicality; one finds
oneself running out of superlatives. This is a recording that has revealed to us
four symphonic poems for voice and orchestra written by Vierne between 1914 and
1931. Steve Davislim draws an elegant line with his multifaceted voice. One
cannot overstate the ideal understanding of this music. There can be only one
imperative – Discover!”
OPÉRA (France) - February 2010
“Davislim’s voice soars with all of the passion inherent in Chausson’s
exquisitely rendered score, surely one of the masterpieces of the post-romantic
age, and one of the composer’s top three orchestra works. The sonic spread here
is equally lush and overflowing. Louis Vierne’s works are surely among the most
beautiful, lush, splendid, and emotionally windswept. I loved it, with thanks to
Davislim’s great interpretative nuances and the superb playing of the Queensland
Orchestra. This disc is a must have from this year’s crop.”
Audiophile Audition - December 1, 2009
Haydn Creation, Sydney Symphony
Orchestra, Martin Haselbock, conductor:
“It was tenor Steve
Davislim, however, who most brought to the lines that natural musicality and
shape that is the life of the classical style.”
Sydney Morning Herald - December 12, 2009
“Australian tenor Steve
Davislim (Uriel) has carved out a significant international career. His honeyed
tone and penetrating clarity made it clear why he is in such demand. This
outstanding performance was an inspiring tribute to this great master.”
The Australian - December 11, 2009
“Davislim was meticulous in
intonation and expression as the angel Uriel and the trios and duets were all
finely balanced.”
Wentworth Courier - December 10, 2009
Schubert’s Winterreise, Melba Records:
“And so to the favourite
song of many, 'Der Lindenbaum'. Davislim sings it with touching
sensitivity, does not make too much of the agitated middle passage and ends on a
note of quiet reflection that perfectly encapsulates the thought of finding
peace under a beloved lime tree. This song shows the two performers at their
best. And so the journey goes on in similar vein, right up to the final and most
enigmatic song of all, 'Der Leiermann', always a test of singer and pianist
alike. To my mind Davislim and Romaniuk catch the essence of this quite well.
But as a single performance I enjoyed it hugely, and it made me eager to hear
both performers again, on record or in the concert hall: there is real quality
in much of what they do. Davislim breathes well, sustains an often beautiful
sound and his German timbre is excellent. So I am happy to give it three stars.”
Musicalcriticism.com -
November 21, 2009
“Steve Davislim is a
young Australian tenor whose impeccable musicality is married to a strong vocal
personality and an attractive lyric tenor voice. The result is a superb
recording of Schubert's Winterreise. He brings a very wide range of dynamics and
colors to this music, essential if one is to remain engaged throughout. His
phrasing is supple, his tone lovely at all dynamics, and his sense of the inner
soul of these songs is as good as anyone's. This cycle runs the gamut from the
poet's memories of past joy to undiluted despair and darkness, and Davislim
conveys it all. The transition of mood and color from the fifth to the sixth
song is immediate and stark: Der Lindenbaum, with its recollection of dreaming
of love under the tree, and Wasserflut, which begins ‘Many a tear from my
eyes/Has fallen into the snow;/The cold flakes thirstily drink/My burning
anguish.’ Then the hushed beginning of Auf dem Flusse, with its almost
whispered, airless tone catches you and draws you in. The enormous range of
color he finds in Irrlicht is the work of a masterful singer. When he sings, in
Rast, ‘Only now as I lie down to rest, do I notice how tired I am,’ the mental
and physical exhaustion is tangible for the listener. And so it goes for 80
minutes-a performance of Winterreise that ranks with the finest I have heard.
Even to those collectors who have more than one satisfying recording of
Winterreise in their library, I can recommend this new one with unreserved
enthusiasm.”
Fanfare – September/October 2009
“Mr. Davislim does have a fine tenor voice, ideally suited for this music, a
full and rounded instrument that has its greatest strength in precisely the
middle register where Schubert wallows in most of these songs. He is able to
convey the few reversals of temperament when the tone changes from desperation
to flippant moments of hope. This is a Winterreise that has much to offer and is
able to present a special point of view.”
Fanfare – September/October 2009
“May be the best-sounding recording of Schubert’s most personal work on the
market. There is the excellent tenor of Mr. Davislim, a full yet rounded voice
that seems to have its greatest strength in precisely the middle register that
Schubert luxuriates in most of these songs. He has studied the works and feels
the intimacy of each, yet also is able to convey the few reversals of
temperament when the tone changes to moments of hopefulness. This is a Winterreise that has much to offer (and I cannot tell
you how great the sound is).”
Audiophile Audition - March 6, 2009
“Australian tenor
Steve Davislim is an extraordinary artist who has it all. Now at the beginning
of his career, he has enjoyed particular success in Mozart, but contemporary
opera also plays an important role. This recording of Schubert's
Winterreise is outstanding, displaying the same
qualities that distinguished his recent disk of Strauss lieder.”
Classical CD Review - March 2009
Chausson songs and Schubert's Winterreise,
Melba Records:
“Davislim is among
Australia's leading tenors and enjoys a growing reputation in major
international opera houses and concert halls. Earlier this year I described his
account of 'Winterreise' as a 'deeply-felt, superbly cogent performance.' And
here within the French repertoire he maintains a stellar vocal quality
previously evident. We backtrack to Psyché to find Vierne in less somber
mode. Davislim floats his entry with the utmost delicacy while later on the
blend of voice and orchestra glow together like radiant embers -- an exquisitely
nuanced performance. Davislim's compelling performance combines the
interpretative virtues of Canadian baritone, Jean-François Lapointe and the
legendary gallic sensitivities of baritone Souzay. I cannot think of higher
praise.” Music & Vision - September 2009
“The Australian tenor,
Steve Davislim, was more laid-back in his mellifluous proclamation of comfort
and redemption.”
The Times - August 2, 2009
Mendelssohn’s
Lobgesang, BBC Proms (London):
“Steve Davislim’s
well-projected tenor stood out among the soloists.”
The Guardian – July 31, 2009
Michel in Martinu’s
Juliette
with Magdalena Kozena,
Suprahon Records:
“Steve Davislim's
Michel matches her with his ardent, vibrant vocalism.”
Opera News - July 2009
“Kozená’s French is on the
bald side, no match for the suave vowels of the Australian tenor Steve
Davislim.”
The Times - June 5, 2009
Pedrillo in Mozart’s
Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Lyric Opera, Chicago:
“In tonal luxury
though the puckish Steve Davislim came very close with his lyrical delivery of
Pedrillo’s ‘Im Mohrenland’.”
Opera News -
June 2009
Weber’s Der
Freischütz, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
“Steve Davislim rose
to the role.”
Opera -
September 2009
“Steve Davislim
portrays Max with lyrical intensity.”
Süddeutsche
Zeitung - June 2, 2009
“The tenor Steve Davislim sang Max with unfailingly smooth tone.”
New York Times - June 10, 2009
“Steve Davislim’s
stylistically implacable, secure, high Max as
German oak.”
Die Welt - June 2, 2009
“Steve Davislim, a
radiant Max.”
Stuttgarter
Nachrichten – June 2, 2009
“And a real discovery: Steve Davislim’s Max. A
clean, warm-timbred tenor, who always knows what he is doing and what he wants.”
Der Tagesspiegel - June 2, 2009
“The best of the ensemble
was the lyric tenor Steve Davislim (Max), who convinces with exemplary diction,
bearing and altitude.”
Pforzheimer Zeitung, - June 1, 2009
Haydn’s Die
Schöpfung, Bremen, April 2009
“Steve Davislim, whose
caressing tenor can be understood with it flexible eloquence and vivid phrasing,
exudes pure harmony.”
Weser Kurier -
April 22, 2009
Britten: Folksongs, Melba Records:
“Steve Davislim
has been praised often on these pages—and for good reason. He has a luxurious
but extremely flexible voice, and he sings this repertoire with tremendous
imagination when it comes to phrasing and timbre, especially in the darker or
the more sentimental songs like
Sally in our Alley. Philip Langridge has clearer enunciation; but
Davislim’s vocal opulence more than compensates. Highly recommended.”
Fanfare - July/August 2009
Herald rating: * * * *
“The credit here must go to Davislim’s unerringly warm tenor, from his elegant
foray through Sally Gardens to his closing salute to summer’s final rose. The
sequence of the songs brings special pleasures, especially when, after the
chiming reveries of The Ash Grove we are dashed back to earth and 17th-century
politics with the astringent Oliver Cromwell.”
New Zealand Herald – April 27, 2009
“These twenty-four settings
must surely trigger mega-levels of listening satisfaction. Best of all, Melba’s
soloist, tenor Steve Davislim and composer/accompanist Simone Young revive the
era of bygone country life Britten has evoked with such unerring precision. It’s
Melba Recordings’ release that has now nosed into the upper echelon of Britten
folksong recordings. Through ‘The Ash Grove’ (‘Llwyn Onn’) Davislim and Young
follow the gentle duality of Britten’s sparing accompaniment and the sylvan
lyrics; ‘Yn Nyffryn Llwyn Onn draw’ (‘Down yonder green valley’) to perfection.
I would simply add that Davislim, Young and Melba Recordings have (remarkably)
excelled themselves; this release is worth several times its weight in gold.”
Music and Vision Daily - April 19, 2009
“The superb young
tenor Steve Davislim, who already has recorded Schubert's
Winterreise, two neglected works of Saint-Saëns -
Hélène and
Nuit Persane - and a superb collection of songs by
Richard Strauss. He is equally at home in this generous collection of Britten's
folksong arrangements, and is ably accompanied by Simone Young. Recommended!”
Classical CD Review - April 2009
Schubert’s
Winterreise and Britten Folksongs,
Melba Records:
“Melbourne tenor Steve Davislim’s recordings of English folksongs plus
Schubert’s great song cycle
Winter’s Journey is a formidable undertaking, the more so given
his performance schedule at major opera houses from La Scala, Milan, to Chicago
USA. The dramatic nature of operatic work can be both benefit and trap to an
artist. As David Pear explains in the accompanying booklet (with texts),
folksongs are about real life, often tough and tragic, moral stories of the
‘brutality of birth, death, unfaithful lovers and the seeming futility of it
all’. But they must be treated in an intimate musical style. So must German
Lieder. With artistic and vocal
integrity Davislim casts both genres in these recordings in an appropriate
scale. His part-Irish part-Asian ancestry provides a rich heritage on which to
draw in ranging the spectrum of human endurance encapsulated in the music,
folksongs to which composer Benjamin Britten’s settings add a deeper musical
dimension, and the tragic impetus of Schubert’s cycle united as it is by
the impending doom in Wilhelm Müller’s texts. Accompanied with total empathy by
pianist Simone Young, Davislim shapes songs such as ‘Early One Morning’ and ‘Ca’
the Yowes’ with sensitive awareness, but the six Irish Melodies from Thomas
Moore including ‘The Minstrel Boy’ and ‘Last Rose of Summer’, are special.”
Courier Mail (Australia) - March 21, 2009
Beethoven’s 9th at the Lucerne Easter Festival, 80th birthday of Bernard Haitink:
“The Australian tenor Steve Davislim inspired the tenors of the excellent Swiss
Chamber Choir to sing with a ringing muscularity seldom heard among their
English counterparts.”
London Times - April 10, 2009
Handel’s
Messiah, National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, DC:
“The Messiah is a nice
showcase for a good tenor, since he gets to open the evening with a splash with
‘Comfort Ye’ and Steve Davislim was the night's standout; his voice was light
and richly colored, and he used it with impressive finesse.”
Washington Post - December 19, 2008
Saint-Saens: Helene/Nuit Persane,
Orchestra Victoria, Melba -
4 stars:
“Uniformly excellent
performances include Steve Davislim's dramatic rendering of the male lovers.”
The Australian - October 18, 2008
“The star of the performance comes from tenor Steve Davislim, exploiting his
wonderfully true and well focused voice over a wide tonal range. Davislim is
again the star.”
Gramophone, Awards Issue - October 2008
“Steve Davislim
brings a French timbre to his role of the impassioned lover. There is
some lovely music here, in which the tenor Steve Davislim sings ‘Au cimitière’
beautifully!”
Musicweb
international - August 2008
“Steve Davislim, whose French pronunciation is excellent, dominates the cast.”
Classique News
- July 21, 2008
Recording of Tippett A Child of Our Time, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir
Colin Davis:
“Steve Davislim
offered highly charged readings.”
Evening Standard - October 17, 2008
“The performance is a
searing one, bringing out all the strength of the message. The boy or
young man is sung by the tenor, Steve Davislim; his anger and horror at the
consequences of what he has done have all the emotion necessary and he is
careful not to overdo the role and drama into melodrama.”
Audiophile Audition - July 12, 2008
“If you're not moved to
tears by Steve Davislim singing ‘I Have No Money for My Bread,’ I suspect you of
lacking soul and conscience. Awesome.”
The Guardian - July 11, 2008
Metropolitan Opera debut as Pedrillo in Mozart’s Abduction:
“Steve Davislim made a
fine house debut, singing with an appealing tenor and lively stage presence.
There were plenty of sparks between him and Blondchen.”
New York Times - April 28, 2008
“Steve Davislim as
Pedrillo had a fine tenor.”
ConcertoNet.com
- April 2008
“Hero and Heroine were
well supported by tenor Steve Davislim, a native of Malaysia making his MET
debut as Belmonte's servant Pedrillo.”
Associated
Press - April 27, 2008
“Davislim, making a
dazzling reputation for himself overseas, sang a 'Winterreise' that made of the
song cycle an operatic drama.”
The Age - December 24, 2007
“The quartet of
soloists rose to the occasion, too. The tenor Steve Davislim provided plangent
support.”
The Times – December 18, 2007
Schubertiad, Melba Hall, University of Melbourne, October 30:
“Before a rapt and
supportive audience, tenor Steve Davislim presented an all-Schubert program. The
evening's focus was a performance of Winterreise by Davislim, a tenor who has
enjoyed international success in opera since relocating to Europe in the early
1990s. His profile has increased significantly since a well-received La Scala
debut two years ago. Davislim has a remarkable instrument, with firm baritone
qualities extending well into his middle register, and excellent resonance. A
strong emotional connection with the material was apparent. It was in the most
dramatic passages that Davislim excelled. In these moments, Davislim's
operatic talent was abundantly clear.”
The Australian - November 2, 2007
Tristan in Martin's Le Vin Herbé on
Harmonia Mundi:
“In this recording the
soloists seem perfectly attuned to Martin's blend of sumptuous harmonic language
and subtlety of expression. Piau and Steve Davislim have the vocal control and
musicianship to caress their vocal lines, even the high-lying forte passages.
Davislim is particularly fine in Tristan's agitated soliloquy during which he
grapples with his conflicting emotions upon discovering that King Mark has come
across him and Iseut asleep in the forest but refrained from slaying them.”
Opera News - November 2007
Editors Choice: “Reuss has clearly selected them with painstaking care to
underline the essential character of each of the individual tableaux. Such an
approach pays remarkable dividends. There is no doubting the mutual affection
and respect with which the calm stateliness of Steve Davislim and the unaffected
poise of Sandine Piau portray Tristan and Isolde.”
Gramophone - July 2007
Title role of Nathan’s Don John of Austria,
Sydney Symphony:
“Steve Davislim is heroic as Don John.”
Sydney Morning Herald - October 20, 2007
“The Orchestra is joined by
a dream cast of Australian vocal talent: Cheryl Barker, Steve Davislim…”
huliq.com - October 16, 2007
“The title role was sung by the young
Australian tenor Steve Davislim, who showed a most beautiful, cultivated, lyric
voice.”
Opera News - September 2007
“I must mention the young singers. These
were real operatic stars of the present and the future. This was especially so
for the tenor Steve Davislim. He played the part of the young lover, a slightly
wild lad, and his singing was rich and melodic. His change of character to that
of a budding soldier was most effective.”
The Free Library – November 1, 2007
Haydn: Die Schöpfung, Haydntage
Eisenstadt, Adam Fischer, conductor
“Steve Davislim with warm-timbred tenor voice...”
Die Presse - September 12, 2006
Steve
Davislim brings a pleasing timbred tenor and a precise contoured
interpretation.”
Krone - September 10, 2006
“Steve Davislim with his light, completely secure tenor...”
Kurier - September 9, 2006
Lurcanio in Handel’s Ariodante,
Barcelona:
“As
Ariodante’s brother Lurcanio
Steve Davislim offered an all-around convincing performance, his lyric
tenor is of rich substance and very sympatheic sound, which paid off
particularly in his aria ‘Del mio sol vezzosi rai’.”
Orpheus - July 2006
Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Naples:
“Steve Davislim was
likewise exceptionally
fine with his refined coloratura, manly and noble tone quality and elegantly
sung Don Ottavio.”
Orpheus - July 2006
Martin: Le vin herbé, RIAS Berlin,
Daniel Reuss, conductor
“The
great tenor Steve Davislim presents the tragic hero without the usual tenor
gimmicks and mannerisms, with deeply touching expression.”
Der Tagesspiegel - February 24, 2006
Idomeneo in Mozart’s
Idomeneo, Teatro alla Scala, Milan,
Daniel Harding, conductor:
“If I
had to pick one performance from this Mozart Year to cherish, it would be that
of Australian tenor Steve Davislim as Idomeneo at Milan's Teatro alla Scala.
After conquering the superhuman demands of the coloratura aria ‘Fuor del mar,’
Davislim sang the tortured father-king’s prayer ‘Accogli, oh re del mar’
heavenly.”
St. Petersburg Times - October 22, 2006
“In
the title role, Australian tenor Steve Davislim made a strong impression,
combining a burnished lower-middle register with an easy head-voice, fluent
coloratura, solid legato and persuasive diction.”
Opera News - March 2006
“In a career-defining
performance as Idomeneo, Australian tenor Steve Davislim shows a dusky,
meltingly gorgeous voice; a natural, endearing stage presence; and virtuoso
technique. Idomeneo's act-two aria ‘Furo del mar’ is so dementedly difficult
that neither Domingo nor Pavarotti attempted its original version when
performing the role. (Mozart wisely provided a dumbed-down alternate.) Davislim
thrillingly sails over the intended treacherous streams of coloratura with
breath to spare and delivers his final aria with eloquent radiance.”
Variety - January 1, 2006
“Steve Davislim sang a beautifully poised and cleanly tuned Idomeneo, unfazed by
the challenge of ‘Fuor del mar’.”
Telegraph - December 10, 2005
“Steve Davislim had stage presence, balmy timbre and strong coloratura.”
Financial Times - December 10, 2005
“Steve Davislim headed a cast of uniformly excellent voices. But it was
Davislim's ravaged ruler who most commanded attention. The role demands
lyricism, pyrotechnic agility and profound dramatic weight. Davislim combined
all these qualities with dramatic charisma and exceptional musical intelligence.
Each note had weight and meaning, each phrase direction. He made the ill-fated
monarch's inner struggles utterly real and moved around La Scala's broad stage
with leonine grace.”
Weekend Australian - December 9, 2005
“Steve Davislim impressed as Idomeneo.”
Guardian - December 9, 2005
“Steve Davislim in the title role does not pale from comparison with
more famous names.”
Salzburger Nachrichten - December 9, 2005
“Steve Davislim has a smooth and warm
voice, a beautiful legato and shading.”
Il Giornale - December 8, 2005
“Davislim has the open, sky-blue
lyricism for the role’s melodious passages, the pyrotechnical agility for its
coloratura runs and the dramatic weight to make Idomeneo’s inner struggles
palpable. This was Davislim’s debut
both in the role and at La Scala.
Although the 35-year-old Australian tenor is no newcomer on the international
opera stage, this performance should win him well-deserved attention.”
Bloomberg News - December
8, 2005
“A wonderful surprise is the Australian
tenor Steve Davislim. He has a fine timbre, elegant phrasing and a stunning
coloratura, very apparent in his aria ‘Finn del mar’.”
Il Messaggero - December 7, 2005
“The
singers also earned praise, including Australian tenor Steve Davislim, Idomeneo.”
SFGate – December 7, 2005
“…and
Steve Davislim, as Tamino, performed with lyricism and warmth.”
The Australian – September 13, 2005
“Steve Davislim, an elegant Handel stylist, makes much of the complex figure of
Grimoaldo.”
Telegraph – July 18, 2005
“Australian tenor Steve Davislim, in his American operatic debut, sang sweetly
and elegantly.”
Chicago Tribune – January 19, 2005
“…and
Jaquino – Marzelline’s spurned suitor, deftly played by Steve Davislim – was
full of ethereal beauty and psychological insight.”
Chicago Sun Times – January 20, 2005