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Purcell's Fairy Queen, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan, conductor:
“Alan Bennett’s tenor was light and accurate, his singing fluid and easy.”
SF Classical Voice – September 8, 2002
J.S. Bach's B Minor Mass, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Labadie, conductor:
“Of the four soloists, soprano Gauvin and tenor Alan Bennett made the best impression, singing with clarity and effortless ease.”
Seattle Times - March 25, 2002
Tenor Soloist, New York Collegium
“Throughout the afternoon, there were solos of vocal distinction and expressive warmth by tenor Alan Bennett.”
Boston Globe March 19, 2002
G.F. Handel Messiah, Cleveland Orchestra:
“The four vocal soloists were wonderful. The tenor arias emerged as gentle ballads as sung by Alan Bennett, who embellished discreetly.” Cleveland Plain Dealer – December 22, 2001
G.F. Handel Ode for St.Cecilia's day, Calgary Philharmonic:
“The performance was greatly benefitted by the expert singing of tenor Alan Bennett, whose light tenor was heard to excellent effect, especially in the aria, 'The Trumpet's Loud Clangour.' Bennett sang with excellent baroque style, the melodic lines well articulated and words always clear.”
Calgary Herald - Nov. 8, 2001
J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Carmel Bach Festival
“Tenor Alan Bennett, as the Evangelist, narrated the great Christian story in a bravura performance suffused with tonal beauty and emotionally compelling expressiveness. This is a remarkable achievement given the severe constraints of this role consisting of only recitative.”
Monterey Herald - July 18, 2001
J.S. Bach's St. John Passion, Carmel Bach Festival
“In Bennett, Carmel has found an excellent evangelist. The voice accommodates Bach's expressive flourishes and the singer stresses narrative coherence.”
San Francisco Examiner, July 17, 2000
“IMPRESSIVE EVANGELIST (headline). “Tenor Alan Bennett a clear-voiced, forthright Evangelist”
San Francisco Chronicle, July 25, 2000
Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten, Bloomington Chamber Singers.
“It would have been hard to better the soloists. Tenor Alan Bennett, has revealed on prior occasions that when it comes to the realm of oratorio and art song, he is a virtuoso. His voice bends to nuances. His diction is perfection. As interpreter, he seems caught in both content and musical line. The other soloists seemed as comfortable with the music as did Bennett, whose tenor might have been designed just to sing this score (but then, he's left a similar impression before when engaged with the works of Bach or Schubert).”
Bloomington Herald Times, May 9, 2000
J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (arias), Les Violons du Roy, Quebec City:
“Then there was the young tenor, Alan Bennett - a joy in everything he sang, but especially in the virtually never-performed aria, ‘Geduld’.” Toronto Globe and Mail, April 17, 2000
“Tenor Alan Bennett's sinewy and sensual sound is most appealing.”
Toronto Star, April 17, 2000
G.F. Handel’s Messiah, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
“Alan Bennett's tenor is ineffably sweet.”
Saint Paul Pioneer Press, December 17, 1999
“Alan Bennett's graceful lyric tenor was heard to good effect in Comfort ye and the ensuing aria Ev'ry Valley.”
Star Tribune, December 17, 1999
Evangelist / Arias in J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Carmel Bach Festival:
“Standing out is the tenor Alan Bennett, whose singing is amazingly creamy, smooth as silk.”
National Review, August 30, 1999
“Tenor Alan Bennett, in his festival debut in the role of the Evangelist, proved to be a worthy successor to David Gordon who set a standard of musical excellence that is hard to live up to. Bennett was not only a fine interpreter, bringing much meaning and flavor to his music, but also as soloist in a number of arias full of virtuosic pitfalls, performed in outstanding fashion. Two arias in particular, one with flute obbligato and the other a quasi-operatic extravaganza heard toward the end of the afternoon, truly tested his endurance and artistic quotient.”
Carmel Pine Cone, July 22, 1999
W.A. Mozart's Requiem, Tafelmusik, Toronto:
“Alan Bennett (replacing Benjamin Butterfield) sculpted a particularly clean tenor line”
Toronto Star, February 15, 1999
G.F. Handel’s Messiah, Les Violons du Roy, Quebec City:
“Alan Bennett , the tenor soloist of one's dreams.”
Toronto Star, December 21, 1998
J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra:
“Alan Bennett was both a text-sensitive Evangelist and a soloist of fluency.”
Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1998
G.F. Handel’s Messiah with Houston Masterworks Chorus:
“Bennett had the largest role. He sang with beautiful tone, fervent involvement and a stellar handling of text.”
Houston Chronicle, April 22, 1998
G.F. Handel’s Messiah, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra:
“The entire quartet was splendid, but Bennett's particularly lucid and heartfelt singing commanded attention whenever he rose to his feet.”
Atlanta Journal & Constitution, December 1997
Apollo / Jove, Luigi Rossi's Orfeo, Boston Early Music Festival:
“The most successful cast members were the pearly-voiced Cyndia Sieden; and especially the free-voiced tenor Alan Bennett, who was outstanding in the double roles of Apollo and Jove.”
Boston Globe, June 11, 1997
“Mr. Bennett's lovely tenor illuminated Apollo and Jove.”
Wall Street Journal, June 19, 1997
Evangelist, J.S. Bach's St. John Passion, University of California, Davis:
“Tenor Alan Bennett's work in the central, arduous role of the Evangelist was also heroic. Not only did he produce all those high notes with a fluid ease, but he seemed to feel the emotional weight of every word of the Gospel story while never dragging the pace of the narration. He was movingly like a witness John himself.”
Sacramento Bee, March 12, 1996 |
