OPERA REVIEWS: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE JE NE SAIS QUOI

The purpose of this file is not to show off what great things were said about me, but rather to show that it doesn’t really matter how well you perform: most reviewers are in the business of making themselves look clever, intelligent and knowledgeable. Often their very attempts to demonstrate these qualities show just the opposite, and equally often their tastes don’t reflect the opinions of the audiences they are part of. Enjoy.
I have sorted them according to opera and role rather than date, because the date doesn’t matter. Once you’re good, you’re good.

Role
Opera Composer Date Company Conductor Director Review title Author Publication Quote Comments
Alfred Allegretto The Amazing Adventure of Alvin Allegretto Bruce Adolphe 1/31/1995 Metropolitan Opera Guild Steve Crawford Mel Marvin Young Rebel With a Cause: He Doesn't Want to Sing Edward Rothstein The New York Times Mr. Adolphe's score gently alludes to Despina and "Don Giovanni" while making certain that the singers – including Judith Engel, Adam Klein, Gregory Sheppard and Laureen Vigil – could be clearly understood by listeners alien to Harmony. Before I made my tenor stage debut at the Met proper, I was hired by the Met Guild to do this opera for kids. Through it I met Steve Crawford, one of the smartest and most musical people I know; he also knows more jokes than I do. I also learned that according to some people I look good in yellow, and that most people don't.
Alfredo La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi 4/4/1995 Opera Theater of Connecticut Elizabeth Hastings Alan Mann Opera Theater of Connecticut's 'La Traviata proves a triumphant finale for annual event Frank Wagner Islander, Sanibel FL Adam Klein's Alfredo was near perfection, not only in his vocal prowess but also his acting ability. It abounded in great truthfulness and a sincerity of purpose that is quite rare for opera performers. I hate Alfredo. I had a cold when I sang this performance. My mom came over from Virginia to see it and did some nice paintings in John "Ding" Darling State Park. I saw an American Crocodile there.
      The Gastone was Brian Scott, with whom I'd done The Tempest at IU. I taught him to play jaw harp. He died soon after that. Crying shame.
Alfredo La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi 3/3/1996 Austin Lyric Opera Louis Salemno Joe McLain Weak acting, singing mark Austin Lyric's production of 'Traviata' Jerry Young Austin American-
Statesman
Although her tone was heartbreakingly gorgeous, Zambalis lacked the vocal power to project that vitality. It was especially noticeable alongside the effortless singing of tenor Adam Klein, who played her lover, Alfredo…
     Ironically, as Violetta's flower faded, Zambalis' vocal powers rose… Her phrasing was exquisite and emotionally charged… she captured Verdi's old-style, catch-in-the-throat emotionality without sacrificing credibility.\ The same was true for Klein's Alfredo. He looked the part of an irresponsible kid who leaves home and falls in love with a beautiful courtesan, bringing shame upon his family. This came across especially well at the end of the second act, where he is admonished to return home by his father, Giorgio, sung by Kimm Julian…
     Like Zambalis, Klein's strengths resided in his rich sound and his ability to project his character through his voice, neither of which he sacrificed for sheer volume. It was the right choice because he kept his character in sharp focus. But he paid the price from time to time, especially when he would find acoustically dead spots from which it was hard for him to be heard.
No one told me about the dead spots. And Stella was fantastic.
     I saw Bobby Brubaker at the Met several years after this production, and a short time after his debut in Austin as Siegmund. He relayed a story about me that he heard while in Austin. It is said that during Traviata I fell in love with a chorus member and took up residence with a homeless community on the banks of the river there. Neither is true. I was already in love with someone whose father lives in Austin, I became good friends with my dresser who later became a member of the chorus, and I took long day-hikes along the river. Opera thrives on rumors. I'm glad that most of them are harmless.
     From my sponsor there I learned that the people of Austin knew Rock Hudson was coming there to visit a guy years before the rest of the country heard he liked guys. The world is full of facts like that. Get to know the place you're in: it'll probably surprise you.
Alfredo La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi 11/11/1997 Opera Roanoke David Wiley Craig Fields 'La Traviata' superb Seth Williamson The Roanoke Times Which brings us to the other reason you want to see this show, which is tenor Adam Klein. Visually, his Alfredo is perfect: handsome, sympathetic, imperially slim and moving with practiced ease across the stage. Add to that an instrument that is possibly the best tenor voice I've ever heard in an Opera Roanoke production and you've got an opera star the likes of which isn't heard frequently on a regional stage. Yeah, he once reached for a high C that he didn't quite nail to the wall — but then, it was an octave above what Verdi called for in the first place. This was my last, I hope, Alfredo. You can have it. Not only is it  really hard to sing but it's also thankless — except when you get reviews like this one. Thanks.
Alfredo La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi 6/15/2000 Mira Yang Steven Lay Mira Yang 'Traviata' Plays Well in Church Joseph McLellan The Washington Post The most impressive voice was that of tenor Adam Klein as Alfredo. His singing was warmly emotional, responsive to each of the opera's quickly changing situations, rich in tone and precise in pitch and diction. This was a semi-staged concert version with one violin in the third act and the rest of the music was played by Steven Lay at the piano.
Arturo Lucia di Lammermoor Gaetano Donizetti 3/21/1992 Indianapolis Opera James Caraher David Pfeiffer Saffer is a 'diva' in title role Charles Staff The Indianapolis News With his individualized timbre, tenor Adam Klein is obviously too good for the small role of Arturo… I’m sorry, I thought there were no small roles.
Arturo Lucia di Lammermoor Gaetano Donizetti 3/22/1992 Indianapolis Opera James Caraher David Pfeiffer 'Lucia di Lammermoor' solid, radiant Jay Harvey The Indianapolis Star As Arturo, tenor Adam Klein immediately made a good impression on his second act entrance– something his character is eager to do as well in raising the spirits of the friends and followers of Enrico. Oh yes, I came in pressing the flesh like a politician. My favorite part of it was mock flirting with Tom Woodman the Enrico. –During rehearsal breaks, not performances.
Arturo Lucia di Lammermoor Gaetano Donizetti 4/1/1992 Indianapolis Opera James Caraher David Pfeiffer 'Lucia di Lammermoor' sombre opera Charles Epstein Jewish Post & Opinion Adam Klein as the bridegroom had a brief but substantial appearance. He was quite effective in his portrayal. I try.
Bacchus Ariadne auf Naxos Richard Strauss 7/7/2001 Lake George Opera Festival Daniel Beckwith Marc Verzatt Opera season opens on fine note Geraldine Freedman The Post-Star [Ariadne's] paramour, Adam Klein as Bacchus, more than held his own with a strong tenor voice. Well, at least I got mentioned in this one.
Bacchus Ariadne auf Naxos Richard Strauss 7/7/2001 Lake George Opera Festival Daniel Beckwith Marc Verzatt 'Ariadne' holds audience rapt to open Lake George Opera Festival Mae G. Banner The Saratogian Opposites attract in Richard Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos." A high- minded composer and a coquettish comedienne are magnetically attracted to each other. Then, in the composer's opera-within-an-opera," the desolate, death-seeking Ariadne meets joyous Bacchus, the god of wine, and they fall under each other's spell. Banner gets a bit of kudos for putting the "s" on "Strauss's", but the opera is not within an opera. There is the prologue, then there is the opera. But the best part of this review was the photo of Mary Ann McCormick as the Composer, with the caption "Baritone Stephen Lusmann plays the Music Master in LGOF's "Ariadne auf Naxos."
Canio Pagliacci Ruggiero Leoncavallo 3/25/2003 Dicapo Opera Theater Louis Salemno Michael Capasso National Lyric Opera transports audience with "I Pagliacci" John R. Murelle Hyannis newspaper Adam Klein sang Canio, a part made famous by Enrico Caruso.
      Klein's credits include New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. He was the undisputed star of the performance. His singing is healthy, beautiful, dramatic and free. This role can overtake a singer, and he can get carried away vocally. Klein always stayed within the confines of his vocal technique while still delivering a riveting performance.
Gee, thanks, John.
Cassio Otello Giuseppe Verdi 10/24/1990 Pittsburgh Opera Theo Alcantara Tito Capobianco Pittsburgh Gladys Blews Wilson The Times (Pittsburgh) The supporting cast performs effectively. Adam Klein as Cassio and Patricia McAfee as Desdemona's maid, Emilia, deserve special recognition. Although both singers are young, they demonstrate technique that is not eclipsed by Atlantov, Johnson and Milnes. This is the same show that the Opera News reviewer Robert Croan saw. (q.v.)
Cassio Otello Giuseppe Verdi 3/16/1991 Pittsburgh Opera Theo Alcantara Tito Capobianco Pittsburgh Robert Croan Opera News Adam Klein's student-level Cassio proved embarrassing in this company. See the quote from Gladys Wilson.
Cassio Otello Giuseppe Verdi 10/3/1999 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Robin Guarino Evil Iago steals Virginia Opera's "Otello" Lee Tepley The Virginian- Pilot In an important secondary role, tenor Adam Klein was a youthful, somewhat naive Cassio. The bright clarity of his voice was refreshing. I’ll leave that alone.
Cassio Otello Giuseppe Verdi 10/15/1999 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Robin Guarino 'Otello' puts some stellar voices on display Daniel Neman Richmond Times-Dispatch Special care was also taken in the casting of some of the secondary characters. With a ringing tenor, Adam Klein (Roméo in last year's "Roméo et Juliette") is particularly noteworthy as the wronged Cassio. I spent my offstage time playing Talking Heads tunes on the banjo.
Cavaradossi Tosca Giacomo Puccini 3/14/1993 Nashville Opera Kenneth Schermerhorn Whitfield Lloyd 'Tosca' delights lovers of Puccini's grand opera Henry Arnold Nashville Banner To begin with, there were some splendid voices singing Puccini's passionate melodies. Soprano Nova Thomas in the title role, with tenor Adam Klein as her lover, Cavaradossi, and baritone Duncan Hartman as the villainous Baron Scarpia, headed a strong cast…
     Klein, too, sang with tremendous satisfaction. His final aria, E lucevan le stelle (When stars were brightly shining), sung just before his death, was as moving a moment as one is likely to experience in opera.
One would think, with a review like this, that Nashville Opera would have had me back. But for some reason which the new directors of the company will not reveal, neither I nor Duncan Hartman will tread the stage of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center anytime soon. I feel I have a right to know, at least, what I possibly could have done to deserve this treatment– not that engagements in Nashville will make or break my career.
     While I was there for this Tosca I got to attend, in my off-time, the recording sessions of my brother Moondi's band Chesapeake's first album, Rising Tide.
Cavaradossi Tosca Giacomo Puccini 3/14/1993 Nashville Opera Kenneth Schermerhorn Whitfield Lloyd Soprano delivers a riveting 'Tosca' Alan Bostick Nashville Banner Tenor Klein, whose voice was often overwhelmed in Act 1, saved his best singing for the enchanting late E lucevan le stelle ("And the stars shone"), delivered with great tenderness. This was my first Cavaradossi and this reviewer was being kind. I figured a lot out during the rehearsals, but didn't have it all down by performance time. It was surprisingly difficult to get my voice to be unaffected by the emotions I was feeling during E lucevan le stelle– not helped by a concurrent sad chapter in my personal life. One major issue for singing actors is disconnecting the vocal production from the emotional production and still managing to do both: it's one of the challenges that keep me interested.
Cavaradossi Tosca Giacomo Puccini 7/2/1998 Central City Opera John Moriarty Marc Astafan Opera stages '3 tenors' 'Tosca' act Wes Blomster Boulder Daily Camera And then there's Adam Klein, who — like the rabbit out of the magician's hat — flew into the state to make Wednesday's matinee something of a second season opener.
     For Klein, originally scheduled to "become" Cavaradossi for the second half of the CCO season, is an exceptional singer.
     His is a tenor voice cut from the cloth usually reserved for baritones. His voice, both rich and resonant, has a timbre that makes him a dream-come-true in this role.
Again with the baritone timbre. Listen. It's almost all technical. If you sing in the yawn position, you're almost guaranteed to be perceived as having a vocal color at least one category deeper than what you actually are.
     This gig showed me why relative height is taken into account when making casting decisions. Sheila Smith (the first Tosca) is six foot one, and I’m barely five foot ten. With lifts both inside and under my boots I was still looking up at her. Peter Riberi, whom I replaced for shows 2 through 7 before my official run started with Pam South (five foot one or so) would have seen her eye to eye.
     A correction: I didn't fly into Central to do these shows. I drove, as usual, taking three days from New Jersey.
Don Curzio The Marriage of Figaro Wolfgang Mozart 8/8/1991 Chautauqua Opera Gary Magby Joshua Major 'The Marriage of Figaro' is first-class Hugh Fraser Chautauquan Daily (no mention was made of my character or of me in this review, but I was in the photo that accompanied it.) It was a job. I was an apprentice. I got to be funny.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 2/2/1991 Skylight Opera Theatre Richard Carsey Francesca Zambello Streamlined 'Carmen' exudes intensity Tom Strini The Milwaukee Journal Next to [Diane Lane], Adam Klein's Don José is thin and weak, but that's the point. Unlike Carmen, Don José knows not who or what he is. In this he is the opposite of the dead-sure Carmen, and her complement. He is inevitably drawn to her and consumed by her. He does not kill her in anger or frustration, but because his pale, helpless destiny is only to complete Carmen's meteoric vision of herself. Thin and weak. Hmm.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 2/2/1991 Skylight Opera Theatre Richard Carsey Francesca Zambello Skylight's perplexing 'Carmen' has Pandora's box of questions Nancy Raabe The (Milwaukee) Sentinel As Don José, Adam Klein possessed even less range; he was bland and ineffectual, for the most part, and we understood neither how he could fall so obsessively in love nor be driven to so heinous a crime. Bland and ineffectual. Hmm. I'd like someone to explain to me why so many people need logical reasons why anyone falls in love with anyone else.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 2/21/1991 Skylight Opera Theatre Richard Carsey Francesca Zambello Intimate, simple 'Carmen' pleases Grand audience Jaye Anderson Oshkosh Northwestern The most outstanding, riveting performances of the show were given by the two lead characters – Diane Lane as the gypsy, Carmen, and Adam Klein as her lover, Don Jose, a soldier caught between duty to family and his desire for Carmen and her wild life…
     Klein gave a quiet but intense performance, expressing his character mostly through subtle expressions and intense emotion. His singing was lovely and precisely controlled, even in difficult high ranges.
Was this the same show in which I was thin, weak, bland and ineffectual? Not in Oshkosh, apparently.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/10/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn Pennsylvania Opera comes up with freshly scrubbed 'Carmen' Robert Baxter Courier Post (Cherry Hill, NJ) Only a cast of important singers is missing from this production… Kidwell and her Jose, Adam Klein, do not rise to the furious duet that climaxes the opera. Here, Vaughn missteps, urging both singers on to histrionic excess.
     Kidwell postures outrageously as Klein throws her around the stage before Jose stabs Carmen. Their overwrought acting and undernourished singing undercut this climactic scene…
     Klein's good looks and appealing, if monotonously colored, voice serve well in the first act. His singing, however, lacks the weight in mid-range and the security on top for Jose's fierce outbursts in the final two acts.
But Thea Diamond said I was especially convincing in Act Four!
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/10/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn Pa. Opera closes with a 'Carmen' staged as personal tragedy Daniel Webster The Philadelphia Inquirer The singing of the central roles did not, however, match the general ingenuity of staging and lively orchestral playing that was the norm. By choosing intimacy and tragedy as the focus, the dimensions of Don Jose became crucial. Adam Klein, a lyric tenor who often sang gracefully, had little gift for suggesting the impassioned figure. He tends to stroll or roll his eyes as if this were a domestic comedy. Domestic comedy. Hmm.
     There is a reason that this company had standing orders not to discuss reviews during the run of the show.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/16/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn Pa. Opera Theater presents 'Carmen' Pat Gibbons Suburban and Wayne Times Adam Klein, [Carmen's] hapless lover, did not seem up to the role. Winning Don Jose seemed too easy – where was the challenge? I got the best applause, except for Micaela, in all three performances. Everyone but the critics must have been idiots.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/17/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn Opera Theater's 'Carmen' aflame with power, passion Michael Caruso Chestnut Hill Local (Philadelphia, PA) T-POT's cast for Carmen was one of the best it's ever offered…
     Tenor Adam Klein efficaciously communicated Don Jose's desperate love for Carmen, a love that would inspire him to abondon everything he has always held dear and drive him to murder, but he made poor use of the fine voice nature has given him by swallowing rather than freely projecting his tone. He simply doesn't sing well.
And Michael Caruso got his vocal degree where?
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/17/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn Pennsylvania Opera Theater: Carmen Gary L. Day Philadelphia Gay News Less successful as an actor was Adam Klein as Don José, Carmen's tragic lover. Klein's strengths lay more in his vocal talents. Throughout the piece, Klein was at least good, and there were times when his rich tones truly resonated. However, as an actor he was somewhat limited, but overall that did not diminish his effectiveness significantly. But Peter Burwasser said my character was good and the voice was thin and hard! Which should I believe??
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/22/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn A Draggy 'Carmen', A Bouncy 'Flute' Thea Diamond Welcomat Philadelphia, PA Tenor Adam Klein played Jose like a petulant little boy who is always furious with his older sister for teasing him. Klein is not assisted by the dialogue…
     Whereas spoken dialogue gives us a chance to "get to know" the characters, the 19th-Century diction is stilted and trite. After Carmen tosses a carnation at Jose, he confides, "Her flower struck me like a bullet." Later, he muses, "She's like a cat–if you ignore her, she comes." These conceits need to be delivered with raw feeling in order to avoid sounding hackneyed and laughable.
     But Klein said his lines without even a flush of agony; nor did his body language confess to any inner torment. Which forces me to conclude that reintroducing spoken dialogue is fine and dandy–as long as your singers can act. Otherwise, stick to the music. Klein never failed to emote when he is singing. He was especially convincing in act four, when, tortured by unrequited love, he goes to pieces in song and murders Carmen.
Give me lines that can be acted and I'll act them. This translation sucked.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 5/31/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn Opera Queens: Carmen at the PA Opera Theater; The Magic Flute at the Academy of Vocal Arts Peter Burwasser Philadelphia City Paper The lead singers, however, compromised the ultimate impact of this Carmen. The Don Jose of Adam Klein was, for once, suitably boyish, making the naiveté of the soldier/country bumpkin especially believable. But vocally, this was a thin, hard tenor, lacking the bloom at the big moments that audiences take for granted. Jody Kidwell has an attractive voice, but her impersonation of the sultry gypsy was simply underplayed. In her final moments, when Klein skillfully displayed a sense of menace maddened by passion, Kidwell seemed more annoyed than threatened. It was a sort of Carmen the Yenta: "Oy, Don Jose, you give me such a headache with your kvetching, already." But Gary Day said my strengths lay in my vocal talents! Who is correct??
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 6/7/1991 The Pennsylvania Opera Theater Barbara Silverstein Dona D. Vaughn TPOT's 'Carmen and her country boy of a lover, Don José Monroe Levin Jewish Exponent (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania Opera Theater's recent "Carmen" production had one feature not likely to have been seen before in the opera's 116-year history: a Don Jose who looks, moves and speaks like a shy, unsophisticated country boy – like someone, that is, who might very well have listened to his mother and married Micaela if Carmen had not danced her "Seguidilla" for him.
     Adam Klein was the owner of this unusual stage presence, as well as of a tenor voice with sweetness on top and ample power when called for. It was fascinating to watch him change from bumpkin to brute under the music's compulsion, even if the brief hold he had on a girl like Carmen was less than credible.
This was one of the only reviews of that time that had something useful for a press kit, and amid so many scathers too. Thanks, Monroe.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 10/14/1993 Whitewater Opera Charles Combopiano Nelson Sheeley Sorg scores coup with 'Carmen' Alma Jean Smith The Middletown Journal Among the soloists, Adam Klein stands out for his thoughtfully-conceived and movingly sung portrayal of Don Jose. The growth and change in this character throughout the show is evident. Is "Flower Song" is clearly the most memorable moment of the evening. This is a review of the performance at the Sorg Opera House in Middletown, Ohio, which despite its name is across the Indiana border from Whitewater. Paul Sorg was a magnate who built this opera house for the good people of Middletown to use, and it's an excellent house, as is the one in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This one, however, had its pit filled in with cement when the theater was converted to a movie house, and someone like Sorg should now come forward and fund the pit's re-excavation.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 7/29/1995 Portland Opera Repertory Theater Bruce Hangen Dona D. Vaughn Home-grown 'Carmen' performed brilliantly Nick Humez Portland Press Herald As her feckless dragoon lover Don Jose, Adam Klein displayed a fine tenor voice. His poignant lyricism in the feminine-ending appoggiaturas of "La fleur qui vous m'avez jetee" (Act II) was as moving as his distracted lethality in the final murder scene. Feminine-ending appoggiaturas, very good. Too bad he or the typesetter got the relative pronoun wrong (should be que instead of qui) in the aria quote. I also don't get why newspapers so often fail to include the accent marks that are required in languages like French.\ This was performed at the State Theater in Portland, where many kinds of music were featured, including my brother Moondi's band Chesapeake, who had signed the wall in the dressing-room area. I signed the wall next to Auldridge's dobro drawing.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 8/4/1995 Portland Opera Repertory Theater Bruce Hangen Dona D. Vaughn Carmen seduces the men and her audience Robert Newell Maine Times Tenor Adam Klein, the easily manipulated Don Jose, displayed a fresh, virile voice that sometimes slipped into declamation rather than following the vocal line. Nonetheless, his La fleur que tu m'avais jetee was delivered with the requisite pathos that melts Carmen – for the moment. Further, Klein has a youthful exuberance that spanned the footlights easily. Singers have declaimed where notes are printed since day one. I too am guilty. But I go farther: I'll stay on pitch but be more talking than singing, like sprechstimme. I don't remember when or if I did that in Portland, but I must have done something.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 9/26/1995 New York City Opera Andreas Delfs Christian Smith New Young Voices in City Opera's 'Carmen' Anthony Tommasini The New York Times Making his debut as Don José was Adam Klein, a young tenor who not so long ago was singing the boy soprano role of Yniold in a Metropolitan Opera production of Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande." Sunday's City Opera debut surely represented an exciting arrival for this New York native.
     Mr. Klein has a sweet voice and musicianly instincts. He moves comfortably on the stage and does not overact. He gave a creditable performance of this taxing role and won a big ovation from the audience.\ But for Mr. Klein to be singing Don José in this house at this stage of his career is at least a stretch and perhaps a miscalculation. He doesn't yet have the vocal weight to support the role. Too often his voice seemed perilously pushed. His soft legato singing, so comfortable in midrange, was full of effort at the top. It is not that his performance was trouble-plagued; merely that there are signs of trouble ahead if Mr. Klein is not careful. His lovely, light voice should be nurtured, yet the company has cast him later this season in an even heftier role, Mario in Puccini's "Tosca."
This fixation on my young age (35!) has puzzled me ever since the review came out. Typing this into my computer it occurred to me that Tommasini might have thought I sang the Met Yniold in the 80s, not the one in 1971. That would have made sense of the "not so long ago" comment, since my bio didn't specify which production I was in. Anyway, he did go on, didn't he.
     For the record, the role of José has never been taxing for me, this was my fifth production as José, and I'm now singing roles much heavier than José or Mario.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 11/2/1999 OperaDelaware David Lawton Bill Fabris 'Carmen' captivates on strength of players, musical score Rick Mulroney The News Journal For his part, Klein used his strong yet supple voice and expressive manner to maximum effect in his sympathetic portrayal of the anguished desire that drives José to the story's murderous climax. I think this was done on the same set that Chautauqua Opera used in 1985, when I was in the chorus. And I sang choral concerts under David Lawton in the late "1970s" at SUNY Stony Brook.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 10/7/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman This gypsy evokes lust, not love Clarke Bustard Richmond Times-Dispatch Chianakas' dark, throaty mezzo-soprano voice fits the role of Carmen, at least until she starts spitting tone at Klein. His tenor is urgent and virile, almost too heroic for the part, and his stage movements have an unaffected physicality that several of his costars should study carefully. It should be spelled, "Chianakas's". Unless it's plural, you need the "s".
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 10/8/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman Va. Opera offers a playful 'Carmen' David Nicholson Daily Press And what could be more pathetic than this version of Don Jose, whose obsession for Carmen drives him into a downward spiral.
     When tenor Adam Klein appears in Act IV, his appearance filthy clothes, erratic movements and crazed eyes — is a shocker. It's obvious that Don Jose has been pushed way over the edge…
     Klein did a fine job portraying Don Jose as an innocent who's bewitched by this exotic gypsy. His tenor voice carried well through most of the opera though he pushed its limits in the final emotional scene.
I like to make them think I'm working hard. One of the exciting things about listening to Leyontine Price was that it was so wild-sounding you didn't know whether she'd make it to the end, and for me it was thrilling to hear her actually get there. I guess for some people it's worrying, though. But if they can't tell from hearing my basic technique that I'm going to be all right, then they don't know enough about singing.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 10/8/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman Virginia Opera starts with high-energy "Carmen" Lee Tepley The Virginian- Pilot Klein's voice has a deep, almost baritone quality that served the lower ranges of his part well. Higher notes did not seem to trouble him either, either with full power or with even more interesting soft notes. His acting and singing made him a sympathetic figure. By the last scene, after Carmen had completely destroyed him, Klein's visual transformation and acting were truly alarming. Color and weight in a voice, as in life, are not the same thing. I have never been a baritone because my voice is not that weight.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 10/10/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman "Carmen" with the Virginia Opera John C. Shulson WHRO-FM As her lover, Don Jose, tenor Adam Klein nicely handles the task at hand. He's been cast as a Dudley Doo-Right kind of guy. A blonde-haired, prim and proper mama's boy. His character is so pure that one can easily see why Carmen targeted him for seduction. Dramatically, he progresses well enough from good guy to outcast. If there's a quibble in his characterization, it rests with his transformation into what seems to be a slightly psychotic soul at the end. I suppose he was the image of a man defeated in love who gave up everything and ended with nothing. But he appeared to be dazed or on drugs, staggering about the stage, wild-eyed. While he obviously loses his dignity in the proceedings, somehow this bit of craftsmanship seemed a little over the top.
      Nevertheless, as a spider-in-her-web portrayal, he made an appropriately fine partner for his Carmen and vocally did the role justice. In particular, Klein deserves commendation for handling the demands of the demanding Flower Song with sensitivity and for meeting the challenges of its heights successfully, although not without strain. As the evening progressed, his upper register seemed to take on a forced quality that makes one a bit apprehensive over the extra performances added to this opera's run.
Oh, he knows how it should go, doesn't he. And as with the City Opera production, I had no vocal trouble with any of the 9 performances we did, which by the way were originally ten, then knocked down to eight, and bumped back to nine as the tickets sold. Contracts were amended.
Don José Carmen Georges Bizet 10/17/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman Carmen More Than Lives Up To Her Reputation B. J. Atkinson Port Folio Weekly Tenor Adam Klein, a controlled and well-paced actor, convincingly portrayed Don Jose's psychological unraveling from a wuss under the iron control of his mother (truly a player in this story, though not an actual character) to a broken man who stalks and murders the cause of his ruin, the object of his obsessive love, the defiant Carmen.\ Klein sang not only with ringing high notes, but with a warmth in the baritone range that tenors sometimes lose. Jose's famous aria, "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee," brought an expected ovation. Well, well, something useable for once. Whether true or not. (True, of course.)
Don Ottavio Don Giovanni Wolfgang Mozart 10/5/1984 Scovasso Opera Company Stephen Scovasso Stephen Scovasso Don Giovanni Jennie Schulman Back Stage "Don Ottavio in the person of Adam Klein possessed a tenor of such magnificent timbre that his rendition of "Il Mio Tesoro" stopped the show for quite a spell." I got this part because Al Tepedino couldn't make the dates.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 2/24/1995 Opera Saskatchewan Tyrone Paterson Irving Guttman Rigoletto shines Bernard Pilon The Leader-Post, Regina The first of Verdi's three enormously successful operas takes place in Mantua, home of the Duke of Mantua (Adam Klein)…
     The final heart-wrenching pathos wouldn't have moved a soul had the principals been poor.\ They were superb.\ As Tyrone Paterson elicited fine music from the Regina Symphony Orchestra, Dietsch and Klein and Zhang took turns stunning the crowd.
     They, along with Milne and Stilwell and Watson, turned out virtuoso performances
This little Rigoletto, my second, took Regina by surprise. Many first-timers had no idea live theater could be so hot, specifically the Duke-Maddalena scene. Jean Stilwell and I are inhibition-free actors.
     This was also the place I discovered curling and met Sandra Peterson, later Schmirler, then Canadian and World Champion and later Olympic Champion, then killed by cancer. I was a major fan.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 2/24/1995 Opera Saskatchewan Tyrone Paterson Irving Guttman Rigoletto shines Bernard Pilon The Leader-Post, Regina The first of Verdi's three enormously successful operas takes place in Mantua, home of the Duke of Mantua (Adam Klein)…
     The final heart-wrenching pathos wouldn't have moved a soul had the principals been poor.\ They were superb.
     As Tyrone Paterson elicited fine music from the Regina Symphony Orchestra, Dietsch and Klein and Zhang took turns stunning the crowd.
     They, along with Milne and Stilwell and Watson, turned out virtuoso performances.
This little Rigoletto, my second, took Regina by surprise. Many first-timers had no idea live theater could be so hot, specifically the Duke-Maddalena scene. Jean Stilwell and I are inhibition-free actors.
     This was also the place I discovered curling and met Sandra Peterson, later Schmirler, then Canadian and World Champion and later Olympic Champion, then killed by cancer. I was a major fan.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 6/21/1995 Opera Saskatchewan Tyrone Paterson Irving Guttman Regina Richard Ewen Opera Canada Adam Klein (the Duke) gave a portrayal more noble than lascivious. He was in good voice and delivered his arias with gusto. We opened some Saskatchewan eyes with the Maddalena scene. They didn’t know that sort of thing could be seen in opera. They ate it up. And in my offtime I discovered the great sport of Curling.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 7/8/1996 Central City Opera John Moriatry Adelaide Bishop Evil lurks in CCO's exciting 'Rigoletto' Wes Blomster Daily Camera And to make sure that [Gilda's innocence] doesn't [survive], CCO artistic director John Moriarty has engaged a Duke designed to be the anti-hero of women's liberation.\ Adam Klein – the third CCO debut on Saturday – has a bright, slightly metallic tenor that is at its very best in the score's many ensembles.
     And in this most unjust of all possible worlds, Klein employs his charisma to make clear that the Duke will spend the rest of his days unpunished, bouncing from bed to bed with the elasticity of a bungee jumper.
Ask anyone: I'm a diehard feminist. One of the reasons I liked doing the Duke was that there really are rascals like that out there, and I like my art to be a mirror that reflects the audience on themselves. If I get them to hate me in a role like this I'm satisfied I've done my job.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 7/8/1996 Central City Opera John Moriatry Adelaide Bishop 'Rigoletto' a drama without drama Marc Shugold Rocky Mountain News Most of the blame must be pointed at Bishop, who allowed this story of curses, vengeance, thoughtless crimes and courtly tomfoolery to unfold in lifeless fashion…
     Adam Klein was a handsome Duke but proved leaden in his portrayal of this complex, potentially interesting hero/villain. Neither his big hit mentioned earlier nor the earlier Questa o quella raised the pulse.
"Withering" doesn't begin to cover it. I can assure you the audience disagreed.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 7/9/1996 Central City Opera John Moriatry Adelaide Bishop 'Rigoletto' voices strike it rich Glenn Giffin Denver Post And the Duke? This was tenor Adam Klein who can deliver his moments of vocal glory with fullout abandon. HIs voice has the masculine quality that sounds virile, yet soars to the high notes without strain and a nicely ringing quality. Physically, this is a Duke who has hot hormone flashes almost constantly. One would have liked to see more of him, but the opera presents only a stereotype. Klein deserves better. Despite these accolades for me, this review criticized the production, mostly the stage direction. But the review was rife with errors. This prompted me to email the following to the Denver Post, which they partly printed. Parts not printed are in brackets.

[To the Editor.]
     I wish to point out some factual errors in Glenn Giffin's review of the Central City Opera production of RIGOLETTO.
      [First,] Mr. Giffin writes that the opera demands that Rigoletto be a crippled hunchback. Not so: only a hunchback is required. Rigoletto's movement isn't required to be impaired to the point of crippling him. The hump is on his back, not his feet.
     [Second, the soprano aria is printed as "Caro Nome." The convention when printing Italian aria titles is to capitalize only as it is capitalized in the libretto, and not, as in English, to capitalize all but words like "and" and "the". Thus the proper printed title of this aria is "Caro nome."]
     [Third, Mr. Giffin] He also states that Monterone curses Rigoletto and not the Duke, and that this is "to real life as potato chips are to nutrition" and "one of those black holes that dot opera." Incorrect: Monterone first curses the Duke and Rigoletto together, then curses Rigoletto alone. Mr. Giffin's attention must have been elsewhere when Monterone sang, "Jester and Duke now hear as I curse you." When he returns in Act 2 on the way to his execution, Monterone sings, in this translation, "In vain did I break on your revels to curse you; O Duke, live contented, I die unavenged." He makes no reference to his curse on Rigoletto, so it should be clear, [though evidently not to Mr. Giffin,] that the curse which Monterone thinks more important is the one he laid upon the Duke. [Incidentally, potato chips, as snacks foods go, are extremely nutritious.]
     [This may seem trivial to some, but these errors of Mr. Giffin's throw doubt on the rest of his review - favorable and unfavorable opinions alike - for those familiar with the opera, and augments the ignorance of those not so familiar. Ignorance, on any subject, is not trivial, I would think, for a newspaper, whose business it is to keep the reading public informed.]
     [The fourth error (or fifth, if one counts the one about potato chips) is the statement that RIGOLETTO "will be given five additional performances through Aug. 4." In fact, there will be eleven other performances through Aug. 10. I have no idea how Mr. Giffin came up with this inaccuracy.]
     (The Post substituted the following for this last paragraph, in the process making another error: Lastly, 11 more performances of "Rigoletto" will be given through Aug. 4, not five as stated in the review.)
     [By the way, on your Opinions page, where you print the address for LETTERS, you print "Letters of 200 words or less are preferred..." Grammatically, "200 words or fewer" is the accepted phrasing, as "less" refers to quantities without plurals, such as water and sand, while "fewer" refers to divisible quantities like people, cars and words. It's rather humorous that you follow this incorrect construction with "all letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy." If you and your reviewers are prone to such mistakes as I have listed here, your ability to edit letters received from the public at large is rather suspect, is it not?]
[Yours]
Adam Klein (The Duke in RIGOLETTO)
Central City
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 7/11/1996 Central City Opera John Moriatry Adelaide Bishop Rigoletto's heart is in its performances Kay Turnbaugh The Mountain-Ear Treachery comes from Adam Klein as the lecherous duke. His tenor voice soars and entreats, it beckons with abandon, and he's at his best in the famous aria, "Woman is fickle," and in duets with Gamberoni. He is dashing and seductive, and it's understandable that women fall for him like aspen leaves. For those of you who don't know, aspen is about the only broad-leaved tree in great swaths of Colorado. Also, this paper gets the prize for Most Awful Pun Masquerading As Publication Name.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 7/19/1996 Central City Opera John Moriatry Adelaide Bishop A Rigoletto that is a production for our times Bob and Anne Hunter Weekly
Register-Call
Adam Klein's "Duke" is a sleazy character preying on women for his own delight. Too bad for Gilda such a bum has such a beautiful voice and handles it so very well. He is a real talent, although physically slight and less commanding than one would expect from a nobleman. My first Central City gig. It's not so much the thinness of the air that makes it hard to sing (because less breath can be taken in and used per phrase), it's the lack of oxygen (because less oxygen is available to the muscles around the vocal folds to replenish their supply as they work). It takes three weeks for your body to manufacture the extra red corpuscles to compensate for it. Then again, people with breathy techniques will suffer more at 8500 feet than others will.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 7/25/1996 Central City Opera John Moriatry Adelaide Bishop Come As You Aria M. S. Mason Westword Lovely soprano Kathryn Gamberoni as Gilda projects innocence and affection with admirable clarity, and Adam Klein's nasty Duke is both insidious and masterful – a real thrill to hear. Kathryn Gamberoni quit opera a year or two after this production. She was a very good singing actress, but she'd had enough of the business.
Duca Rigoletto Giuseppe Verdi 9/1/1997 The Opera Company of El Paso Ted Taylor Marc Astafan EL PASO Jaime Castañeda Opera News With Adam Klein's forward enunciation, especially in the lower register, the Duke's cynical intentions were made vivid. Because of this gig I learned that the first Europeans, not counting Vikings, to enter the territory now claimed by the contiguous United States were not Pilgrims but Spaniards, and they came through El Paso. They celebrate "first Thanksgiving" there on a different date than Turkey Day.
     Because of this gig I got to: explore Carslbad Caverns; learn that in Mexico as well as in Chinese food markets, the smell of the food is an important selling point, whereas in American ones they try to make everything seem so sterile that you can barely even smell the cheeses; and discover Tang sabor Durazno, or Peach flavored Tang, the best processed-sugar powdered drink on the planet. (See the article on Tang elsewhere on this website.)
     Kudos goes to Señor Castañeda, who among a sea of incorrectness uses the word "enunciation" to describe how well my words came across, instead of the usual "diction," which though millions use it that way doesn't just mean enunciation but also choice and use of words — so "enunciation" is the unambiguous, hence preferable, choice.
Elemer Arabella Richard Strauss 12/23/2001 The Metropolitan Opera Christoph Eschenbach Stephen Pickover Off-Peak Performance Peter G. Davis New York Metro The supporting cast is also first-rate: Raymond Very (Matteo) and Adam Klein (Elemer), winning interpreters of two tenor roles with few rewards for much hard work; Eric Halfvarson and Judith Forst, vocally and visually impeccable as Arabella's low-living parents; and Laura Aikin, a Fiakermilli whose cork-popping coloratura in the party scene is positively awesome. Yaa, awesome, dude!
Erik The Flying Dutchman Richard Wagner 11/18/1985 IU Opera Theater Thomas Baldner Ross Allen Lessons in 'The Flying Dutchman' Peter Jacobi The Herald-Telephone (Bloomington) There's a splendid tenor developing in Adam Klein, the Erik, and a strong one, too. Erik at age 25, and then for fifteen years no one thought I could sing Wagner.
Erik Der Fliegende Holländer Richard Wagner 10/25/2002 The Atlanta Opera William Fred Scott Nicolette Molnàr ‘Dutchman’ comes together marvelously Pierre Ruhe The Atlanta
Journal- Constitution
“The Flying Dutchman, handsomely directed by Nicolette Molnar and sung by a thoroughly solid cast, opened Thursday at the Fox Theatre — the single most cogent and skillfully assembled production I’ve experienced from this company — and is warmly recommended…
     The Daland, too, cut a three-dimensional figure, as Kurt Link’s bass had an antique timbre to it, a touch bitter. Adam Klein made Senta’s luckless suitor, Erik, a vivid, tormented fellow.
What, pray tell, is an antique timbre?
Faust Faust Charles Gounod 7/14/1993 Brevard Music Festival Henry Janiec Paul MacPhail Conductor Janiec offers solutions to 'Faust' opera John Bridges a paper in Asheville, NC Adam Klein as Faust showed a big, dramatic voice which was a baritone in quality, not tenor. He produces his top with force of will and his continual covering of his top robs it of "ping" or brilliance. His high B natural in Act 1 and C in the garden scene he wisely attacked in head voice and swelled them slightly. French opera is not about loud high notes. Both notes Bridges writes about here come over a pianissimo orchestra and destroy the intended effect if sung loud. Not that any tenors will ever listen to me about this.
Faust Faust Charles Gounod 7/14/1993 Brevard Music Festival Henry Janiec Paul MacPhail Brevard's production of opera 'Faust' looks to original Dawn D. Wilson The Mountaineer, Waynesville NC Adam Klein, who had the title role, brought dynamic emotion to the stage by the forceful way he took charge of the role. Klein, who has performed at the Met, is a talented tenor whose high, soaring notes were displayed incredible vocal control. This is a review of the same show John Bridges saw (q.v.). Too bad the second sentence has an extra verb in it.
First Armored Man The Magic Flute Wolfgang Mozart 9/16/1989 Indianapolis Opera James Caraher Robert Driver 'Magic Flute' a musical treat Charles Staff The Indianapolis News …The singing, not to mention the acting, was good down to the smallest part. Quite near the end, for instance, tenor Adam Klein made a significant impression as the First Man in Armour, no stellar role by any means. If it’s not a stellar role, why do heldentenors the world over get hired to do it? He has the best vocal line in the whole opera. This was my first solo mainstage role after completing grad school.
First Armored Man The Magic Flute Wolfgang Mozart 9/16/1989 Indianapolis Opera James Caraher Robert Driver City opera opener delights audience Jay Harvey The Indianapolis Star Other characters appear in twos and threes. As one of the men in armor with tenor Adam Klein, Denis Ryan Kelly seemed more secure than he had as a rather wooly-voiced Speaker of the Temple earlier. I had a lot of fun with Denis. He taught philosophy, of which he said, “It’s not that philolophy is an imprecise discipline: It’s just that its precision has a high degree of generality.
Georg (Erik) Der Fliegende Holländer Richard Wagner 6/11/2002 Spoleto Festival USA Emmanuel Villaume Chen Shi-Zheng From Chen Shi-Zheng’s Theatrical ‘Dutchman’ to a South African ‘Carmen’ Heidi Waleson The Wall Street Journal Adam Klein made Georg (usually Erik), Senta’s boyfriend before she got involved with demons, the one realistic character in the show. This was such a fun production. The spinning chorus wore beanie hats fixed up with big sail-like triangles. One of the few times I've seen a "modern" interpretation of an old opera work. I think it's because it was coordinated and committed. Don't do things half-assed. It won't work. But not only that: Shi-Zheng didn't go against the music as so many directors do. He found a way to stylize the action such that it happened along with the music but still maintained its own integrity, and both music and visuals were complemented and enhanced.
     I wish I'd kept the review from the local paper, which about me said something like, "Adam Klein achieved what is almost an operatic impossibility by musically defining Georg."
Grimoaldo Rodelinda George Frideric Handel 2/6/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Lillian Garrett-Groag Visual effects enhance Handel's "Rodelinda" Paul Sayegh The Virginian-Pilot Garrett-Groag was particularly successful in creating human characters. For instance, the director elicited from tenor Adam Klein a performance as the villainous Grimoaldo that not only exhibited the character's evil side, but also the inner lack of self-confidence that eventually would cost him the throne…
     Klein's voice seems to have grown in power and size since his appearances as Romeo, although he may have sacrificed some evenness of tone in the process. His singing was strong and heroic, although his fast music emerged somewhat rough-sounding.
You sing it.
Grimoaldo Rodelinda George Frideric Handel 2/8/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Lillian Garrett-Groag Rodelinda: Music And More Vince Brown Port Folio Weekly Tenor Adam Klein brings life to Grimoaldo, the conflicted usurper with a conscience. Bass Michael Meraw makes his Virginia Opera debut as Garibaldo, the manipulative scoundrel concerned only for himself. Both Klein and Meraw have rich male voices that provide a strong timbrel foundation. I would think a foundation made of timbrels would be unsteady at best. Spelling matters.
     Also, Michael Meraw is a baritone.
Grimoaldo Rodelinda George Frideric Handel 2/9/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Lillian Garrett-Groag High note of Virginia Opera's 'Rodelinda' is strong singing David Nicholson Daily Press Michael Meraw had the right degree of sinister edge as Garibaldo, but Adam Klein seemed uneasy as the duke, Grimoaldo.
     His voice contained too much weight for this role.
Evidently Peter Mark disagreed, since he hired me and was pleased, as were all I spoke to, that a voice the size of mine was also so agile as to be able to negotiate the coloratura.
     And really, does Nicholson think that baroque opera voices were small? When Farinelli had a contest with a trumpet player to see who was louder and could sustain a longer note?
Grimoaldo Rodelinda George Frideric Handel 2/10/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Lillian Garrett-Groag Rich music, stunning duet make 'Rodelinda' worthwhile Lucia Anderson The Free Lance-Star Adam Klein is also in top form as Grimoaldo, the usurper. Klein, who was an unusually rich tenor voice, sweeps the audience away with his skill and passion. My coloratura’s not bad either.
Grimoaldo Rodelinda George Frideric Handel 2/18/2000 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Lillian Garrett-Groag Musical revenge is sweet Clarke Bustard Richmond Times-Dispatch All the principal voices — soprano Sujung Kim (Rodelinda), mezzo-soprano Charlotte Paulsen (Eduige, the sister-in-law), male alto Alejandro Garri (Bertarido, the deposed king), tenor Adam Klein (Grimoaldo, the usurper) and baritone Michael Meraw (Garibaldo, Grimoaldo's gray eminence) — sing with such intensity and theatrical flair that the listener is rarely conscious of the repetitiousness of baroque da capo aria. Well, that and the fact that the repeats are ornamented, so the lines are not really repeated, though the text is.
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 8/3/1987 IU Opera Theater Thomas Baldner Ross Allen Sight, sound merge to give 'Crucible' its force Peter Jacobi The Herald- Telephone (Bloomington) But to return to the singers, one must point also to Frances Franklin who put edgy fanaticism into her portrayal of Abigail, the woman that initiates all the trouble with her schemings, and to Adam Klein with his deep and rounded vocalism and his energetic approach to the role of Danforth, the judge blinded by a misguided faith, unable to see right or wrong or even his God even though he and only he can see everything clearly. Robert Ward offered to come to IU for the production in case anyone had any questions to ask the composer, but the producers declined his offer. So I wrote to him personally with questions about a passage for Danforth which in the score seemed to have three ossias, but it wasn't clear which Ward would prefer the singer use. His answer was to do whichever one I preferred, and that the Danforth on the original recording wasn't all that great. In his humble opinion
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 8/5/1991 Chautauqua Opera Cal Stewart Kellogg Albert Takazauckas 'The Crucible' is 'moving production' Robert Palmer Chautauquan Daily (no mention was made of my character or of me in this review.) Robert Ward saw this production and told me that my Danforth was the strongest he'd seen since Robert Nagy at the Met. And Ward pronounced "Nagy" as a Hungarian would. I was impressed.
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 7/13/1998 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman 'The Crucible,' a tragedy for all times Wes Blomster Daily Camera Ryan Allen, the music master of the season's "Barber of Seville," and Adam Klein, Cavaradossi in the summer's "Tosca," make outstanding contributions as Reverend Hale and Judge Danforth. Yes, but how were they outstanding?
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 7/14/1998 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman Central City gambles, wins with 'Crucible' Marc Shugold Rocky Mountain News First-rate performances from Lori Brown Mirabal (Tituba), Barbara Morehouse and Andrew Krikawa (the Putnams), and Adam Klein (Judge Danforth), among many others. As consistently fine a cast as we've seen at Central City. See the Jeff Bradley quote for this production.
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 7/14/1998 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman Central City 'Crucible' glows Jeff Bradley The Denver Post And it was a mistake to make Judge Danforth (thrillingly sung by Adam Klein) such a thick-headed villain. His righteousness is misguided but that is his motive, not blood lust or vindictiveness.
     As the Rev. Hale, bass Ryan Allen sang unsteadily, and so did rich-voiced mezzo Lori Brown Mirabal, the slave girl Tituba and tenor Bradley Schuller as the victim Giles Corey.
See the Marc Shugold quote for this production.
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 7/18/1998 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman The Crucible from the Central City Opera David Sckolnik KCME-FM/ Colorado Springs Independent Tenor Adam Klein twisted his way through the role of Judge Danforth, producing an eerie beauty as his being and the house were filled to capacity with hard-edged vocal pronouncement. Okay… that means what again?
Judge Danforth The Crucible Robert Ward 7/23/1998 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman Bewitched Lillie Westword And as vigorously sung by Adam Klein and a stouthearted chorus, Judge Danforth's lyrical Act Three exhortation (which echoes Act One's ominous "Jesus My Consolation") becomes a haunting battle cry of persecution instead of a clarion call for redemption — which, ironically enough, is the same sort of twisted morality that prompted playwright Miller to craft his own form of alchemy in the first place. Miller's writing the play as a response to McCarthyism is not ironic. Persecution is the very point. In any case, there is no chorus part in Danforth's Invocation, which is what I must assume Lillie means by "exhortation".
Luigi Il Tabarro Giacomo Puccini 9/18/1993 Greater Buffalo Opera Charles Peltz Gary Burgess Emotional 'Suor Angelica' is high point of 'Il Trittico' operas Herman Trotter The Buffalo News As Luigi, tenor Adam Klein sang with compelling passion, but like Lawes kept going in and out of focus and out of balance with the orchestra. I don't know which spelling is correct, Laws or Lawes. (Rebecca Lawes; see the Opera Canada review.) Shea's Buffalo Theater has terrible acoustics and audibility was mentioned several times in this review.
Luigi Il Tabarro Giacomo Puccini 12/21/1993 Greater Buffalo Opera Charles Peltz Gary Burgess Buffalo Paula Citron Opera Canada The major roles were assigned to coming professionals. The standout was soprano Rebecca Laws (Giorgetta and Suor Angelica) who has a soaring voice, stunning good looks and dramatic presence. Adam Klein (Luigi) also made a notable impact with his passionate and intense delivery, and one regretted that he was not assigned Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi as well. This was my first Puccini role. The order in which I debuted in Puccini roles is Luigi, Cavaradossi, Pinkerton, Rodolfo, Des Grieux. Whatever. If you don't know what the usual order is, you have some homework to do, unless you're not a tenor, in which case it matters not a quark.
Martin The Tender Land Aaron Copland 6/24/1995 Chicago Opera Theater Larry Rapchak Carl Ratner Sensitive touch lets 'Tender Land' sparkle John von Rhein Chicago Tribune Adam Klein, a good romantic lead if rather pale tenorally, handled Martin's high tessitura with musicality. Chris Owens was suitably hearty as his sidekick, Top. One could have a conversation over who's whose sidekick.
Martin The Tender Land Aaron Copland 6/27/1995 Chicago Opera Theater Larry Rapchak Carl Ratner 'Tender Land' Lacks Drive, Power Wynne Delacoma Chicago Sun Times Rita Harvey's Laurie was a major asset… With her warm, dark voice, Dorothy Byrne as Ma Moss was a strong point of focus. Arnold Voketaitis skimmed the surface of the dictatorial Grandpa Moss, but Adam Klein was believable as the introspective Martin, who falls for Laurie. Chris Owens' Top was a potent portrait of oafish menace. Dorothy Byrne, by the way, grew up in western Pennsylvania in a little town that had its own curling rink. Having discovered the game a few months before this gig, I was very intrigued by that. I don't see the name of this town in the USCA listing of clubs, though.
Martin The Tender Land Aaron Copland 6/30/1995 Chicago Opera Theater Larry Rapchak Carl Ratner Unclaimed Melodies Sarah Bryan Miller Chicago Reader Chicago Opera Theater's production is about the best presentation one is likely to find of this minor work. Soprano Rita Harvey made an attractive, empathetic Laurie; her voice isn't large, but it's very pretty. Tenor Adam Klein, who sang well, was likable as Martin and believable in his anguish over leaving Laurie. Baritone Chris Owens made the most of the role of Top, the appetite-driven drifter with the "hakuna matata" mentality.
     The evening's best performances came from mezzo-soprano Dorothy Byrne as Ma Moss and Arnold Voketaitis as Grandpa Moss…
Nicknames for this opera: Tenderloin. The Tender Gland. Carl Ratner made this show work with what he had the women do in the last scene, and also what the little girl did at the very end. Thank you, Carl, you made it worth coming to do the show.
Monostatos The Magic Flute Wolfgang Mozart 8/10/1991 Chautauqua Symphony Uriel Segal Marty Merkley 'Magic Flute' performance was musical miracle Robert Finn Chautauquan Daily Among the secondary parts, special honors went to tenor Adam Klein for his fine singing in the comically villainous role of Monostatos. This was a staged concert version. I don’t get to do comedy often enough – at least get paid to do it.
Narraboth Salome Richard Strauss 9/21/1994 Greater Buffalo Opera David Effron Gary Burgess Buffalo Neil Crory Opera Canada The singing, too, was generally modest in scope. Veterans Joann Grillo (Herodias) and George Shirley (Herod) executed their roles with a certain aplomb, but some of the most appealing singing came from two promising young American artists: tenor Adam Klein (Narraboth) and baritone Duncan Hartman (Jochanaan). My own review: George Shirley was excellent. I had actually worked with him once at the Met when he stepped in for Stuart Burrows in Die Zauberflöte. I even took a polaroid of him. He didn't remember me. A few years later I ran into him again in Aspen when Central City Opera personnel came there to play a softball game against the Aspen Music School. George was their captain. We got creamed. They played every week and we had people who'd never played before. I just wish they'd continued to keep score but they gave up after they passed 30 runs or so.
Old Grandfather The Legend of Tsar Saltan Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff 5/18/1987 IU Opera Theater Bryan Balkwill Nicola Rossi-Lemeni MUSICAL EVENTS: Marvels Unfold Andrew Porter The New Yorker The large cast was strong. Janet Williams (Militrissa), Karla Fredell (an incisive Babarikha), and Adam Klein (the garrulous gaffer of the crowd scenes) deserve special mention. Sung in English, as all IU operas were at the time.
Otello Otello Giuseppe Verdi 11/1/2001 OperaDelaware David Lawton Stephanie Sundine Dramatic 'Otello' by OperaDelaware Caryl E. Huffaker The Kennett Paper Adam Klein as Otello is an outstanding actor with a marvelous tenor voice. His performance was excellent, particularly in the third act in his sorrowful lamentation song, even though he sang while slightly under the weather. I had a very nasty chest cold and I was lucky to get through the show; indeed I surprised myself at how well I sang in Act 2.
Peter Grimes Peter Grimes Benjamin Britten 11/16/1987 IU Opera Theater David Itkin James Lucas Only a few flaws mar difficult 'Peter Grimes' James Underwood The Herald- Telephone (Bloomington) The cast of Peter Grimes, diction aside, was good enough. Adam Klein, as the troubled outcast Grimes, was excellent. His voice is rather sweet, and this led to some poignant moments, particularly between him and Ellen Orford, the woman he is enamored of. Marilyn Taylor played the latter, and both she and Klein deserve credit for some excellent work in the second act. Both deserve to be heard from again at IU, in leading roles. Peter Grimes was the last role I did at IU, and I was already done with my degree. In fact I stayed that extra year just to do Grimes, and I ended up being second cast to a Harshaw student, meaning I got to do only one performance instead of two, despite the fact that I was the only tenor who showed up to audition for the part the previous spring.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/5/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos The Horror, The Horror Peter G. Davis (a magazine) As the loathsome Peter Quint who tries to lure the boy into serving his own unspeakable ends, Adam Klein is all smooth diablerie, spinning out his seductively purling melismas with oily beauty. I had such a good time doing this show. I was really angry when they didn't ask me back when they repeated it a few years later.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/5/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos It's a 'Turn' for the Better Terry Teachout Daily News Premiered in 1954, "The Turn of the Screw" is the finest opera written after World War II, and very possibly the best English-language opera ever composed. Brilliantly adapted by Britten and Myfawnwy Piper from Henry James' famous novella, it tells the tale of Miles and Flora (Zachary Wissner-Gross and Robin Leigh Massie), two children apparently under the spell of a malevolent pair of ghosts (Adam Klein and Christine Abraham), and the governess (Lauren Flanigan) and housekeeper (Alexandra Hughes) who discover their dark secret. My dad Howard was a music critic for the New York Times in the "1960s" and while there he heard the definition of a good review: you are mentioned and your name is spelled correctly. So this one was good.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/5/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Governess rules as City Opera stages eerie 'Turn of the Screw' Mark Adamo Newark Star Ledger Yet the music's an elegant, inventive, arching design made from tiniest segments, and Robert Duerr's orchestra breathes like a living thing. The siren-songs of Adam Klein's Quint, the swooning coloratura of Christine Abraham's Miss Jessel, the rich-voiced denials of Alexandra Hughes' housekeeper, the spookily clear voices of Zachary Wissner-Gross and Robin Leigh Massey as the children — all make magic. Well well. You’d think they’d have asked me back when they reprised it two years later.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/5/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Shadows of a Ghost Story James Keller Newsday Tenor Adam Klein deserves special mention, more for the evocative scene-setting of the prologue than for his later portrayal of the ghost Peter Quint, and the 13-member chamber ensemble, led by Robert Duerr, provides excellent support from the pit. I think in a sentence with multiple subject-predicate sections, at least one of which contains a comma, the sections should be separated by semicolons. Otherwise, you know, it tends to run on.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/8/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Art Bending the Tyranny of Reality Allan Kozynn The New York Times The rest of the cast matched her intensity perfectly. Adam Klein, doubling as the speaker in the prologue and an urbane, brooding Quint, has the agility to negotiate the chromatic filigree that Britten wrote into the role. Ah, that chromatic filigree.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/8/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Lincoln Center's Troupes Warm Up Heidi Waleson The Wall Street Journal Mr. Klein (who also sang the prologue) and Ms. Abraham were steely and frightening as the ghosts; Alexandra Hughes, as the housekeeper Mrs. Grose, wobbled. Well, the housekeeper is a weeble part, after all.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/10/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Hail Return of 'The Screw' ? Westsider The ghosts Peter Quint and Miss Jessel were flavorfully sung and interpreted by tenor Adam Klein and debuting soprano Christine Abraham — the latter made up to resemble Vampira in the legendary horror movie "Plan 9 from Outer Space." I think that's probably "Planet 9". Other reviews likened Jessel's look to Bride of Frankenstein. I'll leave it at "bizarre".
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/11/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Real Turn-on at City Opera Shirley Fleming New York Post The cast is splendid. Lauren Flanigan's Governess conveys the nervousness and intensity of the part wonderfully. Alexandra Hughes, making her debut as Mrs. Grose, creates a warm and motherly presence, and Adam Klein's Quint is a model of sinister control. Christine Abraham's debut as Miss Jessel was faultless, and the children — Zachary Wissner-Gross and Robin Leigh Massey — were entirely believable. Robin Leigh Massey had long left childhood by the time of this production. Also, there was another Miles who alternated with Zach W.-G.: Zachary London, who was really good — but mid-production he decided to take voice lessons with the same person Lauren, Alexandra and the other Zach did, and his natural chest-voice boy soprano was flipped up into his head voice for his entire range and he lost most of his volume. The opening Night Zach was a boy alto, so singing in head voice was fine for him in the range of this part.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/14/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Splat! Music Season Opens With Brahms, Czech Schmaltz Charles Michener The New York Observer The ravaged white panels of John Conklin's set, at once suggestive of jagged ice, classical ruins and tortuous bedsheets (surrounding a luminously nasty "primrose path" of chartreuse); the grave hysteria of a beautifully paced cast, led by Lauren Flanigan's grandly wounded Governess, Adam Klein's magnetic Peter Quint and little Zachary Wissner-Gross as their spirited victim Miles; the exquisitely hushed playing of Britten's endlessly "screwy" (and scary) music by a 13-piece orchestra led by Robert Duerr, all this contributes to a night at the opera of theatrical magic that is definitely not for the kids. See? Semicolons! (see the Newsday review)
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 10/26/1996 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos Opera in English Kevin Filipski Westside Resident It's a musically satisfying evening; conductor Robert Duerr brings out Britten's minute variations well. But vocally, the results are mixed: An occasionally shrill Lauren Flanigan is otherwise fine as the governess; Adam Klein successfully conveys the drama of the Prologue and is appropriate as the ghostly caretaker Quint. Oh yes, typecast.
Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw Benjamin Britten 1/11/1997 New York City Opera Robert Duerr Mark Lamos NEW YORK CITY William Weaver Opera News As the prologue/Peter Quint, tenor Adam Klein performed with suave, insinuating menace, while Alexandra Hughes was a sound Mrs. Grose, and in the role of the ghostly Miss Jessel, Christine Abraham was icily evil. Opera News is  the magazine of the Metropolitan Opera, for those of you who don't know. People from the Met came and saw this show, including Fabrizio Melano, who directed the GIANNI SCHICCHI my brother Moondi was in in the 70s. He was very complimentary, but I got no auditions or job offers from the Met due to this contact. It wasn't until I got my new agent Peter Randsman that I was hired by the Met, because he asked them what they thought of my voice, and we then presented me to them in line with what they thought I should be singing — which, I might add, is almost exactly opposite what the head of another large opera company thinks I should be singing. Target marketing is so, so important.
Pinkerton Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini 5/19/1996 Indianapolis Opera Günther Bauer-Schenk Adelaide Bishop Vocals in Madama Butterfly make it a production to cherish Charles Staff Indianapolis Star And in Klein, Thomas had an almost perfect Pinkerton, charismatic and vocally secure — an actor who just happens to have a fine voice or a fine singer who just happens to know how to act. It works both ways. Yes indeed it works both ways. Or should.
Pinkerton Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini 5/19/1996 Indianapolis Opera Günther Bauer-Schenk Adelaide Bishop IO's Final Production Ends Season On High Note Greg Crawford Martinsville Reporter/ others Along with the soprano, Madama Butterfly featured Adam Klein as Pinkerton. Previously seen here in IO's Rigoletto and La Boheme, Klein brought his splendid tenor stage center, making real "The Ugly American's" presence in the exotic Far East. His best moments were in a duet with Thomas, "Viene la sera." I thought the duet with Sharpless was pretty good, personally.
Pinkerton Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini 3/17/1997 Edmonton Opera Grzegorz Nowak Michael Cavanagh Powerful acting by Riel helps Butterfly take wings D. T. Baker Edmonton Journal In a way, it's as if this production doesn't give its audience enough credit. Nearly every facet of the story is overstated — from grandiose and needless miming of words as they are sung, to the "important" lines being oversold. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the lead tenor. As Pinkerton, Adam Klein comes of as little more than a post-adolescent kid in a candy store. Mind you, he's a kid with a big voice, one he really pushes out. Projection he's got — subtlety is another matter. For nearly every top note he went for, he posed as he hit it — all a bit much. A post-adolescent kid in a candy store is exactly what we were going for. As for posing for high notes, if you are going to hold them for a while, whatever you're doing while you're singing it is going to look like a pose.
Pinkerton Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini 3/17/1997 Edmonton Opera Grzegorz Nowak Michael Cavanagh Madama Butterfly magnificent John Charles Edmonton Sun Under Michael Cavanagh's direction the staging is immediately vivid and cleanly acted. Klein is totally convincing ass the young American naval officer who thinks he's walking into a few months of exotic fun mistakenly labelled "marriage." With any other geisha girl that might be the case, but Butterfly believes in eternal love. Thus the tragedy stems from her character: she is what she is and can be no other.\ Klein has a very good tenor voice and his acting is dead right. "Labelled" is neither a typo nor a misspelling: it's the Canadian way to spell it, like "jewellery".
Pinkerton Madama Butterfly Giacomo Puccini 11/10/1998 Manitoba Opera Karen Keltner Michael Cavanagh Subtle shading gives Butterfly fresh look Andrew Thompson Winnipeg Free Press Adam Klein sang the role of the American naval officer with chilling effect. The role of Pinkerton, coloured as it is by swaggering cruelty and racist condescension, demands all of the strength of a romantic Italian tenor with very little of its attendant romance. Klein captured this character's arrogance while still managing to make the sentiment of his final exit in Addio, Fiorito Asil seem genuine. They liked me in Canada. And I liked Canada. Irving Guttman was artistic director of the Edmonton, Winnipeg and Regina companies and hired me for all six of my jobs there from "1995" to "1999", and when he retired from those companies I wasn't hired back.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 5/6/1995 Indianapolis Opera Günther Bauer-Schenk Malcolm Fraser 'La Boheme' production needs a little more emotion Charles Staff The Indianapolis News Tenor Adam Klein's characterization of Rodolfo was always intelligent though his somewhat covered or swallowed sound is an acquired taste – one, I'm happy to say, I acquired before the evening was over. I might prefer a more "Italianate" sound, more "head" or "mask" resonance in my Rodolfos, but Klein is a singer who is a musician. Some Italian tenors to remember: Enrico Caruso, Bruno Prevedi, Giuseppe Giacomini, Franco Bonisolli, Aureliano Pertile, Carlo Cossutta, Franco Corelli, and Mario del Monaco. All these had dark timbres, though some of them had the brightness still associated with the "Italianate" sound. But they all seem to be forgotten, especially Caruso, since Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras became the only three tenors anyone knows about. Pavarotti is at most a lyric tenor and was best in Donizetti and Bellini roles; Domingo and Carreras are of Spanish descent, not Italian, and are spinto tenors. One does not hear about Italian dramatic tenors these days. The current fashion in the USA favors tenors with a light color and lots of edge for the standard Italian repertory, keeping voices like mine out of it. This Rodolfo I sang was a replacement gig and I've only otherwise sung the role in western Canada and Portland, Maine, and only for Portland did I get the job by audition.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 5/7/1995 Indianapolis Opera Günther Bauer-Schenk Malcolm Fraser Not even this fine production of 'Boheme' can save Mimi Jay Harvey The Indianapolis Star Klein's Rodolfo looked the part of a bohemian intellectual, rail-thin and brooding in expression when he wasn’t being transfigured by love or laughter. His singing blended thrilling freedom with admirable accuracy and self-possession. It was not his fault such qualities elicited a noisy demonstration of approval after Che gelida manina, the tenor's famous Act 1 aria. Not my fault? Was the word supposed to be "disapproval"? The applause for that aria, on opening night, lasted thirty seconds. I've noticed that applause after arias generally lasts ten seconds, so any more than that shows something past politeness from the audience.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 5/11/1995 Indianapolis Opera Günther Bauer-Schenk Malcolm Fraser Thunderous Applause, brilliant music marks IO's La Boehme Greg Crawford The Perry Township Weekly Best received, as was made obvious by thunderous opening night applause, was Adam Klein, a late-minute substitution as Rodolfo. His better solo, "Che gelida manina," was among the most romantic of La Boheme. Sung to Deborah Raymond (Mimi) as he comforts her in the cold, Klein's every note was crystal clear and poignant to the extreme. Well well, thanks, Greg. Too bad you couldn't proofread the paper before it went to press and get rid of that title typo.\ This was the only opera that I've been in so far where the actors did improv to get into the character. It was fascinating and frustrating to watch ourselves paraphrase our lines in English with Charles Boyer/Inspector Clouseau accents and French gestures, only to become Italians again in bind and body when we sang it. We finally broke the habit and looked like Frenchmen singing in Italian, but it took a while.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 6/7/1995 Indianapolis Opera Günther Bauer-Schenk Malcolm Fraser An IO opera to die for Charles Epstein Jewish Post & Opinion Adam Klein was equal to the task of providing Mimi love. His portrayal of Rodolfo was perfect. His singing was brilliant. Klein is another performer who should be heard from in the near future. I was heard the next season in Madama Butterfly, and not after.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 4/27/1998 Manitoba Opera Louis Salemno Linda Brovski Opera season ends on high note Greg Crawford Winnipeg Free Press Rodolfo's Che gelida manina was impressively judged by tenor Adam Klein. And Monique Page's response in Mi chiamano Mimi was a perfect example of why her portrayal of this consumptive seamstress worked: it was gentle, simple and beautifully lyrical.\ In the duet O soave fanciulla, Page and Klein proved to be well matched, their vocal chemistry complemented by their persuasive physical interpretation of what is admittedly a very quick courtship! It's Monique Pagé, not Page. Spelling  matters.
     In the Indianapolis production, we were asked to be as inventive as we could in coming up with French gestures and stuff. In this production every suggestion made by a singer was answered with "Can I be the director now?"
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 4/29/1998 Manitoba Opera Louis Salemno Linda Brovski Manitoba Opera's La Boheme visually stunning Matt Bellan The Jewish Post & News Tenor Adam Klein, baritone Theodore Baerg as Marcello and bass Phillip Ens as their philosopher friend, Colline are superbly cast.\ They sing some of the opera's arias together, and when they do, their awesome vocal range creates thrilling harmonies.
     Klein is also dramatically credible as the earnest poet Rudolfo, falling head over heels for Mimi, and visibly pained when she leaves him.
Ted Baerg actually painted the painting of the Red Sea that we used, in the original production that used this set.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 4/30/1998 Manitoba Opera Louis Salemno Linda Brovski Edmonton John Becker Opera Canada American tenor Adam Klein, also in his debut with Manitoba Opera, played but did not overplay the poet Rodolfo. His character was youthful and romantic, and his performance was impressively loyal to the libretto and the score. Impressively loyal means, where other tenors sing "La-a spe-----------ranza," I sing "La dol-l-ce-e--------- speranza," including the original text while retaining the interpolated high C, which is not in the printed score.
     This was the gig where I bought 4 used curling stones from Thompson Broom to use on my pond in the winter. I was almost disappointed that the border inspectors didn't ask about them when I came back to the States. They also forgot to corfiscate my Canadian-bought lemon.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 2/1/1999 Edmonton Opera Tyrone Paterson Michael Cavanagh Old friend La boheme still delights D.T. Baker The Edmonton Journal Tenor Adam Klein as Rodolfo was the night's most frustrating presence. While his voice did warm up a bit as the night got on, it arrived too late for Che gelida manina, which came off dramatically all right, but with a voice that broke occasionally and a top end that seemed insecure all night. His acting made Rodolfo quite sympathetic, but the fluid lines Puccini gives the character to sing had some rough water here. Ever heard of RSV? Respiratory synchrotrile virus, I believe, is the spelling. Really nasty chest infection. The wards at Children's Hospital were overflowing with kids afflicted with it, and Monique and I caught it a week before the show went up. They had someone on standby in case I didn't think I could make it through Opening Night, and without guaifenesin I wouldn't have. ( I learned during this that Canadian generic guaifenesin is a different taste from the ones in the States, utterly revolting, and it's better to stick to the well-known brand name.) The next week the following letter was published:
     "We disagree with D.T. Baker's review of the opera La boheme. When our class went to the dress rehearsal, we knew Rodolpho (Adam Klein) had a cold and, to us, he was not a “frustrating presence." Wouldn't it have been better to research the facts on the singers before making such a harsh statement?
     Grade 6 class
     Rio Terrace School
     Edmonton"

Thanks, kids.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 2/1/1999 Edmonton Opera Tyrone Paterson Michael Cavanagh La Boheme is powerful John Charles The Edmonton Sun Oh yes, the singing! Klein seemed to have a cold, and occasionally sounded a tad hoarse, but otherwise he was splendid, forthright and passionate, with many warm, firm high notes. This is his third Edmonton appearance and he's a dynamic, appealing presence. His unfortunate wig, however, has saddled him with a permanent bad-hair day. Bad hair day?? I used my own hair!!! One of the rare times I didn't wear a wig.
     But in the Winnipeg production the year before, the wigmistress wanted to use my own hair but the director insisted on a wig. That thing was frightful. Then I experienced poetic justice when on Opening Night during the pillowfight in Act 4 one good boff to the head removed my wig from my head, right before running off to help Mimi up the stairs. I got the stocking-cap off and Monique spent the beginning of "Sono andati?" pulling bobby pins out of my hair, so it magically grew about 6 inches. My mom, who was watching, thought it logical, since some months had passed since Act 3.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 2/2/1999 Edmonton Opera Tyrone Paterson Michael Cavanagh The bohemeian way: La boheme starts 1999 off right Melanie Gall The Gateway The four bohemians were warm and amusing, with clever banter. The few scenes where all four were together were the most entertaining throughout the production. Adam Klein sang his arias beautifully, with a clear, lyrical voice. Edwand Albert did a fantastic job as Schaunard. His strong baritone commanded the character's personality. Didn't notice the cold, it seems.
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 7/24/1999 Portland Opera Repertory Theater Bruce Hangen Dona D. Vaughn 'La Boheme': Better than 'La Traviata'! Christopher Hyde Portland Press Herald Both singers, Adam Klein as Rodolpho and Pamela Armstrong as Mimi, make the opening aria, familiar as it is, fresh and powerful. Isaak Dinesen said that joy is finding in oneself an excess of strength. Their voices fill a large hall effortlessly. Adam Klein was a good Don Jose in the company's initial production of "Carmen," but he has developed even more since then. Isaak who?\ Notice that in the title, the colon and exclamation point are outside the quotes, but in the review the comma is within the quotes. Why?
Rodolfo La Bohème Giacomo Puccini 7/28/1999 Portland Opera Repertory Theater Bruce Hangen Dona D. Vaughn PORTLAND OPERA DOES PUCCINI PROUD Susan Larson Boston Globe As Rodolfo, Adam Klein displayed fidgety energy and an exciting tenor, imbued with a natural boyish sweetness and ductility that he did his darndest to choke off in favor of an overly darkened and thickened production. Less Domingo and more Bjoerling in his singing wouldn't hurt.
     Klein played Rodolfo as a self-mocking observer, a sort of Jerry Seinfeld whose smart-guy poses must melt under the warmth of Mimi's love. Except they didn't. Commitment Time came and went in the final acts; Rodolfo held himself aloof from his beloved when Puccini was practically screaming for him to fall into her embrace. What was the director thinking?
I don't get the impression that Susan Larson has heard many heldentenors. I wonder what she'd write about Hans Hopf.
Roméo Roméo et Juliette Charles Gounod 10/4/1998 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman Romeo et Juliette a rare balance of voice and set Paul Sayegh The Virginian-Pilot In the end, though, a performance of Gounod's opera stands or falls by its two principals, and here Virginia Opera succeeds. Adam Klein and Nathalie Morais were not only dramatically believable, but also vocally well-suited to their roles.\ Tall and handsome, Klein successfully captured the passion and youth of Romeo. His lower voice had a slightly covered, baritonal sound that carried up into his middle range and gave his tenor a very strong and masculine quality.
     His high notes were secure and powerfully projected, but it was the smoothness and attractiveness of his voice that was noteworthy.\ Klein sang with much sensitivity, as at the end of the first-act aria, when he made a crescendo on the final high note, rather than belting it out, as most tenors would. His French diction was also excellent.
Nathalie Morais was my Juliette, and I don't care what anyone thinks: she was a perfect Juliette, vocally and otherwise. I’m very sad she quit the business.
     Compare this quote to the one from Joe Banno, however.
Roméo Roméo et Juliette Charles Gounod 10/19/1998 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman A spirited 'Romeo' Joe Banno The Washington Post In the title roles, Adam Klein and Nathalie Morais may not fulfill all demands, but they're ingenious performers. Klein, while not the most nuanced actor, cuts a virile profile and sings excitingly. Unfortunately, that excitement comes across as too loud too much of the time and vocal heft that undercuts Romeo's callowness and Gounod's lyricism. This was a first: an opera singer being too loud too often! However, this was a performance in a hall twice the size of the other hall we'd been in up to then, and I thought I needed to project more. See the quote from Lucia Anderson from the same performance.
Roméo Roméo et Juliette Charles Gounod 10/22/1998 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman Virginia Opera's 'Romeo & Juliette' is sublime Lucia Anderson The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA) Nathalie Morais makes a glorious Juliette. She is young, she is winsome, and her voice is pure gold…
     Adam Klein is also impressive as Romeo. Not only does he look like a romantic hero (a comparative rarity among operatic tenors), but his singing ability equals Morais's. Their duets are heartbreakingly lovely.
     Both singers have unusually rich voices for their vocal range, and each soars confidently through Gounod's high notes without skimping the lower notes.
     They are also convincing actors.
Of course, being from Fredericksburg, this review isn't as important as the one from D.C., is it?
Roméo Roméo et Juliette Charles Gounod 10/23/1998 Virginia Opera Peter Mark Michael Ehrman 'Romeo and Juliet' a high hurdle for composer Clarke Bustard Richmond Ties-Dispatch The Romeo, Adam Klein, fully invests a big tenor voice and considerable acting skills in his role, and Morais is a sightly, if not vocally ideal, Juliet. Nathalie Morais was my Juliette, and I don't care what anyone thinks: she was a perfect Juliette, vocally and otherwise. I’m very sad she quit the business. See the quotes from Paul Sayegh and Lucia Anderson.
Sam Susannah Carlisle Floyd 7/14/1997 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman 'Susannah' flaunts America's rich cultural trove Wes Blomster Boulder Daily Camera Adam Klein is an interesting combination of power and weakness as her brother Sam, and James Daniel Frost movingly portrays the fragile Little Bat, the incarnation of absolute good in the work. Yes, Little Bat who in his infinite goodness confesses to the Elders that Susannah “let him love her up.”
Sam Susannah Carlisle Floyd 7/14/1997 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman 'Susannah' an opera masterpiece Marc Shugold Rocky Mountain News (Among the singers, only Diane Alexander and Andrew Wentzel were mentioned in the published version of this rave review. But Shugold sent the company an email of the entire review, outlining the following and other parts which were mistakenly cut:)
     Susannah's two allies were marvelously shaped by Adam Klein (Sam) and James Daniel Frost (Little Bat). In his acting and singing, Klein nobly captured the big-brother humanity of Sam.
The title should be "operatic masterpiece". In Shugold's defense, I should point out that reviewers don't generally title their reviews, the editors do.
Sam Susannah Carlisle Floyd 7/15/1997 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman 'Susannah' hits jackpot at Central City Jeff Bradley The Denver Post Susannah's liquor-loving brother, Sam, is more sympathetic than normal, thanks to tenor Adam Klein's intelligent acting and radiant singing. Sam becomes much more than a powerless drunk. He's a loving brother who understands human failings ("It's about the way people is made, I reckon") and simply doesn't know how to protect his sister. He even plays the bones to accompany the "Jaybird" folk ditty he sings for Susannah. Two things: it's intriguing how reviewers so often blame, but in cases like this praise, the singers for the characters they portray, when so much of that is due to the director's concept of the piece. And John Moriarty is responsible for my playing bones in this show. He'd heard me accompany myself on them at an Après Opera evening the previous season, and suggested to Michael Ehrman that I play them during "Jaybird". If only the tune were longer, I could have done some real playing — but people talked about this for a long time.
Sam Susannah Carlisle Floyd 7/20/1997 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman Central City's 'Susannah' hits high notes with the best Jeff Bradley The Denver Post How good is Central City Opera's current production of Carlisle Floyd' "Susannah"?\ In some ways it's superior to the recording of the opera recently issued by Virgin Classics with Metropolitan Opera soprano Cheryl Studer in the title role, tenor Jerry Hadley as her brother Sam and Kent Nagano conducting the Paris Lyon Opera.\ In Central City, Diane Alexander fits the lead part better than Studer (who sings out of tune on the CDs), and tenor Adam Klein's Sam is free of the strain you hear from Hadley. Also, conductor John Moriarty's American chorus and orchestra are more idiomatic than Nagano's French forces. Mee-yowww.
     I've enjoyed keeping track of the tenors I've been compared to. Mostly this is done by audience members I've talked to after the show, and the names include Richard Tucker, José Carreras, Placido Domingo and Nicolai Gedda. Or I get comments like this: "I hate tenors. But I liked you."
     "Idiomatic"? In terms of language, this was not the case. Floyd has written much of the dialect into the words of the score, and it's a dialect that I speak: the southern mountain dialect I learned from the inhabitants of Poor Valley, Virginia, in my old Old-Time/Bluegrass days. Because of that experience I've heard much music sung in this dialect, and I consider it a very pretty one to sing in. In Central, we had Canadians and USA citizens, all singing in their own brand of English. It made some of the wives sound like mail-order brides. Surprisingly, no policing of the dialect came from director or conductor, so I was the only one who sang in the dialect. James Daniel Frost was from Texas and he did an authentic accent: it just wasn't the right one for the region. Imagine my chagrin when I asked the composer at the opening night party how he preferred the accent be done and he answered, "As little as possible. It's an ugly accent." I'm afraid this is one rare instance where I must disagree with the composer. It's a beautiful accent. Listen to Sara or Janette Carter sing in it and decide for yourself.
Sam Susannah Carlisle Floyd 7/21/1997 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman Central City Opera's 'Susannah' by C. Floyd David Sckolnik KCME-FM As her brother Sam, tenor Adam Klein gives us a real mountain man, with an unforced musicality that never dispels belief. When I arrived in Central for Rigoletto the previous season, I had a beard grown over 3 weeks hiking in the Southwest. John Moriarty told me if I hadn't shown up looking like that he'd not have thought of me for Sam.
Sam Susannah Carlisle Floyd 10/1/1997 Central City Opera John Moriarty Michael Ehrman CENTRAL CITY Glenn Giffin Opera News Adam Klein managed to make Susannah's brother, Sam, winsome and feckless rather than shiftless and no-account. Winsome is to shiftless as feckless is to…?
soloist Pops Concert various 6/21/1996 Central City Opera John Moriarty none Central City Opera makes for a great night for a picnic Jeff Bradley Denver Post Newcomer Adam Klein, who one suspects will be a highly credible Duke of Mantua in "Rigoletto," showed linguistic prowess and a well-proportioned tenor in Lensky's aria from "Eugene Onegin" (in Russian" and Lehar's "Dein is mein ganzes Herz." Linguistic prowess. I be likin' de sound of dat.
Tamino The Magic Flute Wolfgang Mozart 8/4/1990 Lyric Opera Cleveland Steven Larsen Michael McConnell Hooray for hip 'Magic Flute' by Lyric Opera Cleveland Elaine Guregian The Beacon-Journal (Cleveland) Tamino (Adam Klein) and Pamina (Connie Dykstra) were both well in command of their roles. They played them straight, with the result that the more outlandish parts like Papageno or the Queen of the Night stood out even more. All right, we were wallpaper, is that it?
Tamino The Magic Flute Wolfgang Mozart 8/4/1990 Lyric Opera Cleveland Steven Larsen Michael McConnell Opera rises grandly to a real challenge Robert Finn The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) Tenor Adam Klein sounded manly and brilliant as Tamino, and soprano Connie Dykstra brought pathos as well as lyric line to Pamina's music. Baritone Donald Sherrill had all of Papageno's comic turns down pat and sang the part expertly. Don won the in-house contest’s People’s Choice award.
Tamino Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Mozart 2/14/1997 Portland Opera Marc Trautmann Ken Cazan Portland Dress Rehearsal of Magic Flute Geoffrey Hunnicutt email forwarded to me Klein and Morrissey played the hero and side-kick to a "t". I really enjoyed their singing and their comedy. Notice the period outside the quotes of "t". This is correct more often that most people, or newspapers, realize.
Tamino Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Mozart 2/17/1997 Portland Opera Marc Trautmann Ken Cazan Portland Opera offers a lovely 'Magic Flute' Stephanie Thomson The Columbian Two singers making their debut with Portland Opera gave outstanding performances — tenor Adam Klein (Tamino) and soprano Linda Louise Kelley (Queen of the Night) — and baritone Jeff Morrissey, who appeared with the company in "Carmen," "La Boheme" and "Turandot," charmed the audience as Papageno. We had fun.
Tamino Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Mozart 2/17/1997 Portland Opera Marc Trautmann Ken Cazan Portland Opera plays charming 'Flute' David Stabler The Oregonian The plot? Forget it. They sang in German and spoke in English. Why not do the whole thing in English?…\ Prince Tamino is the opera's straight man, and Adam Klein played him earnestly. His refined tenor voice was right for the part, too. In his taxing first aria, he neither rushed the tempo nor forced the sound but rode the phrases gracefully. "Dies Bildniss" is indeed one of the most difficult tenor arias, but though it may be seem counterintuitive, it's easier to sing it if you don't rush the tempo, because that way you get more time to breathe and rest, and that's more important than singing the phrases faster in terms of getting through it.\ And to answer David's question: because English translations generally suck and it sounds better sung in German. English dialogue and German singing is a weird but workable compromise. There actually is a great translation of Magic Flute by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, but they require one to change the order of scenes if you want to use it, lumping all Papageno's scenes together, thus taking away the comic relief from between the serious sections as Schikaneder had so cleverly set it up. Sing it in German.
Tamino Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Mozart 2/18/1997 Portland Opera Marc Trautmann Ken Cazan Magic Flute offers thrilling vocals, but not-so-thrilling acting Kate Maresh Vanguard City Edition The very first scene brings laughter as the giant serpent is speared to death by the Three Ladies after it has scared the handsome Prince Tamino into a faint. Another great comic moment is when Tamino entrances two fierce lions with his magic flute to the point that the lions want to cuddle with him. (incredibly, the lead tenor's name was not mentioned in this review. I suppose Tamino is a rather forgettable part. I have noticed, however, that when singer friends of mine talk about a production they were in or saw recently, they usually talk about the soprano, mezzo or baritone, and when I ask who the tenor was they almost invariably fail to remember his name.
Tamino Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Mozart 2/19/1997 Portland Opera Marc Trautmann Ken Cazan Mostly Maurice James McQuillen Willamette Week The cast is quite good. Most important, cast members are well-matched vocally and dramatically; this is particularly true of the pairs of lovers, Tamino and Pamina (sung by Adam Klein and Jan Grissom) and Papageno and Papagena (Jeff Morrissey and Pamela Mahon). It's "will-AM-ette", by the way.
     The "Maurice" refers to the designer of the set, Maurice Sendak. Yes, the Maurice Sendak.
Tenor Winterreise Franz Schubert 1/16/1992
Jennifer Peterson
Schubert cycle bold and beautiful as rendered by tenor Adam Klein Jay Harvey The Indianapolis Star The weather was almost too apt for a performance of Schubert’s Winterreise (Winter’s Journey) Wednesday night at Butler University.
The mood of this cycle of 24 songs plunges as unwaveringly as the mercury has been doing, and bleak images of black and white in Winterreise are chillingly echoed in the Indianapolis outdoors these days.
Adam Klein. a tenor about to turn 32. is already an accomplished artist whose future is likely to hold much that is worthy of wide notice.
Possessor of a lyrical voice of considerable heft, Klein had a commanding manner in his performance of these linked monologues in verse — the anguished expression of a rejected lover who wanders through the winter landscape and into a crazed despair.
The boldness of Klein’s conception of the work brought to mind a rare piece of music criticism by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who came away from some voice student’s parlor recital in 1839 with this charming observation:
“I wish not to be asked in every note whether I will allow it,” the future Sage of Concord wrote in his journal. “I wish every note to command me with sweet yet perfect empire.”
This requirement was amply met in this recital. In the very first song, Klein dared a rawness to shadow the words “1 cannot choose the time of my journey, I must show myself the way to go in this darkness” (to quote the singer’s translation), thus making those lines a keynote of what follows.
The frequent expressions of rage in the first part of the cycle were vented fully. A minor side effect was the sharping of a few high notes, and a line or two that became shapeless and tattered in the teeth of the gale.
But generally Klein maintained “sweet yet perfect empire” over the material — and over the sparse but appreciative audience.
With Jennifer Peterson’s acutely inflected piano accompaniments, Klein could be confident of making beautiful sounds that wouldn’t come out merely pretty.
Abrupt contrasts in a few of the songs (Courage and Spring Dream, for instance) always found pianist and singer inseparably committed to the sudden change. The suppleness and warmth of Peterson’s playing went far in revealing the forethought and sensitivity that clearly formed Klein’s interpretation.
One cavil at Klein’s translation of Der Lindenbaum, the cycle’s most famous song: The lime tree doesn’t whisper to the despairing lover “You found peace here,” but the subjunctive “You would (or would have) found peace here.” The peace implied would be that of using one of the tree’s sturdy branches to hang oneself. But the man is doomed to wander on, thanks to Schubert’s music, into immortality.
Imperfect subjunctive, actually. And of course “you would found” is not English: that should be “you would find”, and in English that’s not subjunctive, but conditional tense, subject now to a very common error in phrases like, “if you would have come you would have seen it”– NO!!! If you HAD come (past perfect) you would have seen it (past perfect conditional. Grammar is not rocket science, but the way most Americans understand it, it might as well be.
     Mr. Harvey is right about my error, but his interpretation isn’t the only one possible. It could simply mean that the tree still thinks the traveler would find rest under its branches if he stayed. It’s early in the cycle yet and Our Hero has not necessarily crossed the line of last hope.
tenor The Triumph of Death Frederic Rzewski 3/31/1992 CalArts Festival Paul Vorwerk Mark McQuown Auschwitz Oratorio Staged at CalArts Daniel Cariaga (a Valencia newspaper) The resourceful singers, playing multiple roles effortlessly, were Jacqui Bobak, Paul Hillier, Adam Klein and Carol Plantamura. Speaker William Dennis Hunt created voices. This was the sort of piece where you review the event and not the performers. I got this job because David Rosenboom, who engineered the recording of IMPROVEMENT: DON LEAVES LINDA, knew I'd be at CalArts to sing that show and put my name forward for the Rzewski. We got to roll onstage on one of those rails with wheels all over it that they use in factories.
tenor Concert various 9/28/1995 American Landmark Festivals Francis Heilbut none Diva of Divas Inspires Dream to Bring Back Castle Clinton Joan Lindstrom The Westsider Tenor Adam Klein, subbing at the last minute for an indisposed Stanford Olsen, proved himself to be an adept communicator with the audience – both in his humorous introductory comments and in a soulful, vibrant rendering of the "Flower Song" from "Carmen." This was an interesting concert. Battery Park was the first place Jenny Lind sang in the USA, on Sept. 11, 1850. Francis Heilbut dressed as P.T. Barnum and ran around being a showman in between playing piano very well for us singers.
     Though my surname is Klein, my mother's father Stellan Sven Windrow was pure Swede by blood and had a dream to be a famous tenor. He was in theater most of his life, coming closest to fame as Tarzan in the first, silent, movie on the subject. He was drafted, mid-production, into the War To End All Wars (yeah right) and Elmo Lincoln took the part, and the fame that came with it. He wouldn't let Stellan Windrow's name be included in the credits, even though several scenes of Tarzan swinging through the trees of Louisiana feature my grandfather, and not Lincoln. Don't believe me? There's a website. http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Tarzan/stellan/
tenor Three Tenors! The Next Generation (© T. Conlin) various 1/13/1997 West Virginia Symphony Thomas Conlin none Tenors hold audience enthralled Rick Justice Charleston Daily Mail (WV) After a lovely orchestral playing of Verdi's Overture to "La forza del destino" Adam Klein startled the crowd with his stout-hearted singing of "La donna e mobile." Klein was pumped up, and his dramatic tenor voice shook the rafters where the "balcony bats" perched. The review goes on like that in play-by-play style. Rick Justice is pictured in the review with a dashingly-banded cowboy hat.
tenor Three Tenors! The Next Generation (© T. Conlin) various 1/13/1997 West Virginia Symphony Thomas Conlin none Tenors make for enjoyable evening David Williams The Charleston Gazette (WV) Klein projected an air of unabashed confidence. In Verdi's La donna e mobile from "Rigoletto," he showed unfailing pitch while tossing off the intricate vocal ornamentation with elan.\ In Ponchielli's "Cielo e mar!," from "La Gioconda," he sang long melodic lines that embraced the rich colors — including lovely solos for clarinet and viola — of the orchestral accompaniment.
     He didn't seem to compete with the full orchestra in Puccini's "Che gelida manina" from "La Boheme." His voice just floated above the orchestra's sound almost like a surfer riding the top of a wave.
We were amplified. The acoustics of that hall required it. The microphones in front of us should have been a dead giveaway.
Tenor solo Eighth Symphony Gustav Mahler 3/11/1999 Boston Philharmonic Benjamin Zander none Zander's masses make for ecstatic Mahler Richard Dyer Boston Globe The vocal soloists made a strong team, although the slightly smeared, soft-grained tenor of Adam Klein was not always heard to advantage. I wish I knew what "smeared" means. I also wonder if Dyer has studied the score of the Eighth, wherein one will find at least one instance in which Mahler indicates that the solo voice is not to be prominent, but should accompany the orchestra. In no commercial recording to date of this piece, of which I'm aware, will one hear any of the soloists do this. This one with Zander amazed me. We had sopranos (Christine Brewer and Ellen Chickering) who could float pianissimo high C's and B-flats, and they actually sang them that way. Absolute magic.
Tenor solo Eighth Symphony Gustav Mahler 3/11/1999 Boston Philharmonic Benjamin Zander none Philharmonic's Mahler No. 8 is one in a Thousand Ellen Pfeifer Boston Herald Throughout the evening, there was gorgeous playing by the horns, trumpet, trombones, harp and woodwinds. Soloists, sopranos Ellen Chickering, Christine Brewer, Elizabeth Keusch, Gigi Mitchell-Velasco and Gale Fuller, tenor Adam Klein, baritone Patrick Wroblewski and bass Louis Lebherz, blazed through the orchestral fabric, often at extreme ends of their registers, and in heightened dramatic states. They all worked themselves up to a fever pitch of expression. Glad she enjoyed it.
Tenor solo Eighth Symphony Gustav Mahler 1/18/2000 Boston Philharmonic Benjamin Zander none Mahler reprise brings greatness and strain Michael Manning Boston Globe Of the women, soprano Indra Thomas seemed the most vocally at ease, while Adam Klein's Doctor Marianus gave the most vivid, vocally well-suited performance of the evening. See the quote from T.J. Medrek.
Tenor solo Eighth Symphony Gustav Mahler 1/18/2000 Boston Philharmonic Benjamin Zander none Philharmonic hits a high note T.J. Medrek Boston Herald Among them, Ellen Chickering did a fearless, fabulous job with a vocal line that just keeps on hammering away at the top of the range. Indra Thomas, while not nearly as finished, showed lots of promise. And Gale Fuller, Adam Klein and Patrick Wroblewski also deserved particular praise. See the quote from Michael Manning.
Tenor solo Eighth Symphony Gustav Mahler 1/24/2000 Boston Philharmonic Benjamin Zander none A Symphony That Requires Plenty of Reinforcements Anthony Tommasini The New York Times But Mr. Zander's performance captured the symphony's disarming sincerity, bringing a touching quality to the dittylike melodies for children's choirs and rendering the anthems for the woodwinds like sturdy Bach chorales. When the hermit Dr. Marianus (the tenor Adam Klein) invokes the Eternal Feminine, Mr. Zander's players captured the subdued rapture of the music. Being on stage during Mahler's Eighth is one of the best things in the world.
The Doctor Improvement: Don Leaves Linda Robert Ashley 3/1/1994 Lovely Music Ltd. none Jacqueline Humbert When a Composer Turns Opera Upside Down Bernard Holland The New York Times Ms. Humbert, who designed the sets, costumes and staging, is also an extraordinary performer, and Sam Ashley and Amy X Neuberg are hardly less so. Mr. Ashley narrated in his liquid singsong, though by late Thursday night he sounded tired indeed. Marghreta Cordero and Adam Klein are other valuable players. This is a review of the BAM  Next Wave Festival incarnation of NOW ELEANOR'S IDEA. Kyle Gann wrote one for the Village Voice which was a rave, but which didn't mention me so since I already include one of those I'm omitting it here.
The Doctor Improvement: Don Leaves Linda Robert Ashley 3/1/1994 Lovely Music Ltd. none Jacqueline Humbert Opera has sound of its own Daniel Webster The Philadelphia Inquirer The operas of Robert Ashley cross traditions, blend electronic manipulation with chant, parody traditional stage gestures and, most of all, create an atmosphere of dream and reality that absorbs listeners completely…
     The work was being heard in a concert form because Ashley means it to be a television piece. How much more expressive or magical it could be on the screen is hard to picture. The work, bare of everything but people, voices, taped chant and rhythm, carried opera to a new frontier.
These are the first and last paragraphs of a review that is about a new piece, so the performers aren't mentioned apart from Ashley himself and a cast list. I include it here because it's a fascinating piece of theater which should be done everywhere but suffers the same problem as all new works: no one wants to produce a second run, because there's no publicity in it, hence no long-term benefit to the company. Ashley, however, tours his own works, so IMPROVEMENT was seen in Philly, Brooklyn, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Valencia and other cities along with the other three in the quadrilogy NOW ELEANOR'S IDEA. I had to leave the tour early on because I foresaw a time when my standard opera gigs would prohibit me from taking part in it and I wanted to give them ample time to replace me. The Doctor was subsequently sung by Marghreta Cordero. CDs are available for purchase nationally. Check it out. It's not opera as you know it.
Various; Larry/Matt Concert/Face on the Barroom Floor Henry Mollicone 6/30/1989 Four Corners Opera Christine Sotomayor-Lopez Judith Turano FCO proves that good things come in small packages George Reeves Now  Magazine Klein is a singing actor of handsome stage presence. His is a darkish tenor voice of considerable power. In concert, he displayed vocal elegance in the duet from "The Pearl Fishers" and deep feeling in "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables" – perhaps the most moving rendition of the evening. As Larry and Matt (another dual role) he brought both style and substance to "The Face On The Barroom Floor" ensembles. Pshaw.
Vespone/Michael La Serva Padrone/Slow Dusk Giovanni Pergolesi 6/24/1986 Four Corners Opera Jeanne Dayton Judith Turano Opera opener: 'Well conceived and executed' George Reeves The Durango Herald In lesser assignments, mezzo-soprano Marsha Waxman and baritone Jon Pescevich made their points, and Adam Klein displayed a strong, rich tenor one would like to have heard more of.
     Giovanni Pergolesi's "The Maid-Mistress" ("La Serva Padrona"), a bit of froth from 1733 that has lasted through the years, found Adam Klein as the mute Vespone revelling in commedia dell'arte antics.
My only appearance so far in a Harpo Marx wig. I also got to belch on cue, a skill I never thought I’d be able to use – anywhere.
Victor Burning Bright Frank Lewin 7/24/2000 Opera Festival of New Jersey Patrick Hansen Karen Tiller Uncertain start leads to 'Bright' ending Willa J. Conrad The Star-Ledger Adam Klein as Victor sang with awkward, forced phrasing, yet through sheer willpower seemed to carry Victor's transformation across. I find this comment exceedingly odd, as I sang the phrases exactly as they were in the score.
Victor Burning Bright Frank Lewin 7/25/2000 Opera Festival of New Jersey Patrick Hansen Karen Tiller The debut of a work that might be too late David Patrick Stearns The Philadelphia Inquirer Such shortcomings might seem more forgivable if Opera Festival of New Jersey, which deserves great admiration for attempting any new work, delivered a production and performance better than workmanlike. More confident projection of the score from Patrick Hansen and more naturalistic direction from Karen Tiller would have made a stronger case for the opera.
     The singers, including Todd Thomas as Joe Saul and Indira Mahajan an Mordeen, were accomplished, but only Adam Klein as the dim-witted but virile surrogate father showed what this opera could be with more rehearsal.
No opera as short as this one should need more rehearsal than we had. The difficulties in the score's readability alone hampered things, as did the composer's attitude. There are many reasons for choosing to do this or that piece: in this case, the merits of the piece itself were not among them.
Victor Burning Bright Frank Lewin 7/26/2000 Opera Festival of New Jersey Patrick Hansen Karen Tiller A 'Bright' conclusion to OFNJ season Donald P. Delaney The Times The star of this show, for this listener, was baritone Adam Klein as Victor, Mordeen's seducer. A hateful individual in the beginning, Victor, through Klein's exceptional acting ability and his marvelous voice, won sympathy as the opera progressed, notably in his Act 2 confrontation with Mordeen. A stunning scene. Whatever. Despite the congeniality of cast and crew this was the single most unpleasant experience I've had in the theater world, and on top of that I get called a baritone again.
Victor Burning Bright Frank Lewin 7/26/2000 Opera Festival of New Jersey Patrick Hansen Karen Tiller From Circus, to Land and Sea and Outer Space, 'Burning Bright' Exhilarated and Entertained Linda Tyler Town Topics (Princeton NJ) John Marcus Bindel as Friend Ed was particularly fine with his pinpoint rhythmic declamation and fine diction. Only a small step behind were the performances of Indira Mahajan as Mordeen, Todd Thomas as Joe Saul, and Adam Klein as Victor. I was the only cast member who had this unnecessarily difficult-to-read piece memorized by Opening night. The music wasn't really too complicated, but it was written out very badly. We had a prompter, which saved the others.
Victor Burning Bright Frank Lewin 7/28/2000 Opera Festival of New Jersey Patrick Hansen Karen Tiller The Meek Shall Inherit Stuart Duncan The Princeton Packet The cast — Todd Thomas as Joe Saul; John Marcus Bindel as Friend Ed; Indira Mahajan as Mordeen and especially Adam Klein as Victor — brought real distinction to the evening. Mr. Klein clearly was the audience favorite and had the farthest to go with his character — from an uncouth circus performer to a second mate, ready for new challenges at sea. He also has the richest material to sing. Everyone envied me my Act 3 aria. It was the most Menotti-like music in the whole piece.
Werther Werther Jules Massenet 10/24/1991 Skylight Opera Theatre Yves Abel David Walsh Skylight puts together a believable 'Werther' Tom Strini The Milwaukee Journal Adam Klein does not possess the most refined tenor voice. It is likely to fray and even crack when pushed, and this music pushes it hard. But Klein is so overly committed to the over-the-top Romanticism that the very flaws in his singing become poignant signals of the inferno of emotion and sensation that is Werther. Whether his character is lost in the warmth of sunlight falling on his face or lost in his fall into love for the unattainable Charlotte, Klein's vocal/theatrical recklessness is absolute– and thus absolutely convincing. My first Werther. Let’s say I learned a lot during that production. This is one of the most ambitious attempts by a reviewer to turn a criticism into a compliment. I wonder what he might have written about Callas.
Werther Werther Jules Massenet 11/25/1996 Opera Memphis Michael Ching Karen Tiller Tenor's 'Werther' fills the house with an abiding, hopeless passion Whitney Smith The Commercial Appeal Adam Klein, the excellent tenor cast as Werther, has been frank about saying that the libretto to this opera made the poet out to be more of a whiner than he was in Goethe's hands. at Saturday's opening performance before nearly 2,000 at the Orpheum, it didn't take long to discover that the potential for whininess was there.
     Klein's Werther, while not exactly noble, was never pathetic, either. The tenor tempered the role's constant laments vocally and dramatically. He produced sudden and powerful crescendos on long notes, used vigorous stage movement, avoided melodrama and maintained superb French diction.
Well, thank you very much, I'm sure. I had a blast at this gig: on off-time I got to play folk music at Dr. Nancy Chase's house in town, which happened again on a smaller scale a few years later during MANON LESCAUT. Nancy is so cool. All those instruments, including bagpipes, and decent Scotch as well.
Werther Werther Jules Massenet 12/7/1996 Opera Memphis Michael Ching Karen Tiller 'Werther' charms audience Jim Eikner Tri-State Defender For three acts and four scenes Werther yearns, pines and sorrows, but Klein's stage discipline and soaring tenor voice and extraordinary breath control on sustained phrases deftly prevent the title character from becoming a mopey wimp or a wimpy mope…
     Kudos goes to Michael Ching, conductor, and the orchestra for nicely handing the many instrumental moments, which became enjoyments in themselves and not as mere transition pieces. Also there were golden moments when Klein and orchestra were as one, as in Werther's Act II pondering of the theological consequence of suicide…
Laying aside the fact that Paragraph #2 is not really English, I must point out that "kudos" is a Greek word like Mikonos or Lesbos or thermos, and is SINGULAR. Therefore, if you haven't figured it out yet, it should read "Kudos goes to Michael Ching…" I'm sorry: grammar and spelling do matter. Bad schooling aside, it indicates how clearly one thinks about what one is expressing.
     A word about breath control: an efficient phonation is the key to long phrases, not how one breathes. All the breathing in the world won't help an airy sound last long enough or carry better. The seat of singing is in the larynx, not the rib cage.
Zweiter Knabe Die Zauberflöte Wolfgang Mozart 10/28/1972 The Metropolitan Opera Peter Maag
Opera: Well Sung 'Zauberflöte' at Met Raymond Ericson The New York Times The Three Ladies (Jeannine Altmeyer, Mildred Miller, Batyah Godfrey), Three Genii (Joseph Andracchi, Adam Klein, Steven Schachtel) and Two Guards (Rod MacWherter, Louis Sgarro) sustained the high quality of the vocalism. Joe Andreacchi's name was misspelled in this review. The director wasn't mentioned and now I don't remember who it was. I doubt we met him or her, as it was a return of a previous production.