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2012



Counter-tenors can be an acquired taste, but an increasing number of Iestyn Davies fans are acquiring that taste very quickly. A former Cambridge chorister, he still bears traces of that training in the purity and precision of his tone, but there’s a joyfulness, passion and imagination in his singing that mark him out as something special: he has already won Young Artist of the Year at the Royal Philharmonic Awards. Andreas Scholl has popularised counter-tenors; now there’s a whole new generation of them, and Davies is at its forefront.

267
                     


2011

                       

... grown-up, joyous musicianship.






266

... a simply gorgeous voice, pure in tone... rich in vocal color... full-bodied... a luminosity, a glow... an impeccable musician, with a technical mastery never displayed for its own sake... an extraordinary range of expressive nuances. Davies is a supremely gifted storyteller. [...] His riveting stage presence and almost confessional, confiding manner make the essence of texts communicating despair simply heartbreaking... superb phrasing, mastery of dynamics and ability to color words... narrative force and stunning word painting. His voice also has great flexibility, with a top that opens wide... even the most fiercely demanding coloratura with brio and spot on intonation. And his diction is superb...


Debut recital, Carnegie Hall





265

… deep expressiveness… the leaping range of the Davies voice, his immaculate understanding of text… (in) Sento amor con novi dardi […] Davies' vocal decorations transported… Pure tone, firm pitch and clean projection characterized Davies' performance throughout. He is innately musical, and casts a line with perfectly expressed dynamics, from low to high, and soft to piercing…  brilliant young talent.
Debut recital, Carnegie Hall





264

(Andreas Scholl's) voice is more beautiful than ever. Bertarido’s Act I aria… and his aria and duet with his wife at the end of Act II, were sublime, and could never be forgotten by anyone who saw and heard them. In the much smaller role of Unulfo, Bertarido’s loyal friend, Iestyn Davies was on the same level. They must be the two supreme counter-tenors in the world…
  Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





263

… a singer of serenity and understatement… his artistry was all about detail work… barely detectable, chilling breaks between the words Es ist gnug, Herr; the stark paleness of his tone on the line Then up the hill and down the hill in the folk song The Bitter Withy; the small diminuendo on the final Hallelujah of Purcell’s Lord, What is Man… clarity and flexibility… In Music for a While, Mr Davies sang with a passionate sensuality fully contained within the rigorous constraints of Baroque form.

Debut recital, Carnegie Hall





262

  Interview: at WQXR Operavore blog.



261

Davies… delivered his three arias with hardly a suggestion of falsetto… a very impressive Fra tempeste funeste in Act 2 (one of the catchiest numbers in this work), with well-timed melodic ornamentations that fitted comfortably within the steady pulse of the music.





260

Currently impressing Met audiences in the revival of Rodelinda, this clear-voiced, deeply expressive countertenor...





259

... an unusually thoughtful and perceptive musician... an absolutely superb voice — supple, agile, beautifully controlled and effortless throughout its entire range... Davies handled [...] technical complexities [...] with impressive ease... directness and authenticity... gripping... powerful... A musician’s musician, Davies trimmed each song to its essentials, revealing unsuspected beauties and subtle details.

Stephen Brookes, The Washington Post
Song recital, Phillips Collection, Washington DC






258

Davies showed impressive vocal precision and a sweetness of tone that worked perfectly with Unulfo’s good natured character.
  Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





257

Iestyn Davies is apparently the first British countertenor to sing at the Met, and he made a striking debut as Unulfo, his acting as sympathetic as his singing was beautiful – Fra tempeste was a high point of the evening.

Melanie Eskanazi, MusicOMH
  Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera






256

... the cantatas are sung by counter-tenor Iestyn Davies, displaying all the control and musicality required of his great predecessor Farinelli. Davies is simply a delight to listen to. There is scarcely a moment when technical limitations intrude and everything is sung with his familiar musicality. We really feel transported to the chamber of a great prince, privileged to overhear the singer entertaining his patron. […] An attractive disc of civilised entertainment which wears its learning and musicality lightly; lovers of fine singing should not hesitate.
CD review, Porpora cantatas





255

… the most important new counter tenor, Iestyn Davies…
Berkshire Fine Arts
Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





254

… the remarkable countertenor Iestyn Davies, playing the deposed king’s trusty aide, Unulfo. Making his Met debut in this run, Mr Davies has a bright, penetrating voice and a keen musical intelligence; he phrased with utter naturalness and pointed the text with clarity. Not every countertenor can fill the Met, and Mr Davies does it not with size but with clarity.

Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





253

First-rate countertenor Iestyn Davies made a memorable Met debut in the role of the counsellor Unulfo. A winning actor, Davies has a substantial and agreeably pungent voice, and he is a beautiful musician, too, negotiating the never-ending runs in Sono i colpi della sorte and the tricky intervals in Fra tempeste funeste with both precision and a delectable lilt.


The Classical Review

Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





252

... the first time in the Met's 131-year history that a British countertenor will have graced its stage.


Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





251

Countertenor Iestyn Davies brings a potent and beautifully balanced voice to Unulfo, the king's loyal counsellor.

Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





250

The English countertenor Iestyn Davies made his Met debut as Unulfo, singing with a plump, even tone and excellent agility

New York Times
Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





249

Countertenor Iestyn Davies made his Met debut in the smaller role of Unulfo. Mr. Davies sang with great agility and the promise of bigger roles to come.

Superconductor
Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera





248

The principal lures of Rodelinda have been the countertenors… the seasoned Andreas Scholl and the outstanding newcomer Iestyn Davies.


New York Times
Rodelinda, Metropolitain Opera






247

  Interview: Iestyn Davies talked to Albert Imperato at Playbill Arts.



246-a

... beautifully shaped and coloured singing...


Andrew Clements, The Guardian
CD review, Porpora cantatas






246

Iestyn Davies, today's most exciting British countertenor... an awesome technique and flawless tone... Recommended.

Stephen Pritchard, The Observer
CD review, Porpora cantatas






245

  UK newspaper interview - The York Press.




243

  UK newspaper interview - The Yorkshire Post




243

[In] selecting Iestyn Davies to perform them, Hyperion has made a very wise choice indeed... Here he is very much the headline act and he is never anything other than deeply impressive... I never once tired of Davies' voice. There is not just a clarity and purity about it but also a wonderful sense of colour and variety. A sense of style, yes, but more than that a strongly communicative urge which brings everything vivdly to life in arresting and often extremely attractive interpretations.

Marc Rochester, International Record Review, October 2011
CD review, Porpora cantatas






242

These six Italian cantatas by the baroque composer Nicola Porpora, all to texts by Metastasio, are perfectly tailored to the mellifluous, beautifully articulated, expressive countertenor voice of Iestyn Davies...

Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph
CD review, Porpora cantatas






241

It's testimony to the extraordinary interest which counter-tenor Iestyn Davies now arouses that his weekday lunchtime recital was packed... Davies characterised each song so persuasively... his pre-eminence in both Elizabethan music and late nineteenth-century Romanticism... Music For a While [is] his calling-card... the opening phrase rang out with spine-tingling beauty; the final cadence set the seal on a perfect hour.

Michael Church, The Independent
Iestyn Davies and Julius Drake, Wigmore Hall recital






240

The star of the show was Davies’ voice, a remarkable natural instrument... Davies judged his vibrato and tone very carefully and movingly for In darkness let me dwell... Um mitternacht, from Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, was powerfully wrought, the ever-watchful [Julius] Drake subsiding to a soaring climax from Davies, taking the higher notes in his stride... Davies, singing [...] from memory, had a remarkable grasp of phrase and melody. His encore, Purcell’s Music for a while, was beautifully restrained.

Ben Hogwood, ClassicalSource.com
Iestyn Davies and Julius Drake, Wigmore Hall recital






239

... excellent cast led by the brilliant Mr Davies
Zachary Woolfe, New York Times
Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera






238

.. several [singers] stood out... especially Iestyn Davies in the countertenor role of Oberon, his voice sweet and strong, his diction perfect.
Huntley Dent, Berkshire Review
  A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera






237

Davies is particularly good, as dramatically anguished in the despairing aria Rompo I lacci as he is eloquently beautiful in Amor, nel mio pena. The dexterity and tone of his voice is truly extraordinary. 

2MBS, Sydney
   Flavio, CD on Chandos






236


(Oberon...) superbly sung by Iestyn Davies, his lustrous countertenor voice [...] (seemed) in fine fettle as he played his chain-smoking and disturbing character.
Colin Anderson, The Opera Critic
A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera






235

... Davies's subtle acting...
Lottie Greenhow, MusicOMH.com
A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera





234

... daring... a notably charismatic Davies
Anna Picard, The Independent
A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera





233

Iestyn Davies was all gliding tread and sinister intent [...] eerie purity and projection...

Alexandra Coghlan, The New Statesman
A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera





232

... Oberon, excellently sung here by Iestyn Davies..

Helen Wallace, Classical-Music.com
A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera





231

The crème-fraîche timbre of Davies’s voice compounded his disturbing presence as a creepily paedophilic schoolteacher, and his silken countertenor was laced with a stinging edge of the kind Britten would have relished..

Mark Valencia, ClassicalSource.com
A Midsummer Night's Dream - English National Opera





230

  Interview with Jonathan Lennie in Time Out




229

  Podcast: interview with Edward Seckerson  of The Independent (17'32")




228

  Interview with Keith McDonnell at Whatsonstage.com




227

Iestyn Davies sails through Saget, saget mir geschwinde (Tell me, tell me quickly) with the sort of ease that was unimaginable from a countertenor a quarter-century ago.

226

David was played by Iestyn Davies with a beautiful sense of line, creating sheer beauty with the magic of his voice.

Robert Hugill
Handel's Saul. London Handel Festival 2011






225

Iestyn Davies’s beautifully paced and articulated Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben, [reflects] his position as one of the promising countertenors to hit the scene in recent years..

Andrew Benson-Wilson, Early Music Review
CD review: J S Bach Easter and Ascension Oratorios, Linn Records






224

... Iestyn Davies’s plangent alto stands out among the soloists... he has this Ascension Oratorio’s plum aria, Ach bleibe doch...  and sings it quite ravishingly.

Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times
CD review: J S Bach Easter and Ascension Oratorios, Linn Records






223

Iestyn Davies è una superba Voice of Apollo, voce controtenorile di bel colore e volume.

Teatro.org
  Death in Venice, La Scala, Milan






222

Iestyn Davies as the Voice of Apollo was perfect.

Giuseppe Pennisi, Music & Vision
Death in Venice, La Scala, Milan






221

On ne peut qu'admirer... la beauté vocale du contre-ténor Iestyn Davies, Apollon de feu et de grâce.

Marie-Aude Roux, Le Monde
Death In Venice at La Scala, Milan






220

The more poignant sections - and there are a couple of Bach's most affecting examples, exhibited in the gorgeous arias for tenor in the Easter and for alto in the Ascension - are accompanied with thoughtful care and sung as well as we could hope for, by James Gilchrist in the former and Iestyn Davies in the latter.

CD review: J S Bach Easter and Ascension Oratorios, Linn Records






219

... a star-studded band of soloists that include the ... furiously agile countertenor Iestyn Davies.

218

  Review (in Italian)  by Alessando Mormile at l'Opera magazine of the 2010 Wigmore Live CD 




217

... eerie stillness that Davies’s controlled pianissimo achieved so brutally [in Merula’s Canzonetta spirituale sopra alla nanna].
Alexandra Cochlan, TheArtsDesk.com
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






216

Iestyn Davies, singing Guido, the role written for the star castrato Senesino, is excellent, with an evenly produced voice of great suppleness.
Ron Salemi, Fanfare magazine
CD review: Handel's Flavio (Chaconne
)





216

Davies’s was the perfect voice to mark the occasion; indeed his expressive, ethereal upper register makes his the perfect voice to mark any occasion.
Michael Arditti, The Express
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






215

... the extraordinary range of [Davies'] technical accomplishments, musical insights and dramatic embodiments. Unaffected and assured, he does not seek to impose himself upon the music; rather, his easeful stage presence and innate appreciation of the requirements of each particular musical medium allows the music itself to rise to the fore. The voice never distracts; it is only at the final cadence that one realises how supremely the song has been served.  [...] fresh, unaffected voice... Davies’ breath control is extraordinary... extravagant vocal gymnastics... dramatic poise, moving effortlessly between [...] moods... [his] ornamental invention and virtuosic elasticity quite simply took one’s breath away. However complicated the line, the voice remained unhindered and light.

Claire Seymour, Opera Today
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






214


There isn’t a weak spot in the entire vocal range of Iestyn Davies. Whether in the sustained low register of dark lament, or whether hurling the voice high in the exuberance of triumphant love, his is a countertenor which gives unalloyed pleasure. No distracting ego projection or self-consciousness either: simply a strength of musicianship and imagination which grip the attention in every second.

Hilary Finch, The Times (£)
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






213


... his enchanting voice, including a strong, even, lower register and that "column of sound" so desirable in a countertenor... it all seemed so relaxed and effortless... powerful recitative... glorious coloratura [...] Pianti, sospiri (was) simply stunning and delivered with verve, wit and the technical assurance of a man whose time has come. Without any hint of arrogance or pomposity - indeed quite the opposite, with a still-youthful charm and presence - Iestyn Davies just commands the stage and lets his voice take over. It's clear why the world's leading opera houses are booking him for years ahead [...] a simple, plaintive, Irish folk song (in honour of Mr Gilhooly), where the exquisitely-sung, unaccompanied, last verse generated a deafening silence in the Hall.

Bachtrack.com
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






212


Iestyn Davies’ performance was remarkable not only for its easy confidence in dealing with a melancholy subject [Schubert’s Totengräber’s Heimweh] but its ability go straight to the heart of both text and music. [...] virtuosity and close understanding (in) Queste pungenti spine which was a model of nuanced expression and florid decoration, culminating in a superb mesa di voce at Ancor non senti amore. [...] Vivaldi's Pianti, sospiri ... a display of liquid tone, elegant phrasing and bravura execution of fiendishly demanding music [...] a barnstorming Furibondo spiro il vento and a sensitively controlled, beautifully phrased account of She moved through the fair which was received with one of those silences which make (Wigmore Hall) the unique place that it is.

Melanie Eskanazi, Musicomh.com
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






211


... Davies’s falsetto at its most austere. Yet there was emotional depth, Davies investing a Kapsberger lullaby with the solemnity of a funeral ode... Cantatas by Porpora and Vivaldi allowed Davies greater freedom, with recitatives conversational, arias high-flying and ornate... a precise blend of celestial purity and bar-room intensity...

Nick Kimberley, London's Evening Standard
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






210


Then there was Davies. Posing a real threat to the supremacy of Daniels, Scholl, Jaroussky and the like, this young British countertenor has been quietly building up his reputation both at home and internationally, and is now a rounded performer of serious heft.[...] such innate musicality and flexibility as to efface itself into the repertoire. The result is assured, with a generosity to its authority that needs not demand attention. [...] ... Davies's hitherto underused coloratura. His lightness of tone (which somehow still remains fully supported) flits its way with comfortable ease around even the most awkward of patterns, and the move away from the score also allowed his dramatic skills to emerge more clearly, displaying none of the physical awkwardness that seems to blight so many of our younger British singers.[...] there was nothing left to be desired. Glorious music, well researched and performed with no less love than skill...
 
Alexandra Coghlan, TheArtsDes
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






209


Iestyn Davies, the hot young British countertenor [who] can do so much more with his voice than his equivalents could manage less than a generation ago.  Resurrect Alfred Deller and Davies would sing him off the stage. The almost offhand fluency and eloquence he brought to a whole batch of music... was miraculous.

Michael White, Catholic Herald
Recital marking John Gilhooly's ten years as Director of Wigmore Hall






208A
                     


2010

                      

British countertenor Iestyn Davies gave full value as Creonte, offering the best voice of its type to come from the UK in recent years and an impressive musicality combined with all-around stage assurance.

George Hall, Opera News
Niobe, Regina di Tebe,
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden





208A

... an achingly beautiful account of the alto part in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio... hardly any of the music is easy to sing, so it’s not surprising that soloists who can do it justice are thin on the ground. Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam and Schliesse, mein Herze showed why everyone wants Iestyn Davies – his elegant yet affecting phrasing, beautiful tone and seemingly effortless delivery gave constant pleasure.

Melanie Eskanazi, Musicomh.com
J S Bach's Christmas Oratorio
, St John's Smith





208


... a stellar line-up of soloists including incomparable counter-tenor Iestyn Davies, all was right with the world. Here the Protean Davies – fresh from starring in Handel’s Messiah at the Wigmore Hall - employed a cleanly instrumental sound...

Michael Church, The Independent
J S Bach's Christmas Oratorio
, St John's Smith Square





207


... at the pinnacle, countertenor Iestyn Davies, who just goes from strength to strength. The full range and expression of his remarkable voice was employed for But who may abide; the delicacy so evident in an exquisite rendering of He shall feed his flock was simply spell-binding. He alternates with ease between lively ornamentation and plaintive, spiritual high notes which can leave no-one untouched.

Bachtrack.com
Messiah
, Early Opera Company, Wigmore Hall





206


Davies added an element of poignancy and focus that was unforgettable in his arias (a heart-stopping He was despised), tactfully decorated to give the repeats a graceful variety and lift. The concentration, delivery, fullness and spirituality to his voice have never sounded more satisfying.

Peter Reed, Classicalsource.com
Messiah
, Early Opera Company, Wigmore Hall





205


...  in counter-tenor Iestyn Davies and baritone Derek Welton the EOC had trump cards [...] Davies scooped the pool in this year’s Royal Philharmonic Society awards after a string of brilliant operatic performances, and his voice is now acquiring a clarion quality. Looking like a thoroughly dissolute fallen angel, he sang here like one from heaven; his delivery of He shall feed his flock, over shuddering strings, was one of the evening’s many magical moments.

Michael Church, The Independent
Messiah, Early Opera Company, Wigmore Hall






204


... touch the heart strings the way Deller did (or more recently Iestyn Davies at this year's Proms in Cadogan Hall)

Robert Hugill






203


... den famosen britischen Countertenor Iestyn Davies... ene so kultiviert abgerundete, füllig- voluminöse Stimme können die Wenigsten seines Fachs aufbieten. Das wurde besonders im direkten „Duell" mit seinem Gegenspieler Robin Blaze  (Adalberto) deutlich, ein Händelscher Geniestreich an musikalischer Dramaturgie.
Die Presse
 Handel's Ottone
, Theater an der Wien





202


Iestyn Davies uses his voice... skillfully and often (as in his angry aria Rompo i lacci) with a conviction which should convince skeptics that the countertenor can be an effective dramatic force.  

Hugh Canning, The Classical Review
 Handel's Flavio
, CD on Chandos





201-a


Davies's Guido - the 'first man' part, though not the title-role - is a major achievement for the young countertenor in his first starring role on disc: his distinctive, delectably androgynous timbre in the ravishing L'armellin vita non cura, which here emerges as one of Handel's greatest arias in reflective  mode. He is no less compelling in bravura numbers, dashing off the coloratura volleys of Rompo i lacci  with insouciant ease and consistently pearly tone.

Hugh Canning, International Record Review

 Handel's Flavio, CD on Chandos






201


Intimacy and freshness make this [recording] a breathtaking performance. Davies's celebrated timbre – translucent, warm, pure...

Berta Joncus, BBC Music magazine
Solo CD on Wigmore Live label






200


Davies is simply the full package - stage presence, vocal prowess and keen musicianship.

Ed Breen, WhatsonStage
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden





199



... counter-tenor Iestyn Davies takes his first leading role at Covent Garden, Creonte, with remarkable success — their "love duet" is perhaps the vocal highpoint of the evening...

Hugh Canning, Sunday Times Arts Blog
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






198



Iestyn Davies... projecting with uncanny sweetness and ease.

Anna Picard, Independent on Sunday
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






197



... Creonte, Prince of Thessaly, sung by counter tenor Iestyn Davies, who is fast rising to international standard, with his unforced high notes.

Clare Colvin, Express
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






196

Iestyn Davies provides one of the evening’s best performances as Creonte

George Hall, The Stage
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






195

(Niobe’s/Gens') breathily sexy aria with Creonte (an excellent Iestyn Davies) was one of several show-stoppers

Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






194

Excellent singing from Iestyn Davies

Richard Morrison, The Times
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






193

One of the score’s highlights is (Niobe's/Gens') beautiful aria in duetto with the elegant Iestyn Davies

Edward Seckerson, The Independent
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






192

Iestyn Davies also deserves special mention among a uniformly strong cast

Barry Millington, London Evening Standard
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden






191

... elegant... countertenor Iestyn Davies's controlled, carefully phrased and ardent contributions - and certainly Davies won the clean coloratura competition
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden





190

  Feature article on Iestyn Davies at the Independent newspaper




189

[...] with a counter-tenor voice as firmly expressive and stage-worthy as his, [Iestyn Davies] deserves all his prizes. This live Wigmore Hall recital ... doesn't catch all the man's charms: you can't be wickedly funny singing Handel's German Arias. But the memorial pieces by Purcell and Blow are divinely elegiac... perfect rapport with the virtuoso musicians of Ensemble Guadagni.
Geoff Brown, The Times





188

... strong, precise countertenor... There's no trace in Davies' delivery of the epicene floridity to which some countertenors can be prey: rather, emotional acuity prevails, most impressively so in Purcell's Gentle shepherds, you that know, delivered with commendable poise.





187

Davies's technical brilliance never fails to impress and his performances display a vivid musical imagination and a compelling sense of rhetoric...
Matthew O'Donovan, Classical Music





186

Davies is among the finest of that current crop of British countertenors equipped with intelligent, sensitive musicianship and a carefully honed technique that enables apparently easeful singing. His voice has an alluring, distinctive richness, and this recital, in which he is sensitively and variously partnered by members of Ensemble Guadagni, tells us that he's also adept at programme planning... Davies is his most affecting in the tender Süsse stille, saufte Quelle, ... even when the music is fast he maintains an essential intimacy.

Stephen Pettitt, The Sunday Times





185

[...] the countertenor of the moment with a translucent voice that has no trace of the wobbly feminine bloom or hootiness that can haunt lesser singers. Like Andreas Scholl, there is a sinewy edge to the sound that is unmistakably masculine, however ethereal the music, a quality he amply demonstrates on this... recording... choosing (and sometimes transposing) works that show off his voice to best lyrical effect, chief among them Handel's Nine German Arias, though my favourite is his simply wondrous interpretation of Purcell's sublime Evening Hymn.
184

The captivating counter-tenor voice of Iestyn Davies has already graced several recordings, but this is the first CD on which he performs an entire solo programme and it is a pure delight. Handel’s Nine German Arias form the larger part of the programme and their variety alone points to the many ways Davies can respond to shadings of expression.There is the lyrical tranquillity of Süsse Stille, sanfte Quelle, the gently admonitory Die ihr aus dunkeln Grüften and the effervescent Das zitternde Glänzen der spielenden Wellen. Davies reveals each aria’s individuality with a seemingly effortless but telling sense of style. Elsewhere, Davies traces an affecting range of melancholy, reflection and quiet bliss through pieces by Blow, Purcell and Buxtehude. He is a major vocal talent that is blossoming gloriously.





183

The Saturday-morning programme, given in the Pittville Pump Room by the viol consort Fretwork and the superbly pure-voiced countertenor Iestyn Davies, encompassed not only three searingly chromatic Gesualdo songs, and two by Wolf, but melancholy effusions by Dowland, Warlock and Britten, the accompaniment for viols proving in the modern cases oddly effective. Britten’s grief-stricken, overwhelming folk-song treatment, O waly, waly, elicited Davies’s finest mastery, and was, for me, a textbook instance of those shivers down the spine.

Recital, Chetenham Festival
Paul Driver, Sunday Times





182

Dryden's Music for a While, set by Purcell, also gave the title to Iestyn Davies's morning recital with Fretwork, where the immaculate sound of Davies's countertenor did beguile all cares. His delivery seems understated, yet every syllable and emotion is carefully focused as to draw the listener into the heart of the music; melancholic anguish in the case of John Dowland, sexual in that of Carlo Gesualdo.

Fretwork's performance of music for viol consort by William Lawes paled slightly in comparison with the thrilling glow of Davies's singing, but the partnership realised a creative dynamic with bass violist Richard Boothby's arrangements of 20th-century English songs by Warlock and Britten. The viols' misty aura was magic and underlined the potent resonance of early English composers for those later. The exquisite artistry of the word-painting – Davies sweet-toned, yet often darkly distinctive of timbre – made it unforgettable.

Recital, Cheltenham Festival
Rian Evan, the Guardian





181

The one soloist who truly stood out was countertenor Iestyn Davies. Paradoxically, his ethereal voice was ideally suited to bringing out the reverential nature of the words in Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, while in the latter stages of Agnus Dei it suddenly hit an even more spiritual realm.

Bach B Minor Mass
MusicOMH





180

... Davies showed all the vocal and musical range Handel's pampered castratos were famous for...

Judith Malafronte, Opera News , June 2010





179

The English countertenor Iestyn Davis was a very good Hamor, Iphis' fiancé, who finally loses her to God. He confirmed the excellent impression he left in Handel’s Theodora last October at Madrid's Teatro Real.





178

... an intense and touching beauty...

English song recital, Middle Temple Hall
Michael White, Catholic Herald





177

Iestyn Davies and Anthony Roth Costanzo, two impressive young countertenors, rendered the evening a treat.

Partenope, New York City Opera
New York Times





176b

... the experienced Iestyn Davies, who brought a penetrating sound and vocal bloom to the role of Arsace... 

Partenope, New York City Opera
Wall Street Journal





176

... Iestyn Davies's performance of the very difficult Furibondo spira il vento would have to be considered the opera's show stopper.

Partenope, New York City Opera
175

... Iestyn Davies, the beautiful countertenor who performs the role of Arsace [...] Partenope is a wonderful launching pad for Davies' agile and elegantly expressive voice.   He seems a natural. [...]  Davies brings down the house with  his aria at the end of Act II.  [...] Senesino was reportedly a great Arsace, although his g appeared rarely and in later years he did not go above d.  We may have a new Senesino, without those limitations, in Davies. 

Partenope, New York City Opera
174

Welsh countertenor Iestyn Davies possessed the most beautiful voice of the night, an opulent, sensuous alto that easily filled the house, calling to mind both David Daniels and Bejun Mehta in its quality, ardor, intensity of emotional focus and mastery of fioritura...

Partenope, New York City Opera





173

  Podcast: Partenope - New York City Opera






The radiant countertenor Iestyn Davies is superb as Arsace
Partenope, New York City Opera
172

Countertenor Iestyn Davies, impassioned and elegant, gave one of the best vocal performances of the season.

Partenope, New York City Opera
New York Observer





171

The singers were two brilliant young countertenors, Iestyn Davies and Anthony Roth Costanzo [...]. The two singers both took on the role of princes, and they were princes as singers. [...] It is hard to imagine that we will not hear much more of the solid and powerful voice of Mr Davies...

Partenope, New York City Opera
The Edge





170

The night belonged to Iestyn Davies, who played one of the titular monarch Partenope’s suitors to perfection. Pure in tone, Davies’s countertenor packed heft and heat, making for three of the evening’s most stirring musical moments. His Ch’io parta? left nary a dry eye in the house.

Partenope, New York City Opera
Time Out





169

Welsh countertenor Iestyn Davies stopped the show with Arsace's second-act closer, Furibondo, cleanly flinging out page after page of elaborate coloratura depicting emotional torment.

Partenope, New York City Opera
New York Post





168

The vocal star of the night was Iestyn Davies as the conflicted Arsace. He sang with a luminous, creamy countertenor and offered a moving rendition of Ch’io parta? during the Act III scene where he begs Rosmira for forgiveness.
Partenope, New York City Opera
167

The British countertenor Iestyn Davies, who's a sensation across the pond, made a commanding Orpheus

Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (exerpt)
The Hub Review





166

... music evocative of a wide range of emotion, built around the story of a hero’s descent into the underworld to reclaim his wife.  Countertenor Iestyn Davies... well matched the drama of the orchestra with his presentation.

Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (except)
Fenway News





165

... an appealing, pure voice and a poised delivery...
Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice (exerpt)
Boston.com





164
                     


2009

                      

By some distance, however, the stand-out soloist is counter-tenor Iestyn Davies. Some recordings, including the aforementioned ones directed by Harry Christophers and Trevor Pinnock, split the alto arias between a male and a female singer. Generally I prefer this because I feel some arias, such as He was despised suit a female voice. I can only say that Davies’s singing completely stills any such objection. He opens with a wonderful account of But who may abide, the da capo sensitively and imaginatively decorated. The central section, For he is like a refiner’s fire, is bitingly incisive and the orchestral strings attack the music with gusto - some may be taken aback by this - and with tremendous use of dynamic contrast, all of which acts as a marvellous foil to Davies’s fiery singing. I love his fluent delivery of O thou that tellest, where his excellent use of ornamentation enhances the vocal line beautifully. He reserves some of his best singing for He was despised, which he sings with dignity and fine expression. His performance is beautifully controlled, both musically and emotionally, and the da capo section is even more expressive than what has gone before. Everything Davies does in this Messiah enhances his growing reputation.

Polyphony's Messiah recording





163

The well-rounded tone and technical precision of Iestyn Davies's singing is easy to enjoy, but it is equally significant that his ornamentation in But who may abide is masterful for its stylish vocabulary and expressive wisdom.

Gramophone magazine
Polyphony's Messiah recording





162

Suzy Klein:
My great performer of 2009 is the countertenor Iestyn Davies. He's just everywhere. I think he's a phenomenal talent - he's got everything. This exquisite voice - he can just stand there and conjure up a note out of thin air. And he's a lovely actor to watch, It doesn't matter how many people are on the stage with him, he has this very quiet charisma. He's a great all-round performer, a really exciting, talented guy.

James Bowman:
I agree entirely. I think he's fantastic. What I admire about him is the poise. When you see him performing, there's no fidgeting, the face is calm and collected, focused. And the sound is so even. I hate him! Hah! No, I think he's wonderful and for one so young it's pretty phenomenal.

BBC Radio 3, Sunday Morning, review of 2009





161

The soloists are on top-notch form, especially Iestyn Davies and especially with the ornamentation and authority in But who may abide. Tremendously exciting. 'Refiner's fire' has never come across quite so violently or potently as it does here.

David Vickers on BBC Radio 3 CD Review
Polyphony's Messiah recording





160

Iestyn Davies' natural, open-hearted countertenor is a joy to hear
Philly.com
Polyphony's Messiah recording





159

... clear, powerful... impressive... the weighty sadness of Davies' He was despised.

Twin Cities
Messiah, Minneapolis USA





158

Davies’s extraordinary vocal elasticity, clarity, and breath control [...] transports us to a realm where the voice is pure spirit. The effect is sublime.
Daily Express
Wigmore Hall solo recital





157

Iestyn Davies... with a flutey, full-blooded counter-tenor that perfectly complemented the sweet, pristine soprano of Carolyn Sampson in the title role... The hushed concluding duet arrived with a ravishing sense of consummation. Not for the first time, a performance of Theodora seemed to make the earth move.
Handel/Theodora/Kraemer





156

Countertenor Iestyn Davies, who played the closet Christian Didymus, gave a compelling performance with the coloratura conveyed with exuberant ease. One of the many highlights was his rendition of The Raptur’d Soul Defies the Sword.
Gavin Engelbrecht, Northern Echo
Handel/Theodora/Kraemer





155

Didymus, the chaste Theodora’s friend, was the British countertenor Iestyn Davies, who was extremely convincing and sang  very well. We'll have another opportunity to see him again next month in Agrippina which should be well worth a visit.
Handel/Theodora/Gabrieli Consort/McCreesh





154

Iestyn Davies was superb ... the purity of his voice, the exquisite breath control, lyricism of line... the rich tapestry of colours, the variation in  tone, dynamics and emphasis, and the occasional hints of baritonal splendour (yet never coming out of the counter-tenor mode)... mpressive stage presence... [In Partenope or Samson, he becomes the character and communicates this to the audience.] A different setting called for a  different behaviour; he showed that he understood the words...  and also that he grasped the thoughts and sentiments that inspired them and understood how the music reflected them.

Gertsamtkunstwerk
Proms, London





153

... Iestyn Davies’s quite beefy countertenor...  Tis Nature’s Voice, commandingly sung by Davies, with a full array of elaborate decorations, always in the service of the words and music. Davies’s tone is not as sweet as that of Scholl, nor is his technique as yet so prodigious, but he has an astringency in the timbre which is most affecting in this music, and ideal for the interpretation of such phrases as 'To court the ear or strike the Heart', and the sensuous quality of his enunciation at the word 'charms' is most engaging. [...] most of us have only rarely heard [Sweeter than roses] sung as it was here, with the ideal blend of sensuality at 'the dear kiss' and youthful exuberance at 'What magic has victorious love!'   [...] a powerfully moving performance of John Blow’s Ode on the Death of Mr Henry Purcell   [...] An Evening Hymn, mellifluously sung by the countertenor to complete an hour of bliss for lovers of Purcell’s music.
152

Davies has a great stage manner that really suits chamber music concerts such as this. His voice is bright, forward and full of personality and he has an even quality throughout his range that really projects the low passages in Purcell's writing. What is also impressive is the range of expression that he can employ without having to sing too loudly, a quality that is particularly beneficial when working with early instruments...  Davies was a really passionate communicator of the poetry and leaned into the dissonant qualities [of Sweeter than Roses] to give a moving performance. There were some beautifully crafted imitative passages between the two singers [in Blow's Ode on the Death of Mr Henry Purcell, with Simon Wall, tenor] and a really excellent solo section from Davies.





151

In the select world of countertenors, there’s always one who sets the pace... on the evidence of the last 18 months, I suggest that in Iestyn Davies we have the new countertenor king-in-waiting.

Davies may be built like a whippet, but, as we’ve seen with his performances at English National Opera, he has that mysterious quality of always drawing the eye (and ear) when sharing the stage with others. When he has it to himself, he’s mesmerising, so it made good sense for the final Chamber Prom to be largely devoted to him... The programme was wall-to-wall Purcell, plus the long lament on Purcell’s early death by John Blow... .


First Davies sang
Tis Nature’s Voice... His intimate and confidential manner seemed designed to set off the music’s highly-ornamented melismas... his sound developed a compelling power, particularly in the lower register. Then came Music for a while, which might have evoked memories of Bowman, had the sound not been so utterly different. Perfectly paced, and phrased as befitting a poem which is just one single sustained thought, this was a piece of high vocal artistry, as was Sweeter than roses...

There’s steel in his sound, and not a trace of the femininity you hear in Daniels’s; Davies has gravity, unaffected directness, and that rare ability to bring a note seemingly out of nowhere, and make it sing. But he still sounds boyish and vulnerable: it will be fascinating to see how he develops over the next few years.

150

... Chamber Prom, which soared up to the heights without any neurotic breast-beating... Some of the high points you could predict, like Iestyn Davies’s way of floating the tune of Evening Hymn over Reiko Ochise’s viola da gamba bass...
Proms, London





149

... Music for a While and Sweeter than Roses [were] sublimely handled by Davies... Davies has an impressive voice, he manages to be at home in Italian opera but can still turn on the necessary tone and edge to make these Purcell pieces work. His is not the soft option, but a really keenly voiced, profoundly moving account.
Robert Hugill
Proms, London





148

The performance was definitely worth attending, for [...] Iestyn Davies’s luminous Micah...

Samson, Proms, London





147

Susan Gritton's all-too-brief appearance as the wheedling Dalila was flawless, as was Iestyn Davies's Micah.

Samson, Proms, London





146

Iestyn Davies, piping nimbly as Micah, the story’s guide...   
Samson, Proms, London





145

... as Micah, Iestyn Davies's superb musicianship combined with the translucent beauty of his countertenor to raise his secondary character to the centre of attention.   
Samson, Proms, London





144

Micah, sung by the inimitable Iestyn Davies, provides a wonderful contrast to this anguished moment with his recitative that follows. His honeyed tones bring endless pleasure to what seems to me the best part in the oratorio. He manoeuvres effortlessly through demanding semiquaver passages, for example in his last air of Act 1, and delivers the most amazingly-articulate 't's. Each flies like the sharpest of arrows right to the very back of the hall; not one could be missed by a single audience member. For me, the highlight has to be the tones of Davies; his silky tones were a hidden jewel in the crown of this most enjoyable performance of a Handel classic. Let's hope it's not too long before it's back at the Proms again.
Samson, Proms, London





143

But for me, the highlight was undoubtedly Iestyn Davies, and the highlight of his performance was Return, O God of hosts! But throughout he was just wonderful. Such a beauty of tone, amazing breath control, such expression, dramatic insight. And loud. I'm not someone who judges a singer solely on their volume, and I would far rather listen to a good quiet singer than a loud one with an absence of musicality. But Iestyn has it all, so the loudness is just icing on the cake. And I think it is worth noting in a counter-tenor because there are often complaints that they get drowned out by the orchestra especially in large halls. It probably isn't actually loudness as such, but an ability to place the voice which is difficult to describe but you know it when you hear it.
Samson, Proms, London





142

The evening's other hero, in the role of Micah, was counter-tenor Iestyn Davies: with all the perfection of Andreas Scholl, but with much more warmth, he projected his voice so effectively that he balanced the double-size chorus, while even his pianissimos carried powerfully round the dome.  

Michael Church, The Independent
  Samson, Proms, London





141

   Interview with Rupert Christiansen of the Daily Telegraph  - 8 August 2009. Click here.




140

... the sensational young counter-tenor Iestyn Davies.
139

Countertenor Davies delivered arias that Handel wrote for the great castrati Nicolini and Senesino with laser precision and the most glorious tone.
Rian Evans, The Guardian
Cheltenham Music Festival





138

[Handel's] first London opera Rinaldo led to endless tussling with entrepreneurs and castrati: cue for the countertenor Iestyn Davies and trumpets from the upper galleries to provide a spendid performance of Or la tromba.
Hilary Finch, The Times
Cheltenham Music Festival





137

A rarefied programme of English and German music... Iestyn Davies is about as near as real musicians can come to being an overnight sensation... the choice of repertoire itself showed tremendous confidence... The Queen’s Epicedium [...] provides a singer with challenges of the sort that Davies relishes – it can’t be easy to produce the kind of unwaveringly plaintive tone required for lines like “The Queen of Arcadie is gone!” whilst giving attention to the inevitable flourishes... difficult figures imitating brass instruments flung out as though they presented no challenge at all.

Melanie Eskanazi, ClassicalSource
Solo recital devut, Wigmore Hall: Purcell, Blow, Buxtehude, Handel
  The performance was recorded for the Wigmore Live! label





136

One of the great countertenors.
Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3





135

Iestyn Davies, as (Athalia's) opponent, the high priest Joad, singing with strength and clarity, is a rising star among British countertenors.
Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





134

Iestyn Davies as Joad proved himself as silky-toned as ever. He gave a smoothly controlled performance that judged both the mood of the work and the comparatively intimate space of St John's well. His impressive technique made light of the filigree coloratura of Gloomy tyrants, and brought a delicate plangency to the lyrical Jerusalem, thou shalt no more, its rippling arpeggios a prefiguration of the much-beloved Waft her, angels from Jeptha.

Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





133

... with a power and clarity that conveyed an appealingly understated heroism. Iestyn Davies, a countertenor, matched those qualities in his more overtly heroic portrayal of Joad.

Allan Kozinn, New York Times
Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





132

... Iestyn Davies, who has one of the most glorious countertenor voices in the world today

Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





131

... countertenor Iestyn Davies pure-toned as Joad...

Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





130

Iestyn Davies sang the role of the high priest, Joad, with confidence and lovely floating head tones...

Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





129

Iestyn Davies's rapt, introverted Joad... exceptional.
Athalia, London Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music





128

... the amazing countertenor Iestyn Davies as Hamor (in love with Iphis) was vocally powerful throughout and in their duet at the end of Act I, scene III, you felt privileged to be in the audience.

Tony Cooper, Norwich Evening News
Jephtha,  Norfolk and Norwich Festival




 
127

[John Mark Ainsley]... met his match in the exciting young countertenor Iestyn Davies, whose smoothness of vocal production and gracefully intelligent phrasing as Jephtha's prospective son-in-law Hamor not even Andreas Scholl could surpass.
Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph
Jephtha, London Handel Festival





126

Countertenor Iestyn Davies is fast taking on the mantle of James Bowman; his Hamor had everything this part requires, from the confident declamatory strength needed in If such thy cruel purpose to the sweetness of tone and moving quality of intonation in Tis Heav’n’s all-ruling pow’r.

Melanie Esknazi, Classical Source
Jephtha, London Handel Festival





125

Iestyn Davies sang the Spirit from off-stage, and filled the auditorium with the true sound of a real baroque singer

Melanie Eskanazi, Classical Source
Dido and Aeneas, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London





124

Iestyn Davies made an impressive Covent Garden debut too, singing sweetly from above through the hole in the roof.
Dido and Aeneas, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London





123

Iestyn Davies' disembodied pronouncements as the Spirit from high up in the auditorium were suitably ethereal.

Dido and Aeneas, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London





122

...the greatest vocal purity came from Iestyn Davies as the Spirit.
Dido and Aeneas, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London





121

Iestyn Davies was a welcome newcomer to ROH, singing his twelve bars as the Spirit from off-stage somewhere, but with clean attack, good full-throated projection and clear diction.
Sue Loder, Opera Today
Dido and Aeneas, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London




.
120

The countertenor Iestyn Davies piped sweetly as Oberon...
William Albright, Opera Magazine
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





119-4

... countertenor Iestyn Davies was a handsome and virile Oberon

Wes Blomster, Opera Now
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





119-3

In his HGO debut as Oberon, countertenor Iestyn Davies had not only the high range but also a top-to-bottom depth of resonance that projected both the unearthly and regal qualities of the fairy king. At times, the effect of both these singers [... Laura Claycomb...] was nothing short of uncanny, vividly evoking the supernatural world they inhabit. 
Gregory Barnett, Opera News
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





119-2

Leading the quartet of magical characters, Iestyn Davies, making his HGO debut, was a brilliant Oberon. His bright, even countertenor floated gloriously above Britten’s instrumental evocations and was never too creamy to become non-present. There was an attractive edge to his tone, and this helped heighten the sense of Oberon’s mischievous nature. Coloratura runs, dissonant leaps and perfect diction were all executed with ease.
Concerto.net
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





119

Welsh countertenor Iestyn Davies (HGO debut) vocally had one of just a short string of unqualified successes with their parts. Less ostentatiously costumed than is James Bowman on the dvd of the Peter Hall production, he gave his part the air of mystery, contemplation, and aloofness in a way that at least some of the part calls for as well. His vocal production was about the entirely most even of the entire cast and could have been identified by a few of us with that of Alfred Deller. I hope it not heresy to say either that I found his more subdued and thus more introspective and mysterious interpretation of Oberon, in acting also, to be mildly preferable to the more blowsy James Bowman on the wonderful Haitink/Peter Hall dvd. This was altogether a very fine piece of work.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





118

Welsh countertenor Iestyn Davies sings Oberon with smooth control and precision, exuding stately authority. His best moment is the opera’s best-known aria, I Know a Bank Where the Wild Thyme Blows.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





117

Each set of characters gets its own particular sound, with Oberon's countertenor the most distinctive and powerful as it soars clear and bright, when the King of the Fairies (Iestyn Davies) weaves his spells on unsuspecting bumpkins and his lustful queen Tytania alike.
Houston Press
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Houston Grand Opera





116
                     


2008

                      

Iestyn Davies sang... with his customary cultivated beauty of tone.

Melanie Eskanazi, Seen and Heard
Messiah





115

I’ve chosen Iestyn Davies whom we all describe as 'the new kid on the block’, the most wonderful young singer who has come to the fore very much recently, and he’s singing opera at the moment, in Partenope. A wonderful technique, and I am filled with envy. I admire him enormously.

James Bowman
 BBC Radio 3, Early Music Show, 26 October 2008





114

  AWARD: ENO's 2008 Partenope wins Olivier Award - Best New Opera Production







Iestyn Davies (Armindo) reveals a wonderful clarion voice and an engaging stage manner as the terminally bumbling and tongue-tied lover.

Robert Thicknesse, The Tablet
Partenope, ENO






113

And thoroughly dazzling was Iestyn Davies, whose gorgeously clear countertenor is a real discovery. His stone-faced, Keatonesque comedy acting was delightfully done.

Rob Ainsley, SkyArts
Partenope, ENO





112

Iestyn Davies as Armindo all but dominates the show with countertenor singing of extraordinary, fleshed-out fullness and endearing pathos as the timid lover who eventually gets the girl.

111

... a world-class cast... Iestyn Davies amusing and touching as a Chaplinesque Armindo...
110

Davies's voice has grown, losing none of its sweetness, and his singing is pure and polished through the most gymnastic of his character Armindo's slapstick routines.
109

Podcast: ENO Partenope






... but it is countertenor Iestyn Davies whose astonishingly agile, forceful voice upstages them all.
108

Of the singers, only Iestyn Davies as Armindo was consistently excellent. He has a secure, honeyed tone, every note faultlessly placed, and his Keatonesque slapstick as Partenope's timid, fumbling suitor was delightfully judged.

Intermezzo
Partenope, ENO





107

Countertenor Iestyn Davies was Armindo, his voice bright and clear, his pitching always seeming to find the middle of the note, and his acting convincing (he did seem positively distraught in How I long to explain my sighing)...[his] Armindo provided plenty of fun.
Colin Clarke, musicweb
Partenope, ENO





106

Countertenor Iestyn Davies [...] was brilliant, with no apparent tension in any register of his voice and the ability to project strongly throughout.



105

The insipid, undercharacterised Armindo, who finally wins Partenope, is well taken by the countertenor Iestyn Davies.

104

Iestyn Davies’ ample alto really filled out the “droopy and mournful” Armindo.

103

Armindo's an unbearable drip but in the hands of Davies' honeyed counter-tenor he becomes a smooth-talker.


102

In the end the counter-tenor gets the girl, and you can well understand why she might have chosen Iestyn Davies's delightful Armindo.
101

Iestyn Davies as the weak willed, but ultimately successful in love Armindo, brings a richness of voice to the role in a very assured performance.
100

Iestyn Davies, the effete if attractive Armindo
Tim Ashley, The Guardian
Partenope, ENO





99

Countertenor Iestyn Davies (Armindo) tumbles downstairs with the deadpan solemnity of Buster Keaton and sings like an angel who smokes five a day — pure-toned with hint of roughness. He’s a find.
98

Iestyn Davies’s Armindo also had to do battle with stage business and achieved a similar triumph – this is not an easy character to convey, given that he spends most of the opera in a state somewhere between tremulous expectation and despair, but still gets the girl in the end – Davies was completely convincing, and his singing was consistently lovely in tone and elegant in phrasing, his Act One aria a high point of the evening.

97

Iestyn Davies an unexpectedly strong Armindo
96

The countertenor Iestyn Davies sang winningly as a Chaplinesque bumbler who, in spite of himself, ends up getting the girl.
95

Countertenor Iestyn Davies, too, was brilliant, with no apparent tension in any register of his voice and the ability to project strongly throughout.

94

(Mackerras's) soloists could hardly be bettered... Iestyn Davies limpidly plangent as the prophet Daniel.
 
Belhazzar, Proms, London





93

Iestyn Davies, pouring vocal balm on the utterances of the young prophet Daniel

Financial Times
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





92

The soloists were, on the whole, excellent. Iestyn Davies’s voice carried so well, every word captured beautifully and full of understanding; the prophet Daniel’s  appearances in the oratorio became something to look forward to: the lengthy Act One aria O sacred oracles of truth was appropriately naïve sounding, life not yet poisoned by bad experiences. Without much effort, it seemed, Davies’s luscious voice filled the Hall; a rare and great achievement.
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





91

Iestyn Davies, fresh from his convincing Proms performance in The Coronation of Poppea a couple of weeks back, was the pick of the soloists, a honey-toned countertenor who never lets the stubble show vocally.
Intermezzo
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





90

Iestyn Davies's Daniel revealed something of the depth among today's countertenors
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





89

Iestyn Davies with an impeccably groomed voice as a fine Daniel
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





88

Iestyn Davies [provided] a noble legato of faith for Daniel, sealed by subtle vocal ornamentation

Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





87

Iestyn Davies gave a mellifluous, honey-sweet performance of Daniel's first aria – a quality which he maintains throughout. Davies brings a sublime quality to the music with his performance.

Claudine Nightingale, musicalcriticism.com
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





86

Iestyn Davies, as the prophet Daniel, produced not only some of the finest singing of the evening, but some of the most heartfelt Handel singing that's been heard in London for some time. His Lament not thus, O Queen, in vain was delivered with a simplicity that touched the heart – his star is most definitely in the ascendant.

Keith McDonnell, musicOMH.com
Belshazzar, BBC Proms, London





85

Interview with Iestyn Davies.




84

Iestyn Davies's Otho and Marie Arnet's Drusilla were [...] excellent.
Erica Jeal, Guardian
L'incoronazione di Poppea, BBC Proms, London





83

Iestyn Davies (Ottone) and Marie Arnet (Drusilla) were vocally excellent in the roles...

Barry Millington, Evening Standard / This is London
L'incoronazione di Poppea, Proms, London





82

... Iestyn Davies' likeable and warmly-sung Otho ...
Simon Thomas, musicOHM.com
L'incoronazione di Poppea, Proms, London





81

... once the silly, barely audible business of the prologue was out of the way, the strong, expressive voice of Iestyn Davies's Otho drew things into greater focus.

Geoffrrey Norris, Daily Telegraph
L'incoronazione di Poppea, Proms, London




 
80

Iestyn Davies was an engaging Flavio
Flavio, Barbican, London





79

Iestyn Davies (soon to play Ottone in Glyndebourne's L'incoronazione di Poppea) was impressive

Laura Battle, MusicOMH.com
Flavio, Barbican, London





78

Flavio himself was sung by Iestyn Davies, one of a remarkable pair of countertenors (the other was Robin Blaze...)
Flavio, Birmingham Town Hal





77

Iestyn Davies, crisp and alert in the title role
Flavio, Barbican, London





76

... that superb counter-tenor Iestyn Davies...

Michael Church, Independent
Bach B Minor Mass, St John's Smith Square





75

Another debutant, countertenor Iestyn Davies, made a good impression
George Loomis, New York Sun
King Arthur, New York City Opera





74

... impressive work.
Anthony Tommasini, New York Times
King Arthur, New York City Opera





73

This is a voice that is going to make waves for a long time to come. [...] Davies sounds like a tenor in his lower range, yet makes a seamless transition to falsetto [... so] the voice retains its masculinity and power. But these would mean little without his musicality and, more tellingly, his composure. He remained unfazed through acres of demanding ornamentation, all of which he slotted in without compromising his rhythmic momentum. To his extended aria within Blow's ode on Purcell's death he brought an icy cool that was breathtaking.

72

...  a world-class singer... with a following for his opera performances and recitals in Britain and the United States...



71
                     


2007

                      

[Guadagni's] arias [...] are magnificently sung here by Iestyn Davies. His But who may abide evokes the refiner's fire vividly yet without exaggeration, his ornamentation is neat and appropriate but not gaudy, and, above all, he imbues the piece with a wonderful sense of trepidation, typical of a reading of the whole oratorio which has clearly been meticulously thought through with the aim of bringing out all the meaning in the text [...] the awed expressiveness of Behold a virgin shall conceive [...]  As a result it is far more than a successful exercise in historical reconstruction, and must qualify as one of the finest available recordings of Messiah [...] sure of a place in every Baroque connoisseur's CD collection.

Elizabeth Roche, Early Music Journal
Messiah recording






70

The countertenor Iestyn Davies [...] has a very special quality. It's not just the sound – poised and pure, a true male alto – but the unpretentious honesty of his artistry that touches us. He was despised emerged like the still centre of the entire evening, with each restatement of the words left hanging in the air, while Handel's pained string ritornello reflected on their consequences.
Messiah, Barbican





69

Countertenor Iestyn Davies was, meanwhile, a treat, his enunciation a model of clarity and his bell-like, focused sound caressing every one of Handel's melodic lines. In the Part Three duet O death, his firmly-placed, pure tone...

Dave Paxton, musicOMH.com
Messiah, Barbican





68

Iestyn Davies was called upon to take the countertenor role, and he did it with great style, his polish remarkable although, perhaps perversely, this critic felt sad that all the boyish nervousness seemed to have gone from his attack, and been replaced with a Bowman-like elegance. No matter - Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened was typical of his moving recitative, and He was despised hit exactly the right balance between sentiment and drama.

 67

The countertenor Iestyn Davies [...] was the stand-out among an interesting quartet of soloists.

66

The rounded, finely tempered voice of countertenor Iestyn Davies gave his substantial role impressive command

Mike Marsh, The Echo
Messiah, Bournemouth





65

... the mellifluous countertenor Iestyn Davies...   

Glasgow Herald
Theodora, Glasgow





64

Iestyn Davies as Didymus sounded beautiful throughout
Theodora, Edinburgh





63

Only a countertenor of Iestyn Davies's dramatic and vocal assurance could deliver the line, 'I am a Christian', and hold an audience in rapt attention. But rapt we were [ ... ] The quartet of solo violin, cello, theorbo and harpsichord accompanying Didymus in Sweet Rose and Lily was a particular delight.
Theodora, Edinburgh





62

Of the up and coming generation [ of countertenors ], Iestyn Davies is the pick of the bunch.
61

Article in The Herald (Glasgow).  PDF version.





60

I do not think that I will ever hear a performance of [ Britten's ] Canticles as magnificent as John Mark Ainsley's with the brilliant young countertenor Iestyn Davies

John Gilhooly, Director, Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall Annual Report





59

Iestyn Davies strengthens his growing reputation as an up-and-coming countertenor, intelligent in his handling of text, vocally gorgeous in La rondinella amante and dazzling in the hunting aria Alle minacce di fiera belve, holding his own against the forceful orchestration.

Glyn Pursglove, Musicweb
La Griselda recording





58

The young countertenor Iestyn Davies gave, quite simply, the finest performance of [the 2nd movement solo] that I’ve ever heard. His plangent timbre and expressive voice was ideally suited to the music.

John Quinn, Seen & Heard
Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Cheltenham Festival






57

I liked Iestyn Davies' countertenor Voice of Apollo.
Michael Kennedy, Opera magazine
Death in Venice
, English National Opera





56

The voice of countertenor Iestyn Davies, as Apollo, is magically pure in tone.   

William Parsons, The Lady
Death in Venice, English National Opera





55

Countertenor Iestyn Davies as the Voice of Apollo makes a strong impression.
ukgay.com
Death in Venice, English National Opera





54

Iestyn Davies (as Apollo) sang excellently.

Timothy Ball, classicalsource.com
Death in Venice, English National Opera





53

Iestyn Davies makes much of the small role of Apollo - dressed, interestingly enough, as Tadzio's double - thanks to an unusually vibrant countertenor.

John Allison, Seven Magazine/Sunday Telegraph
Death in Venice, English National Opera





52

... and Iestyn Davies, as the Voice of Apollo, [ is ] first class.
Death in Venice, English National Opera





51

... countertenor Iestyn Davies, singing the part of Apollo, looked and sounded strong and Apollonian.

Agnes Kory, Musical Criticism
Death in Venice, English National Opera






50

We lose some of the words of the chorus but not of [ ... ] Iestyn Davies's bright countertenor Apollo

Erica Jeal, The Guardian
Death in Venice, English National Opera





48

Iestyn Davies brings an unearthly quality to the Voice of Apollo
Death in Venice, English National Opera





48

Iestyn Davies, an earthbound Apollo with a full and resonant countertenor

Simon Thomas, musicomh.com
Death in Venice, English National Opera





47

... the atmosphere of the “Greek games” is immensely enhanced by Iestyn Davies’s vibrant countertenor as the Voice of Apollo.
Death in Venice, English National Opera





46

Iestyn Davies, in the countertenor role of Apollo, had bell-like clarity

Fiona Maddocks, London Evening Standard
Death in Venice, English National Opera





45

Award: La Griselda CD wins BBC Music magazine Opera Recording of the Year 2007





44

Iestyn Davies... deeply expressive
Barry Millington, London Evening Standard
St Matthew Passion, Royal Albert Hall





43

The quality of the playing on the Naxos recording is, along with the singing of the countertenor Iestyn Davies, enough to justify buying it...  (his) He was despised ranks with the best I know. This is one area where the Naxos recording scores (over the Jacobs, Harmonia Mundi record) in that Iestyn Davies provides the excitement that Zazzo lacks.
Melanie Eskanazi, Fanfare Magazine
Recording: Handel's Messiah






42
                     


2006

                      

... the performance of the complete Canticles by the Nash Ensemble with Iestyn Davies and John Mark Ainsley, would be outstanding [ among 2006 performances ] for its unmatchable singing, its finely judged drama and its overwhelming commitment.
 
Seen and Heard's Review of the year 2006 (Melanie Eskanazi)





41

The counter-tenor Iestyn Davies continues to grow in musical stature.  He has a gravitas about his singing which might seem at odds with his youth, yet which is entirely fitting – But who may abide and He shall feed his flock were both ideally balanced between the sombre and the quietly joyful, and He was despised was finely phrased and beautifully coloured.

Melanie Eskanazi, Musicweb
  Messiah, St John's Smith Square





40

... a convincing, unshrill sound
Charles T Downey, ionarts
La Griselda recording






39

Davies was the ideal Isaac: his youthful tone made his music especially poignant, and he was at one with [ John Mark ] Ainsley in his highly charged yet never overplayed interpretation: Father, seeing you must needs do so / let it pass lightly, and over go can hardly have left a dry eye in the house.

Melanie Eskanazi, Musicweb
Britten: Canticles, Wigmore Hall





38

... the exceptional countertenor Iestyn Davies...
Tim Ashley, The Guardian
  Messiah (Higginbottom recording)





37

... (John Mark) Ainsley as Abraham ideally partnered by the unconstrained, mellifluous Isaac of countertenor Iestyn Davies; their backs to the audience, they joined in a spine-tingling duet to represent the disembodied voice of God. 

Erica Jeal, The Guardian
Britten: Canticles, Wigmore Hall





36

... as fine musically as (he is) foul dramatically.
Stephen Walsh, The Independent
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
, WNO





35

... particularly fine singing...
Bill Kenny, MusicWeb
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, WNO





34

... the countertenor Iestyn Davies and the tenor James Gilchrist are especially welcome, marrying words to vocal line with winged strength.
33

Countertenor Iestyn Davies... has a markedly focused sound and presence.

Variety
King Arthur
, ENO





32

3
I should like to have heard the countertenor Iestyn Davies sing [ Fairest Isle ]. His number summoning the battle-weary heroes to Woden's Hall was splendid. It's a smashing voice and he has real stage presence.

Edward Seckerson, The Independent
King Arthur, ENO






31

... sensitive singing...

Anna Pickard. The Independent
King Arthur, ENO





30

Iestyn Davies is clearly a countertenor to watch
Metro
King Arthur, ENO





29

I wanted to take the countertenor Iestyn Davies home with me
Bloomberg
King Arthur, ENO





28

Countertenor Iestyn Davies delights with his smooth, expressive tone
musicOMH.com
King Arthur, ENO





27

... Iestyn Davies and his superbly controlled countertenor voice as Hamor

BBC Bristol
Jeptha, WNO





26

Iestyn Davies in the BBC Radio 3 studio in 2006





25

  Interview with Iestyn Davies at Opera Today





24

Special mention should be made of the bell-like voice of Iestyn Davies as the distraught, betrothed Hamor. The clarity and range of this countertenor was breathtaking and his breath control during the trills and runs was fantastic.

MiltonKeynes.com
Jeptha, WNO






23

... the rich beauty of countertenor Iestyn Davies' voice was used to full effect in Es ist vollbracht.
Glasgow Herald
St John Passion





22

He has it all. His prodigious natural gifts include a beautifully cultivated, flexible and agile voice, a sense of the shaping of a phrase very rare in so young an artist, and a very engaging stage presence... one can only imagine how far he will go. I have seldom heard He shall feed his flock sung with more sheer vocal beauty, or He was despised  given with so much tenderness.
musicweb
Messiah





21

... beautifully articulated and affecting singing...

The Guardian
Jeptha, WNO





20



2005



The young Iestyn Davies proved to be a discovery with his expressive countertenor which radiated great naturalness.
Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten
Messiah





19

Another strong performance from the young countertenor
Glasgow Herald
BWV 170





18

Countertenor Iestyn Davies, a young singer to watch, was extremely impressive as the noble high priest, Joad.

Glasgow Herald

Athalia






17

Counter-tenor Iestyn Davies, as Joad, stole the show with a beautifully nuanced performance, authoritative, emotional and lusciously sung.
The Scotsman
Athalia






16

This young countertenor is exceptional.  A true countertenor, not a male alto masquerading as one, his voice is rooted as a baritone, the richness of his low register singing having fine tonal quality, while its top, alto range is firm and full.
Sheffield Telegraph
English songs of the 16th century



15

On retiendra particulièrement Iestyn Davies, jeune contre-ténor à la voix puissante et bien timbrée.
Le Progrès
La Griselda





14

Iestyn Davies a un timbre de contre-ténor riche et bien sonnant. Son phrasé est simplement encore un peu raide et son legato perfectible.
Operabaroque.com
La Griselda






13

Superbe! Une voix claire mais puissante, j'ai hâte de le ré-entendre.

Do-si-do
La Griselda






12

Iestyn Davies est l'autre grande découverte de la soirée. Ce tout jeune contre-ténor est un chanteur à suivre car il montre une voix puissante, franche et ensoleillée. Son chant est loin d'être dépourvu de musicalité comme le démontre son second air La rondinella amante: il donne des notes très légères, aériennes pour souligner l'intensité de ses propos. Mais il est également capable d'imposer un engagement important dans Alle minaccie di fiera belva, duo avec un cor, à travers les différents "r" et "t" qu'il accentue violemment.

Manon Ardouin, Concertonet
La Griselda






11

… outstanding
BBC Music Magazine
Finnissy Anima Christi  (Exaudi recording)





10



2004



Nos papéis de solista destacou-se o jovem contratenor Iestyn Davies, numa interpretação que rondou o superlativo. Não é difícil antever-lhe uma carreira de grande sucesso.
Cultura
Messiah





9

There were very many stylish contributions but perhaps none that augurs better for Baroque performance in the immediate future than that of countertenor Iestyn Davies. Milton's line juxtaposes gorgeous with tragedy. Davies's voice memorably combined the two.
The Guardian
L'Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Snape Proms






8

... the ornamentations and expression... such artistry!...
Terence Best
Giulio Cesare arias





7

... Iestyn Davies, who proved himself to be that rare creature, a truly virile and sensuous countertenor.  He was a star in a Messiah that managed to combine earthy vigour with the dignity demanded by its subject.
Irish Times
Messiah






6

Iestyn Davies's countertenor was simply wonderful, with impeccable intonation. His caricature of a mad lepidopterist - desperate to make his catch - was artfully drawn and, if this rich sound is what Davies achieves in the open air, one can only imagine how it will  be in more resonant circumstances.

Opera
Il Tempesto Tutore






5

Countertenor Iestyn Davies was particularly outstanding as Orpheus

dailyinfo.co.uk
The Story of Orpheus






4

... spine chilling...
Opera
The Story of Orpheus





3

Davies' alto burnt fiercely in the title role
The Times
The Story of Orpheus





2

As soon as he bounded on to the podium, we felt we were in safe hands. Here was a young man who really meant business: a fantastic combination of amazing voice and maturity of character
BBC Radio 3 Early Music Show
London Handel Singing Competition






1