Countertenor Andrew Watts has been showered in praise following his house debut at Wiener Staatsoper last Saturday as Prince Go-Go in a new production of Ligeti's Le grand macabre by Jan Lauwers, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. Andrew has been called "brilliant" and "superb", praised for "sounding glorious", and hailed as "ideal" casting for the role, which he has previously sung at Oper Graz, Komische Oper Berlin, English National Opera, and, earlier this season at the George Enescu Festival. He reprieves it in December with Orchestre national de France.
On Sunday, 19 November, Wiener Staatsoper will stream the performance here.
The audio recording of the opening night is already available on Austrian radio station Ö1.
"Prince Go Go (brilliant: Andrew Watts)"
Ljubiša Tošić, Der Standard
"Le Grand Macabre is not an easy opera to sing. Countertenor Andrew Watts sails through the role of Prince Go-Go with flying colours."
Manfred A. Schmid, Online Merker
"Prince Gogo (sounding glorious, Countertenor Andrew Watts)"
Thomas Götz, Kleine Zeitung
"As for the singers, who have extremely high demands placed upon them and are superb: Countertenor Andrew Watts prances [through the role] with beautiful bizarrness."
Stefan Musil, Kronenzeitung
"A huge achievement [from the orchestra], which is mirrored on stage. … Countertenor Andrew Watts, too, is ideal in the role of Prince Go-Go, hopelessly out of his depth politically but all the more uninhibited in his dancing."
Walter Weidringer, Die Presse
"The cast is well chosen: Andrew Watts as Prince Go-Go [is] ideal."
Peter Jarolin, Kurier
"And then there is Prince Go-Go – the superb countertenor Andrew Watts – who is being pushed about by by the corrupt ministers."
Ernst P. Strobel, Salzburger Nachrichten
"Andrew Watts as Prince Go-Go left a very good impression"
Dominik Troger, Oper in Wien
Production photo: Marcel Urlaub
