The extremely strong cast was headed by Eleazar Rodriguez who, time and again, made his experience in the title role tell. His tenor was possessed of both warmth and a sense of lightness so that he could make his lines feel both pure and expansive, while his relatively low notes were possessed of considerable depth. He has played the part in fully staged productions, but here succeeded in adjusting his acting style so that his many arm gestures suited the concert setup. Sam Smith, musicomh.com

Alongside her as Essex, Eleazar Rodriguez, had only joined the cast a few days before, but their chemistry was excellent; and he, in turn, delivered his bravura moments with aplomb and his episodes of melancholy, especially in the prison scene, with plausible intensity. playstosee.com

Whilst the singers performed from scores, they were standing and made the relevant entrances and exits. Both Helena Dix and Eleazar Rodriguez had performed their roles on stage, and this showed. The two developed a strong interaction in all their scenes and this spilt over into the other singers, so this was a very dramatic concert performance, and all the better for it.
…
Like many tenors in 19th-century opera, Roberto is a bit of a prat and his actions in the opera (acquiring an incriminating scarf from his beloved Sara and giving her a ring which his life depends on) are on a par with his (historical) actions in Ireland which he is on trial for. Rodriguez has a fine, robust tenor which all the necessary combinations of power and flexibility. He made Roberto sympathetic and had us rooting for him. Whilst he has two double arias (both cavatina plus cabaletta), he also has a duet with Sara and a trio with Elisabetta and Nottingham and it is here, plus in the terrific scene with Elisabetta in Act One, that we really feel Roberto's character develop, and here both Dix and Rodriguez struck sparks off each other in a vivid manner in all their dialogues, really making Donizetti's accompanied recitatives crackle. And there was a similar intensity in Rodriguez scenes with Catherine Carby's Sara. His final scene, in prison, was the moment to shine and Rodriguez sang with real conviction, style and dramatic intensity. planethugill.com

Joining at late notice, the tenor Eleazar Rodríguez more than proved himself in the title role — nowhere more so than in Devereux’s heartfelt soliloquy when awaiting his fate at the Tower of London. Rebecca Franks, The Times

The extremely strong cast was headed by Eleazar Rodriguez who, time and again, made his experience in the title role tell. His tenor was possessed of both warmth and a sense of lightness so that he could make his lines feel both pure and expansive, while his relatively low notes were possessed of considerable depth. He has played the part in fully staged productions, but here succeeded in adjusting his acting style so that his many arm gestures suited the concert setup. Sam Smith, musicomh.com

Alongside her as Essex, Eleazar Rodriguez, had only joined the cast a few days before, but their chemistry was excellent; and he, in turn, delivered his bravura moments with aplomb and his episodes of melancholy, especially in the prison scene, with plausible intensity. playstosee.com

Whilst the singers performed from scores, they were standing and made the relevant entrances and exits. Both Helena Dix and Eleazar Rodriguez had performed their roles on stage, and this showed. The two developed a strong interaction in all their scenes and this spilt over into the other singers, so this was a very dramatic concert performance, and all the better for it.
…
Like many tenors in 19th-century opera, Roberto is a bit of a prat and his actions in the opera (acquiring an incriminating scarf from his beloved Sara and giving her a ring which his life depends on) are on a par with his (historical) actions in Ireland which he is on trial for. Rodriguez has a fine, robust tenor which all the necessary combinations of power and flexibility. He made Roberto sympathetic and had us rooting for him. Whilst he has two double arias (both cavatina plus cabaletta), he also has a duet with Sara and a trio with Elisabetta and Nottingham and it is here, plus in the terrific scene with Elisabetta in Act One, that we really feel Roberto's character develop, and here both Dix and Rodriguez struck sparks off each other in a vivid manner in all their dialogues, really making Donizetti's accompanied recitatives crackle. And there was a similar intensity in Rodriguez scenes with Catherine Carby's Sara. His final scene, in prison, was the moment to shine and Rodriguez sang with real conviction, style and dramatic intensity. planethugill.com

Joining at late notice, the tenor Eleazar Rodríguez more than proved himself in the title role — nowhere more so than in Devereux’s heartfelt soliloquy when awaiting his fate at the Tower of London. Rebecca Franks, The Times

…Rodolfo was Jenish Ysmanov; he is still young but is very promising, and he almost stole the performance. Vladimir Frantar – Opera Magazine, July 2020

Brillieren konnte der junge Tenor Jenish Ysmanov in seiner Arie “Quando le sere al placido”. Wunderbar phrasiert und dynamisch abgestuft reißt er als Rodolfo das Publikum in seiner Verzweiflung über Luisas vermeintlichen Verrat mit. Verdient wird anschließend applaudiert und gejubelt. P. Melchert – Das Opernglas, Mai 2020

Allen voran singt Jenish Ysmanov den Rodolfo mit einem wunderbar klingenden und exzellent geführten Tenor mit viel Schmelz. Besonders begeistern kann er mit seiner Paradearie „Quando le sere al placido“. Dr. Helmut Christian Mayer – Opera-Online.com

Schließlich macht die beste Figur der australische Tenor John Heuzenroeder (Herodes). Er besitzt eine gut fokussierte klare Tenorstimme und seine Bühnenagilität ist vollendet.

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