“…the latest Royal Opera revival of its 2013 production is a stimulating, thought-provoking, success in which the Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey steals the show.
…Kelsey, as the conflicted Montfort, proves the greatest revelation: a Verdi baritone of real distinction.”
“…it is baritone Quinn Kelsey’s tyrannical Montford that steals the show: both an amazing actor and singer, his voice carries intense emotion in every scene in which he features.”
London Theatre
“As Montfort, the Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey sings with great power and eloquence.”
The Times
“Quinn Kelsey deploys a firm but flexible voice to excellent effect as Montfort, portraying a bloodthirsty autocrat who nevertheless has some finer feelings, at least where his son is concerned.”
“His archnemesis Montford is the lynchpin here and utterly dominates the later scenes thanks to some stunning acting and singing from Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey. The Sicilian Vespers may be the black sheep of the Verdi oeuvre but there’s a front four here that raise this production to a heavenly level.”
“Quinn Kelsey’s Guy de Montfort is the pick of the cast – a craggy grandeur to his delivery, filed back to startling precision and tenderness for Act III’s ‘Au sein de la puissance’ – a rare moment of feeling rather than doing in Herheim’s busy staging. Such is his charisma that he’s in danger of threatening the moral supremacy and sympathy of Ildebrando D’Arcangelo’s wounded revolutionary Procida”
“Pride of place, however, on this occasion, must go to Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey as Guy de Montfort, who absolutely epitomises to perfection the true definition of stentorian. Huge, resonant, and clarion, he performed one of the finest baritone roles I have heard in some time. His second act aria, ‘Au sein de la puissance’, where he sings of fatherhood, is hugely emotive, receiving much deserved applause. His interaction and duet with Henri, where he reveals he is his father, “Quand ma bonté toujours nouvelle,” was notably powerful and moving. Not only that, but he also possesses a great stage presence, acting with authority and undeniable credibility, giving off an almost perceptible aura of invincibility.”
“In the 15 years since Quinn Kelsey was first seen in London at ENO he has grown into a singer of ample vocal strengths, successor in his quality of voice to Verdi baritones such as Sherrill Milnes, and his Guy de Montfort seized the high points of the drama.”
Financial Times
