Seattle Opera - Falstaff
"Peter Rose, in his first-ever appearance as Falstaff, unfurled a voice of dimensions as sumptuous as his girth, and his characterization too was larger than life and supremely human."
The Seattle Times, March 1, 2010
Bernard
Jacobson
"On opening night, Sir John Falstaff was sung by English bass Peter Rose, whose rich vocals convey his character’s desire to take in the fullness of life, whether that involves munching on a lamb shank, drinking sack, or shamelessly feeling up a married woman (just to see if he can get away with it)."
Seattle Fine Arts Examiner, March 2, 2010
Audrey Gervasi
"Peter Rose, whose previous appearance at McCaw was as a randy Baron Ochs in Rosenkavalier, triumphs in the title role, a sympathetic character despite his considerable flaws, surely not deserving of "death by a volley of turnips" but saved from drowning by his own swollen belly."
Cornichon.org / Crosscut.com, March 2, 2010
Ronald Holden
"From the instant he sauntered onto the stage, rocked slightly back on his chair, and chomped into a super-duper-sized drum stick, Peter Rose embodied Shakespeare’s fat knight who has fallen on hard times and foolishly thinks that he has the swagger to seduce two young women and get his hands on their money. Rose knew how to make the most of his physical heft and got volumes of laughter from the audience with an array of facial expressions.
Rose’s bass-baritone masterfully combined agility and expressivity. It easily thundered above the orchestra whenever it swelled to a huge crescendo, but it also seamlessly slipped into a light, fluffy falsetto when Falstaff was mocking a woman’s voice. Rose could give his voice a rough, threatening edge whenever he wanted, but it was always gorgeously round in the center, no-matter what."
Oregon Music News, March 2, 2010
James Bash
"In the title role, Peter Rose trod that delicate line between humor and buffoonery, displaying brilliant comic timing and an impressive voice that doesn’t merely bark out Falstaff’s lines, but also displays remarkable strength at both ends of the vocal spectrum. Rose can do more with a brief gesture or a slight pause than most singers can, and the finesse of his Falstaff is memorable on every level."
Classical King FM 98.1, Feb 27, 2010
Melinda Bargreen
Royal Opera House - Der Rosenkavalier
"Fortunately, Peter Rose (who created a pathos-driven Boris Godunov for English National Opera last year) brought bumbling foolery to Ochs in small doses. He ensured that the mayhem resulting from his wounding in the duel with Octavian simmers rather than boils over. His cheer, befuddlement (when he cannot prove his identity to the Police Commissar) and general avuncular nature made Ochs the comic relief he ought to be. Rose's rock-solid bass matched the devilish orchestral details, particularly in Act Two, with aplomb."
classicalsource.com, December, 2009
Kevin Rogers
"Of the principals, the most successful to me was Peter Rose as Baron Ochs, appropriately dominating the action but also being more than just a boorish lech - in Rose's characterisation one can believe that this is a man who, in spite of his behaviour, considers himself a noble, and the loss of the mostly imaginary dignity that the Marschallin advises him to preserve by leaving the scene in Act III can actually be felt."
Berkshire Review for the Arts, December 22, 2009
Gabriel Kellett
"The main point of interest is the characterisation of Baron Ochs, far more dapper and personable than the usual oafish fool. He is still odious but the dichotomy between elegant exterior and loathsome reality makes him a stronger presence. Peter Rose's eloquent vocalisation is all of a piece."
Evening Standard, December 18, 2009
Barry Millington
"Peter Rose is a fine Baron Ochs."
The Sunday Telegraph, December 13, 2009
John Allison
"Peter Rose, in particular, brings a wonderful comic acting talent to the part of the Baron."
Daily Express, December 11, 2009
William Hartston
"...he cranks up the comedy later and puts bags of personality into his singing."
The Times, December 9, 2009
Richard Morrison
"Peter Rose gives a classic Baron Ochs..."
The Guardian, December 8, 2009
Martin Kettle
"Rose made Ochs's discomfiture both hilarious and poignant..."
The Telegraph, December 8, 2009
Rupert Christiansen
"Rose has now sung this enormous role all over the world, accepted even in notoriously hard-to-please Vienna as the real comic article. Not only is his discreet dialect spot on, as an Austrian assured me; he actually sings the part...rather beautifully..."
The Arts Desk, December 8, 2009
David Nice
"... Baron Ochs ... was very well sung by Peter Rose, who gave him just the right nuances, without going over the top."
WordPress.com, December 8, 2009
Mark Ronan
Read an interview with Peter Rose on his "Ochs" for "Der Rosenkavalier" at ROH:
http://www.askonasholt.co.uk/interview/peter-rose
Askonas Holt Website, December 2009
Charlotte Gardner
San Francisco Opera - Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail
"With his powerful voice, British Bass Peter Rose brought much resonance to the character of osmin..."
The Epoch Times, October 5, 2009
Eman Isadiar
"Peter Rose, with his expressive bass voice and splendid gift for comedy, created a blustery but surprisingly lovable Osmin."
Inside Bay Area, October 2, 2009
Cheryl North
"Peter Rose's Osmin is a delight. A real bass and a true musician, he sings the comic role of the harem boss with unusual beauty. His acting is hilarious, but never overdone."
San Francisco Examiner, September 25, 2009
Janos Gereben
Mostly Mozart Festival New York - The Creation
"The excellent bass Peter Rose brought a stentorian voice and complete authority to his singing as Raphael."
The New York Times, August 23, 2009
Anthony Tommasini
Royal Opera House - Lulu
"... approving nods were sent to all of the remaining cast, particularly Peter Rose as The Athlete..."
www.musicalcriticism.com,
June 14, 2009
Delia
Casadei
"During the prologue, for example, while my neighbours were expecting circus animals in cages, one was able to envision these animal metaphors simply from Peter Rose's (Animal Trainer/Athlete) word painting."
Operaticus, June 10,
2009
Elena Garcia
"Peter Rose...terrific in multiple roles."
The Telegraph, June 5,
2009
Rupert Christiansen
"... in the dual roles of the Animal Trainer and Athlete Peter Rose was outstanding."
London Evening
Standard, June 5, 2009
Barry Millington
"Royal Opera stalwart Peter Rose ... provided expert cameos in a multitude of roles."
www.musicOMH.com,
June 2009
Keith
McDonnell
Santa Fe Opera - Billy Budd
"...Peter Rose brings a formidable voice and blustery energy to Claggart..."
The New York Times, August 2, 2008
Anthony
Tommasini
"...Peter Rose is bone-chilling as the sadistic master-at-arms John Claggart - all the more so, paradoxically, for singing with such focused finesse. Hermann Melville, on whose novella the opera is based, imagined Claggart with a bit of an aristocratic bearing: Mr. Rose realizes it vocally."
The Dallas Morning News, August 2, 2008
Scott
Cantrell
"Peter Rose's Stygian but agile bass, his burly figure, and the demonic concentration he could portray in his eyes, perfectly limned Claggart's dark hatred of anything light and bright: he has shut love out wholly from his life, and will destroy anyone who threatens to storm his citadel — in this case, the unsuspecting Billy."
The New Mexican, July 13, 2008
Craig Smith
St David's Hall Cardiff - La Damnation de Faust
"Peter Rose looked and sounded a splendidly insidious Méphistophélès. This was another fine piece of vocal characterisation, communicating not only a superficial sense of mockery, but also the sense both of profound evil and of Méphistophélès’s equally profound awareness of what he, as a fallen angel, has lost. This emotional and (to a degree) moral ambiguity permeated all of Rose’s contributions and gave an impressive subtlety to his performance. This was a Méphistophélès who could be both lyrically persuasive and mockingly maledictory, a figure well calculated to control the dangerously idealistic and already troubled Faust."
Seen and Heard International, April, 2008
Glyn
Pursglove
"The one truly dramatic characterisation here was that of Peter Rose as Mephistophélès, suitably diabolic in tone and demeanour..."
The Guardian, April 7, 2008
Rian Evans
Deutsche Oper Berlin - Der Rosenkavalier
"Equally convincing was Peter Rose as Ochs - I seriously doubt if there are any better interpreters of this part today: He has the most wonderful low notes, a steady voice in the entire range, and again, a great talent for comic acting. He is funny, but never exaggerates into the ridiculous, making this Ochs a believable character, and not just a parody."
Mostly Opera, March 16, 2008
Metropolitan Opera - The Barber of Seville
"Peter Rose's richly sonorous bass and polished singing represent luxury casting for the role of Don Basilio."
The Dallas Morning News, January 27, 2008
Scott Cantrell
"Peter Rose, the British bass, has been a memorable Baron Ochs on the Met stage. (I'm speaking of Strauss's opera "Der Rosenkavalier.") On Saturday night, he proved a successful Don Basilio — smooth and stylish."
The New York Sun, January 14, 2008
Jay Nordlinger
"Peter Rose provided a nicely sonorous account of the slanderous Don Basilio."
The New York Post, January 14, 2008
Clive
Barnes
Royal Albert Hall - The Apostles (Elgar) at the PROMS
"... Peter Rose was outstanding as Peter."
The Times, August 21, 2007
Hilary Finch
Opera Australia - Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail
"Rose demonstrated complete mastery of the comic role with impeccable pacing and phrasing and a lush bass voice that could be both darkly venomous and gleefully animated."
The Opera Critic, July, 2007
Rosalind Appleby
Vienna State Opera - Parsifal
"Die Entdeckung des Abends war der debutierende Peter Rose als Gurnemanz: Wenn man nicht wüsste, dass er Engländer ist, käme man nicht auf die Idee – sein Deutsch ist lupenrein, verständlicher als das der „echten“ Deutschen. Er verfügt über einen hell gefärbten, wunderschön modulationsfähigen Bass, der für Wagner wie geschaffen ist. (The evening's discovery was the debut of Peter Rose as Gurnemanz: If you did not know he is English, you would never have guessed it. His German, a magnifying glass, was more intelligible than that of a "real" German. His capable, controlled bass, brightly coloured and with beautiful modulation, was created for Wagner.)"
Der Merker, April 6, 2007
Renate Wagner
"Nicht zu vergessen: Peter Rose, dem Gurnemanz wie angegossen in der Kehle liegt. (Not forgetting Peter Rose, whose Gurnemanz vocally fits like a glove.)"
Wiener Zeitung, April 6, 2007
Markus
Hennerfeind
Hamburg Opera - Billy Budd
"Peter Rose was perfect as a bullish, clever, angry Claggart, with a smooth surface and tormented depths."
Opera, July, 2007
Shirley Apthorp
"Peter Rose gab seinem John Claggart die genau richtige Mischung aus finsterer Verschlagenheit und Verzweiflung. (Peter Rose gave his John Claggart the exact mixture of dark cunningness and despair.)"
Hamburger Abendblatt, March 27, 2007
Joachim
Mischke
"Bassist Peter Rose stellte einen finsteren Claggart auf die Bretter, dessen Tiefe und Kraft seelische Abgründe und unverrückbare Bösartigkeit überzeugend erschuf. Ein Schurke von shakespeareschem Jago-Format. (Bass Peter Rose presented a dark Claggart on stage, whose depth and power convincingly formed mental abyss and unmovable viciousness. A villain of Shakespearean Jago-format.)"
Der Spiegel, March 26, 2007
Werner Theurich
The Barbican London - L'enfance du Christ
"Peter Rose was outstanding as the generous carpenter who takes Mary and Joseph in from their wanderings."
The Times, December 6, 2006
John Allison
Dallas Opera – Nabucco
"Peter Rose brings great dignity to the role of the high priest Zaccaria, and a warm, fluid bass to match."
The Dallas Morning News, November 11, 2006
Scott Cantrell
Opera on CD - Tristan und Isolde
"As to the Marke of Peter Rose, it's exemplary. One of Rose's strengths is his physical presence, in this part so dignified and touching, but on disc he surmounts its absence with a combination of a finely managed legato and declamation of moving simplicity and justness."
Opera, November, 2006
Richard Law
Hamburg State Opera – Parsifal
"...voellig muehelos dagegen, mit oratorischer Linienfuehrung, glaenzender Hohe und einer Diktion, die jedem deutschen Muttersprachler zur Ehre gereicht haette, der Gurnemanz von PETER ROSE. (...completely effortless on the other hand, with line following oratorio, sparkling heights and a diction which would honour every native German speaker, the Gurnemanz of PETER ROSE.)"
Orpheus, September, 2006
Hartmut Kuehnel
Seattle Opera – Der Rosenkavalier
"The farcical engine is driven by Baron Ochs, played by bass Peter Rose with great hormonal energy. Rose's Baron enjoys every half-second of his caddishness, and takes advantage of every comic opportunity. His head-on-a-swivel act, stuck between spy Valzacchi's advisements and spy Annina's cleavage, had me sinking to the floor in laughter."
The Opera Critic, August 30, 2006
Michael
J Vaughan
"Peter Rose is already a known and admired quantity in Seattle, where he has previously been seen and heard in Tristan und Isolde and Rusalka. His sonorous bass … and commanding presence made a formidable figure of Baron Ochs, his lecherous cynicism proof against every rebuff until the comprehensive comeuppance he suffers in the last act."
Seen and Heard International
Opera Review, August 21, 2006
Bernard Jacobson
"Rose has sung this role many times, and he nails the part with a pitch-perfect performance and a glorious voice."
The Herald, August 11, 2006
Mike Murray
"…fabulous … as Baron Ochs. Rose was hilarious as a lecherous older man."
Seattlest, August 10, 2006
"Baron Ochs is often portrayed as a lovable buffoon, but Peter Rose’s rendition is of an aristocrat who deliberately wields the power of his station in life boorishly and coldly. When he’s appraising Sophie, his bride-to-be, like a horse he’s considering buying, it’s a totally appalling moment. His powerhouse voice ranged easily from inexorable threat to cajoling seduction."
Queen Anne News, August 9, 2006
Maggie Larrick
"Peter Rose, another Brit – from Canterbury – and one of the world’s great basses, has returned in his signature role of Baron Ochs."
Queen Anne News, August 9, 2006
Linda
Greenwald
"Mr. Rose was well nigh perfect in the role, possessing among other virtues a great low E, with which Ochs closes Act Two. His voice, which we so enjoyed in Seattle's "Tristan" in 1998, was beautiful and big; and he truly sang the part, while acting his many faults with an effectiveness that was both frightening and humorous."
Seattle Gay News, August 2006
Rod Parke
"Peter Rose gave us the best-sung Ochs imaginable, with considerable vocal strength at both ends of the compass (including a rich store of powerful notes below the staff), and he also proved a magnetic actor who can make you laugh, wince and frown in a single phrase."
The Seattle Times, August 9,
2006
Melinda Bargreen
"Peter Rose sings powerfully as Baron Ochs and manages the comic element perfectly. This barren ox is pompous and vulgar, but a person and never a cartoon."
Seattle Weekly, August 9, 2006
Gavin Borchert
Hambug State Opera – Parsifal
"Der erste Akt geriet am ueberzeugendsten, vor allem dank eines Gurnemanz in der Person des stimmgewaltigen Peter Rose. (The first act came across most convincingly, especially thanks to a Gurnemanz in the person of the mighty-voiced Peter Rose.)"
Hamburger Abendblatt - 4 April 2006
"...und Peter Rose trat mit dem Riesenpart des Erzaehlers Gurnemanz das wehvolle Erbe des großen Kurt Moll an, und die großen Schuhe passten. (...and Peter Rose, with the huge part of the Narrator Gurnemanz, became heir to the great Kurt Moll, and fitted his big shoes perfectly.)"
Die Welt, Hamburg - 4 April 2006
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Midsummer Marriage
"The fine cast included...bass Peter Rose, who brought superb diction and dramatic weight to the role of King Fisher, Jenifer's overbearing plutocratic father. "
Wall Street Journal - November 22, 2005
"Still, the singing is superb, all of it. Peter Rose nails the evil capitalist King Fisher. This is, in fact, the finest performance of the opera I have encountered finer than the performance currently at Covent Garden ..."
LA Times - December 07, 2005 - "A 'Midsummer' at its vocal zenith"
"...and English bass Peter Rose brought a hearty no-nonsense vigor to King Fisher "
Chicago Sun-Times - November 21, 2005
Wynne
Delacoma
"As Jenifer's overbearing mogul father, King Fisher, Peter Rose gave a performance perfectly pitched between buffo bluster and admittedly self-serving paternal concern."
MusicalAmerica.com November 22, 2005
Steve Smith
English National Opera - A Midsummer Night's Dream
"Peter Rose's return as bottom; sounding warm and resonant even when singing through his donkey head (complete with nifty moving jaw), he had more presence than anyone while making the least effort to achieve it."
Opera, September 2004
Erica Jeal
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Pirates of Penzance
"Peter Rose's jovial sergeant of police was a masterpiece of cockney caricature, ..."
Opera, June 2004
William Shackelford
Graz Opera - Parsifal
"With this performance, Peter Rose staked his claim as the most lavish-voiced, lyric, bel canto Gurnemanz since Kurt Moll. A great communicator, the British bass turned his long monologues into riveting storytelling, through perfect diction and sensitive word-coloring "
Opera News: January 2004
"Peter Rose astounded by making Gurnemanz's endless monologues riveting theatre through flawless diction, sensitive word colouring and a lyrical light bass with a lovely bloom."
Financial Times: 06 October 2003
Larry L Lash
Salzburg - Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail
" With the exception of Peter Rose as a bluff Osmin, characterful enough to defy his surroundings, the rest of the cast is well below Salzburg standards."
The Guardian: August 15, 2003
Edward
Greenfield
" Peter Rose deserves a bonus not only for singing Osmin so well, but undergoing numerous indignities with such good humour."
Financial Times: August 2, 2003
Richard
Fairman
Seattle Opera - Rusalka
"There was an exceptional supporting cast. Best of all was Peter Rose, whose warm and beautifully phrased account of the Water Spirit's Act 2 aria was deeply moving. "
Opera: April 2002
Glyndebourne - A Midsummer Night's Dream
"At their head was Peter Rose as a virtually ideal Bottom. Eschewing the mugging and exaggerations of so many interpreters in the past, he followed the humour of the role from within. A natural comic, he communicated easily with the audience and his fellow groundlings, was a deliciously sensual lover-as-donkey, and led the play preparations and execution with complete ease. To add to one's pleasure, his rounded bass filled the part with warm tone."
Opera Magazine: August 2001
".. A Stentorian performance by Glyndebourne stalwart Peter Rose"
Mail on Sunday: 03 June 2001
" Peter Rose is first class as Bottom"
The Tablet: 02 June 2001
" An excellent cast includes two supreme performers... Peter Rose's Bully Bottom unites naturalness - no coarse exaggeration, romance in the "dream" monologue - to a voice of exceptional beauty and an ideal command of words. His King Mark in Tristan is already famous; what a fine Hans Sachs he should be"
Times Literary Supplement: 01 June 2001
" Peter Rose as Bottom, gave an endearing, slightly underplayed and ripely sung portrayal, making the most of his recital of his dream of love with Tytania"
Sunday Telegraph: 27 May 2001
"There's no overt evidence.. that Peter Rose's Bottom - the star of the show - is as outstandingly well hung as it is well sung (as there was when he appeared in Robert Carsen's more recent production for ENO)"
Sunday Times: 27 May 2001
"...Peter Rose's brilliant Bottom (is) the most complete performance of the evening. His resonant bass is warmly musical, and he saves the theatricals from seeming a long-winded glorification of amateur theatre."
The Times: 23 May 2001
" Peter Rose's genial Bottom came close to running away with the show. That is the reward for fielding a big, confident bass and bags of personality."
Financial Times: 23 May 2001
The Metropolitan Opera, New York - Der Rosenkavalier
"... the performance was elegantly, even eloquently dominated by the British bass Peter Rose, undertaking his first and only Ochs here. Rose ignored all the awful buffo traditions and played the country baron as a man of authoritative bluster and affecting bonhomie. He really sang the score, from easy top to resonant bottom, without Sprechstimme distortions, and even mustered a good semblance of Viennese dialect."
Financial Times: 19 December 2000
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden - The Tales of Hoffmann
"... and Crespel resounded to Peter Rose's distinctive bass."
Financial Times: 3 October 2000
Telarc recording - Mozart - Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail
"Only Peter Rose's superbly sung Osmin really stands up to the competition'."
Sunday Times: 6 August 2000
English National Opera - Eugene Onegin
"But an unexpected showstopper also comes from bass Peter Rose as the uxorious Prince Gremin."
Stage Opera Review: 25 May 2000
English National Opera - Ernani
"Peter Rose creates a far more humane portrait of Silva than the standard Verdi bass."
Financial Times: 9 May 2000
"Peter Rose's Silva is imposingly Stentorian."
The Guardian: 8 May 2000
"Outstanding was the bass Peter Rose as the grandee Silva. He projected superbly, rolling out even, focused tone in smoothly shaped phrases and keeping the ham to a tactful minimum. What a wonderful singer he has become."
Daily Telegraph: 5 May 2000
Minnesota Opera - Der Rosenkavalier
"Peter Rose as Baron Ochs makes another standout performance. His resonant bass voice dominates the action. And while he is deliciously vulgar and boorish, he never loses the aristocratic bearing that made him credible as part of the Marschallin's world'."
St. Paul Pioneer Press: 24 January 2000
Scottish Opera - Der Rosenkavalier
"Peter Rose's Ochs he sang magnificently and gave a role that can grow tiresome, a new dimension."
Sunday Telegraph: 14 February 1999
"Baron Ochs, sung magnificently by Peter Rose."
The Guardian: 9 February 1999
"Peter Rose's Ochs is an outstanding, versatile, comic creation, and Rose sings as though born to the role. In his final humiliation he even becomes moving."
The Scotsman: 8 February 1999
"... in tandem with Peter Rose's magnificently sung performance."
The Times: 8 February 1999
"Peter Rose's Baron Ochs certainly the star of the show, a man of strength, vivid enunciation, and his own sort of dignity, whose downfall seemed more the fault of the effete Vienna than that of his robustly rustic personality."
The Herald: 8 February 1999
"Peter Rose's Ochs was the production's greatest success an outstanding interpretation, the most convincing I have ever seen'."
Daily Telegraph: 8 February 1999
Seattle Opera - Tristan und Isolde
"Peter Rose, widely admired in Europe and UK, reflecting the glory of Seattle's Tristan - most agreed his was the "best sung King Marke, ever!" Rose's voice is a glorious, warm lyric-bass, his artistry impeccable."
Opera Now, November, 1998
J A Van Sant
"...and the most beautiful Mark I have ever heard, Peter Rose (the Welsh National's Mark five years ago), pouring out Plançon-emulant tone in poignant, lyrical lines."
The Times Literary Supplement: 21 August 1998
"Peter Rose's Marke, youthful but dignified and entirely free of mannerism, pours out his lines like a Lieder singer."
Financial Times: 10 August 1998
"Peter Rose's warm bass made King Marke's lament over his betrayal sympathetic instead of tedious."
Chicago Sunday Times: 3 August 1998
"The fine English bass, Peter Rose, was moving as King Marke."
New York Times: 3 August 1998