‘Das Rheingold’ in London
“Christopher Maltman’s booming, tight-smiling Wotan is capable of feverish aggression; it is shocking but not surprising when he cuts off Alberich’s finger to take the ring.
Yet the tenderness with which Maltman embraces the fragile Erda, as the voice of the goddess is heard warning him to give up the ring, is just as indelible, and feels just as true.”
“Christopher Maltman is a Wotan of the very highest quality, his rounded baritone projecting enormous nobility as he contemplates Valhalla. We hear that nobility but we know that it’s false, because at every turn, he displays the character of an organised crime boss, his voice frequently turning savage to match.”
“Christopher Maltman, who made his name as a lieder singer, more recently moving into heavier roles, is now ripe for the part of Wotan, combining a focused, powerful tonal production with an alert response to the text.
“Christopher Maltman’s Wotan, smooth and mean, was a star turn. He negotiated the role’s psychological and vocal range admirably, lyrical and resplendent as he greeted the rainbow bridge and his fortress of Valhalla, built on the wages of sin.”
“Christopher Maltman se révèle d’une endurance sans faille. Son diseur de Wotan ne redoute aucune embardée de l’orchestre et annonce, lui aussi, le meilleur pour les journées à venir.”
“Il en va de même pour le Wotan de Christopher Maltman, qui sait ailleurs se faire subtil interprète de Lieder, et qui en impose ici par la majesté de ses phrases, la qualité des aigus ronds et percutants […], le soyeux de son médium et la puissance manifeste et cependant parfaitement dosée du début à la fin de l’ouvrage. Fort prometteur là encore, pour La Walkyrie qui doit suivre.”
“It has been such a joy to see Christopher Maltman’s progress since winning the Song Prize at Cardiff in 1997, although anyone checking out his performance of ‘Can’t shake hands’ from Britten’s Billy Budd can hear the makings of a Wotan in that voice. […] Maltman gave it his all, singing with his customary warmth and crisp phrasing: both ‘Vollendet das ewige Werk’ and ‘Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge’ had the ideal splendour and portent.”
“… Wotan — sung with superb, suave power by Christopher Maltman …”
“Maltman, always vivid on stage, has the greater power and authority…”
Financial Times
