NICK MAKES LAST MINUTE DEBUT IN GENEVA WITH 'LES ILLUMINATIONS'
NICK DEBUTS WITH ORCHESTRE DE LA SUISSE ROMANDE STEPPING IN AT LAST MINUTE FOR BRITTEN’S ‘LES ILLUMINATIONS’
“Dark Program, Luminous Performers: The OSR and excellent soloists elevate a showdown between Britten and Shostakovich to new heights…With "Illuminations", on texts by Rimbaud, for tenor or soprano and orchestra, which he composed during the war when he went into exile in America, Britten ventured into more experimental terrain, granting the cryptic liberties of poet a whimsical and sometimes surreal music…the American tenor Nicholas Phan made a very strong impression, with a plush, incisive voice, comfortable with all the expressive and technical rollercoasters of the score, projecting far French of a beautiful quality.”
“Next came the American tenor Nicholas Phan, replacing his sick British colleague…to interpret The Illuminations op.18 on poems by Arthur Rimbaud…In the initial Fanfare, the singer highlighted the quality of his diction, wisely negotiating the highs and rapid patter of 'Cities', and the iridescent, clear notes in ‘Phrase’. Then he was carried away by the flow of the strings to develop a deeply emotional lyricism in the narrative sequences ‘Ancient’ and ‘Royalty’, and tossed off the vocal melismas of "Marine". He found a pale sound in ‘Interlude’, and then mixed a palette colors of for ‘Being Beauteous’ and ‘Parade’ before coming back to pale tones for ‘Départ ’.”