Press: Sep 23 2015 | Lev Bratishenko | Montreal Gazette
"French bass-baritone Nicolas Testé was an excellent and tragic King Arkel. He rounded out a well-balanced cast in a hall that begs for more singing . . ."
Lev Bratishenko | Montreal Gazette
“French bass-baritone Nicolas Testé was an excellent and tragic King Arkel. He rounded out a well-balanced cast in a hall that begs for more singing . . .”
Claude Gingras | La Presse
“We welcomed the Frenchman Nicolas Testé, who brings to the character of the blind old Arkel, king of Allemonde and grandfather of half brothers and enemies Pelléas and Golaud, an authentic deep bass, admirable articulation of the text (an art almost lost today!) and a compelling presence . . .”
“Saluons ici le Français Nicolas Testé, qui apporte au personnage du vieillard aveugle Arkel, roi d’Allemonde et grand-père des demi-frères ennemis Pelléas et Golaud, une authentique basse profonde, une admirable articulation du texte (un art presque perdu aujourd’hui!) et une convaincante présence . . .”
Christophe Huss | Le Devoir
“In his first, steadfast entrance as Arkel, Nicolas Testé sounded like Caronte in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, and tries to instill some aspects of the contours of Melisande in Hélène Guilmette . . .”
” . . . qui modère Nicolas Testé dans la première intervention d’Arkel, qui sonnait comme Caronte dans L’Orfeo de Monteverdi, et qui tente d’inculquer à Hélène Guilmette quelques rudiments des contours de Mélisande . . .”
News: Sep 20 2015
This fall, Nicolas Testé makes his debut at San Francisco Opera, as Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. He is joined by a spectacular cast, including Nadine Sierra in the title role, Piotr Beczała as Edgardo, and Brian Mulligan as Enrico. Music Director Nicola Luisotti leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus, in a new production directed by Michael Cavanagh and designed by Erhard Rom. Performances take place October 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, 24 & 28 at the historic War Memorial Opera House.
Press: Oct 11 2015 | Georgia Rowe | Opera News
"Bass-baritone Nicolas Testé made an indelible company debut, creating a Raimondo of generous vocal resources and considerable timbral allure."
Allan Ulrich | The Financial Times
“. . . debuting Nicolas Testé made sonorous sounds as resident cleric Raimondo.”
Joshua Kosman | SFGate
“ . . . the French bass-baritone Nicolas Testé made a sonorous company debut as the cleric Raimondo . . .”
Ilana Walder-Biesanz | San Francisco Classical Voice
“Nicolas Testé impressed as the chaplain Raimondo with his full, gravelly sound.”
James Ambroff-Tahan | SFExaminer
“Bass-baritone Nicolas Teste had the vocal depth and strong stage presence to make for an excellent Raimondo . . .”
Georgia Rowe | San Jose Mercury News
“This revival featured several winning vocal performances . . . bass-baritone Nicolas Teste, making his San Francisco Opera debut, made a potent impression as the family chaplain, Raimondo . . .”
James Roy MacBean | The Berkeley Daily Planet
“Mention must be made of bass-baritone Nicolas Testé’s superbly robust singing as Raimondo, here portrayed as a spiritual advisor to Enrico Ashton.”
Philip Campbell | The Bay Area Reporter
“French bass-baritone Nicolas Teste makes his SFO debut as the chaplain Raimondo. He is no stranger to the role, and his rich voice and believable acting make a strong impression. His physical gear is actually pretty cool, and he has enough stage presence to wear it . . .”
Stephen Smoliar | Examiner.com
“Among the other vocalists Testé made his SFO debut as Raimondo . . . Testé did far more than adequate justice to Donizetti’s writing and then negotiated the narrative thread to the best of his abilities.”