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Paul Appleby
Shirley Thomson
Alice Jones
“The vocal star, however, is Paul Appleby … who soars effortlessly through the role’s high-lying demands.”
(Richard Morrison, The Times)
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American Paul Appleby is one of the most admired tenor voices of his generation and is a regular presence on many of the world’s great opera, concert and recital stages.
Appleby’s 2023/24 operatic season includes the role of Blake in the world premiere of Bernard Foccroule’s Cassandra at La Monnaie/De Munt, conducted by Kazushi Ono; Caesar in Anthony and Cleopatra at Teatre del Liceu, continuing his long-standing collaboration with conductor and composer John Adams and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. In concert, he joins Münchner Philharmoniker and Santtu-Matias Rouvali in Stravinksy’s Oedipus Rex, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Fabio Luisi in Schmidt’s Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Gustavo Gimeno in Stravinksy’s Pulcinella and Esa-Pekka Salonen and San Francisco Symphony in performances of Stravinsky’s Les Noces.
A graduate of New York’s Juilliard School and the Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Metropolitan Opera, Paul Appleby has remained a regular guest on that stage most recently as David in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under Sir Antonio Pappano and as Grimoaldo in Handel’s Rodelinda under Harry Bicket. He has appeared in Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and at Dutch National Opera led by Stéphane Denève and as Stravinsky’s Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress) at Oper Frankfurt, the Metropolitan Opera and in Simon McBurney’s production at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Dutch National Opera, broadcast worldwide on ARTE. At Glyndebourne Festival Opera he has appeared as Jonathan in Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s Saul under Ivor Bolton, revived at Houston Grand Opera, and as Bénédict in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict directed by Laurent Pelly and conducted by Antonello Manacorda, both subsequently released by Opus Arte. Most recently Appleby sang the title role of Bernstein’s Candide at Opéra de Lyon, reprised his Bénédict under François-Xavier Roth at Oper KöIn and made debuts at Teatro Real Madrid, Washington National Opera and San Francisco Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.
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Enjoying a buoyant concert career, Appleby has performed Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with The Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst, Schubert’s Mass No.6 with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Riccardo Muti, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with both Bamberger Symphoniker under David Zinman and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits and Mozart’s Requiem with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel. He marked his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival in Handel’s Samson with the Dunedin Consort, in Bernstein’s Songfest he performed at Carnegie Hall with The Juilliard Orchestra and Marin Alsop and with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Dausgaard, in Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Robin Ticciati and in Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings alongside Met Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Last season he returned to the role of Joe Cannon in John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West with Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and joined Jaap van Zweden for St Matthew Passion with both New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras.
Appleby is a passionate advocate of art song and has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Park Avenue Armory, Washington’s Kennedy Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Aspen and Caramoor Festivals, The Schubert Club, Boston Celebrity Series and for the Marilyn Horne Foundation. Together with pianist Ken Noda, he performed Schumann’s Dichterliebe at Lincoln Center and has recorded works by Schubert and Britten as part of The Julliard Sessions Digital Debut series, released by EMI Classics. He made his Tanglewood debut in the 21/22 season in a performance of Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Vanished with Emanuel Ax, and with pianist Conor Hanick, Appleby gave a North American recital tour with concerts in New York City, Philadelphia, Berkeley, and Sacramento.
“the role of Caesar benefited from the bright, clear tenor of Paul Appleby…”
“A voice of lyrical luminosity and iridescent phrasing complemented by a sympathetic presence.”
“Paul Appleby who brought his clear tenor sound and a troubled characterisation to his portrayal of the emotionally conflicted Jonathan.”
“Appleby sang the tender pieces with warmth and heartache, and brought almost eerie vitality to moments of heady nostalgia.”
“The tenor Paul Appleby, smooth and tender in fare like Mozart, has immersed himself in the role of Joe Cannon with a Missouri twang and desperate fury.”
“Paul Appleby brought youthful impulsiveness and sweetness to Pelléas”
“John Butt also had a first-rate clutch of soloists [for Samson]…US tenor Paul Appleby floated with radiant serenity in his final air, “Thus when the sun”, before slipping off stage to his suicide, and took the iconic “Total eclipse” broadly, lingering poignantly on its opening words to let their horror sink in.”
“Paul Appleby was the Candide of one’s dreams: wide-eyed, innocent, winning. Every note he sang was pure gold.”
“I suspect the title role [of Candide] has found an ideal interpreter in tenor Paul Appleby, comfortable on stage, with his innocent yet ardent demeanour and supple tenor, capable of smooth, legato lines from fine exclamations to sweet pianissimi.”
“In the title role [of Candide], Paul Appleby imbued the youthful qualities one expects from the character. He was agile, innocent and passionate.”
“With his handsome timbre and innate way with the text, Paul Appleby is an endearing Tom. This character is one that is usually annoyingly weak-willed, but Mr Appleby manages to make of him a loveable character with whom one sympathises. One is gripped by his downfall.”
“The sweet-voiced tenor Paul Appleby sings ardently as Joe Cannon, a miner recovering from a broken heart”
“tenor Paul Appleby as the frequently drunk and aggressive miner Joe Cannon nonetheless sounded charming with his bright, clear voice [in John Adams’ new work The Girls of the Golden West]”
“A tenor might easily be daunted by the demands of Joe Cannon – one of the most fascinating characters [in John Adams’ new opera The Girls of the Golden West]. The role is a stretch, requiring a voice with stamina plus a decent smattering of high notes, and Paul Appleby delivers in spades”
“the American tenor sings stylishly [as Bénédict] with a clean, pleasing voice: he acts with an endearing twinkle in the eye.”
“Paul Appleby’s Bénédict is much more than the bluff soldier when he marches into Act I – a handsome presence and a handsome voice.”
“The tenor Paul Appleby (who has also sung the role at The Metropolitan Opera) embodied Tom’s eagerness and his blankness, singing with a sweet lyric tenor that easily projected in the large, mostly outdoor theatre…The final scene, in which Tom wanders through Bedlam, is acted with haunting economy by Mr. Appleby on bare stage.”
“Aix fields a strong cast, headed by Paul Appleby’s headstrong Tom, his lyric tenor clean and focused”
“American tenor Paul Appleby as a beautifully sung Tom Rakewell”
“Paul Appleby sings an exultant Tom Rakewell”
“Paul Appleby fares equally well in the duskier role of Tom Rakewell, making it easy both to sympathise with and loathe his greedy, lyrical protagonist.”
“Paul Appleby knows how to ensure his speech is constantly expressive, loading the words with meaning, and sharing his character’s evolution without overdoing it.”
“light and stylish, Paul Appleby is impeccable [as Bénédict]”
“Tenor Paul Appleby as Belmonte sang with the agility that one would hope to hear in Mozart and had a youthful and lyrical sound.”
“Paul Appleby’s attractive voice…[gave us] a ‘Dalla sua pace’ graced by dynamic contrasts and an ‘Il mio tesoro’ in which the challenging long run was dispatched in one breath.”
“Paul Appleby made the hapless role of Don Ottavio a thing of tenorial beauty”
“The best vocal performance of the evening came from Paul Appleby as Don Ottavio, who replaced the originally schedule tenor with a few weeks’ notice. His penetrating voice suited the role well, and he sang Ottavio’s two big arias with poise and elegance. His voice scaled up to the highest notes silvery smoothness and opened up with aching beauty. The tempo chosen was slow, and Mr Appleby caressed every phrase”
“Paul Appleby, whose light, flexible tenor was ideal for this repertoire”
“Jonathan [is] tenderly sung by Paul Appleby”
“The vocal star, however, is Paul Appleby, a charmingly confused Bénédict, who soars effortlessly through the role’s high-lying demands.”
“so much of it sounds so good. D’Oustrac and Appleby generate a considerable sexual charge together and are gorgeous in their arias”
“Paul Appleby sings attractively in the pallid role of Bénédict”
“Paul Appleby [is] a charmingly docile Bénédict.”
“Paul Appleby [is] irresistible in the title role – his generous tenor warmth makes entirely credible the way his defiant cynicism [is] gradually eroded to reveal [a] passionately beating heart.”
“Paul Appleby was a strong Belmonte”
“as Mr. Appleby showed throughout this impressive recital, which included works by Lachner, Schumann, Berlioz, Wolf and Villa-Lobos, he is that special singer who puts word first in performing songs…Mr. Appleby’s voice, simultaneously virile and vulnerable, proved ideal for the teeming expressivity of this song…[and] was in excellent voice.”
“Appleby proved to be an extremely impressive performer throughout the evening both in terms of his vocal prowess and his acting abilities. He has a sweet, lyrical tenor voice but he is also capable of producing enormous vocal power and he has a wide and well differentiated dynamic range…Appleby gave a rapt and unforgettable performance of Ich wandelte unter den Bäumen. He sustained the line beautifully and brought a rich vocal colouring…and an expressive resonance to the high notes…The song crackled with energy and Appleby delivered a vocal tour de force while showing us his consummate acting skills…this was an excellent recital and Appleby is clearly a terrific performer and a name to watch out for in future.”
“The gifted young tenor Paul Appleby [shaped] the phrases with melting tenderness.”
“He was at his best when [singing] at full voice, his natural power and amber tone ringing out.”
“Tenor Paul Appleby was impressive in his San Francisco Opera debut as the love-struck prince Tamino, warmly conveying his ardour for the princess Pamina with beautiful lyricism and a moving dramatic performance.”
“Tenor Paul Appleby made an impressively bold and ardent company debut as her prince, Tamino.”
“Appleby has a flexible Mozart tenor full of expression”
“As Jonathan, Paul Appleby, a young American tenor fresh from Juilliard and small roles at the Met, made a most successful debut. In the first half especially he bore a heavy vocal load, dispatching it gracefully, with a pleasing and appropriately youthful sound, and he embodied the awkwardness of his emotional dilemma, torn between father and friend.”
“Jonathan is sung by the rising young American Paul Appleby [who has a] bright, pingy lyric tenor”
“The role of Jonathan is a tricky one, requiring clarity in the high notes, robustness low in the register and nobility in both: Paul Appleby duly delivered.”
“[a] fine performance from Paul Appleby as Jonathan”
“The young American lyric tenor, Paul Appleby, brought a strong sense of interior drama to Jonathan”
“Musically this evening is well-nigh flawless. No praise too high for the singing of Appleby.”
“Paul Appleby, another first timer here, sang Jonathan with sincerity and commitment.”
“Paul Appleby was absolutely top notch as Tom”
“a cast led by a radiant Paul Appleby in the lead role…Mr. Appleby was in spectacular form as Tom. Floppy-limbed and animated by idle nervous energy, he was every inch the “shuttle-headed lad” described in the libretto. His roomy, relaxed tenor was a source of unalloyed pleasure, especially in crescendos in which it bloomed without any hint of strain or steel. If this performance is any indication, his turn next season as Belmonte in Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” will be one to watch.”
“Paul Appleby was engaging, his bright tenor conveying Tom’s shifting fortunes – whether his airy ‘Here I stand’ in the opening scene, petulance at Baba’s ceaseless chattering, defiance of Shadow in the graveyard, and finally his conviction that he is Adonis.”
“As Tom Rakewell, tenor Paul Appleby is simply brilliant, managing to negotiate a difficult score and give a credible performance of a character who goes from nonchalant young man to sinner and finally raving lunatic.”
“As Tom, the thoroughly athletic Paul Appleby acquits himself well. Scampering about in the early sections and even leaping mercurially onto a table at one moment, he goes into the rake’s decline impressively.”
“Appleby not only handled the immediate, low register challenges of “The woods are green”, but sang with mesmerizing tonal clarity and melodic elegance in the tremendous, brief aria “Love, too frequently betrayed.” Appleby was excellent in Tom’s vocal transformations from naïve to worldly, desperate, and, finally, tragic. He was also easy and light on his feet, moving with a young man’s air – a natural in the role.”
“Appleby excelled in several of his features, as in the act two spotlight, “Vary the song”, which consecrates a shift in Rakewell’s shallow desires.”
“Paul Appleby sang lustrously, also tirelessly, and exerted as much sympathy as the callow title-role would allow.”