"Stirring superlatives..."

“Brandon Jovanovich delivering a commanding portrayal of Ahab, his tenor capturing the captain’s obsessive fervor and unrelenting authority. His robust voice shifted effortlessly between raw, heavy-handed intensity and fleeting moments of vulnerability."”

“Brandon Jovanovich...balancing the character’s tenderness – here underscored by a characterization from Alden that suggests some kind of mystical abhorrence of violence – against strength is not something Wagner makes easy for tenors, but Jovanovich offered a fine account in this regard. There was a stentorian heft, with some baritonal tint, when needed, not least when Alden dials up the rabble-rousing aspect towards the end of Act two. The love duet with Elsa in Act three saw beautifully spun lines with enough velvet to sustain the burgeoning romance (before it all goes south at least). An exquisite “Taub” in the penultimate scene capped off a radiant “In Fernem Land.”

“Sergey was the American heroic tenor Brandon Jovanovich, surprisingly — belatedly — making his RO debut, in a beefcake role to which he is perfectly suited, both vocally and histrionically. His sturdy singing was no less remarkable than his charismatic braggadocio: a working-class Don Giovanni, finally repulsive in his self-pitying rejection of Katerina as he shiftily dupes her into handing over her stockings to his latest conquest, Sonyetka.”