The singers were Martha Cluver, who brought a sweet, pure soprano to the task, and Steven C. Wilson, a tenor with a light, flexible sound.
The rich-voiced alto Kirsten Sollek and the fine tenor
Steven Caldicott Wilson were also excellent.
From The New York Times, April 6, 2009, reviewing the St. Thomas Church NYC performance of Bach’s Matthew Passion
Wilson has considerable experience as a baroque interpreter, and that experience was in full, satisfying evidence on Sunday… [a rare] singer who melds vocal technique with a sense of characterization and compelling personality, even when the material is not overtly narrative. Wilson turned a recitative – with such declarations as “The leprosy of sin found in me will not leave me in this mortal life” — into a gripping monodrama.
The Louisville Courier-Journal, October 11, 2009, Louisville Bach Society’s Bach Cantata Concert: http://www.louisvillebachsociety.org/review.htm
… The vocal soloists, mostly drawn from the choir, were also fine.
To succeed, any performance of this work needs two excellent tenors and two excellent sopranos. The tenors here, Oliver Mercer and Steven Caldicott Wilson, not only gave strong accounts of individual lines and matched each other uncannily in echo effects, they also lent a firm center to the choral sound where power was needed.
From The New York Times, March 22, 2010, reviewing the St. Thomas Church NYC performance of Monteverdi’s Vespro Della Beata Vergine.
For the full review, please scroll down to the paragraph that begins “Monteverdi 1610 Vespers” here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/arts/music/22class.html?ref=music)
The tenor Steven Caldicott Wilson sang with dramatic flair as Abraham, with fine contributions from the countertenor Geoffrey D. Williams as Isaac.
Vivien Schweitzer’s New York Times review of the May 19, 2010 Benjamin Britten concert at Saint Thomas Church New York City: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/arts/music/21thomas.html?ref=music
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