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"Brothers in Spirit" – Berlin Duo Recital with baritone Thomas Quasthoff and Justus Zeyen, piano (translations) "Brothers in Spirit When baritone Thomas Quasthoff and tenor Michael Schade step on the podium for a duo recital, you can be sure …..that these two art song specialists are "as one" when they perform lieder. On one side there is Quasthoff, bringing together in a commanding fashion play and seriousness, and on the other is Schade, indulging in vocal lines, articulating every note of his great sound. In the opening duo lieder….they demonstrated the careful blending ..of the individual characteristics of their voices. In the solo part of the concert, Schade unfolded completely his pallet of very controlled pianissimo in Mozart's "Das Veilchen" and the silvery and rounded "fortes" in Schumann's "Mondnacht"…… The evening ended on a very humorous tone with a medley of Vienna songs." (Tagesspiegel, 23 October, 2007) "One does not witness an event like this every day - a first-class duo recital. The Chamber Music Auditorium of the Philharmonic was immediately sold out to the last seat, which seldom happens. Solo and in duet, baritone Thomas Quasthoff and tenor Michael Schade, expertly accompanied on the piano by Justus Zeyen, sang lieder and duets from the classic and romantic repertoire, culminating in a medley of Viennese songs in praise of the Vienna Kaffeehaus, Fiaker coaches and the Prater Gardens - everything that is dear to the Viennese and admired by the Berliners. The rarely performed duets of Mendelssohn and Schumann were extremely interesting. Both singers brought everything to their interpretation. They sang to each other and not against each other. Neither tried to outdo the other. Even in opera, duets demand this feeling of togetherness. Quasthoff and Schade demonstrated this in an enchanting and engaging fashion…Michael Schade lent his friendly tenor voice to four Mozart Lieder and succeeded to giving them the required belcanto flair." (Berliner Morgenpost, 23 October, 2007) “Dramatic and Fiery” – Michael brings Armida’s Rinaldo to life at the 2007 Salzburg Festival "(Schade) is a voice of true elegance and taste, and his character’s interior conflict was often well portrayed vocally." (Opera Now, November-December 2007) “Michael Schade responded to Loy’s direction superbly. His tenor proved capable of producing handsome, virile sounds, but what stood out was the anguish of his soft singing in expressing Rinaldo’s torment.” (Opera, November 2007) "Michael Schade's torn performance as Rinaldo gives the production psychological depth as well." (Internation Herald Tribune, 7 August, 2007) "In Act 3, Rinaldo, seated on a sofa with a floor lamp next to it, discusses his plight with fellow Crusader Ubaldo. And he remains there for the scene in Armida’s magic garden, as if it were the product of his imagination. This would have counted for less had not Michael Schade given so probing an account of Rinaldo. As with his gripping Tito in “La clemenza di Tito” here, he made the character’s inner struggle seem unbearable. He can produce handsome, well modulated tones when he wants to, but he also uses the voice to convey anguish, often through the intensity of his soft singing. " (Musical America, 31 July, 2007) "Above all, the extraordinary ensemble of singers around Annette Dasch and Michael Schade, under the sensitive musical interpretation of Ivor Bolton, convinced the opening night audience at the Felsenreitschule.....Rinaldo (Michael Schade) sings with a voluminous, dramatic tenor voice...." (Suedkurier, Germany) "...Rinaldo (as always, the grandiose and fiery lyric tenor Michael Schade)" (Der Standard, Vienna) "...very seldom does one encounter at the Festspiel such an gathering of fresh, youthful, and powerful voices. Character singers like Michael Schade and Annette Dasch know to reach all the vocal registers, with noble phrasing and nuances from the airiest pianissimo to most dramatic outbursts, without exceeding the limits of bel canto." (Die Presse, Vienna) "Crowd-pleaser at the Met" "Trusting his voice and the Met's complicit acoustics, he sent words and music into the vast house with an easy confidence and nary a hint of pressure." (Opera Canada, Summer 2007) An "Elegant" Don Ottavio at Covent Garden "Michael Schade sang both Ottavio's arias with great elegance." (Daily Telegraph, 13 June 2007) "Michael Schade brings presence to the often overlooked tenor role, the long-suffering Don Ottavio....his duet with Poplavskaya in the final front-of-curtain scene was as good as any singing all evening." (MusicOMH, 13 June 2007) "Don Ottavio is a frustratingly inert character; yet has two rather wonderful arias. Michael Schade actually managed to evince some sympathy for this rather put-upon man and sang the arias beautifully, shaded with some lovely quiet tones." (Classical Source, 12 June 2007) "Michael Schade's elegant delivery [of Dalla Sua Pace]" (Evening Standard, 12 June 2007) "It's good to have such an emotionally and vocally substantial Don Ottavio in Michael Schade." (London Times, 13 June 2007) "[Marina Poplavskaya is] well partnered by Michael Schade's finely vocalised Don Ottavio." (The Stage, 13 June 2007) A remarkable recital by a Canadian master "Schade's trim, attractive timbre has tonal warmth and power to spare. And his communicative skill, supple phrasing and artistry are allied to a winning personality -- with wry and witty verbal program notes -- that made for an especially delightful afternoon...Let's have this extraordinarily gifted singer back soon." (Miami Herald, 2 April, 2007) Michael Schade opened in Arabella at the Vienna Staatsoper to great acclaim "Even a broken foot sustained a few days before the premiere couldn't hold Michael Schade's unyielding enthusiasm at bay, and the Canadian–German tenor poured his heart out as Matteo.” (Opera News, March 2007) "Michael Schade as the loving feverish and desperate Mateo leaves no wishes undesired." (Die Krone) "Michael Schade is simply the very best Mateo that you could even imagine!" (Osterreicher) "Michael Schade leaps accross the stage despite his leg being in a cast and is simply a sensation!" (Kurier)
"Mr. Harnoncourt also has an excellent cast of singers (who use their own original instruments). When he needs a tenor, he almost always turns to Michael Schade, proving that this conductor is no dummy: Mr. Schade is a supreme singer, particularly in Mozart." (New York Sun, 5 September 2006) "Tenor Michael Schade is his usual elegant self as Gomatz." (Guardian, 25 August 2006)
"Schade exploits an enviable spectrum of colors, from limpid pathos to bracing virility." (Opera News, October 2006) "The cast is uniformly wonderful, with Schade making the most of his wide dramatic range to fuel Orlando's inner demons." (Toronto Star, 3 August 2006) "Michael Schade's Orlando is sung with big tone and just the right berserk edge. This new version is a must-have." (Classics Today, June 2006)
"I have run out of ways to praise Mr. Schade's singing, particularly his Mozart singing, but let me mention this: It's amazingly easy. I once heard Leontyne Price praise a singer by saying, "For you, it's like falling off a log." So it is for Mr. Schade, seemingly. In the Felsenreitschule, he displayed marvelous lyricism and complete technical control. And, theatrically, he was every inch the insanely clement Tito." (New York Sun, August 18, 2006) "Michael Schade presents Tito as a psychopath, a man guided morbidly by his clemency. The conductor permits Tito many soft and lyrical moments, but heroic brilliance and sovereign coloraturas are always sung when demanded by the score." (Merkur, August 18, 2006) "'Takeaway my empire but give me another heart', sings Titus. I am not here to hate, but to love.... Michael Schade (as Titus ardent and convincing) seems to open his tormented soul almost to insanity. This results in an unbelievable wake during this extraordinary production." (Der Standard, August 18, 2006) "This is the story of an incalculable emperor , which Michael Schade represents with beautiful singing and scary coloraturas. Even when he caresses someone you feel he could turn to the opposite momentarily. The proverbial clemency is a psychosis." (Die Presse, August 18, 2006) "Even stronger than at the premiere (2003), the focus rests on the emperor Titus (resolved to be forgiving), whom Michael Schade portraits in scary fashion. At the end of his empire he wants to forgive and to pardon, in particular also himself." (Salzburger Nachrichten, August 18, 2006) "Ideal casting of the characters. The fact that Michael Schade plays the gracious emperor guarantees 'niveau'. He represents Tito as a tormented character between legato sweetness and morbid undertones." (Wiener Zeitung, August 18, 2006)
"Schade would find the central
message in each Lied and then tailor his interpretation to it. While
these songs are usually sung with drawing-room restraint, the tenor
often let loose with operatic gusts of emotion. This is not the
usual way one hears this music performed, and the melodies lost
fluidity with this dramatic play, but the result was often riveting.
The most emotionally charged was Brahms' Von Strande (From the Shore).
Schade breathtakingly bent the song's melancholy into an urgent
wail of unalloyed grief." (Toronto Star, 7
June 2006)
"As the put-upon Roman emperor, tenor Michael Schade has the difficult task of making his potentially sappy character not only believable, but sympathetic. He excels in both tasks, underplaying the role when necessary, but unleashing sparks of real anger at his ultimate betrayal. His actions are underpinned by a distinctly smooth and mellow voice that projects authority with appropriate interludes of melancholy." (Washington Times, 8 May 2006) "In the title role, tenor Michael Schade sang with a firmly centered tone, a refined sense of style and a flair for extracting extra drama out of the music. Schade's manner of livening up recitatives could be especially vivid. He sometimes shouted his lines, the better to reveal Tito's anger and hurt - just one way the singer made sure that this goody-goody emperor never became a bore." (Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2006) "Michael Schade...unflagging intensity and musical intelligence as Tito." (Washington Post, 8 May 2006) "Schade seems to have
made this role his in the world of opera. His acting ability is
of the theatrical stage variety. It's solid and secure and based
in thoughtful considerations of the character's conflicted emotions.
Schade's every movement on stage is calculated to show his character's
dilemma. Right down to the finest point detail of his thumping his
fingers nervously on his chair in his character's moments of indecision
over whether or not to put his best friend to death for his betrayal,
Schade was Tito. The emperor's majesty, magnanimousness, and conflicted
nature were evident throughout as Schade relayed effectively and
dramatically the dilemmas facing his character. Beyond superb, consummate
acting, Schade also brought a ringing, solid sound that rounded
off the totality of his substantial contributions and made his role
memorable." (ConcertoNet,
22 May 2006) Michael Schade in the title role of Lucio Silla in Vienna "Michael Schade is the new hero...he characterizes the hot-headed and badly-tempered (Roman) dictator in an extreme interpretation....Schade's rage hits his entourage, he can barely keep his emotions under control... (he and his colleagues on stage) are all phenomenal voices who cultivate belcanto singing between political intrigue and deadly bravery." (Die Presse, 6 March 2006) "Schade characterizes Lucio Silla as a maniac...who rages with bad temper like an animal, close to self-destruction to the climax at the end of the opera. Schade possesses a natural, rich timbre, he can clearly differentiate between lovely flattery and outbreaks of rage, between airy pianos and forceful fortes in his rage." (Oper in Wien, 6 March 2006) "Michael Shade sang Lucio Silla with sovereign flexibility." (Der Standard, 5 March 2006) "Michael Schade sings Lucio Silla, a
parade role for the meanwhile widely recognized interpreter of neurotic
and instable characters on stage. The recitativos and arias are
worked out to the last detail, all singers have very demanding duties.
Every single one can shine, what the six carefully selected protagonists
did - brilliantly." (Salzburger Nachrichten,
6 March 2006) Michael Schade "princely" as Tamino in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Die Zauberflöte "Schade, today's reigning Mozart tenor, shaped phrases with the utmost expressivity and style, and he carried himself like a prince." (Chicago Tribune, 11 December 2005) "Tenor Michael Schade was an equally
compelling Tamino. Aristocratic yet never stuffy, his young prince
was both a fervent lover and ambitious seeker of truth. His voice
was ringing, blending elegantly with Wall's in their duets."
(Chicago Sun-Times, 12 December 2005) Michael Schade "Shines" in Double Debut in Maskerade at Covent Garden "Michael Schade's ardent lyric tenor ensures that Leander's lucky star shines over just such ensembles." (Independent, 21 September 2005) "Schade's lyrical performance was matched
by that of another ROH debutante, Emma Bell, as Leonora." (MusicOMH,
21 September 2005) Michael Schade superb as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at the Salzburg Festival "Michael Schade's nuanced Tamino has beauty of tone." (International Herald Tribune, 24 August 2005) "Michael Schade's exquisite tenor makes
him ideal for Tamino, a tendency to flaunt his ability to sing softly
often underscoring expressive points." (Musical
America, 19 August 2005) Schade in "top form" in Haydn's Opera Orlando Paladino performed in concert at the Graz, Austria, "Styriate Festival" on July 14, 2005 "...a homogenous ensemble. Michael Schade
was in absolute top form, singing a phenomenally sophisticated as
well as cultivated Orlando and ideally harmonized with the other
soloists."(Der Standard, Vienna, 16 July
2005) Michael Schade is wonderful in concert at the Ultimate Mozart Experience at the Glenn Gould Studio on June 5 "Schade had the narrowest field to range
in since the tenor always plays the good guy in love. He used his
strong, clear voice to capture the ecstatic lyricism of "Dies Bildnis"
from The Magic Flute, to vow revenge in "Il Mio Tesoro" from Don
Giovanni and to quake with a lover's overfull heart in "O wie ängstlich"
from The Abduction. He sang best, however, in the wonderful wooing
duet from Cosí fan tutte, which he shared with Bayrakdarian."
(The Toronto Star, 8 June 2005) Michael Schade is moving in Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Vienna State Opera "Michael Schade and Thomas Quasthoff sang with moving intensity." (Die Presse, May 20, 2005) "At the State Opera , Seiji Ozawa had an outstanding group of Soloists at his disposal, Ricarda Merbeth, Michael Schade and Thomas Quasthoff . They were able to reflect perfectly the very moving poems of the fallen Wilfred Owen and Britten's spiritualised melodies of the Requiem." (Krone, 20 May 2005) "Michael Schade and Thomas Quasthoff
interpreted the poems of the fallen lyric poet Wilfred Owen great
intensity." (Der Standard, 20 May 2005) Michael Schade shines in The Dream of Gerontius "Schade offered a wealth of ravishing detail, his glorious high notes much in evidence...the atmosphere was marvellously dark and disquieting as he portrayed the protagonist's final hours on earth and the difficult later travels of his soul." (The Toronto Star, 27 April 2005) "Tenor Michael Schade as Gerontius and
baritone Russell Braun as a priest and angel continue to astonish.
With each hearing, their vocal powers keep growing." (Classical
96.3 FM, 27 April 2005) Michael Schade as Tamino in The Washington Oera's production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte "As Tamino, Michael Schade offered a sweet tenor and exceptionally elegant phrasing." (The Baltimore Sun, April 4, 2005) "As Tamino, Michael Schade has a light, pliant tenor voice well suited to Mozart, and he is an energetic, boyish stage presence." (The Washington Post, April 4, 2005)
"The men, Michael Schade (Ferrando)
and Russell Braun (Guglielmo), are equally well matched. Truly superb,
actually. Schade's "Un'aura amorosa" is both musically elegant and
charged with emotion. Both hearty/heartless tricksters bring off
their comic shtick extremely well while simultaneously managing
to seem like real people." (San Diego
Magazine, February 19, 2005) Tour of Japan with the Vienna Staatsoper "The greatest discovery of the evening was Michael Schade as Don Ottavio. His voice is most ideally suited for Mozart and his brilliant tenor voice had the sold out audience spell bound." (Nihon Keizai Shinbun eveing editio, October 2004) "...of the 6 soloists I most admired Michael Schade's voice.
He sang both arias beautifully combining brilliant high notes with
elegantly phrased lagato phrases. Energentic bravura is couple with
great generous phrasing....absolutely a beautiful voice with superb
technique." (Tokyo Shinbun, October 2004) In Concert at Weill Hall in New York "Schade has such command of his silken tenor that he is able to maintain line and style, even when zestily digging into the yummy German consonants. He created delicious contrast between Schumann's "O wie lieblich ist das Mädchen" and its counterpart "Weh, wie zornig ist das Mädchen" by tipping the balance in favor of sweetness in the first, and bite in the second." (Opera News, June 2004) Recording of Die Schöpfung with Concentus Musicus under Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi) "Michael Schade...has the confidence
and insight to give full dramatic life to his singing." (Gramophone,
May 2004) In duo recital with Michael Schade in San Diego "Schade and Braun were superlative partners, blending their voices
with harmonious confidence. In duets by such composers as Monteverdi,
Schumann and Saint-Saëns - which were sensitively and ever
so attentively accompanied by pianist Carolyn Maule, Braun's wife
- the singers created a kind of synergistic artistry that was a
pleasure to behold. This was male vocalism of a high order, singing
that brimmed with artistry and energy. ...Schade and Braun were
altogether terrific." (San Diego Union Tribune,
1 March 2004) As Nadir in the San Diego Opera's Pearl Fishers "Michael Schade...meltingly lovely." (San Diego Magazine, February 15, 2004) "Schade summoned smooth, bright tones and an ardent devotion to
Leila." (Union Tribune, February 16, 2004)
Michael Schade in Britten's War Requiem in Vienna & Toronto "Michael Schade sang eloquently, with Schade's tone sometimes uncannily able to evoke the sounds of pain and regret." (Toronto Star, Toronto at the Britten Festival, November 12, 2003) "Thomas Hampson and Michael Schade were in top form. They
gave the peaceful words a vocal directness that touched the audience
deeply. The extremely tender and always expressive pianissimi of
the tenor found echo in the phrases of the soprano - sung clear
as a bell. There was total silence after the performance...followed
by jubilant applause." (Die Presse, Vienna
with the Cleveland Orchestra, November 3, 2003) Michael Schade's astounding Die Schöne Müllerin in New York's Alice Tully Hall with Malcolm Martineau "It's a shock to hear Michael Schade for the first time. His voice is so beautiful, it takes a second to adjust to the fact that it's rea. Mr. Schade has everything else to go with that vocal beauty: a sure technique, a solid musicianship. Mr. Schade cast a spell. His control of the audience - as of himself - was complete. Mr. Schade's awareness of the psychological and emotional turns of this cycle was astounding. The effect of the final song - "Des Baches Wiegenlied" ("The Brook's Lullaby") - was, in a word, shattering. Utterly shattering...There is gold right in front of us." (New York Sun, October 29, 2003) "[Michael Schade] is an intelligent, sophisticated artist (Financial
Times, October 28, 2003) Michael Schade -- a resounding success in the Salzburg Festival's La Clemenza di Tito "It is not difficult to declare Michael Schade as Tito without competition in this role. That's all I want to say..." (Wiener Zeitung, August 8, 2003) "Michael Schade finds (in his interpretation of the emperor) such a multi-layered sound, that we would not have thought possible after the schematic interpretation of this role (by others) in the past." (Salzburger Nachrichten, August 9, 2003) "The emperor is interpreted ...as a creepy procrastinating cynic, sung by Michael Schade with frightful plasticity. His three arias are the highlights of the production." (Die Welt, August 8, 2003) "Titus is brilliantly interpreted by Michael Schade...as a suffering human being, full of controversies. A sovereign tenor voice." (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, August 7, 2003) "Michael Schade in the title role interprets the grave calamity of his fate with his clear...tenor voice. He shows his might and his clemency in sometimes brooding, sometimes jubilant colours." (Der Standard, August 7, 2003) "Titus was performed by Michael Schade who interpreted the main
role as a psychologically destroyed weak human being who finds governing
unbearable. In the second act he mobilizes all his powerful reserves
for his great aria...coloratura runs sung with great virtuosity."
(Die Presse, August 8, 2003) Michael Schade acclaimed in Recital on tour for Of ladies and love... "Michael Schade is at the peak of his artistic powers these days, a world-class tenor, brimming with confidence, ease and power. From the opening note of Beethoven's Adelaide to his closing encore from the Merry Widow, he presented a consummate recital, moving through the range of his voice with drama, incisiveness and great musical taste." (Globe & Mail, May 2, 2003) "Schade cut an intelligently programmed swath through the late-19th- and early-20th-century art-song repertoire. Every song became its own story, told to each audience member individually. We were led through a broad range of emotions with a lyrical voice that is clean, assured and finely tuned. It's no surprise that Schade is considered a star." (Toronto Star, May 1, 2003) "This wide-ranging program was all that a vocal recital should
be: communicative and supremely musical. Schade is the kind of tenor
who could persuade your redneck country cousin to give opera a try.
Schade seduces by floating effortlessly into sweet head voice, all
lyrical and light; or ruminates on some forgotten melancholy in
a silky mezza voce." (Vancouver Sun, April
29, 2003) Michael Schade in Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera "Michael Schade...[a] sensitive mezza-voce handling of the first of Ottavio's arias." (Opera News, April 2003) "The tenor Michael Schade was a lyrically ardent Don Ottavio." (New York Times, December 30, 2002) "The role of ... Don Ottavio, was sung by Michael Schade, whose
refined, light tenor voice made his two arias, including the famous
"Il mio tesoro" a treat for the ears." (San
Francisco Chronicle, December 29, 2002) Berlioz's Damnation of Faust with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra "Tenor Michael Schade was in ringing voice as the desperate doctor, obliging vocal buffs with brilliant high Cs but also conveying the meaning and character with quiet recitative of rare focus." (Montreal Gazette, October 24, 2002)
"The Canadian tenor Michael Schade and the Polish contralto Ewa Podles are the Oedipus and Jocasta of your dreams. Schade is crystalline, powerful and absolutely sure in his physical and vocal delivery of his role." (Globe & Mail, September 30, 2002)
"What a joy it is to listen to Michael Schade! This tenor of German-Canadian descent has it all: a silken voice, clear, expressive diction in German, Italian and French, and a fully integrated sense of drama and humor." (Opera News, December 2002) "Beethoven's 'Adelaide' reveals at once Schade's sweet, fragrant head voice. And, in sad address to Schubert's 'Elisa', he creates a barely breathed crescendo of plaintive ardour which makes a masterpiece out of a prentice work...he sings Strauss's 'Cäcilie', and a wonderfully hushed 'Zueignung' as though he and Martineau were the first to discover their ecstacy." * * * * * (BBC Music Magazine, October 2002) "A recording to treasure." **** (Globe & Mail, October 10, 2002) "As a recitalist, Schade is uncommonly expressive and communicative. [His voice] is at its loveliest in the quieter moments in this repertoire, where he uses his honeyed mezza voce to great effect. Schubert's Der Jüngling an der Quelle, sung ever so lightly by Schade, is exquisite." * * * * (The Music Scene, September-October 2002) "If anyone wonders why German-Canadian tenor Michael Schade has become flavour of the month over the past decade, then the evidence is all here on his first solo CD. �ravishing performances of Liszt's Three Petrarch Sonnets are a display case for Schade's vocal and very non-Italianate qualities, from a breathtakingly light, weightless sound to powerful, full-on ardour." * * * * (Glasgow Herald, August 3, 2002)
"At the centre of the production is Michael Schade's astonishing Oedipus. Wearing monastic-style robes, his head shaved, he is at once a vulnerable innocent and a self-proclaimed guru. Vocally, he [is] shockingly intense." (Guardian, August 31, 2002) "Oedipus is superbly portrayed by the tenor Michael Schade. He sings with powerful, plangent tone." (London Times, August 31, 2002) "Oedipus, Michael Schade, was a vocal aristocrat, high and buoyant, his pain carrying him into a kind of exaltation." (Independent, September 4, 2002)
"In Schubert's 'Der Doppelgänger', Michael Schade proved himself capable of the most spine-tingling rendition of the cries of a tormented heart." (Scotsman, August 24, 2002)
"There were many noble voices at work that met all expectations. Foremost was tenor Michael Schade who presented, with Don Ottavio's aria 'Dalla sua Pace', the most sensational vocal moment of the festive evening. Nicholas Harnoncourt, along with the Vienna Philharmonic, magically created-almost out of nothing-a pianissimo fabric from which developed Schade's soft and flowing, selfless singing." (Die Presse, Vienna, Austria, July 29, 2002) "Michael Schade - stupendous!" (La Reppublica, Italy, July 29, 2002) "Michael Schade was sensitivity itself in Don Ottavio's poetic
moments." (Financial Times, London, U.K.,
July 30, 2002) Duo Recital with Barbara Bonney at Wigmore Hall in London "One of Schade's many assets is that he never needs to push his voice to fill out the tone; it is utterly pure, with a freedom and flexibility that recalls Fritz Wunderlich." (London Evening Standard, May 23, 2002) Michael Schade's Double-Header in Los Angeles: Mahler's Das Klagende Lied with the L.A. Philharmonic and the L.A. Opera's production of Die Zauberflöte "Michael Schade's Tamino dominated the action with singing of beauty, urgency and emotional depth; his effortless acting proved concise, effective, to the point. Before the Sunday night opera performance, Schade had substituted for an ailing colleague in three concerts by the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon; his solid and powerful voice showed no fatigue at all in this performance." (Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2002) "As the Prince Tamino, German-Canadian tenor Michael Schade mingled passion with classical elegance, giving little evidence that, only four hours before, he had substituted for an ailing singer in some tonsil-twisting Mahler with the L.A. Philharmonic in the same Music Centre stage." (Variety, March 25, 2002) "Last-minute substitutions, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and tenor Michael Schade (who bravely agreed to perform even though he was appearing in "The Magic Flute" that evening) assured an excellent adult quartet." (Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2002) Reviews of Michael Schade's performance of Das Lied von der Erde with the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas "Schade's bright, focused instrument cuts through the instrumental fabric like a scythe, top notes tight, but accurate...a voice exquisitely attuned to the emotional connotations of the verse. Rarely will one hear a tenor savoring the hedonism of "The Drinking Song of Earth's Sorrow" with such intensity. Schade luxuriates in the texts, like a master Lieder specialist. The ache of "Das Firmament blaut ewig," the sensation of helplessness in the face of a transitory existence, touched a universal nerve." (San Francisco Chronicle, February 8, 2002) "Michael Schade...sang with both drama and lyricism." (New York Times, February 16, 2002) _________________________________________________________________ "One should write an ode to joy about the art of singing of this German-Canadian. The timbre smooth and brilliant, excellent leading of the voice, apparently effortless, the interpretation as virtuoso was lively. You hear him sing and you feel happy." (Der Standard, December 10, 2001, review of Das Alexanderfest in Vienna) "The rare power of a more visceral approach was demonstrated in Michael Schade's gripping intensely emotional, finally overwhelming performance of the (Die Schöne Müllerin) cycle.This was singing that seized the audience by the throat" (Globe&Mail, May 2001) "...A seasoned Mozart performer, his expressive singing and convincing acting was a lifeline....his beautiful pianos and pianissimos were the musical highlight of the evening and always in service of the music and text" (National Post, April 2001 review of Idomeneo) _________________________________________________________________ New York Times, February 27, 2001 A Princely Youth and Modest "His Tamino had both the regal bearing and current of heroic steeliness, vocally, required by his stature as a young prince, but the almost Romantic petulance he brought to his first encounter with Sarastro's guards showed the degree to which enlightenment remained in his future." (New York Times, November 2000, review of the Metropolitan Opera's Die Zauberflöte) "MICHAEL SCHADE brought his sweet, lyric voice to
the role of Almaviva. His execution of soft high-lying phrases was
often beautiful: a true, carrying pianissimo, not a falsetto approximation."
"MICHAEL SCHADE offered one of the evening's claims
to near perfection, in the aria Dalla Sua Pace from Don Giovanni.
The luminous half-tone he found for the last verse, a rare fully
voiced pianissimo, was a moment of absolute magic." "MICHAEL SCHADE's tone-rich manly Ottavio contradicted
all the nasty things critics have been writing about this character
for centuries. The German-Canadian tenor gave an aristocratic musical
performance; he created strong contrast between the two arias, and
acted with stunning believability." "It is difficult to find singers as great as these:
MICHAEL SCHADE's Tamino was marvelous" "MICHAEL SCHADE was able to convey the message of the poetry even
into the highly dramatic "helden" highlights of this difficult score"
"The highlight of the evening was MICHAEL SCHADE's Don Ottavio,
who sang with both the subtlest pianissimos but also did not hesitate
to demonstrate his powerful tenor" "....especially MICHAEL SCHADE as Don Ottavio, whose two tenor
arias ....were the musical highlights of the evening..." "...So was the clear, beautiful singing and well-conceived David
of tenor MICHAEL SCHADE, making his LOC debut" "...he demonstrated expressive palette, awareness of phrasing and
formal structure and a ringing timbre framed by a butter-melting
warmth that combine to make his high registers irresistibly appealing."
"...a brilliant Rinaldo, with a glorious tenor voice, modulating
from delicately textured to fiery explosion..." "MICHAEL SCHADE gave an all-Schubert programme accompanied by the
special touch which Graham Johnson brings to such events...The singer's
silvery voice was increasingly well used. Finest, in fact, was the
last item "Nacht und Traeume" sung with fine control and great beauty."
"...His repertoire of vocal colouring seems without limit, sometimes
operatic, sometimes introverted....Force, warmth, drama, irony...all
that MICHAEL SCHADE employs in the interest of interpreting the
texts..."
Last Updated: December 13, 2007 © 2000-2005 Moira Johnson Consulting, All Rights Reserved
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