Press

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  01 Mar 20 Strauss Salome
  Frankfurt Oper

  “Sehr überzeugend auch Christopher Maltman als Jochanaan: Von imponierender Ausstrahlung, maskulin, selbstbewusst, wenig Prophet, viel Rebell”

  “Christopher Maltman as Jochanaan is also very convincing: impressively charismatic, masculine, self-confident, more rebel than Prophet.”
  Peter Jungblut, BR24, 01 March 2020

  “Christopher Maltman erdet die Partie in den konkret gefassten Sprachbildern und kommt ohne alles hohle Tönen aus. Gerundet und warm ist sein Bariton…”

  “Christopher Maltman clutches the mettle of the role portraying clear verbal images, never hollow-sounding. His baritone is round and warm”
  Michael Stallknecht, SZ, 05 March 2020

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  08 Nov 19 CD: The Soldier - From Severn to Somme Christopher Maltman & Joseph Middleton
  

  “This is one of the most compelling art song programmes that I can recall hearing. It’s a cause for celebration that it has been preserved on disc…Christopher Maltman’s singing is of the highest calibre and intelligence throughout and in Joseph Middleton he has the perfect partner…Middleton conjures up marvellously all the colours in the music…Revelge has a piano part of orchestral dimensions and Joseph Middleton does wonders with it…It’s a gripping performance by these artists…The third section is ‘Battle’ and we’re plunged right in with Mussorgsky’s ‘The Field-Marshall’. The opening of the song is a turbulent depiction of battle and here again Middleton is faced with a quasi-orchestral piano part which he dispatches excitingly. Maltman offers a towering interpretation of the song, especially in the second part…Maltman and Middleton distil a potent atmosphere at the start and build the tension from there. Their performance is full of drama and also of nuances understandingly put across. If I hadn’t thought it was a great song before hearing this disc then I certainly would have done so after experiencing this performance…The construction of the programme seems to me to be uncommonly thoughtful. Not only is the selection of music wide-ranging and discerning…This is an outstanding release, rewarding in every way.”
  John Quinn, MusicWeb International

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  04 Nov 19 Verdi, Puccini, Catalani Lyric Gala
  Gran Teatre del Liceu

  La sorpresa positiva de la noche vino en forma de barítono. El británico Christopher Maltman sí estuvo a la altura de Netrebko. Su versatilidad le permitió resolver por igual la vileza paranoica de Macbeth en “Pietá, rispetto, amore” que la nobleza reflexiva de Gérard en “Nemico della patria”. Vistas sus capacidades y habiendo revisado sus últimas actuaciones, Maltman pudiera convertirse en el Rigoletto de referencia de los próximos años.

  “The highlight of the evening came in the form of baritone, Christopher Maltman. Living up to Netrebko, his versatility allowed him to play both Macbeth’s paranoid vileness in “Pietá, rispetto, amore” & Gérard’s reflexive nobility in “Nemico della patria” with equal measure.
  Having witnessed his abilities both here & in past performances, Maltman is well on his way to being the Rigoletto for years to come.”
  Juan José Freijo, Bachtrack, 03 November 2019
  

  “Acertadísima su presencia en este programa, sobre todo por un Macbeth imponente en la primera parte y por un “Nemico della patria”, en la segunda mitad… Maltman contribuyó también a elevar la temperatura de los números con Netrebko y Eyvazov, ya fueran los dúos de Macbeth y La forza del destino o el terceto de Il trovatore.”

  “It’s very right to have his presence in this program, especially for an imposing Macbeth in the first part and for a “Nemico della patria”, in the second half…Maltman also helped raise the temperature of the numbers with Netrebko and Eyvazov, whether it was Macbeth’s duos and The Forza of Fate or the Terceto of Il trovatore.”
  Alejandro Martinez, Platea Magazine, 5 November 2019

  “Maltmann, un artista de exquisita dicción y expresividad, posee una capacidad interpretativa realmente especial y una proyección vocal incluso algo abrumadora por su potencia.”

  “Maltmann, an artist of exquisite diction and expressiveness, has a really special interpretive ability and a vocal projection even somewhat overwhelming by its power.”
  Fernando Sans Riviere, Opera Actual, 5 November 2019

  “Christopher Maltman…va ser l’altre gran triomfador de la ni…Maltman és un excel·lent actor– com per l’emissió i el fraseig immaculats, carregats de tinta expressiva en les àries i en els números de conjunt.”

  “Christopher Maltman…was the other great triumph that night…Maltman is an excellent actor- as well as for the emission and phrasing immaculate, loaded with expressive ink in the arias and in the set numbers.”
  Jaume Radigales, Cultura, 5 November 2019

  “[Maltman] fue a por todas con una presencia vocal incontestable y voluminosa, deslumbrando en arias de tal dificultad, con utilización de medias voces y meritorios pianos para una voz tan grande, tanto en ‘Pietá rispetto, amore’ como en ‘Nemico della patria…'”

  “[Maltman] went for all with an unanswerable vocal presence and voluminous, dazzling in arias of such difficulty, with the use of half-voices and meritorious pianos for such a large voice, both in ‘Pietá rispetto, amore’ and in ‘Nemico della patria…'”
  Oscar del Saz, Codalario, 3 November 2019

  “…la pletorica voz baritonal de Maltman…obtuvo una de las ovaciones mas unanimes de la noche.”

  “…the plethoric baritonal voice of Maltman… recieved one of the most unanimous ovations of the night.”
  Jordi Maddaleno, Critica de Lirica, 4 November 2019

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  17 Oct 19 Verdi Rigoletto
  Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin

  “Maltman’s Rigoletto was commandingly confident from the first notes he sang. The sheer power of his voice was awe-inspiring as it thundered through the auditorium…He was most intriguing in the first act, when the restraint of his emotional displays painted a picture of a Rigoletto who had, through harsh life experience, learned to reveal nothing to anyone…Most striking were his scenes with Garifullina’s Gilda…The contrast between their voices was a psychologically thrilling one.”
  Elyse Lyon, Opera Wire, 23 October 2019

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  11 Aug 19 Oedipe Enescu
  Salzburg Festival

  “It would be hard to imagine a more viscerally engaging Oedipus than Christopher Maltman’s tireless assumption of the title role: with the character on stage for much of the evening’s three hours, it’s a big sing, but he never lost focus or compromised on purely musical projection.”
  Matthew Rye, Bachtrack, 15 August 2019

  “As the title character, Christopher Maltman anchors the evening with a smooth but expansive baritone, tirelessly riding the orchestra at its most densely scored.”
  Rebecca Schmid, Financial Times, 12 August 2019

  “The Salzburg version hinges upon Christopher Maltman’s Oedipe (clad in vast layers of muscle-padding) – a mammoth artistic challenge which vocally and dramatically stretches beyond many more familiar roles in standard operatic repertoire. Maltman’s ample baritone, pregnant enunciation, and artistic intensity dominate the stage to a degree which cast something of a shadow across the remaining soloists – despite finely-drawn performances.”
  Moore Parker, Opera Critic, 17 August 2019

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  02 Jun 19 Rigoletto Verdi
  Staatsoper Unter den Linden

  “Maltman amazes with a truly incredible creation of this emblematic and complex Verdian role.”

  “Maltmann asombra con una creación verdaderamente increíble de este emblemático y complejo rol verdiano.”
  Alejandro Martinez, Platea Magazine, 14 June 2019

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  01 May 19 Rigoletto Verdi
  Wiener Staatsoper

  “Christopher Maltman made a brilliant role debut in the title role … he  got the biggest applause of the evening (to which the audience had good reason).”
  Snapdragon, Bachtrack, 03 May 2019

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  29 Mar 19 La forza del destino Verdi
  Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

  “A revelation for me was Christopher Maltman’s emergence as a Verdi baritone and he clearly knows how to beautifully (if that is the right word?) shape the role of Carlo, the unforgiving fanatic. His performance in the second act, when he pretends to be a student at the inn and then reveals his dark mission and plans, was mightily impressive.”
  Jim Pritchard, Seen and Heard International, 1 April 2019

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  15 Mar 18 Cosi Fan Tutte Mozart
  Metropolitan Opera

  “As Don Alfonso, Christopher Maltman was a dominant presence. He moved with ease and freedom that no other character on stage possessed…. He relished recitatives, his sound carrying throughout the cavernous Met.”
  David Salazar, Opera Wire, 16 March 2018

  “Maltman was his typical self as Don Alfonso, the edge in his voice both engaging and threatening, full of confidence and energy.”
  George Grella, New York Classical Review, 16  March 2018

  “Hearty, excellent baritone Christopher Maltman”
  BWW News Desk, Broadway World, 16 March 2018 

  “Maltman is an ideal Don Alfonso, scoring with both his singing and acting.”
  Barry Bassis, The Epoch Times, 17 March 2018

  Pulling all their strings is Christopher Maltman’s Alfonso, the puppet master in a yellow zoot suit who sings with a relaxed, invincible swagger.
  Justin Davidson, Vulture, 16 March 2018 

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  10 Jan 18 Recital Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam
  Amsterdam

  “Vooral bij de eerste bliezen beide musici met uitgekiende timing optimaal poëzie in de schaarse noten. Een warme verteltoon verhulde niet de tragiek van“the lads that will die in their glory and never be old”.”

  “Both musicians, with perfect poetry performed with sophisticated timing and the warm narrative did not obscure the tragedy of “the lads that will die in their glory and never be old”.”

  “Christopher Maltman’s technique is so solid that his expression pierces straight to the heart.”
  Martin Toet, Place de L’Opera, 11 January 2018

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  26 Dec 17 Verdi Les vêpres siciliennes
  Frankfurt Opera

  “Christopher Maltman y ajoute une diction française parfaite, qui pourrait faire douter de son origine britannique.”

  “Christopher Maltman has perfect French diction, which could cause doubts about his British origin.”
  Alban Deags, Classique News, 12 December 2017

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  30 Oct 17 Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor
  Royal Opera House

  “Maltman sings with a baritone that’s a fist in a velvet glove.”
  ★★★★ Erica Jeal, The Guardian, 31 October 2017

  “Oropesa’s chemistry with Christopher Maltman (Enrico) was one of the highlights of the first half, each seeming energised by the other. Maltman’s powerful baritone reflected with unerring accuracy his portrayal of Enrico as a thug with a calculating mind behind his fists. Diction was particularly strong and the sheer force of his voice gave his performance heft.”
  ★★★★ Dominic Lowe, Bachtrack, 31 October 2017

  “Incredibly commanding, Maltman was on absolute top form in this role.”
  Colin Clarke, Seen and Heard, 02 November 2017

  “Christopher Maltman thundered with dark-toned authority; it was no wonder that Lucia cowered and collapsed in the face of such ruthless intimidation.”
  Claire Seymour, Opera Today, 09 November 2017

  “Christopher Maltman’s Enrico is a boldly-drawn character who provides the necessary malign focus…”
  ★★★★★ Michael Church, The Independent, 15 November 2017

   

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  29 Sep 17 Verdi Falstaff
  Philharmonie de Paris

  “Face à lui Christopher Maltman campe un Ford élégant, non dépourvu de séduction, doté d’une voix solide et bien projetée. Leur grande scène du deuxième acte est un des temps forts de la soirée.”

  “Christopher Maltman has an elegant, stylish and a well-designed voice for Ford; The scene with Maestri in the second act was certainly one of the highlights of the evening.”

  Christian Peter, Forum Opera, 29 September 2017

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  20 Aug 17 Mozart Don Giovanni
  Rose Theatre, New York

  “The Don is a signature role for Maltman, who not only has just the right voice, but a delightfully sinister and comic presence. It is not that you like him any more, but it is easy to see why women find him attractive.”
  Susan Hall, Berkshire Fine Arts, 20 August 2017

  “Maltman has depicted Don Giovanni more than one-hundred-and-fifty times, an intricate knowledge that makes his every reaction and gesture perfectly nuanced, revealing the depth of the Don’s addiction to womanizing and his innate ability to exude the charm that draws his victims to him. Maltman’s voice has gained power and depth over the years, yet is flexible enough to be dark or delicate, shattering or whisper-soft as appropriate.”
  David M. Rice, Classical Source, 19 August 2017

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  01 Jul 17 Schubert Die Gezeichneten
  Munich Opera Festival

  “Equally magnificent was Christopher Maltman as Count Tamare, a dashing aristocrat in love with the artist Carlotta…”

  Tom Sutcliffe, Opera Now, October 2017

   

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  31 May 17 Carnival of the Animals Recital with Malcolm Martineau
  Wigmore Hall

  “Christopher Maltman, on the evidence of this Wigmore Hall performance a singer at the top of his form, can make the tiniest vocal inflection or physical gesture vary a huge weight, and there were many times in his programme when, once you had got the gist of the text, you could take your eyes of it and surrender to the charm and sheer joie de vivre he brought to this carnival of creation.”

  Peter Reed, Classical Source, 31 May 2017

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  15 May 17 Decades: A century of Song, Vol 2 (CD)
  

  “…Maltman and Connolly’s Schubert performances are beguiling and deliciously nuanced…”
  Jim GilChrist, Scotsman, 15 May 2017

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  20 Dec 16 Mozart The Magic Flute
  Metropolitan Opera, New York

  “The audience favorite was Christopher Maltman’s endearing portrayal of the chirpy bird-catcher Papageno. Maltman’s crisp singing and impeccable diction lent great musicality to the jaunty melodies. With exaggerated physicality he bounced around the stage with unflagging energy and won peals of laughter for his snappy delivery of the dialogue.”
  ★★★★ Christopher Browner, Classical Source, 20 December 2016

  “Leading the revival cast as Papageno is Christopher Maltman, whose rich, velvety baritone positively booms in the role. He is a delight to watch onstage, perfectly channeling the goofish innocence of the boisterous birdcatcher.”
  Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review, 21 December 2016

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  14 Nov 16 Puccini Manon Lescaut
  Metropolitan Opera, New York

  “Christopher Maltman’s Lescaut was a tricky character, utterly amoral and cocky, and delivered with burly tone.”
  ★★★★ Robert Levine, Bachtrack, 15 November 2016

  “Christopher Maltman contributed sturdiness as Manon’s brother”
  Martin Bernheimer, The Financial Times, 15 November 2016

  “Christopher Maltman was luxury casting as Lescaut, Manon’s brother. Initially a slimy operator trying to get rich off of his sister’s good looks, Maltman’s Lescaut regained his dignity and became strikingly sympathetic as crisis revealed his deep affection for her. He brought a bellowing, full-bodied baritone to a role, where one usually encounters gruff veteran barkers.”
  Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review, 15 November 2016

  “Mr. Álvarez’s tenor has oodles of baritonal shadings, and the excellent support of Christopher Maltman’s Lescaut and Brindley Sherratt’s Geronte magnified every appearance of these two deeper-voiced characters.”
  Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times, 15 November 2016

  “And the French uniform of Lescaut (the similarly impressive baritone Christopher Maltman) is reasonably concordant with an unscrupulous character who in essence pimps his own sister.”
  Arthur Kaptainis, Musical Toronto, 1 December 2016

  “Christopher Maltman’s stylish singing and manic acting precisely suggested a family resemblance between Lescaut and his baby sister.”
  James Jorden, The Observer, 15 November 2016

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  13 Aug 16 MOZART Don Giovanni
  Kursaal San Sebastian

  “There’s no doubt that Christopher Maltman is one of
  the best interpreters of Don Giovanni”
  José M. Irurzun, Seen and Heard International, 15 August 2016

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  13 Aug 16 ZEMLINSKY Lyric Symphony Op. 18
  Royal Albert Hall

  “The passionate outpourings of the songs for baritone (the excellent Christopher Maltman) are closer, though, to Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, and their anguished chromaticism was empathetically realised by the BBCSO under Simone Young…”
  ★★★★ Barry Millington, Evening Standard, 1 September 2016

  “Maltman’s lean baritone cut cleanly through the richness of Zemlinsky’s wilder fantasies”
  Alexandra Coghlan, The Arts Desk, 1 September 2016

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  12 May 16 MOZART Don Giovanni
  Netherlands Opera

  “Christopher Maltman’s Don Giovanni was a masterful portrayal”
  Jenny Camilleri, Bachtrack, 8 May 2016

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  22 Feb 16 Wagner Das Liebesverbot
  Teatro Real Madrid

  “Maltman gives a glorious vocal performance…”
  Christopher Hoile, Stage Door, 23 February 2016

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  06 Jan 16 Schubert Recital - 6th January 2016
  Wigmore Hall with Graham Johnson

  “‘Maltman rose to its challenges with the concentrated dramatic artistry he displayed throughout the evening, using creepy whispers to convey Mephistopheles’s utterances and jagged phrases in his upper registers for Gretchen’s mounting guilt. The choir’s pronouncements, meanwhile, had an implacable loftiness.’…’delivered with the sharply characterised fluency of a natural storyteller. Die Bürgschaft, some 18 minutes long and sung from memory, displayed great stamina.’…’Liane was an exquisite study of erotic nostalgia, while Rückweg carried the sinister implications that a return home equates with a loss of personal freedom.'”
  ★★★★★ Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 7 January 2016

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  12 Jun 15 Mozart Don Giovanni
  The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

  “Christopher Maltman’s luscious baritone is the aural reflection of his Giovanni, suavely understated but radiating sexual magnetism.”
  Edward Bhesania, The Stage, 14 June 2015

  “Maltman’s singing in La ci darem la mano was an object lesson in phrasing as well as the even production of beautiful tone.”
  Melanie Eskenazi, Music OMH, 13 June 2015

  “The big draw for this first revival is a starry cast, led by Christopher Maltman’s Don…Maltman’s seductions are all about power, control. Cold violence in his actions meets heat in the voice, pouring itself into every crack in this familiar role.”
  Alexandra Coghlan, The Arts Desk, 13 June 2015

  “Maltman threw heart and soul into his duets with the ladies (‘Là ci darem la mano’ showed his velvety baritone at its finest) and his confrontation with the Commendatore.”
  David Karlin, Bachtrack, 17 June 2015

  “Christopher Maltman was suave and vigorous”
  Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill, 19 June 2015

  “Christopher Maltman was an admirable Giovanni, an ageing hipster whose grey hair and world-weary manner helped to explain his entrapment in the realm of the flesh.”
  Russ McDonald, Opera Magazine, August 2015

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  01 Sep 14 Brahms the complete songs collection Vol 5 (CD)
  

  “Maltman’s mellow baritone, with its distinctively plangent, tenorish upper register, is always easy on the ear… Maltman vividly catches both the vehemence and the pathos of ‘Verzweiflung’, and excels in tenderness and inwardness, whether in the anxious expectation of ‘Liebe kam aus fernen Landen’ or the doleful Schubertian waltz of ‘Wie schnell verschwindet’.”

  Gramophone Magazine, Septmber 2014