Semele Göttingen June 2023

“Tenor Jeremy Ovenden captured the attention with his lyrically beautiful, clear and emotionally sensitive vocal portrait of Jupiter. His voice is secure and oozes confidence, which immediately positioned him as the god at the centre of power; he strode across the stage with an air of authority, although he was not immune to Semele’s demands and desires, at which times he convincingly voiced his love, anxieties and concerns, most notably in his final passage of accompanied recitative, “Ah, whither is she gone! unhappy fair?” in which he reflects on Semele’s fate; coating his voice with a poignant air, he sensitively inflected the lines to capture his feelings of dejection, but suggestively underpinned them with the air of confidence that being a godhead bings. Arias were equally well delivered. The famous “Where’er you walk, cool gates shall fan the glade” was given a sweet, seductive rendition that inevitably had the audience in its grip.

Being a god, of course, he occasionally appeared in disguise, first as a janitor in Act one and then as a homeless man in Act two, and he was so convincing that both remained almost invisible until he revealed himself.

He also played the small role of Apollo, who helps bring the work to an end.” -

(Alan Neilson,Opera Wire, June 5 2023)

“Jeremy Ovenden gestaltet den Göttervater Jupiter mit kraftvollem Tenor und intensivem Spiel.”

(Thomas Molkeonline Musik Magasin, June 2023)

“Le ténor anglais incarne un dieu doux, dans Where'er you walk, alors qu'une nacelle baroque angélique descend sur scène. Un aspect notable de la voix d'Ovenden est son contrôle et sa technique impeccables. Il adopte une intonation précise, naviguant sans effort dans les lignes mélodiques et exécutant une ornementation vocale complexe. Son phrasé est sensible et nuancé, faisant preuve d'une musicalité aiguë et d'un souci du détail. En plus de ses prouesses techniques, la voix d'Ovenden dégage une expressivité captivante. Il a une capacité naturelle à transmettre un large éventail d'émotions, insufflant à ses performances profondeur et sincérité. Qu'il exprime de la tendresse, de la passion ou de la vulnérabilité, sa voix porte un véritable impact émotionnel, entraînant le public au cœur de la musique.”

(Pedro Medeiros, Baroquaides.com, June 2023)

“Jeremy Ovenden is in a class of his own; his dominance and sex appeal with his slender, flexible voice, which naturally makes the attractiveness of the divine Jupiter irresistible to the mortal Semele.His ‘Come to my arms. my lovely fair’ is also suitably erotically charged and sounds captivatingly beautiful.”

Das Opernglas / September 2023

Curtain call for Semele June 2023