Reviews - Nathan Berg, bass-baritone
St. John Passion
"Memorable among the singers interrupting action to sum up the mood were Nathan Berg and Nicholas Phan, excelling at gentleness and sweetness, respectively."
Chicago Tribune,March 15, 2010
"Berg's singing should give intense pleasure to any (Western) lover of the human voice"
Financial Times, April 13, 1994
Elijah
“Bass Nathan Berg sang the all-important role of Elijah. He had just the right darkness of voice to suggest the sternness of the prophet combined with a certain liveliness of expression.”
Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen, May 8, 2008
Thesée, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
“Nathan Berg brought a quality voice to the semi-serious roles [of Mars and Arcas]. ”
Opera, April 2008
The Creation
“Bass Nathan Berg intoned the music of Raphael and Adam with dark authority.”
Lawrence A. Johnson, The MiamiHerald, Nov 10, 2007
Verdi Requiem
“Nathan Berg lent power and dignity to every episode in which he sang.”
Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen, Jun 1, 2007
Der Fliegende Holländer
“Baritone Nathan Berg brought believability to [his] improbable role as the eternally wandering sea captain. It can't be easy to hold listeners' attention while standing rooted to one spot for much of the opera, but Berg pulled it off with keen musical and dramatic focus. Berg's vocally secure performance suggested not only the world-weariness that would come from decades, if not centuries, roaming the seas, but also a depth of poise and gravity that made even his quietest utterances compelling.”
Catherine Reese Newton, The Salt Lake Tribune, Oct 15, 2007
“In the title role is baritone Nathan Berg. He has a wonderfully lyrical voice.”
Edward Reichel, Deseret Morning News, Oct 14, 2007
Giulio Cesare, Glyndebourne Festival, August 2006
"Nathan Berg's Achilla catches the right mix of bluster, duplicity and compassion."
Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 7 August, 2006
"...there are excellent performances from Nathan Berg’s Achillas - sure-toned, physically striking and brutal in his lust for Cornelia..."
Edward Bhesania, The Stage, 9 August, 2006
“... brute machismo of Achilla (Nathan Berg)...”
Anna Picard, The Independent, 13 August 2006
"...you can smell the danger in Mathan Berg's Achilla."
Geoff Brown, The Times, 18 August, 2006
La Cenerentola, Glyndebourne Festival 2005
“But, as Nathan Berg's Alidoro showed, you do not have to be Italian to be elegant and warmly expressive.”
Paul Griffiths, New York Times, May 24, 2005
“The character of the philosopher Alidoro - a commanding Nathan Berg - is literally given the moral authority of centre stage. He addresses us directly, as do all the characters. We are far from passive participants in this "pantomime".'
Edward Seckerson, The Independent, May 23, 2005
“Nathan Berg's Alidoro and Simone Alberghini's Dandini are both superb.”
Anthony Holden, The Observer, May 22, 2005
“The most interesting characters also receive the most satisfying performances - Nathan Berg is contained and slightly mysterious as Alidoro and Simone Alberghini's Dandini is detached yet controlling.”
Andrew Clements, The Guardian, May 21, 2005
“Nathan Berg turns Alidoro into an operatic Prospero and sings with even authority.”
Andrew Clark, Financial Times, May 21, 2005
Leporello, Don Giovanni
“Nathan Berg brought a sturdy bass voice and delightful comic timing to the role of Giovanni's put-upon, scene-stealing servant Leporello, especially in his tour-de-force "cataloque aria," listing the Don's 2000-plus conquests.”
Diane Windeler, San Antonio Express News, Oct 2006
“The Canadian singer Nathan Berg was a very solid Giovanni, bringing his hefty yet dexterous bass-baritone to the role of everyone's favorite debauched nobleman. He was at his most persuasively seductive in moments of suave understatement, when he would just sit back and reel in his fresh catch, like the innocent Zerlina…”
Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe, Oct 14, 2006
“Nathan Berg, as Don Giovanni, did the major work with aplomb…”
Keith Powers, BostonHerald, Oct 14, 2006
“Nathan Berg, playing Leporello in all performances, earned prolonged ovations with a big, hearty voice, endless energy, and comic style that made it look easy.”
David Mead, Austin American-Statesman, May 1, 2006
“Nathan Berg brought a sturdy bass voice and delightful comic timing to the role of Giovanni's put-upon, scene-stealing servant Leporello, especially in his tour-de-force "cataloque aria," listing the Don's 2000-plus conquests.”
Diane Windeler, San Antonio Express, Apr 30, 2006
“Berg was a beguiling buffo as Giovanni’s often-betrayed butler.”
AP Arts & EntertainmentReview, Mar 11, 2002
“Berg boasts a first-class bass voice, both plush and resonant.”
The Boston Globe, Apr 26, 1997
Marcello, La Bohème
“The charmer of the production was Edmonton-area bass-baritone Nathan Berg, in his second Edmonton Opera engagement. His Marcello had range. In the horseplay scenes of Acts I and IV, he contributed a nice, boyish feel, but in Act II, he entertainingly generated a sulky-bitter dynamic in the face of Musetta's teasing. In Act III, he was a convincingly angry man--all the while producing resonant singing that kept his character interesting to listen to as well as watch.”
Bill Rankin, Opera Canada, May 1, 2006
“Nathan Berg, on the other hand, has stage charisma to spare as Marcello. Berg has an excellent operatic bass voice, and he looks comfortable in his role as the volatile painter, on-again-off-again lover of the flamboyant Musetta. In Act 2, his brooding and exasperation at Musetta’s flirtations have just enough melodrama to get the array of emotions across without falling into hamminess. In his spat with Musetta in Act 3, which has a nice pace, Berg goes a step beyond into anger, and he finds those emotional notes convincingly. He’s known around here as an oratorio and recital singer. Opera is obviously his strength, as well.”
Bill Rankin, EdmontonJournal, Mar 20, 2006
Mozart Mass in C Major
“…bass-baritone Nathan Berg, enhanced the ‘Credo’ with a reflective ‘Et incarnatus est’ (‘And was incarnate’) and an exultant ‘Et in Spiritum Sanctum’ (‘And in the Holy Ghost’) and rejoiced in an operatic-sounding ‘Benedictus.’"
Bruce-Michael Gelbert, TheaterScene.net, Jan 28, 2006
Mozart Requiem
“The baritone Nathan Berg cut a commanding figure and his forceful, powerful voice cut through the music like a blade.”
A.J. Goldman, The New York Feuilleton, Nov 3, 2005
Guglielmo, Così Fan Tutte
“Nathan Berg holds up well with his dark-chocolate voice, a nice counterpoint to the buffoon he plays.”
Vancouver Courier, Mar 16, 2005
“…Nathan Berg’s impressively sung Guglielmo, Berg’s smoky, large baritone being used to full effect.”
Review Vancouver, Mar 19, 2005
Handel’s Messiah
“I was working with him [Berg] a few days ago, and was amazed at all the colours in his voice. And he can do a real trill, too.”
The Edmonton Sun, Dec 18, 2004
“Berg has a powerful, deeply resonant low register and a strong, clear upper range, all of which he tapped in his several solo sections. His “The Trumpet Shall Sound” was a highlight of the evening.”
The Edmonton Journal, Dec11, 2004
Belshazzar’s Feast
“Bass-baritone Nathan berg’s rich, strong tones made easy work of the story-telling interludes [in William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast].”
The Herald, Aug 16, 2004
In Recital
“Berg matched the delicacy of these works [Mendelssohn songs] with an easy, vibrant tone and a supple line.”
TorontoStar, Feb 27, 2000
“Karneus and Berg spun their tales with charm and conviction. Nathan Berg really seemed to be the pompous monarch who regards himself as master of the world, as well as the lover passionately wishing to be united with his dear one “on a better star” in Andenken.”
The Herald, Aug 18, 1999
“They [Katarina Karneus and Nathan Berg] duly coloured and characterised, displaying the requisite wit and emotional understanding, and we were duly grateful.”
The London Times, Aug 19, 1998
“Berg boasts a first-class bass voice, both plush and resonant.”
The Boston Globe, Apr 26, 1997
“He [Berg] has a purebred stallion of a voice, soft-grained, proud, true and eminently flexible, but above all, one of great beauty.”
The Gazette, Apr 3, 1997
Bach Mass in B minor
“Tenor Mark Tucker and bass Nathan Berg, sinewy-voiced singers both, crackled with rhythmic alertness; they engaged with the text. Little rescue acts such as theirs were taking place all through the evening.”
The Boston Globe, May 15, 1999
Brahms Requiem
“Nathan Berg, the baritone soloist, gave a solid, communicative reading.”
The New York Times, Jun 20, 1996
Hippolyte et Aricie
“All the bass roles (Pluto, Jupiter and Neptune) were sonorously sung by Nathan Berg.”
The Wall Street Journal, Sep 27, 1996
“Berg’s singing should give intense pleasure to any (Western) lover of the human voice.”
Financial Times, Apr 13, 1994