The Ring Cycle

“Mime…brilliantly sung and acted by David Cangelosi, possibly the greatest Mime ever.”

“As Mime, tenor David Cangelosi dominated the first act of ‘Siegfried’.”

“Nobody has ever been more effective or as amusing than David Cangelosi as Mime; he made every minute of this role a total pleasure.”

“The remarkable David Cangelosi dominates the show to such an extent that the opera should be renamed ‘Mime’.”

“American tenor David Cangelosi…succeeded in making the first two acts of Siegfried high points of the entire Ring cycle.”

“The strongest male singer over the weekend was David Cangelosi, an athletic and funny Mime.”

“David Cangelosi wonderfully oily and athletic as the conniving dwarf Mime.”

“David Cangelosi is simply the best Mime I have ever seen or heard, his approach refreshingly three-dimensional and varied.”

“Tenor David Cangelosi…sings the rôle more comfortably than many Mimes heard in recent years. Cangelosi’s Mime is like a live wire, showering every scene in which he appears with dramatic sparks… his use of text throughout the performance is masterly…his vocalism is gratifyingly fluent.”

“The role of Mime is unquestionably David Cangelosi’s signature role.”

“David Cangelosi…marvellous…as Mime.”

“Vocally, David Cangelosi delivers just about everything you could want in Mime. His full clear tenor easily sails over the roiling orchestra and never grows tiresome to listen to.”

“Mime – David Cangelosi – was superb, a character singer-actor… dancing, high fives and all.”

“Throughout the Ring David Cangelosi’s Mime was particularly creepy and unctuous, but in Siegfried, he almost managed to make Mime convincingly pathetic. He has a great character tenor sound and acts well.”

“David Cangelosi’s lustrous Tenor tones were conveyed with complete control as the character Mime… he obviously relished the potential of this multi-layered role…a ‘tour-de–force’ performance.”

“In the wrong hands, Act 1 of Siegfried can be a chore…But that’s not the case here. David Cangelosi provides a gorgeously sung Mime, never resorting to snarling or blustering. He manages to provide many fine character touches by darkening and lightening the tone.”

“Cangelosi’s practiced Mime was a full theatrical creation.”

“The cast is very fine. David Cangelosi is an articulate Mime, mildly sinister and certainly not caricatured.”

“David Cangelosi and Werner Van Mechelen field characterful portrayals as Mime and Alberich.”

“Returning as Mime, David Cangelosi almost stole the show with his tremendously characterful and generously-voiced performance, which won a huge ovation during curtain calls. Indeed, his Mime was the most all-rounded portrayal in the midst of this estimable cast.”

“And Cangelosi is a special Mime, (in the Graham Clark class) for characterization and word-attention without the mannerisms of older interpreters.”

“David Cangelosi’s forceful Mime…sings rather than barks.”

“In Act 1 (Siegfried) occasionally sounds a bit like the Mime of David Cangelosi–a compliment to the latter rather than a critique of the former–Cangelosi sings, rather than mugs, the role of Mime.”

“David Cangelosi became the audience favorite with his characterful, incisive singing as Mime, the evil dwarf.”

“David Cangelosi returned as Mime, the calculating and villainous Nibelung dwarf, who brings up the young hero with the intention of using him to steal back the all-powerful Ring. With the best diction of the cast and the only performer credibly acting out what he was singing, he quickly stole the local audience’s heart.”

“Surprisingly, it was Cangelosi’s Mime who nearly stole the show for being so brilliantly sung with vivid characterization. He had the right timbre for the role, clear diction and effective phrasing of the music and the text. His bright tone and more projected voice gave more colors and dramatic contrast to the lengthy dialogues. A poignant impression when Mime recalled the past, accused Siegfried being ungrateful of his care and vowed for revenge. Mime was also felt to cunning, intelligent and more greedy than Alberich in these performances. Their fierce argument over the sharing of treasures was dramatically intense… Mime was no longer a minor role and held the fate of events that triggered the course of actions.”

“Notable vocal contributions included David Cangelosi’s emotionally charged characterization of the manipulative Mime. Cangelosi was suitably cunning in his delivery, carefully oscillating between espousing Mime’s inner thoughts and delivering dialogue with effortless simplicity.”

“David Cangelosi, returning to the role of Mime, carried the day. Dramatic and compulsive, he either deflected or returned Siegfried’s volleys of insults and derision and even gave the overbearing Wotan, now disguised as the Wanderer, the occasional run for his money. His single-minded focus on recovering the ring seemed a source of persistent inner strength.”

“David Cangelosi – recently a star-turn on the Naxos Hong Kong Ring – creates a nicely fleshed-out character as Mime, singing with power and a more attractive tone than many in this role. His return in Siegfried will be keenly anticipated.”

“Cangelosi is among the most attractive-toned singers to make a signature role out of Mime and he’s a fine actor to boot. With fluttering hands and shifty feet, his attempts to charm the young Siegfried are dangerously convincing, and he frequently avoids the obvious nastiness to build a character that is both harried parent, delusional schemer and pathetic loser, all in one. His voice carries cleanly over the orchestra …thanks to admirable diction and musical intelligence.”

“David Cangelosi makes of Mime a masterpiece. Moving continuously, he not only sings the role but dances it. Rarely is a villainous character played with such zest! At one point, Cangelosi actually turns cartwheels and somersaults. In the hands of most opera singers, this would be a gimmick. But Cangelosi makes all of his moments fully motivated by character and never seems to be showing off.”

“The second longest role in the opera, after the title character, is the dwarf Mime. David Cangelosi, has made the role a specialty (and) separates himself from other Mimes by his extraordinary athleticism, doing multiple cartwheels and somersaults, including gymnastic feats on top of the trailer in which he and Siegfried reside.”