Reviews

“In Siegfried, David Cangelosi as Mime became the second character tenor in this cycle to emerge as the dominant voice in one of the segments. (The other was Stefan Margita as Loge in Rheingold.) Cangelosi’s knack for finding the right tone for every phrase in every scene paid dividends – whether he was wheedling Siegfried into doing his bidding or jousting with Wotan. In sound and balance he was perfect, and his nervous energy made the character palpable.”

“The dwarf Mime (brilliantly sung and acted by David Cangelosi, possibly the greatest Mime ever) is living with his ‘adopted son’, Siegfried, in the shell of a small trailer.”…”Nobody has ever been more effective or as amusing than David Cangelosi as Mime; he made every minute of this often annoying role a total pleasure.”

“San Francisco supplies potent dramatic and vocal performances by Stefan Margita (Loge),…and David Cangelosi (Mime).”

“The strongest voices were often the villains and schemers, rather than the gods and heroes… As Mime, the wheedling dwarf with futile dreams of capturing the ring, tenor David Cangelosi dominated the first act of ‘Siegfried’.”

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

“In this ‘Siegfried’,…Mime (the tenor David Cangelosi, who used snide vocal colorings to convey the character’s conniving nature) has raised his charge in a broken-down trailer on the edge of a forest.”

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

“The role of Mime is the second longest in “Siegfried” and is, indeed, a longer role than several of the most famous lead tenor roles in opera. It is unquestionably David Cangelosi’s signature role (see my interview at Opera, Drama and the Character Tenor: An Interview with David Cangelosi) and he dispatched it vocally with distinction. But it was not just his singing and acting that made his performance so memorable. He also proved to be an astonishing athlete, doing cartwheels and somersaults (including a gymnastic move on top of the trailer).”

“Enter Mime, played by David Cangelosi…and until he meets his death in the second act, Cangelosi sings the hell out of the part and gives us a Mime I for one had never thought of before–cunning, interesting, robust, intelligent, even somewhat sympathetic. He owns the stage during the first act in much the same way Arnold Bezuyen’s Loge did during the initial performances of ‘Rheingold’ in Achim Freyer’s LA Ring. In other words, it’s an unexpected focus that actually works, because while traditionally we tend to view Mime as a pawn to the larger story–until he’s knocked off two hours later–he’s actually the prime mover of the story and Zambello’s production brings that to the fore.”

“David Cangelosi’s energetic Mime – complete with cartwheels – captured the character’s vices, and in vocal terms even rivaled Morris’s Siegfried in power.”

“The third installment of San Francisco’s lively American Ring Cycle is a knockout, a “Siegfried” of unparalleled physicality and imagination. Director Francesca Zambello and her forces have created a five-hour opera that plays like a two-hour action flick…The sense of theatricality is evident from the rise of the curtain…Tenor David Cangelosi turns Mime’s nervous energy into a kinetic sideshow, dancing on the trailer roof, performing cartwheels…He also delivers vocally, with a deliciously acerbic tone that suits his character.”

“David Cangelosi was a strong Mime in Siegfried, a good match for Morris. He captured the oily nature of the character. With his greasy hair, knit cap, and frequent scowl, he could have been Robert De Niro. He even managed a few somersaults of joy anticipating, incorrectly, that he would soon possess the ring.”

“Under the commanding baton of Donald Runnicles the orchestra offers a dynamic and bracing interpretation, and a dazzling collection of vocal and acting talents includes not one, but two superb Siegfrieds in Jay Hunter Morris and Ian Storey, as well as audience-favorite Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde, and David Cangelosi in a surprisingly engaging turn as Mime, a character I never thought I could love.”

“David Cangelosi’s Mime did 3 cartwheels for us as well as a backward somersault atop the trailer. I appreciate that he sings the role rather than half declaiming it, as I sometimes hear. His characterization is so funny & entertaining that I came dangerously close to liking Mime.”

“David Cangelosi continued to impress as Mime. His voice is attractive, has a pleasant, baritonal quality, but his high notes are still brilliant.”

“Tenor David Cangelosi, as the evil dwarf Mime, who raises Siegfried from infancy, all because he wants the ring. Twitching and lurching, throwing sparks with his voice, even doing cartwheels, Cangelosi embodies this unsavory and manipulative character.”

“David Cangelosi…marvellous…as Mime”

“Mime is David Cangelosi – beyond any doubt whatsoever the best acting I’ve seen anywhere in the world for this very fun – and challenging role.”

“That left tenor David Cangelosi, as the malevolent Mime, to completely dominate the first half of the opera, which he did with a dark, fluid and vividly imagined performance.”

“Which brings us to “Siegfried”…which received a warm-up performance just last Sunday…Act 1 throbbed with personality, with most of the juice coming from tenor David Cangelosi as the evil jester-dwarf-smithy Mime.”

“David Cangelosi’s bright, penetrating tenor projected the highly characterized singing of the Mime part well. Playing the troll, he compensates for his height by crouching and bending, and tumbled and hopped about acrobatically.”

“San Francisco Opera’s Siegfried delivers a powerful experience. With much glorious playing from the orchestra, plus a Brünnhilde and a Mime that rank with the best, it remained gripping throughout its nearly five-hour length.”

“In particular,…the sensational Mime of tenor David Cangelosi, whose cutting, intentionally niggling instrument was far more compelling. Cangelosi’s acrobatic physicality…is turning cartwheels and dancing up a storm…”

“David Cangelosi’s Mime was vocally exactly right…moving…climbing…even doing an (impressive) series of cartwheels. “Cangelosi comes through it all, to his credit, singing well all along.”

“The singing was solid. David Cangelosi was perfect for Mime. His voice is bright, and he was both slippery and sniveling. He was able to cartwheel, somersault, and dance.”

“In Act one, we found Siegfried, a big overgrown blond boy, handsome, brave and brutal, constantly mistreating his foster father (the ghastly dwarf Mime) who was supposed to be a miserable sight–much more miserable than the rather handsome Cangelosi. (His) Mime was outstanding; a first class singer and performer as well.”

“David Cangelosi offered a rounded portrait of Mime: he successfully emphasised the most farcical aspects of his character, coming across as ruthless and selfish, and yet pathetic.”

“As Mime, brother of Alberich, tenor David Cangelosi displayed a loamy voice, sniveling subservience and rage — a true Dickensian character.”

“David Cangelosi (an) exceptional Mime”

“Incisive voice…detailed and accurate, (was) David Cangelosi as Mime.“

“In the crucial part of the novice Grigory, later the Pretender Dmitri, tenor Evgeny Akimov offers thrilling and inspired vocalism—perhaps the best in the show, after Kazakov’s. The other high-lying male role is filled by David Cangelosi. His voice is unusually rich and powerful for a character tenor, and he and Kazakov make their Act II confrontation a highlight merely through the excellence of their acting.”

“In this production, we see the evolution of Shiusky’s ambitions towards the throne. The boyar, now certain that Boris’ mental state suggests a shortened reign, is here convincingly portrayed by the excellent operatic actor, David Cangelosi.”