Apr 23, 2012

Concert – Harriman-Jewell Series

(Kansas City)

“Italian tenor Giuseppe Filianoti possesses a clear, honest voice that is imbued with pathos and a sort of sunny heroism in the upper range, as well as firm pitch control overall. But his real strength is his wide emotional range, which can embrace everything from sorrow to ebullience, resignation to determination. The full breadth of his gifts was on display at his Harriman-Jewell Series recital on April 21st at the Folly Theater, his first solo recital in America and the latest of a distinguished series of debuts presented by the Harriman organization. It was an intimate, personal affair consisting chiefly of Italian songs and arias drawn from the late-Romantic repertoire for which his voice seems particularly well-suited… Filianoti is a singer of fine musical instincts, and he is considered one of the leading lyric tenors today, especially in the Italian and French repertoire.”

Paul Horsley, KCIndependent.com, April 23, 2012

“…Filianoti brought the perfect voice and aesthetic to this music — beautiful, lyrical, expressive, refined.

Perhaps even aristocratic, in being restrained while still giving full expression to the repertoire’s many emotional conventions — big pathos, whispered pathos, sunny optimism, hushed respect, the works.

Several songs drew this voice out of Filianoti again and again. ‘Tristezza’ and ‘Ideale,’… were especially effective at displaying Filianoti’s impressive range and vocal control.

Saturday night’s high point was “Quel rosignuol”… As performed, it was a beautiful four-way meeting of Petrarch’s immortal Renaissance poetry, Pizzetti’s luminous music, Filianoti’s spotless singing and Craig Terry’s sensitive and tasteful piano accompaniment.”

John Heurtz, The Kansas City Star, April 22, 2012