NEWS
ARIAS OF LOVE & SORROW / CD
“Gevorg Hakobyan is a name new to me but, as this album suggests, he is clearly a fine singer: a dramatic baritone with a grand, powerful voice – smooth, open-grained and imposing – and a grand, powerful manner to match it. … There’s a heartfelt passion to his Aleko, and the Prince Igor aria builds up a real dramatic momentum. The Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky arias are no less involving, with the latter showing Hakobyan’s gift for vivid storytelling. And there’s no resisting the big-hearted pride that he brings to the Armenian numbers… there’s much to enjoy in this impressive showcase of a powerful, persuasive singer.”
Hugo Shirley, Gramophone Magazine, July 2023
ARIAS OF LOVE & SORROW / CD
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from Pizzicato Magazine
“an exciting program that is well suited to Hakobyan’s dramatic voice. There is not an aria on this CD where I would say that Habokyan’s voice does not fit one hundred percent, even though he is particularly impressive as a Verdi baritone.… admirably balanced and nuanced in its richness of expression.… it is a fascinating CD of a fascinating singer.”
Remy Franck, Pizzicato Magazine, 27.01.2023
ARIAS OF LOVE & SORROW / CD
CRITIC'S CHOICE of the Opera News Magazine
"Hakobyan shows a dark timbre... well focused... and an ability to shade phrases with emotion, as well as some welcome dynamic shading... most valuable readings"
David Shengold, OperaNews, July 2023
ARIAS OF LOVE & SORROW / CD
“a sturdy baritone with tremendous power… a dozen high-octane arias… It’s no run-of-the-mill programme of standard arias. …Nabucco’s Dio di Giuda isn’t too often heard in recital and Michele’s monologue from Il tabarro even less. The Russians – Rachmaninov, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky – are not heard every day, either, and most interesting of all are the two Armenian composers, Levon Khodja-Eynatyan and Armen Tigranian. Thus, the disc is well worth owning for the lesser-known works. … Hakobyan’s voice is firm and well-nourished… I am in no doubt that he can be very convincing on stage.… The playing is excellent and the quality of the recording is, as always with Delos, first class.”
By Göran Forsling, MusicWeb International, 05.04.2023
ARIAS OF LOVE & SORROW / CD
“In one of the finest calling-card débuts we have heard in quite some time… Gevorg Hakobyan brings keen interpretive intelligence and a … true dramatic voice: sizeable, rock solid in the middle and low registers, perfectly even in sound in the tricky passaggio that often creates trouble for some baritones, and fearless both with the top F sharps and G’s that abound in the Verdi and Puccini arias included in the album. … John Fisher and Constantine Orbelian, conduct both supporting the soloist and vividly enhancing the accompaniment provided by the excellent Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra”
Rafael de Acha, ALL ABOUT THE ARTS, 10.01.2023
Tosca, Dutch National Opera
12.04 - 08.05.2022
The key to success, I would say - the triumph of this production is the distribution of leading roles. ... Equally impressive is the Armenian baritone Gevorg Hakobyan, the voice is dark but not dimming, powerful with the ardent projection. He enunciates consonants abruptly giving the syllables a certain rigidity, and phrasing - a rare tension, and along with all that he physically inhabits the role, a strong actor, never releasing the tension. Two great personalities.
The endless ovations with which the audience saluted the performance, a standing ovation of more than ten minutes, shows that all those who lived this "Tosca" know that they shared there a very great moment of theater and music.
By Alain Duault, OperaOnline, 22.04.2022
Tosca, Teatro Real de Madrid
03.06.2021
Terrifying & Pathetic
Armenian baritone Gevorg Hakobyan created a deeply emotional Baron Scarpia, tortured by his love for Tosca to the point of madness. He is both terrifying and pathetic, even begging Tosca in the second act, in complete contrast with his otherwise frequent outbursts of violence. Hakobyan used his dramatic, metallic voice to color his strong parlatto lines, avoiding the old mannerisms of verismo, and singing the uncomfortable middle writing of the role over a dense orchestration effortlessly... Hakobyan’s acting was convincing in his depiction of the violent, sadistic, and sexually cruel baron, brilliantly executing all the aspects that Azorín proposed, portraying a tormented, hypocritical and unstable man.
By Mauricio Villa, OPERAWIRE,19.07.2021
Tosca, Teatro Real de Madrid
05.07.2021
"Voz imponente la del armenio Gevorg Hakobyan, rica de color y con un mordente muy beneficioso. Pintó un Scarpia por su lado más agresivo y tosco, en lugar de acudir a otras permisibles sutilezas. Puede que así se lo marcara el regista. Pese a ello, vocalmente se impuso con imponente estatura."
Fernando Fraga, "Scherzo", 06.07.2021
Tosca aux dimensions cinématographiques à Lille
09.06.2021
"Mais c’est sans doute le Scarpia de Gevorg Hakobyan que l’on retiendra d’abord. A rebours des effets appuyés auxquels certains ont recours pour rendre crédible la cruauté du chef de la police romaine, le baryton arménien impose une stature et un ascendant évidents avec une émission qui ne se départ jamais de ses – admirables – ressources naturelles. Le grain de la ligne et le mordant des attaques suffisent à résumer l’expertise de ce manipulateur des âmes et des émotions, qui offre ici l’une des synthèses les plus abouties de cette fusion de la vérité du drame et de la musique voulue par Puccini."
Gilles Charlassier "Première Loge"
L'émouvante Tosca de l'Opéra de Lille
07.06.2021
"Le baryton arménien Gevorg Hakobyan, encore peu connu en France, est pour nous une révélation : disciplinant au mieux ses immenses moyens, il évite constamment de sombrer dans les excès ou l’histrionisme auxquels le rôle peut prêter et, à l’exception de quelques accès de puissance particulièrement impressionnants, propose de Scarpia un portrait basé sur l’insinuation et la torture psychologique plus que sur la violence explicite : il n’en est que plus glaçant."
Stéphane Lelièvre "bachtrack.com"
Gevorg Hakobyan as Scarpia at l’Opéra de Lille
27.05.2021
"Dès son entrée sur scène, Gevorg Hakobyan s'impose dans le rôle du Baron Scarpia. De par sa prestance, sa performance dramatique indique qu’il habite pleinement le personnage et lève le voile sur certaines des ambivalences du chef de la police sanguinaire. D’une voix de stentor, le baryton restitue avec brio le sadisme de Scarpia et referme le premier acte d’un Te Deum magistral, alliant magnificence du timbre et effroi par la projection. Loin de délivrer une performance monolithique, l’interprète laisse également transparaître les failles d’un homme rejeté, par la ductilité de son phrasé et des résonnances : profondément seul à l’Acte II en adoptant des postures pathétiques et un souffle long pour inviter Tosca à le rejoindre pour son repas."
Fantine Douilly "Olyrix"
Scarpia at Teatro Regio Torino
22 & 23.10.2019
23, 24, 25 October 2019
"Gevorg Hakobyan merita già un plauso per aver affrontato il ruolo di Scarpia in serate consecutive facendo infine parte anche del primo cast. È un ruolo che conosce bene e sa renderne la perversa malvagità e il sadismo".
"Ambrogio Maestri’s Scarpia can only be described as massive in temperament, voice and person, yet there was a delicacy to his performance. His Scarpia was a connoisseur of cruelty and capable of expressing it in the most subtle of manners, unless more drastic measures were needed. In the second cast, the same could be said of Gevorg Hakobyan. His Scarpia had the same threatening intensity coupled with a voice of commanding authority. In fact, Hakobyan’s Scarpia had the blacker soul of the two".
Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International
Gevorg Hakobyan as Scarpia at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
22.06.2019
"... tonight a trip through the darkest pages of human thoughts was arranged by the frighteningly demonic Scarpia of Gevorg HAKOBYAN. The Armenian baritone was the most vivid impression that we took with us from this evening. His “Va Tosca” perfectly mixed the ubiquitous influx of negative energy with the divine holiness, and the level of intensity - in the best traditions of theatrical drama - constantly increased. IN THIS CASE, one could dare to use the phrase "world-class dramatic baritone", and it will be appropriate."
Martin Kajzar "Opera Plus"
Alfio at Teatro Carlo Felice
24.05.2019
"e soprattutto Gevorg Hakobyan nel ruolo di Alfio (successo personale nella sua aria di sortita, “Il cavallo scalpita”), tutti che mostrano fraseggio corretto, belle voci sane e impegno nella resa teatrale".
Ibn Hakia at Palau de Les Arts
22.03.2019
"del Ibn-Haqia de Gevorg Hakobyan, un gran cantante, que demostró un enorme clase en su interpretación".
"Igualmente se ha de plasmar la buena prestación del galeno moro de Gevorg Hakobyan con muy buen empaste vocal con el Rey en el dúo previo a su monólogo “Ty vlasten sdelat’ fs’o”"
Robert Benito, Opera World
Alfio at Teatro Massimo di Palermo
08.01.2018
"Stentoreo, chiaro e preciso l’Alfio di Gevorg Hakobyan, puntuale nei confronti e a proprio agio nel performare attraversando a larghe campate il grande palco palermitano. Civettuola e spietata la Lola di Marina Belli, una voce precisa e acuta".
Giovanni Messina, GB Opera Magazine
"Proprio il Compar Alfio di Gevorg Hakobyan mette in mostra il suono roboante del timbro baritonale da tipico repertorio verista, pur tuttavia risulta scevro da eccessi truculenti che spesso si associano ad altri interpreti del ruolo".
Caterina De Simone, OperaClick
Gevorg Hakobyan as Tomsky at Oper Stuttgart
25.01.2019
"The Armenian baritone Gevorg Hakobyan impresses greatly in Tomsky's role as the catalyst of action. His voice has a rich tone and dark weight. In the famous ballad of the three cards, he sings expressively, dramatically and with a brilliant diction"
Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
05.04.2018
Gevorg Hakobyan ha voce abbastanza potente, buona dizione italiana e mostra un fraseggio studiato e anti-retorico. Crea un ottimo Alfio: cupo come le scene, dalla postura e dai gesti estremamente sorvegliati, dallo sguardo severo fin dal suo ingresso in scena, con la ben cantata cavatina Il cavallo scalpita.
Michelangelo Pecoraro, Opera Click
Armenian baritone Gevorg Hakobyan showed sensitive colouring as Alfio, later a scheming Tonio in Pagliacci.
Mark Pullinger, backhtrack
"Bel temperamento, eccellente presenza scenica e timbro piacevolissimo sono le cifre stilistiche sia del compar Alfio di Gevorg Hakobyan. Passando a Pagliacci, l’unico interprete a rimanere della compagnia precedente è Gevorg Hakobyan nel ruolo di Tonio"
Paolo Mascari, Ieri Oggi Domani Opera
Nabucco Terme di Caracalla
08.01.2018
"Gevorg Hakobyan en Nabucco sont également de grande qualité pour d’autres raisons. Gevorg Hakobyan, pour son premier Nabucco sur la scène romaine, se fait remarquer par la qualité des nuances et de la projection de sa voix, cela même dans les moments calmes en nuance piano. La dernière scène de l’acte deux, où il est à terre, trahi par Abigaïlle, est l’occasion pour le chanteur de montrer également la qualité de son jeu d’acteur".
Emma Granier, Bachtrack
Gevorg Hakobyan as Scarpia at Teatro Comunale Bologna
16.12.2017
"Di gran carattere Scarpia impersonato da Gevorg Hakobyan: diabolico ed implacabile, il suo dinamismo in scena creato con la donna l’oggetto dei desideri è il cardine dello spettacolo, si mostra interprete di carisma e dalla voce ombrosa e sicura".
"Il baritono Gevorg Hakobyan è parso autorevole come Scarpia, catturando la perfida complessità del personaggio nel suo canto e trasmettendo la posizione ingannevolmente galante del capo della polizia corrotta: meno sinistro che furtivo e connivente".
"Un merito non indifferente va attribuito allo Scarpia di Gevorg Hakobyan, che conosce bene il ruolo, ha bella voce e chiara dizione, non possiederà la scintilla del genio fuoriclasse ma inquadra nella giusta luce il personaggio cardine dell’opera. Un esempio per tutti viene da un piccolo dettaglio: mentre il suo collega dell’altro cast se ne andava dalla parte opposta del palco per sibilare “Segno ch’è ben celato”, Hakobyan ha cura d’indirizzarsi chiaramente a Cavaradossi dando pieno senso alla risposta “Sospetti di spia!”".
"Il migliore era il baritono Gevorg Hakobyan, Barone Scarpia, perfetto interprete del sadico poliziotto ma sempre elegante e mai forzato. La voce è molto bella, anche se non eccessivamente tonante ma utilizzata senza forzature plateali e rispettoso del dettato musicale cui si aggiunge una spiccata recitazione che fa della sua interpretazione un momento molto ragguardevole".
Gevorg Hakobyan as Nabucco at Teatro Ventido Basso
19.11.2016
Ha spiccato, su tutti, il baritono armeno Gevorg Hakobyan, un Nabucco superbo, autorevole, pieno di sfumatore vocali, sicuro in tutti i registri, interprete di grande spessore.
Franco De Marco, Picus Online