“Musically, it was a tour-de-force performance by Zazzo, who dominated the stage for most of the opera. He lived through the emotional rollercoaster from mourning to momentary hope, to despair and happiness again, with power and a range of colour. I hadn’t heard him live for several years, but his voice is as warm, smooth and beautifully controlled as I remembered him, and it easily projects to the back of the auditorium. His opening heartfelt cries of ​“Euridice” pierced our hearts, and ​“Che farò senza Euridice” was all the more poignant for its simplicity.”

“American Lawrence Zazzo is an internationally experienced Oberon, his pure countertenor confidently carrying ethereal shudder”

“Lawrence Zazzo makes his crystalline countertenor with polished piano tips glitter as Disinganno.”

“Countertenor Lawrence Zazzo alone offers songs outside that cosy English style: he well conveys the irony of ​‘God’s Love’ in Jonathan Dove’s setting of Vikram Seth; and the tart and expressive angularity of Iain Bell’s ​‘Come away, Death’ is a relief after so much salted caramel sweetness.”

“Weaving through gentle lyricism, strident anger, and spoken declamation, this was a performance which embraced an astonishing emotional gamut and did so with courage, commitment and impressive technical underpinning. Purity, power, presence: Zazzo evinced all three. What a show with which to return to the performing platform after months of lockdown and the silencing of one’s singing voice.”

“Lawrence Zazzo’s performance is the main attraction of this reprise…From the outset [Zazzo] gives us a dazzling ​“Presti omai”, unpredictably eventful and rich in dynamic contrast. The same febrile inventiveness electrifyingly animates the Da Capo of ​“Va tacito e nascosto” and the vocalizations of ​“Al lampo dell’armi”, with a conquering rage. Zazzo takes the role of the latin lover to heart (“Se in fiorito”, ​“Bello / Bella”), but he also gives us ​“Aure, deh, per pietà” in a version which is both more carnal and poetic than we have ever heard; a visceral interpretation with a simultaneously overwhelming delicacy.”

“Zazzo gave the title role his all. Through gestures, facial expressions and vocal fire, I believed every twist of Orlando’s fate. He was convincing when mad, when fighting, even when sleeping on his feet.”

“The only countertenor this evening is Lawrence Zazzo, with a striking luster and brightness in the voice.”

“Lawrence Zazzo as Arsamene is an ardent countertenor with an attractively dark tone.”

“Lawrence Zazzo was astounding: he excelled in the laments (essential in the largely plaintive role of Arsace), but displayed great vitality in the recitatives (and was the only performer who really enjoyed this part of the role)…Zazzo delivered the aria [“Furibondo spira il vento”] with power and impressive aplomb…and delivered the most convincing account of this famous aria that we’ve ever heard.”

“Zazzo (Arsace) sang with astounding expressivity…receiving a standing ovation from the audience.”

“As the eponymous hero, Lawrence Zazzo was impressive. His sound – carefully varied – captured the edgy, tortured nature of the character, diminished by his mental state yet physically strong. Zazzo was also astute in husbanding his resources so that the long vocal stint that is his mad scene stood up as the high point of the opera.”

“Lawrence Zazzo’s Orlando cuts a striking figure. He projects his substantial but agile countertenor to good effect, often with touching expressiveness”

“The stately beauty of Lawrence Zazzo’s Oberon is indisputable and he successfully interprets one of the strangest roles Britten wrote”

“Countertenor Lawrence Zazzo revealed a powerful, lithe voice as Semele’s rejected fiancé Athamas”