And in the work’s most intensely and ravishingly beautiful movement, the Agnus Dei, the only word that suffices to describe the effect of Anthony Dean Griffey’s inspired singing is “sublime.” – – Bernard Jacobson, Seattle Times
“The dynamic contrasts, interspersed with pregnant silences, of “Where is it that our soul doth go?” freed the audience from the hypnotic grip of Griffey’s first song, showcasing his ability to not only entrance his listeners with sublime lyrical beauty but excite them with an aura of human vulnerability. “
“Mr. Griffey brought robust sound, tenderness and his trademark crisp diction to songs by Frank Bridge, John Jacob Niles, Charles Ives and others.”
“One gets so caught up in the mood or the story he is telling that one almost forgets to notice the exquisite nature of his instrument.”
“…an absolutely stunning performance.”
“Griffey, who possesses a powerful lyric tenor, wonderfully conveyed the torment and fear of Gerontius in the ‘Sanctus fortis’ of Part I, illuminating every word of the text with emotion. In the second part, his relief was palpable as he sang, ‘My soul is in my hand; I have no fear’ and finally, after the ear-splitting orchestral outburst, in his response, ‘Take me away.’ ”
“The shimmering tremolo under Griffey’s tender ‘Move him into the sun’ created an otherworldly stillness during the Lacrimosa, as did his pleading ‘Dona nobis pacem’ like a fading apparition.”
“Anthony Dean Griffey was a superb Obadiah, performing the great aria ‘If with all your hearts’ with lyrical beauty and warmth.”
“ASO revives Verdi’s “Requiem” in honor of Robert Shaw with masterful performance . . .
The four esteemed soloists made for a well-matched quartet. More precisely, Moore’s liquid soprano with Cano’s mahogany-hued mezzo voice, and Griffey’s bright, empyrean tenor with Stark’s reedy stentorian bass. Three of them — Moore, Griffey and Stark — are all returning artists to the Symphony Hall stage with recent ASO performances to their credit.
Anthony Dean Griffey joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Robert Spano for two performances of Verdi’s Requiem, November 12 & 14 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. He has previously performed the piece to great acclaim, including a series of concerts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2007. Soloists in Atlanta include soprano Latonia Moore, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Cano, and bass Nathan Stark.
Anthony Dean Griffey launches his 15-16 season of performances with a series of concerts in Brazil, with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo. He sings the role of Klaus in a concert presentation of Arnold Schoenberg’s Guerre-Lieder, September 17, 19 & 21. The cast also includes Jennifer Rowley as Tove, Christine Rice as Pomba Do Bosque, and Robert Dean Smith as Waldemar, with conductor Isaac Karabtchevsky and the Coro Acadêmico da OSESP, the Coro de Câmara Franz Liszt de Weimar and Músicos do Instituto Baccarelli.