Mephistopheles,
"FAUST"
(Charles Gounod), Karlsruhe 2000
" ... At the Baden State Opera's most recent premiere of
FAUST - presented
in the original French and under its
original title < as opposed to the
common German
title of "Marguerite,"> one felt tempted to suggest
they redub
the work "Mefisto" - given the
commanding role the evil spirit plays in
Thomas Schulte-Michel's new production.
This must largely be credited to the magnificent
achievement of Konstantin
Gorny, whose arsenal of
vocal and dramatic talents is considerable indeed.
He has the unmistakable dark vocal coloration of the
great Slavic basses as
well as their powerful volume.
Moreover, his splendid voice is perfectly
controlled, equalized
throughout its broad range, and its attractive tone is
produced
without apparent effort.
Most fascinating of all is Gorny's expressive ability;
the differentiation
and shading of his vocal line lends his role an unmistakable gravity. No
less rich is the singer's palette of acting and dramatic colorations, which
enables him to convey all facets of the role convincingly and renders his
actions credibility in each diverse situation: as a charlatan in the first
scene, as a traveling carnival entertainer in the second, as a clown and
cynic in the second act, and as a cruel demonic spirit (- dressed in a
cardinal's cassock) in the third act and Church scene with Marguerite.
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| Dressed in a crison-lined black cape, with one leg ending in a horse's hoof,
this tremendous, virtuoso portrayal was the driving force behind
Schulte-Michel's four act production (without the Walpurgisnacht scene;) and
it stood as the absolute middle point around which a colorful, unreal,
fantastic and alternatively nightmarish then playful, grotesque, threatening
and suspense filled stage performance was realized. … "
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Mefistofele,
"MEFISTOFELE"
(ARRIGO BOITO), Karlsruhe 2004
"Konstantin Gorny's 2004 performances as Boito's Mefistofele were sensationally
successful - culminating in his nomination by the music industry journal "Opernwelt"
for "Best Singer of 2004”.
“… , from the perspective of singing, this MEFISTOFELE was of
exceptional quality. The fabulous Russian bass, Konstantin Gorny, granted the
title character a vocal performance of the very finest order. In plumbing the
diabolical depths of the role and yet not failing to convey the comedic
half-lights,
he dominated the evening
vocally and dramatically and proved through his magisterial performance that he
is ideally cast in the role; his performance alone justifies encouraging others
to attend the production. ..."
"... The performances of the soloists in both productions left nothing to be
desired. In the person of Konstantin Gorny Karlsruhe has at its disposal an
exceptional bass, whose performance in the title role was of breathtaking
presence. His voice is enormously flexible and rich in coloration; and, as an
actor, his incarnation of evil was entirely convincing. ..."
"... That Mefistofele was so warmly accepted by the premiere audience was not
only based upon the cleverly conceived direction and esthetically pleasing
settings. For, in Konstantin Gorny the Baden State Theater offers a master in
the performance of diabolical characters. At every moment his presence is felt
upon the stage, even at times engendering sympathy - fully in keeping with
Goethe's original. Gorny invests this role with life; he lures and threatens,
spews flattery and vitriol. Taken alone, his nihilistic aria in the first act is
a paradigm of expressive singing. ..."
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