Richard Crawley
Tenor
Press Reviews
Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana
"Making his debut in Toledo as well as in the role of Turriddu, tenor Richard Crawley captured the tumult of a young Sicilian man torn between his current love and a former sweetheart. Tall and graceful, Crawley paced the stage frenetically, his dramatic voice a fine match for his acting.
-Sally Vallongo, The Toledo Blade, May 2008
Riccardo Un Ballo en Maschera
"The boldness of this revelation began with the opera's hero and heroine. Richard Crawley, as Riccardo, the Governor of Boston, commanded the stage - and the other characters - with ease. When Ulrike the fortune teller warned him of impending doom, he laughed convincingly; when he declared his love for Amelia, his secretary's wife, he sang to the stars with compelling rapture. Fabiana Bravo, as Amelia, returned his love with such beauty that the audience immediately understood why they dared to tell the truth. For a moment, these characters left behind the pretense of their carefully scripted lives, and they took the audience with them.
-The Santa Barbara Independent, 2007
Cavaradossi in Tosca
"Tenor Richard Crawley, as Tosca's love Mario Cavaradossi, matched [Pamela] South well and interacted smoothly in ensembles...He provided several wonderful climaxes, as at the end of his Act I aria, 'Recondita armonia.'"
-The Honolulu Advertiser
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly
"And Crawley's tremendous vocal stamina helped make his Pinkerton large and in charge. His character's a baddie, but his drawn-out high notes are a delight."
-Buffalo News
"Richard Crawley was excellent as the wretched Pinkerton. He sang well, with a powerful top to his voice, and he didn't try to soften the Lieutenant's faults, as so many tenors do, which made the plot work so much better than usual."
-The Post-Journal (Jamestown, NY)
Luigi in Il Tabarro
"Richard Crawley sang with plenty of urgency as the lover, Luigi."
-Baltimore Sun
Faust in Faust
"Casting is strong, too... Crawley delivered a stylish Faust with both declamatory power and lyrical sweetness. In the excruciatingly difficult garden scene duet with Marguerite, which must sound effortless but never does, he spun legato lines that held up beautifully in the mercilessly exposed high register."
-The Oregonian (Portland, OR), 2006
"Tenor Richard Crawley did honorable work in the title part. Tall and plausibly romantic in manner, he paid attention to the dynamic variation and delicate phrasing that proper French style demands."
-Opera News
"Richard Crawley sings it [Faust] as it should be sung, in a ringing tenor."
-The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)
Alfredo in La Traviata
"Richard Crawley shows a fine command of his instrument, especially well displayed in some remarkably sensitive soft singing. However, it is his robust stage demeanor that convinces us of the passion of Alfredo Germont, and more than any other cast member, he draws us into the emotional crux of the drama."
-The Post-Standard
Sam in Carlisle Floyd'sSusannah
"Crawley was a sympathetic character, strong, tender and protective of his sister."
-The Saratogian (Saratoga Springs, NY)
"Sam, Susannah's brother, is well meaning but dulled by alcohol, and tenor Richard Crawley played the appealing aspects and correctly trusted that his character's ineffectuality would come through and justify his tragic act in Act II."
-Metroland Online
Nabarroth in Salome
"Richard Crawley sings the role of Narraboth with stentorian resonance."
-The Villager (Denver, CO)
"Most of the ensemble cast did well, especially Richard Crawley as the lovestruck Narraboth."
-The Denver Post
"In smaller roles, Richard Crawley (Narraboth) and Stephen West (First Nazarene) were impressive."
-The Rocky Mountain News (Denver)
"The smaller roles of Narraboth, the Syrian guard in love with Salome, and the First Nazarene were performed perfectly by Richard Crawley and local legend Stephen West."
-Boulder Planet
Alfred in Die Fledermaus
"Tenor Richard Crawley, as the self-worshipping minstrel, Alfred, hammed up his role to perfection. His aria, "Love is but a fleeting dream", sung as he tries to seduce Rosalinda, had just the right combination of vanity and tongue-in-cheek humor."
-The Post-Standard
Opera Arias and Duets with Lake Placid Sinfonietta
"Crawley then came center stage, after a four-hour drive from a performance in Syracuse the night before. He sang "Dies Bildnis," which is a love song from THE MAGIC FLUTE, with great longing and tenderness......Mr. Crawley came on short notice and sang as if he had been preparing for this performance all along. His tenor is powerful when it has to be, gentle when it wants to be, and always clear."
-Lake Placid News