Anthony Dean Griffey – Press

“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.”

“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.”

“Griffey made a terrific Mitch, charismatically earnest and boyish and forcefully sculpting his phrases with clear enunciation of the words.”

“L.A. Opera has found a believable cast with . . . Anthony Dean Griffey’s affectingly vulnerable Mitch . . .”

“Griffey, meanwhile, makes a superb Mitch, cementing his stature of one of the finest singing character actors in American opera (Peter Grimes, Of Mice and Men).”

“Anthony Dean Griffey, reprising his role as Mitch from the 1998 world premiere, is obviously at one with the character of the repressed mama’s boy . . . Beautifully sung and acted, Griffey’s Mitch was an endearing portrait of a good-hearted, but very lonely, man.”

“His character’s gaucheries provided a bit of necessary levity for this dramatic piece and his resonant tenor sound rang out with burnished colors.”