Reviews
Here you will find the most up to date reviews of Iestyn Morris’ performances. If there are any you’d like us to add or you think we’ve missed, get in touch.
Peter Pan – Ayres WNO (UK Premiere)
“Remarkably nuanced and unnerving performance.”
There were remarkably nuanced and unnerving performances, led by Iestyn Morris’s near-psychopathic Peter Pan (an unearthly countertenor, perhaps distantly related to the sinister Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Times – Richard Morrison
“Iestyn Morris’s countertenor had panache and aerial grace”
Telegraph – Rupert Christiansen
“Iestyn Morris catches the disturbing darkness of Peter Pan”
Iestyn Morris catches the disturbing, somewhat disagreeable darkness of Peter Pan with his disembodied countertenor
The Arts Desk – Stephen Walsh
“Iestyn Morris is Mercurial… a skilful projection of poignancy of the role”
This Peter, played by Iestyn Morris, is as mercurial as ever with a dash of the tomboy. True to Barrie’s conception, he is ignorant of the realities of life, but the freedom from restriction in Neverland has its downside. Morris gives a skilful projection of the poignancy of the role in Act II, as alone on stage the boy who doesn’t want to grow up reveals why this is. A heart-rending moment that leaves a lump in the throat.
The Public Reviews – Barbara Michaels
“Iestyn Morris’s countertenor singing shows great flexibility”
Arts scene in Wales – Derek Walker
“Iestyn Morris was a zippy Peter Pan with an undulating counter tenor”
Arts scene in Wales – Mike Smith
“Morris’ brilliance…was a high point of the show”
Peter Pan’s arrival put the show on a whole new level, quite literally, as the countertenor Iestyn Morris had to work just as hard at his aerobatics as he did at singing his technically taxing lines… …Morris’ brilliance in his flying harness, as he swooped across the bedroom, walked up the walls and somersaulted in the night sky was a high point of the show.
Bachtrack – Simon Rees
“Energy and commitment…projecting the other-worldly detachment so vital to his character”
The cast, led by Iestyn Morris’s Peter Pan is uniformly fine, entering into the whole with energy and commitment. The idea of Pan as a counter-tenor is something of a stroke of genius on Ayres’s part, projecting the other-worldly detachment so vital to his character.
Wales Arts Review – Peter Reynolds
“Iestyn Morris shone as Peter, singing magnificently”
No cast could have put more effort into the work. Countertenor Iestyn Morris shone as Peter, singing magnificently in a number of physical positions that the human body was not designed for.
Musical America – Keith Clarke
“Great countertenor lead…as taken by Iestyn Morris, Peter is a totally plausible and rightly disturbing creation”
The show has the great distinguishing feature of a countertenor lead…as taken by Iestyn Morris, as boyish-looking and limber as he is eloquent (sometimes dropping from high notes to husky speech), Peter is a totally plausible and rightly disturbing creation.
Sunday Times – Paul Driver
“Most stage-airtime of any opera singer”
The flying is impressive too and theatrically effective – it occurs to me that Iestyn Morris, who also sang the role of Peter Pan in the premiere production of the opera in Stuttgart in 2013, must have put in more stage-flying miles than any opera singer since the heydays of Baroque opera. Morris sings well, especially when briefly and rarely, given the chance of a set-piece, of a kind at least approaching an old-fashioned aria; exploring themes – such as the possibility / (im)possibility of real escape from a society’s gender stereotypes, the borderlines between childhood and adulthood and much else.
Seen and heard int. – Glyn Pursglove
“Charismatic, determined and slightly creepy Peter Pan”
Leading the cast is countertenor Iestyn Morris as a charismatic, determined and slightly creepy Peter Pan.
The Stage – George Hall
“Spectacular…physically and vocally agile… charisma that held the whole theatre rapt”
Playing, fighting and – gracefully and spectacularly – flying opposite [Wendy] was Iestyn Morris as Peter Pan. A new counter-tenor role on this scale is something rather special; Morris was both physically and vocally agile, with a charisma that, at crucial moments, held the whole theatre rapt.
Birmingham Post – Richard Bratby
Peter Pan – Ayres Stuttgart (World Premiere)
“excellent in the role of the title’s hero”
Morris ist ein Coutertenor, und die männliche Falsettstimme passt exzellent zum Titelhelden des Stücks.
Susanne Benda – Die Deutsche Bühne
“Brilliantly played and sung by countertenor Iestyn Morris”
so brillant sie vor allem für Peter Pan (exzellent gespielt und gesungen von dem Countertenor Iestyn Morris)…
Uwe Schwelkert – Opernwelt
“The role of Peter Pan is embodied by Iestyn Morris… as he flies through the space, fantastic high notes pour from his throat.”
Peter Pan wird vom jungen Countertenor Iestyn Morris verkörpert. Morris hat die Schwirigste Rolle von allen…weil er vorwiegend durch den Raum fliegt und manch toller, hohen Ton seiner Kehel entströmt.
Jörn Florian Fuchs – Deutschlandfunk
“Ideally cast”
“Morris is so astonishingly accomplished with the acrobatics of the flight rig.”
Mindestens so fabelhaft aber is Morris’ akrobatische Leistung im Geschirr der Flugmaschinerie.
Götz Tierne – Stuttgarter Zeitung
“siren-like countertenor”
Countertenoralem sirengesang
Nikolaus Schmidt – Badische Neueste Nachtrichten
“Iestyn Morris astonishes in the title role, with heart-stopping aerials”
Der englische Countertenor Iestyn Morris begeistert in der Titelrolle mit halsbrecherischer Flugartistik
Werner Grimmel – Schwäbische Zeitung
“Iestyn Morris gives a vocally brilliant performance, first and foremost, but in the context of his characterisation, is phenomenal.”
Die Aufgabe löst Iestyn Morris stimmlich gekonnt, ver allem aber in der Darstellung geradezu phenomenal
Dieter Schnabel – Generation55plus
“Vocally and acrobatically magnificent countertenor”
Toll sind auch die Flugszenen mit dem sängerisch und akrobatisch hervorragenen Countertenor Iestyn Morris.
Dietholf Zerweck – Ludwigsburge Kreiszeitung
“The ambiguous figure of Peter Pan…was embodied by the British countertenor Iestyn Morris, switching between siren-like falsetto and imposing baritone”
Rolf Fath – Opera
The Duchess of Malfi – Rasch Chemnitz (German national premiere)
“The star of this production…Vocally brilliant and acting that completely embodies the role.”
Denn Star dieser Inszenierung ist Ferdinand, der am Ende noch nicht mal tot sein dürfte, weil man Werwölfe bekanntlich nicht einfach erschießen kann. Er wird von Iestyn Morris, der die Rolle auch schon in London übernommen hatte, stimmlich brillant und darstellerisch ausgefeilt verkörpert.
Volker Tzschucke – Die Deutsche Bühne
“…frightening intensity. We are speaking of ideal casting.”
Ihr ebenbürtig der junge britische Countertenor Iestyn Morris, der seine Rolle als Zwillingsbruder der Herzogin, die er bis zum Wahnsinn liebt und ihn zu einem Werwolf werden lässt, mit fast beängstigender Intensität. Man darf von einer Idealbesetzung sprechen.
Udo Pacolt – Der neue Merker
The return of Ulysses – Monteverdi English National Opera
“Sings exquisitely”
He wears a latex mask over his face, he gets hooded over his head and is forced to lie on his back while, I hasten to add, he (counter-tenor Iestyn Morris) sings Monteverdi’s beautiful melodic lines exquisitely.
Musicalcriticism.com by Agnes Kory
“Superb double act”
Iestyn Morris turned in a superb double act as a gently vulnerable Human Frailty and a positively oleaginous Pisandro
MusicOMH.com by Melanie Eskenazi
“Good for him”
…some of whom, like Iestyn Morris, cannot suppress their singerly souls (good for him!).
Instantencore.com
“Many great moments”
There were many great moments [such] as Iestyn Morris’s singing of the prologue character of “Human Frailty”.
Bachtrack.com by David Karlin
“Icy clarity…Iestyn Morris threw himself into Monteverdi’s vision”
I was especially taken by the icy clarity of Iestyn Morris’s counter-tenor, who threw himself wholeheartedly into Andrews’ and Monteverdi’s vision.
Musicweb-international.com by Mark Berry
Orlando Furioso – Vivaldi Theater Basel
“The most difficult coloraturas Sung with light ease”
Nevertheless, she pulls off Medoro’s clothes from behind as he masters the most difficult coloraturas (sung with light ease and occasional wildness from Altus: Iestyn Morris)
4/6/09 Frankfurter-Rundschau