TENOR
Reviews
"David de Winter's light and agile tenor voice is well suited to the freedom of the music, its virtuosic, florid display contrasting with gentle, operatic-type yearning and agonised rule-breaking dissonance."
"Together with the fast speed at which he sings the semiquavers gives added brilliance and glitter to the joy of this opening number."
"The high standard of performing is exciting and varied; of a type that should appeal to a broad range of listeners."
"David de Winter and The Brook Street Band are to be congratulated on their presentation of an unusually demanding and interesting project."
Ursula Brett, The Consort Magazine - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"In curating this fascinating and attractive programme, de Winter depicts all the distinctive characteristics and emotions. There are many delights and surprises, such as Sances' lovely Stabat Mater and a beautiful performance of Cavalli's O quam suavis est. De Winter's lucid and assured tenor voice has a radiant warmth throughout, with clear diction, as he responds to each composition with nimble dexterity and phrasing. He is superbly accompanied by The Brook Street Band, who are outstanding with sensitive and expressive playing, and de Winter and the instrumentalists perform with intuitive musicality"
Andrew Palmer, Organists Review - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"The result is a compilation of several gorgeous solo cantatas, motets, and arias by Monteverdi, Sances, Rossi, Grandi, and, of course, Schütz. The playing and singing are excellent."
American Record Guide - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"...le tenor britannique [David de Winter] s'y acquitte honorablement des vocalises aigues"
"Son timbre clair...et son agilite sont plus en situation dans le Lauda Sion fleuri de Grandi ou le delicat O Susser des Kleine geistliche Konzerte. Mais ce sent les Symphoniae sacrae qui lui conviennent le mieux, avec un Ich werde nicht sterben plein de vailllance et un jubilatoire Herr unser Herrscher."
Denis Morrier, Diapason - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"… intriguing programme… This album should now offer him (de Winter) the wider recognition he deserves…."
"De Winter has a winning combination of silvery voice and crisp, agile diction, his singing is immediate and gripping and his German is ultra-clear…"
"… I particularly loved de Winter’s long, languishing melisma on ‘ut sibi complaceam’ – not every singer could pull that off with such panache while maintaining a prayerful tone."
Edward Breen, Gramophone - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"David de Winter sings with careful attention to texts, some of which offer scope for descriptive declamation"
"From among a rich variety of solo vocal items, Cavalli's O quam suavis charms our senses, while the Stabat Mater of Sances is arresting for its chromaticism over a tetrachord ostinato bass."
Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"A wonderfully engaging and life-affirming disc"
"We begin with Schütz's Lobet den Herrn, gloriously celebratory and with David de Winter displaying a finely focused mobile tenor that brings out the elaborate ornamentation with a nice crispness."
"Throughout the performances are excellent with David de Winter bringing great style to the music, engaging with the more ornamental passages with deceptive skill yet always highlighting the music and he is finely partnered by The Brook Street Band, creating a sense of vocal chamber music rather than a grand accompanied motet. We don't hear anything like enough Schütz and this wonderfully engaging disc makes you want to explore more."
Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"It’s a programme that puts its artists through their multi-faceted paces, and it’s beautifully done, from the Germanic-end, pared-down textures and quietly radiant reverence of Schűtz’s O süsser, O freundlicher – whose highlights include de Winter’s crisply rendered vocal embellishments and the closely attentive continuo support – to the more floridly-supported lilt of Schűtz’s Symphoniae Sacrae I, (which was published in Venice in 1629)."
"One further pleasure, which can be felt throughout, is the underlying sense of joy. This may be sacred music, but there’s a thoroughly non-sober, life-affirming conviviality between these players at every turn."
Charlotte Gardner, Classical Choices, DCS Audio - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"The pieces... all exude a somewhat theatrical, almost operatic character, with melismatic embellishment thrown in here and there for good measure."
Jean-Yves Duperron, Classical Music Sentinel - Heinrich Schütz - A German in Venice
"From Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) we began with See, see the word is incarnate, in which tenor David de Winter led the solo verses with strong projection and communication; his interpretation of the rich imagery, “the prick of thorns, the print of nails” was particularly impressive in the nuance and drama it conjured."
"David de Winter was again the tenor soloist in Follow your Saint, coping well with the fairly low register and alert to the idiomatic rhetoric that Kennedy injects into the score."
Claire Seymour, Opera Today - Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival, Ensemble Pro Victoria
"...though there is one startling dialogue, dramatically sung by David de Winter and Matthew Brook, which wishes King William a safe return from the Battle of the Boyne."
Michael Beek, BBC Music Magazine - Purcell: Birthday Odes for Queen Mary, The King's Consort
"What a huge variety of emotion there is in this Ode. Just listen to the lachrymose beginning to the final movement, "But, ah, I see Eusebia drown'd in tears," with the superb high tenor David de Winter as soloist, later joined by bass Matthew Brook:"
Colin Clarke, Classical Explorer - Purcell: Birthday Odes for Queen Mary, The King's Consort
"David de Winter is in elegant form in the high tenor solo 'Arise, my muse'.'"
Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill - Purcell: Birthday Odes for Queen Mary, The King's Consort
"An expressive David de Winter and two recorders add poignancy to 'But ah, I see Eusebia drown'd in tears.'"
David Truslove, Opera Today - Purcell: Birthday Odes for Queen Mary, The King's Consort
"The ensemble is rounded out by David de Winter, offering a plangent alto line."
Curtis Rogers, Classical Source - Handel: Acis & Galatea, Early Opera Company - Buxton International Festival
"The musical performance is impeccable, with thoroughly stylish singing from Anna Dennis, Samuel Boden, Edward Grint, Jorge Navarro Colorado and David de Winter."
George Hall, The Stage - Handel: Acis & Galatea, Early Opera Company - Buxton International Festival
"Musically, the performance, under conductor Christian Curnyn, was practically perfect in every way, and Anna Dennis, Samuel Boden, Jorge Navarro Colorado, Edward Grint and David de Winter all sang with great distinction."
Robert Beale, Theatre Reviews North - Handel: Acis & Galatea, Early Opera Company - Buxton International Festival
"Among them high tenor David de Winter makes a favourable impression, giving the unexpectedly subdued air that opens the 1685 ode – there is uniquely no overture – a fine sense of line delivered with excellent diction."
Brian Robins, Early Music Review - Purcell: Royal Odes, The King's Consort
"David de Winter portrayed the differing moods well, with a commendably stable voice, minimal (and controllable) vibrato, fine tone, and good engagement with the audience."
Andrew Benson-Wilson, Early Music Reviews - Handel Singing Competition, London Handel Festival, St George's Hanover Square
"Special mention to David de Winter, who sang with poise, precision and a delectable tone"
Thoroughly Good Blog - Pärt Passio, Aurora Orchestra & Tenebrae, St John’s Smith Square
“de Winter was effective at injecting a personal, lyrical and contemplative element into the drama…singing with his eyes, not just his beautiful voice”
Nottingham Post - Bach Johannes Passion, Nottingham Bach Society
“David de Winter was a gentle, friendly-sounding tenor, taking great care with his attacks and keeping a frank, speech-like quality down low”
schmopera.com - Bach B Minor Mass, London Mozart Players, Royal Festival Hall
“Solos from Tenor David de Winter were the highlights of the evening”
Peter Rueffer - Messiah, Royston Choral Society
“David de Winter made an impressively mellifluous hero”
planethugill.com - Lampe The Dragon of Wantley, Ars Eloquentiae, London Handel Festival
“Tenor, David de Winter’s first accompagnato, ‘Comfort ye, my people’ was splendidly imploring, gaining in strength as it progressed, the following aria nicely variegated and a gloriously lingering ‘Thy rebuke hath broken His heart.”
seenandheard-international.com - Messiah, English Chamber Orchestra & Tenebrae, Cadogan Hall
“’Since I from Love escapëd am so fat' was especially well performed by de Winter to chuckles all round.”
planethugill.com - London English Song Festival, St George's Hanover Square
“The furtive, pervy Monostatos of David de Winter was a particular delight and very well sung.”
classicalsource.com - Mozart Die Zauberflöte, Regents Opera
“Hugh, sung by David de Winter, was delivered with passion and honest intent”
Opera Magazine - Vaughan Williams Hugh the Drover, Hampstead Garden Opera
“de Winter acted the title role beautifully, with warmth and openness”
bachtrack.com - Vaughan Williams Hugh the Drover, Hampstead Garden Opera
“Phenomenal interpretation. An outstanding, poised, authentic and imaginative performance.”
Collegium Musicum of London - Monteverdi Vespers
