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2009
Opera: as Oberon in Britten's A
Midsummer Nighth's Dream
 Photo Chris
Christodoulou
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Christopher Lowrey as Oberon
reminded us that a countertenor need not sound merely fey; the voice,
as various composers from Britten, to Goehr, to Birtwistle, have shown,
can exhibit an otherworldly strength, as it did here.
As Oberon, Christopher Lowrey delivered a
beguiling I know a bank.
Christopher Lowrey
was a verbally incisive Oberon; his countertenor had a penetrating edge
and he sang I know a bank
beautifully
- Opera
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Opera: as
Alessandro in Handel's Alessandro
(London
Handel Festival)
The role of Handel’s soldier-king Alessandro (Alexander the Great whose
empire reached to India in the east) takes some singing, and at first
sight the young (he looks about sixteen, but obviously isn’t) American
countertenor Christopher Lowrey seemed mis-matched to the role. That is
until he opened his mouth, and started to dominate the stage. This
young singer has that rare quality in this voice-type: a properly
produced, strong warm tone, with no hint of that archetypal “English”
hooty and constrained sound that is still too frequently
found...Perhaps just as important for any future operatic career is his
obvious delight in being on stage and his ability to hold the eye – not
always obvious in other young singers at this level. A Handelian star
in the making one hopes.
Of
all these young
voices, [Lowrey's] has the most character. Not so idiosyncratic as to
distract from Handel’s elegant melodic contours, but varied enough, and
with sufficient timbral interest to provide musical justification for
each and every da capo repeat.
Lowrey [displayed]
the flexibility of his plangent counter-tenor...
Christopher Lowrey in
the title role has a lovely easy, free and silky countertenor.
-
Opera
Now
2008
The choir's sound is
especially distinguished by its
rarefied soprano section (women instead of the boys on the Pinnock
disc), with strong solo work from one of the choir's altos,
countertenor Christopher Lowrey.
The incidental
alto solos are well done by Christopher Lowrey.
2007
Performance - Bach's Magnificat
Lowrey was wonderful in the Magnificat’s delicious Esurientes
implevit bonis, written for two
flutes, a jazzy walking bass and an alto. And his
singing last night
was remarkable, natural sounding and never forced. The Esurientes from
the Bach, which talks about filling the hungry with good things and
sending the rich away empty-handed, was terrific, with Lowrey leaning
into the notes and tossing off nicely shaped phrases.
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