Ferrier Awards 2010 / Wigmore Hall
“Njabulo Madlala also opened with Bellini, and he clearly had the richest, most distinctive voice.“
Opera Now
“That moment of rapt silence and attention, when an audience is entirely transfixed by a musician’s artistry, is rare at the best of times — let alone in the middle of a competition. But it happened in the finals of this year’s Kathleen Ferrier Awards, when the South African baritone, Njabulo Madlala, riveted every listener in the hall with his musical storytelling in Schumann’s dramatic ballad, Belsazar. The 28-year-old’s imagination created a gripping and growing sense of menace; and when he cried “Ich bin der König von Babylon”, the walls of the Wigmore Hall shook with terror. He would have taken first prize for this alone. But there was more. Madlala was equally at home in Butterworth’s Bredon Hill and in an aria from Bellini’s I Puritani that revealed the rich velvet plush of his fearless voice, its inner warmth and its flexibility.”
The Times
“His voice was the only one of the six contestants that sounded mature with all the registers balanced and he made a warm sound. His programme was chosen wisely to display what he could do best. A Bellini aria was followed by Butterworth’s song on Bredon Hill, Schumann’s Lied Belsazar a folksong from the kraal and a passionately warm aria from Leoncavallo’s Zaza (good idea to sing music that the judges might not be too familiar with). His musicianship was impeccable and he didn’t make the mistake that other contestants had made, of singing too loud, and he had ‘the gift to be simple’. He was a winner whose name is worthy to be placed alongside previous winners, who include some of the finest singers of recent times.“
Musical Opinion
Don Fernando: Fidelio
“…Njabulo Madlala gave Don Fernando a benign and noble bearing.”
Opera
“…Njabulo Madlala’s preening, elegantly sung Don Fernando...”
What’s On Stage
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen / Foyles Firsts
“The chamber-sized version of Mahler’s Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen was much more rewarding, not least because of the eloquently restrained sadness in baritone Njabulo Madlala’s performance.”
The Times
Schaunard: La bohème / Opera Holland Park
“Tim Mirfin’s self-mocking Colline and Njabulo Madlala’s expansive Schaunard are warmly drawn.”
The Independent
“…there’s a notable Schaunard from Njabulo Madlala…”
What’s On Stage