AudunIversen

Press

• Wagner - Tristan und Isolde

  Grand Théâtre de Genève

  Aug 2024 - Sep 2024

  • Impeccable too, the Kurwenal of the Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen: very rich timbre, sense of the Wagnerian singing line, sober and accurate stage acting, beautiful stage presence. He draws with great accuracy the protective tenderness of the squire, almost fusional with his dying knight, in the third act.

    • Forum Opera
    • 17 September 2024

  • ... Audun Iversen's generous baritone as a devoted Kurwenal, stand[s] out.

    • Diapason
    • 16 September 2024

  • Audun Iversen's Kurwenal is also a role that is totally convincing: in the first act he has little to say, but we immediately notice that he knows how to phrase and that he is both expressive and at ease on stage. It is in the third act that we have the confirmation of his qualities, with not only the phrasing and expressiveness but also the power and commitment, he gives off a real emotion throughout the act, giving the text all its color, and also all its power with a voice that sounds good. A character of heartbreaking humanity emerges. One of the real discoveries of the evening.

    • Wanderer
    • 18 September 2024

  • Audun Iversen is a Kurwenal of such beautiful workmanship, with the presence of his baritone and a legato sewn with gold thread...

    • Olyrix
    • 17 September 2024

  • Kurwenal has the unsuspected palm of tenderness, elegance and solemnity in the manner of Audun Iversen to place himself as an invincible, and at the same time humanly so vulnerable, filter of Tristan.

    • Opera Online
    • 15 September 2024

  • Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen, endowed with a richly virile baritone, was an outstanding Kurwenal. In Act I, his mocking of Isolde and Brangäne was cruelly biting. In Act III, his love and affection for Tristan were truly moving. The exchange between the two men in Act III, which can sometimes be stale, was surprisingly the most stirring moment of the performance.

    • My Scena
    • 25 September 2024

• Massenet - Werther

  Opernhaus Zürich

  Dec 2023 - Feb 2024

  • Audun Iversen already sang Albert in Zurich in the premiere in 2017. His baritone sounds extremely engaging, he sings a fantastic Albert, who is by no means unsympathetic... Acting-wise, he is also very strong, [and] just the glances he exchanges with his wife speak volumes.

    • Oper Aktuell
    • 23 January 2024

• Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin

  Gran Teatre del Liceu

  Sep 2023

  • Audun Iversen, in the role of Onegin, stood out for his acting and his powerful voice. He managed to capture the complexity of his character, from his initial attitude of selflessness to his subsequent regret and sadness. The chemistry between Iversen and Aksenova in their scenes together was palpable and emotionally intense.

    • Press Music
    • 02 October 2023

  • Baritone Audun Iversen is in charge of interpreting the title role of Eugene Onegin ; an unscrupulous heartbreaker. His interpretation is brave and groundbreaking, offering us a character who always seeks to achieve his goal: the enjoyment of life. Constantly searching for him will cause you to lose what he has (or could have).

    • Platea
    • 02 October 2023

  • However, the acting work of the performers, especially the protagonists, it should be stressed that it was exceptional. Among the latter, the vigorous Onegin of Audun Iversen stood out, of solid vocal projection and dramatic ambition

    • teatralnet
    • 02 October 2023

  • However, the acting work of the performers, especially the protagonists, it should be stressed that it was exceptional. Among the latter, the vigorous Onegin of Audun Iversen stood out, of solid vocal projection and dramatic ambition.

    • Docenotas
    • 02 October 2023

  • The baritone Audun Iversen, very dedicated, is a remarkable Onegin, who went further and shone in the final scene.

    • Scherzo
    • 28 September 2023

  • Among the vocal soloists the men stood out. Baritone Audun Iversen, who already participated in the premiere of the production in Oslo, did a very good Onegin, singing with ease both in the register and in the vocal projection and from a beautiful vocal colour.

    • Opera Online
    • 30 September 2023

  • The Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen fulfilled the tormented character of Onegin with quality, both vocally and as an actor, and was highly applauded at the end of the evening.

    • Beckmesser
    • 30 September 2023

  • the Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen who set the tone of excellence for this evening: not only is the voice superb but his entire interpretation is striking. He manages to modulate his show in such a way as to make himself perfectly detestable during all the scenes at the beginning and the duel against Lensky, despite the doubt that assail him, only to be touching at the end when Tatiana pushes him away out of respect for his husband, even if passion consumes her... He goes through with enthusiasm all the stages which will dispossess him of his so-called youthful maturity, subsequently finding himself as a young old man devoid of illusions and whose amorous passion will be destroyed by the social conventions that he himself once assumed, probably prefiguring Russian nihilism.

    • Crescendo Magazine
    • 06 October 2023

  • Norwegian Audun Iversen whose Onegin was round, embodying his multifaceted character from haughtiness to humiliation, from contempt to loneliness both in the gestural and musical spheres. His raconto at the end of the first act “Kogda bi zhizn domashnim krugom ya ogranichit zakhotyel” was the explicit irony set to music, the lyricism manifested in his duet with the tenor preceding the moment of the duel, and his despair in the soprano's final duet which culminated in an excellent performance. His round, compact, generous voice and his artistic dedication earned him great recognition from the audience at the end of the performance before the curtain fell.

    • Opera World
    • 14 October 2023

• Korngold - Die tote Stadt

  London Coliseum

  Mar 2023

  • There’s terrific acting and singing, too, from Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen as a rather creepy Franz, Paul’s friend, and he doubles up as Felix in the troupe to perform ‘Pierrot song’ with sensitivity.

    • Opera Today
    • 28 March 2023

  • ... there is magnificent singing from Audun Iversen as Paul's friend Franz

    • The Telegraph
    • 26 March 2023

  • Frank, strongly and beautifully sung by Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen

    • The Article
    • 27 March 2023

  • ... Audun Iversen – lustrous in the Act Two operetta number, "Pierrot's Song" – set the drama in motion superbly

    • The Arts Desk
    • 27 March 2023

  • Magnificent moments occurred. Audun Iversen as Frank/Pierrot sang the celebrated “Tanzlied” straight from the heart

    • Inews
    • 27 March 2023

  • Baritone Audun Iverson is in glorious voice as Paul’s friend Frank

    • British Theatre Guide
    • 27 March 2023

  • Audun Iversen’s Franz was similarly first-class, offering fine attention to detail.

    • Seen and Heard
    • 29 March 2023

  • ..and Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen gave a spellbinding performance in the role of Fritz, singing ‘My loving, my yearning in the Pierrot dance song.

    • Arts Muse London
    • 27 March 2023

• Bizet - Les Pêcheurs de perles

  Grand Théâtre, Geneva

  Dec 2021

  • On stage, the four protagonists of the opera are up to their task with a slight preference for the Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen (Zurga), whose brilliant timbre, accuracy of tone and above all impeccable French diction are appreciated.

    • ResMusica
    • 12 December 2021

  • The third act would offer two very beautiful moments thanks to the Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen. First in Zurga's long solo sequence 'The storm has calmed down': opulence of timbre, length of voice, mastery of nuances, phrasing, diction and especially interiority... The other great moment of this third act had to be the very long duet 'I shudder, I stagger' between Leïla and Zurga, with two perfectly matched vocal colors and above all a limitless commitment, really superb.

    • Forum Opera
    • 12 December 2021

  • Audun Iversen, Norwegian baritone with a beautiful projection, also takes time to release his assets, among which a beautiful sincerity of incarnation, a woody color and a grain mordoré of timbre.

    • Le Temps
    • 11 December 2021

• Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin

  Norwegian National Opera

  Feb 2020

  • Audun Iversen was absolutely tremendous in the role of Onegin, his dark baritone giving a slightly dangerous edge to a character who at first might seem like an incurable flirt. His singing took on more of a serious – if not helpless – tone as events began to spiral out of control, and he seemed most at home in the anguished second half, with Onegin’s life unravelling in front of him... compelling storytelling and some utterly sensational singing from the main characters make this a production decidedly worth seeing.

    • Bachtrack
    • 18 February 2020

  • Luckily they sing like gods. Audun Iversen's (Onegin) baritone is both full and rounded, at the same time as the overtones boom between the walls.

    • Scenekunst
    • 17 February 2020

• Berg - Wozzeck

  Den Norske Opera

  Nov 2017

  • With outstanding performances, Audun Iversen’s Wozzeck in particular, the production is a harrowing exploration of the chaos of human existence. Rising out of a magnificent supporting cast, Audun Iversen and Asmik Grigorian shone as Wozzeck and Marie. Iversen was frighteningly believable as a man driven further and further into insanity, moving seamlessly between tenderness and bottomless despair. Despite the enormity of Wozzeck’s emotions, Iversen shied away from overplaying the character, instead going for text-driven nuance, his voice underlining the primacy of the word, whether it be a desperate declaration of love or an anguished scream

    • Bachtrack
    • 28 November 2017

  • Wozzeck is an impervious test bench (benchmark) for the biggest baritones, and Audun Iversen, already an excellent Wozzeck in the first round of this production in Frankfurt in 2016, surpasses himself, offering a masterly performance both from a vocal and a dramatic point of view. The voice is warm at the core and full at the top, capable of modulating the voice, from piano to fortissimo, without shouting. The combination of the vocal warmth and impeccable acting makes it a Wozzeck in which the viewer can easily connect and identify with emotionally

    • Connessi all'Opera
    • 29 November 2017

  • Audun Iversen sings brilliantly and convinces as a desperate and despairing Wozzeck. The last scene, which ends with his death, is a musical and emotional highlight

    • Scenekunst.no
    • 30 November 2017

  • I've rarely heard the farewell-scene as beautifully performed as Audun Iversen as Wozzeck and Asmik Grigorian as Marie do it. (...) And what a performance by Iversen and Grigorian. One thing is to deliver such demanding vocal roles, but it's another to really embody the characters they are portraying.

    • Klassekampen (Paper Article)
    • 04 December 2017

• Puccini -La boheme

  San Francisco Opera

  Jun 2017

  • The strongest work came from tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Rodolfo and Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen (who delivered one of the most solidly-sung Marcellos I’ve heard in years).

    • The Huffington Post
    • 03 July 2017

  • A notable highlight came in Act 3, set near the snow-sprinkled gloom of a Parisian city gate. The consumptive Mimi (Erika Grimaldi), in distress about a fraying relationship with her jealous lover, Rodolfo (Arturo Chacón-Cruz), has come to seek out the counsel of a friend. Marcello (Audun Iversen), only too familiar with the ravages of sexual possessiveness, lends a sympathetic ear. Clasped together in a firm but chaste embrace, Grimaldi and Iversen spun out their duet in terms at once soaring and tenderly intimate. It was all achingly real, set off by the evocatively austere scene by production designer David Farley and bluish predawn lighting by Michael James Clark.

    • San Francisco Classical Voice
    • 13 June 2017

  • Norwegian lyric baritone Audun Iversen impressed as the painter Marcello, whose on-again, off-again relationship with Musetta tortures the character through most of the opera.

    • Opera Warhorses
    • 12 June 2017

• Massenet - Werther

  Zurich Opera

  Apr 2017

  • What becomes even clearer, is that the other characters also are ideally casted: There is Albert (Audun Iversen), the husband with the trustworthy baritone, that becomes stone-cold as soon as he sees how much Werther means to his Charlotte.

    • Tages Anzeiger
    • 06 April 2017

  • Audun Iversen played an unbending and painfully conservative Albert, Charlotte’s husband-by-decree. Alongside his errant wife, he was as strong as to make us uncomfortable, and he showed a equally tight command of his vocal work.

    • Bachtrack
    • 03 April 2017

• Berg - Wozzeck

  Frankfurt Opera

  Jul 2016

  • All the soloists... gave a magnificent performance... Audun Iversen gave an impressive Frankfurt Title role debut.

    • Musik Heute
    • 06 July 2016

  • As Wozzeck, the Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen gave in his role debut a wonderful portrait of the layers of this character's psyche. Vocally he managed to express Wozzeck's feelings in an abundance of facets, his helplessness towards the Hauptmann and Doktor, his crazy visions which in the beginning inhibited him, then subsequently openly erupted aggression against Marie and his confusing despair that eventually drowns him in the water.

    • Bachtrack
    • 28 July 2016

• R. Strauss - Capriccio

  Chicago Lyric Opera

  Oct 2014

  • Lyric has surrounded its starry soprano with a top-drawer supporting cast. Audun Iversen made a most impressive company debut as Olivier. The Norwegian baritone displayed a warm and flexible voice and deftly balanced the comedy with sincerity, looking like a bespectacled scholar yet ardent in making his impassioned, awkward moves on the Countess

    • Chicago Classical Review
    • 07 October 2014

  • As her two suitors, William Burden and Audun Iversen make an eloquent argument for the supremacy of their respective disciplines. Iversen is a real discovery and his juicy lyric baritone made the best possible case for Olivier’s poetry—even though Strauss makes clear where his bias lies.

    • GB Opera Magazine
    • 09 October 2014

• Massenet - Manon

  Royal Opera House

  Jan 2014

  • Audun Iversen’s Lescaut was fittingly rumbustious, swaggering arrogantly and singing with vigour and vitality

    • Opera Today
    • 22 January 2014

  • Audun Iversen gave strength and presence as Lescaut, Manon’s cousin

    • Bachtrack
    • 15 January 2014