Carmen in San Francisco
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
“American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn created a monumental Escamillo. Of powerful voice embodied in a huge persona (a signature role is the Hoffman villains). He made his Act II entrance on a real horse — one hand firmly attached to the saddle horn — and summarily blew us away with his Toreador Song.”
“American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, a familiar presence with this company, swaggered zestily as the matador Escamillo, who upends the ill-fated Don José/Carmen love affair at the center of the dramatic arc. Van Horn gave the well-known ‘Toreador Song’ a full-throated and dashing ride astride a magnificent white Gypsy Vanner horse.”
“As the bullfighter bass/baritone Christian Van Horn looked 200 percent the part… As the preening matador, Van Horn makes the most of his time onstage. His braggadocio provides the sort of powerful allure that would appeal to Carmen. Van Horn has confidence to burn, and as the two rivals continue their pursuit of the Roma temptress we see the matador grow strong while José grows desperate. Terrific acting amplifies the swirling tragedy conveyed by Bizet’s score.”
Operawire
“As Escamillo, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn didn’t need the horse he rode in on, though the entrance effectively underlined his character of the toreador. It’s pretty much a one-aria part, and Van Horn dispatched it with stentorian bravado.”
San Francisco Classical Voice