C h r i s t o p h e r
A i n s l i e
Tamerlano (title role) - 2010 Festspiele Göttingen
The Opera Critic
... Rarely has the word 'Amico' been sung with such a chill, and his trills and runs ooze threats. His slender body belies the character's strength ...
Kultiversum
... Christopher Ainslie exudes charisma and has an excellent technique ...
HNA.de
... The Alto Christopher Ainslie sings his part with a steely timbre and, particularly in his rage aria, fantastically confident
coloratura ...
Artaxerxes - Royal Opera House, Linbury Theatre - 2009
Opera Britannia
... It is a very low lying role, so at first it seemed peculiar that a countertenor who can sing the high alto castrato part of Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina, should be assigned to sing Artaxerxes, when the role of Arbaces would have been a more logical fit. As it is, Ainslie's countertenor easily coped with the vocal demands of Artaxerxes, especially in his Act III aria "Tho' oft a Cloud, with envious Shade", which has the sort of stirring melodramatic string accompaniment you ordinarily hear in Vivaldi's rage arias. It is a very attractive soft-grained voice, with a mellow timbre and evidently good top ...
The Independent
... Marooned in the passive title role, Christopher Ainslie sports the anxious brow of a myopic who may or may not have seen a familiar
face, but sings with tender dignity ...
Bach's B Minor Mass - Birmingham, 2008
Birmingham Post - 'B Minor Mass'
... counter-tenor Christopher Ainslie was movingly eloquent ...
Winner of the 2008 Richard Tauber Competition
Musical Pointers - 'Richard Tauber Prize for Singers - Wigmore Hall, 4 June 2008'
... His account of Dawn, still darkness from Jonathan Dove's "Flight" was as near to perfection as anything I have heard in the Wigmore Hall ...
Musical Opinion - 'Rising Stars'
... Ainslie made every word tell, his focused singing painting a terrifying picture of their ordeal. Schubert's Nachtstueck which completed his programme was distinguished by the sensitivity of his interpretation ...
Handel's Messiah - Ireland, 2008
Irish Times
... counter-tenor Christopher Ainslie sang with an affecting directness that was completely devoid of the many mannerisms that counter-tenors are prone to ...
Partenope (Arsace) - 2008 Les Azuriales Festival, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
Opera Magazine (France) 'Saint Jean Cap Ferrat - Partenope'
... above all, the arresting Arsace of Christopher Ainslie.
This South African counter tenor is a revelation; equally at ease with the runs of "Furibondo spira il vento" as with the sorrowful and bewitching "Ch'io parta?", he holds the audience spellbound both by the expressiveness of his tone and the musicality of his interpretation, A talent to watch ...
Opera Now - 'Who's Hot?'
... Christopher Ainslie who ... won the Richard Tauber prize at the Wigmore Hall, and has been making a brisk ascent through the Handelian hierarchy ever since. His Les Azuriales Arsace was incredibly accomplished: full, strong tone combined with eloquent musicianship and keen dramatic credibility. This autumn he's covering Andreas Scholl's Arsace for the new Royal Danish Opera Partenope in Copenhagen. But after that I'm sure his covering days are over. He'll be playing major houses in his own right ...
Poro, Re dell'Indie (title role) - 2007 London Handel Festival
The Independent on Sunday - 'Obscure no more'
... Comfortable at both extremes of his voice, artfully expressive between the two, eloquent in his body language, easy in his coloratura, and a compelling actor even when listening, silently, at the edge of the stage, Ainslie has remarkable presence. But this is a remarkable role, in a remarkable and inexplicably ignored opera. Superbly directed, stylishly conducted, properly nurturing of young talent, and totally gripping in the interaction between the characters, this was the most enjoyable staging of a Handel opera or oratorio I have seen since the revival of Peter Sellars' Theodora ...
read the full review...
The (London) Independent - 'Poro, re dell'Indie'
... on the singing front only counter-tenor Christopher Ainslie (Poro) and soprano Ruby Hughes (Cleofide) possess what might be described as the essential quality of rapture. Individually they shine, together they entwine with touching awareness of the orchestra's luscious harmonic suspensions...
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Opera Today - 'Handel: Poro, re dell'Indie'
... He has a strong, well-supported, alto voice with no hoot or wobble and – in contrast to Vale – had plenty of opportunity to display his natural ease and skill with the more poignant and reflective arias that Handel wrote for the master of that genre in the 1730’s. His acting skills were to be applauded too – he managed to find a number of ways to continually display jealousy without succumbing to routine ...
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2007 Handel Singing Competition
Musical Pointers - 'The Handel Singing competition 2007'
... countertenor Christopher Ainslie, who is one of those singers who comes onto the platform looking as though he is pleased to be there and can’t wait to share his singing with the audience. He has a lovely creamy voice and good breath control, amply demonstrated in his opening piece, Ombra mai fu. Arias from Orlando and Tamerlano followed, clear, accurate and well characterised ...
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Solomon (title role) - 2007 London Handel Festival
MyCulturalLife - 'Review: Solomon at the London Handel Festival'
... Ainslie's Solomon was beautifully toned, well supported and nicely phrased. Ainslie is a very musical singer. I would have liked more of a sense of drama and more of a feeling of letting go at the crucial moments, but given the last-minute nature of his substitution we must wait for a further opportunity to hear what he can do in this role. But there is no sense of short change, Ainslie's was a highly effective and affecting performance ...
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Handel's 'Orlando' (Medoro) - Independent Opera at Sadler's Wells 2006
Opera Today - 'Triumph over Adversity'
... Christopher Ainslie was a golden Medoro vocally and visually ...
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Music & Vision - 'An Entertaining Evening'
... As Orlando's rival in love, Medoro, Christopher Ainslie was called upon to spend a large part of the time dressed only in a gilt brocade sarong. It says much for Ainslie's sang-froid and competence that he managed to bring this off and dazzle with his singing. Medoro is a lover rather than a knight, so his arias tend to be of the expressive sort rather than martially dramatic. Ainslie responded with shapely singing and convincing dramatic involvement.
That the cast was young was a great help in this production. Ainslie and Rebecca Ryan as Angelica really convinced that they were in love, and Ainslie's scene with Dorinda (Joana Seara), where he has to sympathise with her love for him without actually telling her that he loves another, was very moving ...
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Tolomeo, Re d'Egitto (Alessandro) - 2006 London Handel Festival
Guardian.co.uk - 'Tolomeo'
... Countertenor Christopher Ainslie is the handsome, mercurial Alessandro, sounding particularly gorgeous in his big first act aria ...
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Classical Source - 'London Handel Festival 2006 - Tolomeo'
... The most charming of the voices was countertenor Christopher Ainslie. Alessandro is a secondary character, but his are some of the most beautiful arias, like ÔNon col di labbroƠ. The sheer quality of his voice and technique makes him one of the most convincing performers ...
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The Independent - 'Tolomeo, London Handel Festival'
... star-in-the-making was countertenor Christopher Ainslie as Alessandro ...
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Matthäus-Passion - Worcester Cathedral, 2005
The Organ Mag - 'Matthäus-Passion'
... It was difficult to believe that Christopher Ainslie was making his debut in Britain. His lyrical counter-tenor was a joy throughout, finely focussed, creating sensitive phrasing and emotionally involved without any hints of romanticism ...
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