Reviewers in Birmingham and London have praised Stuart Skelton’s performances in not one but two major roles this week: Florestan in Fidelio at the English National Opera and the title role of Peter Grimes in concert with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which Skelton sang twice each on alternating nights between September 25th and 28th.

“The heroic Skelton was born to sing Florestan,” wrote Helen Wallace in BBC Music Magazine, while Richard Fairman (Financial Times) called him a “vocally fearlesss Florestan of international standard” and Sebastian Petit (Opera Britannia) wrote: “His first cry of “Gott” starting with the sweetest pianissimo and swelling to a shattering fortissimo is about as good as it gets … It is utterly inexplicable that Skelton still hasn’t been heard in Wagner at the Royal Opera.”  Of Skelton’s Peter Grimes in Birmingham, Andrew Clements, in a five-star review for The Guardian raved “above all, Stuart Skelton’s performance in the title role seems to me to be the best around today. Skelton was superb when he sang Grimes in David Alden’s exceptional ENO production four years ago, but now … there’s an extra dimension, and the vocal heft is complimented by a touching delicacy when needed … Every facet now is exceptional.” and Christopher Morley (Birmingham Post) praised him as “simply heartbreaking … his vocal flexibility allied to despairing body-language.” 

There was similar acclaim for the London performance two days later, particularly from Edward Seckerson who wrote: “I think we can now say with absolute certainty that Stuart Skelton is the pre-eminent Peter Grimes of the present time … and even here in this effectively semi-staged performance at the Royal Festival Hall … Skelton was a force of nature,” adding, “Unbelievably Skelton had sung for four straight performance nights, alternating Florestan in ENO’s new Fidelio with Grimes performances in Birmingham and London. He was tired for sure … and some fraying was in evidence. But the sheer amplitude and clarity of the voice and more importantly the way Skelton inhabits Grimes and conveys his emotional journey … [were] [h]eartbreaking.” Keith McDonnell (What’s On Stage) gave the performance 5 stars, describing the cast as “without fault” and adding praise for both conductor Vladimir Jurowski’s “white hot intensity” and Skelton’s “heartbreaking and definitive” portrayal of the title role.

Skelton is now in Bilbao for Wagner concerts on October 3rd and 4th with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa alongside Anja Kampe, conducted by Günter Neuhold. The role of Florestan in ENO’s Fidelio will be taken over for the week by American tenor Bryan Register; Skelton returns to the role for three more performances from October 6th.