A few days ago, Damien Gastl tackled for the first time, at the Opéra Grand Avignon, the sublime Lied von der Erde by Gustav Mahler, in the arrangement for chamber orchestra made by Arnold Schönberg (completed by Rainer Riehn), with the privilege of singing, in place of the traditional contralto, the heartbreaking "Abschied".
Here are three press excerpts that illustrate the public's enthusiasm for Damien and this production:
„We particularly appreciated the baritone Damien Gastl, warm and vibrant voice, dark and enveloping timbre, beautiful legato, beautiful dramatic presence.“ (ClassiqueNews, André Peyrègne, 30.03.26)
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„Damien Gastl, the rising French baritone, offers us his resonant, well-modulated voice to express melancholy, inner suffering, but also ecstasy. He makes us forget that Mahler's initial choice was the alto voice: the fusion of the two male voices contributes to our musical pleasure.“ (Forumopera, Yvan Beuvard, 31.03.26).
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„Tenor Uwe Stickert and baritone Damien Gastl, two powerful and contrasting vocal incarnations of Mahler's poetry.“ (Blog culture du SNES-FSU, Jean-Pierre Haddad, 05.04.26)
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A beautiful musical interpretation and a bold, inspired and eloquent staging (expressed in video images and choreographic movements, in particular), which deserves to be revived!
15.04.26
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