Reviews
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Mozart’s Requiem | Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
“But the ‘outer’ voices (soprano and bass) gave us something extra. Bass, Paul Whelan, called on his extensive experience in opera to bring a real sense of dramatic story-telling to his singing…. everything in Paul Whelan’s performance was delivered with sonorous tone and considerable feeling.”
Tony Ryan
Upbeat
2 September, 2019
Turandot | New Orleans Opera
“As Calaf’s father, the deposed king Timur, Paul Whelan’s sonorous bass ably reflected his plight as a once-mighty monarch who has been reduced to beggar status.”
Dean Shapiro
New Orleans Advocate
September 29, 2018
Gotterdammerung scenes | Jacksonville Symphony
“Bass-baritone Paul Whelan deftly colored his lines with rich darkness and foreboding intensity.”
Tomothy Tuller
Florida Times
June 2, 2018
Mozart Requiem | Carnegie Hall
“Paul Whelan as the bass embodied the tragedy of the Requiem with earnest devotion.”
Timothy T. Diovanni
Boston Musical Intelligencer,
May 14, 2018
The London Song Festival, Russian Revolution Centenary Concert| Ilona Domnich
“Paul Whelan’s charismatic orotund bass practically made my fillings rattle. His vibrant tone and rich palate of vocal colour was mesmerising. A riveting storyteller, in Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death he was at once intensely menacing then passionate, earnest, unctuous, even languorous”
Anthony Evans
PlanetHugill.com
December 8, 2017
Eugene Onegin | Lyric Opera of Kansas City
“New Zealand-born bass-baritone Paul Whelan, who made his Lyric Opera debut with his first Prince Gremin, was notable for his sure-footed technique and comfortable embrace of the character.”
Kyle MacMillan
Opera News USA
October 4, 2017
“What threw Act III for a loop was Paul Whelan’s Prince Gremin: He was such an appealing figure that his famous “Lyubvi vse vozrastï” aria, sung with a gorgeously inflected basso, made us feel that Tatyana had made quite a good choice. Instead of the dumpy dotard that Gremin is often made out to be, Paul was not just the tallest but perhaps the most appealing man onstage, and arguably the best actor. Even though Tatyana was indeed “settling,” she didn’t marry just for fame-and-fortune after all: Gremin is a decent guy, and actually not that bad-looking!”
Paul Horsley
KC independent
October 2, 2017
“Outside of the principal quartet, the cast is filled with marvelous vocal talents. Paul Whelan, bass, demonstrates that one can appear in a single scene and still steal the show. His aria as Prince Gremin (“All men surrender to Love’s power”) is sweet and tender, while his bass notes are strong and resonant.”
Anthony Rogers
KCMetropolis.org
October 1, 2017
Turandot | Bard Music Festival
“Other wonderful turns were given by bass-baritone Paul Whelan as the blind king Timur…”
Charles Geyer
La Scena Musicale
August 19, 2016
“Bass Paul Whelan stood in for an indisposed Matthew Best as Christ. Tall and bearded, he is an imposing presence on the stage, and his voice is suitably commanding.”
Gavin Dixon
The Arts Desk
March 22, 2016
St Matthew Passion| Royal Festival Hall
I Puritani | Victorian Opera
“New Zealand Bass Paul Whelan as Sir Giorgio had a commanding presence. He delivered us a multi-faceted statesman – assured and confident at the same time as tender and loving to Elvira. His voice is rich and sonorous with great power; his character assertive and secure.”
Gregory Pritchard
Concertonet.com
July 2015
“The other men were admirable too, especially Paul Whelan (Giorgio Valton), an immensely tall young New Zealander who recently sang the role for the first time with the Boston Lyric Opera. His long Act One duet with Elvira and the aria ‘Cinta di fiori’, which precedes her Act Two mad scene, were highlights of the evening.”
Peter Rose
Australian Book Review
6 July, 2015
“As Elvira’s uncle Sir Giorgio Valton, bass-baritone Paul Whelan’s experience in the role showed, portraying a compassionate and trusted mediating force with exemplary diction and a fireside-warmth of tone.”
Opera Chaser
4 July, 2015