Acclaim for Benjamin Bernheim as he sings Rodolfo at the Opéra National de Paris

A highlight of his exciting 2017/2018 season, Benjamin Bernheim sings Rodolfo in in Claus Guth’s new production of La Bohème at Opéra National de Paris. One of the most talked about productions of the year, the show provided a vehicle to cement Mr. Bernheim’s reputation as one of the most exciting tenors of this upcoming generation, and in particular as a rising French star. He received critical acclaim from both press and audience members alike, and was featured on TV, the radio, and several blogs.

Forum Opera, an influential French, online opera publication, commented:

“Benjamin Bernheim est le véritable intérêt de cette reprise. La voix est bien conduite, d’une délicate musicalité, avec une impeccable maîtrise du souffle qui permet au chanteur de varier son style d’émission (poitrine, mixte) en fonction de la situation dramatique et musicale. La projection est techniquement exemplaire : la voix, qui n’est pas immense, est parfaitement audible car excellement concentrée."

{Benjamin Bernheim was the real interest of this reprise. The voice was well managed, with a delicate musicality and an impeccable mastery of the breath that allowed the singer to change color vocally (chest, mixed) as the dramatic or musical situation demanded. The vocal projection was exemplary technically: the voice, which isn’t huge, was perfectly audible because of its excellent concentration.}

“Depuis plusieurs saisons, le développement vocal de ce jeune ténor retient l’attention : le timbre est beau, souple, chaleureux mais surtout la ligne vocale est remarquablement tenue, avec une projection idéale, un soutien permanent qui ouvre la voix vers son espace supérieur et lui permet d’habiter la grande salle de l’Opéra Bastille, et une intelligence du chant qui participe grandement de la construction du personnage, aussi bien psychologique que vocale. Aujourd’hui, Benjamin Bernheim est assurément à l’aube d’une grande carrière : les plus grandes maisons s’intéressent à lui, son répertoire se diversifie sans s’alourdir prématurément, sa présence en scène s’affine, tout fait qu’on doit profiter de cette Bohème parisienne pour le découvrir (ou le retrouver) !"
{For several seasons, the vocal development of this young tenor has drawn my attention: the timbre is beautiful and supple, warm but above all the vocal line is remarkable, with an ideal projection, a consistent support that opens the voice to accommodate large spaces and allows the voice to live in Bastille’s large theater, and a vocal intelligence that contributes to his construction of characters, both psychologically and vocally. Today, Benjamin Bernheim is certainly at the dawn of a great career: the most prestigious opera houses are showing interest in him, his repertoire is diversifying without going into heavier repertoire prematurely, his presence on stage continues to become more refined, and all of this can be enjoyed in this Parisian Bohème where you can discover or rediscover [this tenor]!}

Bloggers and audience members also took notice of Mr. Bernheim’s performances. Audience members took to Facebook and Twitter to comment:

Blogger Helene Adam of Passion Opera commented,

“Question chant, Benjamin Bernheim domine vraiment le plateau. J’avais pris une place pour la distribution B pour l’entendre. Je l’apprécie depuis un petit moment ( Capriccio à Garnier, Cassio à Salzbourg, un récital à Paris). Il a confirmé tout le bien que je pense de lui . Non seulement il a une projection impressionnante, supérieure à celle des tous les autres artistes de la scène, mais surtout, il a un timbre magnifique, une technique irréprochable, notamment une diction parfaite et une capacité à nuancer sans casser sa ligne de chant qui nous promet de futurs rôles encore plus impressionnants s'il ne fait pas de choix inconsidérés.

...mais c'est un ténor aux harmoniques très riches sur toute la tessiture ce qui fait que son chant se déploie dans les graves, le médium et les aigus sans discontinuer. Il s'autorise du coup un superbe legato, des diminuendi et des crescendi parfaitement maîtrisés et je dois dire que ses airs et ses duos furent certainement les plus beaux moments de la soirée.”

{In respect to the singing, Benjamin Bernheim really dominated the stage. I bought a ticket to see the B cast specifically to hear him. I have appreciated his singing for a while now (Capriccio à Garnier, Cassio à Salzbourg, un récital à Paris). He confirmed that my memory served me correctly. Not only does he have impressive projection, better than all the other singers on stage, but above all, a magnificent timbre, a faultless technique, especially perfect diction and a capacity for limitless nuances without breaking the line which holds the promise for even more impressive roles in the future, providing he doesn’t make reckless choices.

...but he is a tenor with rich harmonics and above all a tessitura that allows the voice to unfold beautifully in the lower, middle and high range without any inconsistencies. He is in control of an excellent legato, perfectly mastered diminuendi and crescendi and his arias and duets were the most beautiful moments of the evening.}

TV5 Monde took notice, and featured him on the program 64’, which is broadcast live worldwide. Watch the clip here.

He was also invited as a guest of Classic Club, the popular classical music talk show, broadcast live on France Music. You can now listen to the rebroadcast here, or download the podcast version available in the itunes store.

Mr. Bernheim was also featured in several important online publications, including Forbes, Olyrix, La Revue du Spectacle, Forum Opera, and Fans de Culture.

Mr. Bernheim is joined by Nicole Carr as Mimi, Aida Garifullina as Musetta, Artur Ruciński as Marcello, Alessio Arduini and Andrei Jilihovschi as Schaunard, and Roberto Tagliavini as Colline. Gustavo Dudamel and Manuel López-Gómez conduct.  A limited number of tickets are now available here.