The US tenor, who retired in 2015, aged 66, is currently singing the rold of Old Prisoner in Janáček’s From the House of the Dead in the Ruhrtriennale in Bochum, Germany.
No fuss, no publicity, just a quiet comeback.
photo: © Volker Beushausen, Ruhrtriennale 2023
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Watch out Jonas, Neil is making a comeback!!!
Good for him.
He’s 74.
Excellent underrated tenor (at least in the U.S. and far fewer recordings than he deserves). Great actor too.
I seem to remember that he made his British debut with Welsh National Opera.
Always an enjoyable singer! And an elegant way to manage a career. As you say, a no-fuss, and quiet reappearance. Would that other performers take note.
Loved his Boheme with Cotrubas from ROH in the mid 1990s, on DVD. A terrific performance.
By far, the best Hoffmann I ever saw at the Met. Powerful emotional performance w/great voice!
Yes! And so nice that the production went with the conventional ordering of the three acts.
I was there at the show. And what can I say about Shicoff:
– great idea to give him this role: the timbre is still there, and the range is ideal for him.
– he is in great shape, no wobble, very loud when necessary ( I was standing 5 m away from him and he was louder than other tenors with the exception of John Daszak).
– great actor, he made a heart breaking portrait of the Old Covict (and the irony about Jonas or Plácido is totally incorrect – the role should be sung (and well sung) by an old singer, by far the oldest in the cast.
He was just stunning and hopefully will find another roles to perform in coming years.
The way he sounded, I think he still can do Captan Vere….
It’s great to have Neil back on the boards! I guess, like so many other retirees, he got tired of doing nothing…or he missed those non-social-security paychecks! And at 74, the best years of his life are still ahead of him! Good luck, Neil…and you’re still looking and sounding GREAT!
Very happy to hear Neil Shicoff coming back to the stage. Best wishes.
Perhaps he can resume his primo tenore roles again. If Kunde can do it, so can he! Would be swell to have him as Herman and Baltsa as the Old Countess in Queen of Spades!
Kunde is 7 years younger.
I hope he’s not going to start singing baritone roles like another unnamed tenor of Spanish origin.