"Excellent... exceptional... remarkable" - Tim returns to Opéra de Lille for Rodelinda

Tim returned for his fourth production at the Opéra de Lille for Rodelinda this October. In a new production by Jean Bellorini, Tim once again collaborated with Emmanuelle Haim and Le Concert d’Astrée. The role of Bertarido is quickly becoming one of Tim’s favourites and he will reprise the role at the Théâtre de Caen and the Théâtre de Champs Elyseées later on this season. Critical responses to Tim’s performance included:

“Her husband, Bertarido, is none other than the excellent Tim Mead, an exceptional counter-tenor with a velvety tone and remarkable agility. Their duet Io t’abbraccio is one of the strongest moments of the show.”
Le Monde

“the registers of counter-tenor Tim Mead are so cohesive that his voice is deliciously creamy throughout, a balm for the ear”
Figaro

“Bertarido profits from Tim Mead's solid work, his well-nourished voice and his scenic ease”
Les Echos

“Bertarido was Tim Mead, whose countertenor was sweet and angelic, smooth over the entire range. His opening aria “Dove sei”, where Bertarido, having arrived in Milan in secret, pines for his beloved wife, was heartbreaking. Still, his furore aria “Vivi tiranno” at the end was delivered with an explosion of coloratura and a confidence worthy of Senesino, the castrato for which the role was created.”
Bachtrack

“Bertarido, Rodelinda's beloved husband, is given the very beautiful voice and charismatic presence of Tim Mead. His counter-tenor voice, with a velvety timbre, is powerful and luminous, with brilliant highs and low-pitched sounds. The singer offers a precise and nuanced interpretation that pleases the heart and the ear. The duet "Io t'abbraccio" with Jeanine de Bique is thus one of the most striking moments of the show.”
Olyrix

“Accustomed to the Lille Opera and regular collaborator of the Concert d'Astrée, Tim Mead had already interpreted Bertarido at the ENO last season. If the actor reveals himself convincingly from end to end and knows how to animate the smallest recitative, the counter-tenor excels in melancholy, delivering a "Dove sei" touched by grace like his Ottone at the Flanders Opera, and makes his own the torments that tear Bertarido… the refinement with which he adorned his duet with Rodelinda ("Io t'abbraccio"), one of the most sophisticated and sensitive that we have been given to hear.”
Forum Opera

Tim’s season continues with recitals at the Salle Gaveau in Paris and the Wigmore Hall in London as well as debuts with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Photo: Simon Gosselin