Faust


​"...Paolo Buffagni's [...] large-format phrasing, clear diction and forceful, on-target high notes pleasingly evoked [...] the long-gone tradition of francophone dramatic tenors such as Vezzani, Thill and Jobin in this role."


David Shengold, "Faust," Opera News online (2013).


Regina Opera Presents an Electrifying 'Carmen' 



"...The “Carmen” presented by Brooklyn’s great Regina Opera also generated a great deal of excitement. Augusta Caso in the title role proved herself to be both fiery and glamorous. [...] Paolo Buffagni was Don José. Buffagni, who, like Luciano Pavarotti, was born in Modena, Italy, has a Pavarotti-like clarity to his lyrical tenor voice.  Pavarotti himself wisely never sang Don José or sang heavier parts more than a few times. The duet with Micaela, “Parle-Moi de Ma Mère” was a pleasant blend.



Nino Pantano, "Regina Opera presents an electrifying ‘Carmen,'" Brooklyn Eagle, (May 27, 2015).




Reviews​


Pagliacci & Die Zirkusprinzessin



"...The standout of the cast was Modena-born tenor Paolo Buffagni, who was originally an actor before he moved to New York to take up music studies and a career in opera. Completely in command onstage, he displayed a burnished, virile lirico-spinto with a thrilling upper register. Few tenors could follow up Canio in the same night with a much lighter operetta role, yet Buffagni did so with stamina to spare. The two characters were fully differentiated, and he handled the spoken dialogue of the operetta with ease and charm.

[...] Only Buffagni, as the tightrope-walker hero Mister X, and David Seatter, in the role of the comic villain Prince Sergius Vladimir, seemed truly at home with the material." 



Eric Myers: "Pagliacci & Die Zirkusprinzessin," Opera News online​ (December 14, 2013)

TENOR


Regina Opera presents a "Golden Age" 
Il Trovatore


"...Paolo Buffagni was a strong tenor assist in his role as Ruiz (being born in Pavarotti’s hometown
​of Modena, Buffagni shows special promise! [...]."



Nino Pantano, "Regina Opera presents a "Golden Age" Il Trovatore," Italian Tribune (July 10, 2008).

Bizet's Carmen in Sunset Park - Indominatable Regina Opera Scores Again


Mirroring the action as Carmen's loves and intrigues spread out before us are two dancers, Wendy Chu and Christian-Philippe Consigny.  They dance to the overture and interludes and mime the famous gypsy's encounters with various men.  Their overt sensuality underlines the thrust of the opera and its draw for many audiences: passion. [...] Paolo Buffagni as Don Jose has a big, verismo tenor and almost seems to speak as passion overtakes him.  Nathan Matticks has a suave voice to match his Escamillo.  It's easy to see why the girls swoon over this toreador.



Susan Hall, "Bizet's Carmen in Sunset Park - Indominatable Regina Opera Scores Again," Berkshire Fine Arts, (May 23, 2015).



Paolo Buffagni


'New York City: Poliuto' 



"...Amore presented a strong cast. In the title role, Paolo Buffagni gave a strong and convincing performance, particularly in Act II’s “Cessa, fatal consiglio dell’ira!,”in which Poliuto’s smoldering rage over his mistaken belief that his wife, Paolina, has been unfaithful gives way to his calling to martyr himself to save Nearco. Jessica Sandidge made the most of the somewhat smaller role of Paolina. Her very finest moment also came in Act II, in her confrontation with Severo. And Sandidge offered a beautiful rendition of the sweet aria in Act I, “Di quai soavi lagrime,” in which she envisions a joyful future.....



Arlo McKinnon, "New York City: Poliuto" Opera News, (March 3, 2016).




Verdi Goes Indie


[...] "Tenor Paolo Buffagni’s Duca was another revelation, and an utterly unique one in the panorama of the most commonly heard tenors in the city. His is a manly voice, full and powerful, but at the same time bright and tender. As an Italian-born singer, his diction is excellent. The poetry of the language filled his mouth and one could really feel him lingering on the sound of each syllable with freshness and  mature expressivity. Buffagni was terrific throughout the opera, but excelled especially in the Duca’s double aria Ella mi fu rapita. The power of Buffagni’s instrument was impressive, particularly in the higher end of his register, achieving that irresistible melting effect that only truly great tenors can deliver. Something that is all too rare in the singers we’ve heard even at the Met in these manly kind of tenor roles."



Zerlinetta: "Verdi Goes Indie," Allegri Con Fuoco

(May 27, 2014)

Regina Opera Presents a Thrilling ‘I Pagliacci’



"...The Regina cast was headed by Paolo Buffagni, a tenor who was born and raised in Modena, hometown of Luciano Pavarotti. Buffagni's voice has both a cutting edge and lyrical sweetness. His singing of "Un Grande Spettacolo" revealed a very pleasing sound, and "Un Tal Gioco, Credetemi" revealed his darker side and a dramatic quality. His famed aria "Vesti La Giubba" was sung with pathos and genuine heartbreak, without forcing the tone. Buffagni aptly demonstrated a tenor with an upper register set to go! He made Canio's loss of all reason become especially poignant in his "No Pagliaccio Non Son," where the clown is gone and the man emerges."



Nino Pantano, "Regina Opera presents a thrilling ‘I

Pagliacci,’" Brooklyn Eagle, (March 20, 2014).




The Saint of Bleecker Street



" ... In a short wedding song, Modenese tenor Paolo Buffagni's First Guest nailed the
melismatic Italian pop style."



David Shengold, "The Saint of Bleecker Sreet," Opera News online (February 2011).