Nürnberger Nachrichten

This new production has turned out to be grandiose in every respect. Musically, too, with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ulf Schirmer highlighting the stark and garish more than the lyrical and melodious side of Umberto Giordano's score. Strong feelings, grand gestures as well as great voices in the singer ensemble: the titular hero is sung by Héctor Sandoval with a powerful tenor, while André Chénier's friend and adversary Carlo Gérard is perfectly personified by Scott Hendricks with his mighty baritone. Above all, though, it is Norma Fantini who most excels as André's lover Maddalena di Coigny with her earthy yet supple soprano voice and who convinces us, with her gorgeous singing and emotional ardour, how the class barriers between the aristocracy and the citizenry can be overcome to the point where two such people can go to their deaths together.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung

David Fielding's stage sculpture, abounding with lovingly designed details, proves to be staggeringly variable in the course of the evening, changing its appearance as the drama unfolds. In addition, Keith Warner's directing pulls out all the stops so that an audience accustomed to and spoiled by cinema can be kept engrossed for two hours. It does this with great skill and lots of action, while remaining fully conscious of the music the whole time. [...] conductor Ulf Schirmer brings out the full breadth of colour in the score. [...] a coherent and harmonious overall impression [...]

ZDF Heute Journal, Mainz

When the red sun sinks into lake at Bregenz, the drama of André Chénier begins on the lake stage. [...] The Bregenz Festival is not just opera – it's a colossal spectacle [...] and it's colossal fun to watch it.

Kurier, Vienna

A spectacle to marvel at in Bregenz […]. Is it worth travelling to Bregenz this year? The clear answer is Yes! Maybe even with two exclamation marks. […] Keith Warner, the director, makes the most of it and even a little bit more. He deploys legions of acrobats, dancers, chorus members, high divers, etc. and offers a spectacle to marvel at. […] the most attractive production on the Bregenz lake stage for a long time. Off to Bregenz to salvage the reputation of André Chénier!

Münchner Abendzeitung

Rebellion in the bath tub […]. This one is a winner. Gloriously passionate music, superb singers, and on top of that a striking stage show – Bregenz presented one of the most dazzling premieres in recent years. […] an event for the eye. The costumes (Constance Hoffman), lighting (Davy Cunningham) and stage direction (Keith Warner) ensure that the two hours simply fly by. […] Special praise nevertheless for the singers. Tenor Héctor Sandoval in the title role and baritone Scott Hendricks (Gérard) would be an adornment for every large opera house. […] And artistic director Pountney is blessed with luck: once again he has hit the bull's eye. He now has an exceptional record of successes.

BBC News, London

A tale of love and the death staged on a lake. [...] The action takes place both on and in the water. [..] Stage design is based on the famous painting - the Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David. The head of Marat rises high above the surface of the lake and weighs 60 tons.

Die Welt, Berlin

At the Bregenz Festival the historical opera is being staged in a spectacular new production. […] And once more the festival has succeeded in building a gigantic stage set of iconic quality - and in making great music, too. [...] The performances by the singers are consistently good to very good. […] Everything is well thought out. A masterly achievement. The most important thing at Bregenz has always been the stage itself, and once again it's impressive. […] The stage goes through a series of transformations and looks even better every time [...]

Stuttgarter Zeitung

The lake stage has often produced spectacular stage sets. But the new production, André Chénier, is dazzling even for long-time fans. […] The scenery alone would be enough to make a performance on the world's largest lake stage a memorable experience. […] Director Keith Warner pulls out all the stops when it comes to spectacular effects. […] Sensational at the premiere: Héctor Sandoval and Norma Fantini.

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich

His (Gérard's) duet with Maddalena in Act Three is a masterpiece, sung by baritone Scott Hendricks with great vocal power and energy as well as mastery of expression - phenomenal. […] Great stagecraft, great sound, and not at all out of step with the highly dramatic playing of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Ulf Schirmer, who savoured the theatricality of the score to the utmost and turned the opera into a nail-biting thriller. Thanks also to the excellent orchestral sound […]

Die Presse, Vienna

Probably no stage set that rose from the gentle waves of Lake Constance has ever had a greater justification […]. The combination of rousing music, performed by a good ensemble, with impressive stage design and direction […]. A great, well-deserved success [...]