PITTSBURGH, PA. (Top40 Charts/ Mark S. Doss) - Global opera star and Grammy Award winner Mark S. Doss will make his Pittsburgh Opera debut as Amonasro in Verdi's Aida, with performances on March 29, April 1, 4 and 6, 2008.
Mr. Doss is featured in the same role on a recently released Aida DVD, recorded live at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Reviewers applauded his work, recognizing "another fine performance...from the powerful American bass(-baritone), Mark (S.) Doss (Amonasro)," who was able to "subtly break free of the 'stand and deliver' directions and create a huge amount of emotion in his face and voice," (Reviewer Ltd., UK).
Returning to Milan's legendary Teatro alla Scala (La Scala) in May, Mr. Doss will be featured in the role of Charrington in 1984, an opera based on George Orwell's novel of the same name. This is just the second time that this production has taken the stage, following a successful run at Covent Garden.
In June, Mr. Doss will join the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Diomede, Prince of Argos, in William Walton's Troilus and Cressida.
Earlier this season, Mr. Doss took the stage as Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Florentine Opera's Salome. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal's review applauded his performance, saying "Mark S. Doss' potent and steadfast bass-baritone sound and imposing physical presence made him a worthy foil for Sunnegardh. The opera found its pace and substance in their early duet, in which he held firm against her seductions and epithets." Last season, Mr. Doss performed this same role at La Scala, where he has been welcomed for five different roles since 2004. Also this season, Mr. Doss starred as Jochanaan at Italy's Teatro Regio Torino. Billed as an important new production of Salome, these performances took place 100 years after the first Italian performance of the opera, which also took place at Teatro Regio Torino.
In other news, Mark S. Doss has earned high praise for his portrayal of Mephistopheles in productions around the world. He is featured in the recently released CD of Mefistofele recorded live with Oper Frankfurt on the hr-musik.de label. The magazine Opernwelt applauds his performance and in a 2007 edition said, "Mark S. Doss can exist beside great predecessors such as Nazzareno de Angeles or Samuel Ramey with luster."
The San Francisco Sentinel has also praised his recent work, reporting in June that "Mark S. Doss was outstanding as Thoas." The review continued, "Mark's strong and authoritative bass-baritone voice is rich and bright throughout the entire range, his warm vibrato sensual and inviting. He is a handsome and formidable presence, perfectly cast as the tormented King of Tauris who believes that ritual sacrifice must befall any alien attempting to enter his kingdom. In his Act One aria, 'De noirs pressentiments mon ame intimidee,' Doss displayed the strapping bravado within his voice and the vigor and grandeur of a Classical actor."
Mark S. Doss is a celebrated bass-baritone whose accomplishments include a Grammy Award (1993) for his work on the recording of Semele (Handel). He began his musical studies to aid in his ambitions to become a Catholic priest but was seduced by the opera world and has since emerged as one of the world's leading singers.
