With his powerful voice and unmistakable stage presence, Anthony Clark Evans presents a dazzling panorama of the great 19th-century baritone repertoire on this recording. The program ranges from the passionate drama of Italian verismo to the elegance of French opera and the exalted sound world of Richard Wagner.
Evans opens with Leoncavallo’s famous Prologue from Pagliacci, a programmatic manifesto of verismo, and continues with Giordano’s searing denunciation “Nemico della patria” from Andrea Chénier and Puccini’s dark scene from Il Tabarro. Donizetti and Offenbach provide melodic refinement and brilliant color from the Italian and French traditions, while Thomas’s drinking song from Hamlet adds charm and lightness.
Particular highlights are the Wagner arias – the intimate “Song to the Evening Star” from Tannhäuser and the great scene of the Dutchman – where Evans’s voice reveals both lyrical depth and dramatic radiance. The program concludes with central Verdi roles, from Rigoletto to Il Trovatore and Luisa Miller, showcasing the full range of Italian bel canto drama.
This album is a striking portrait of a singer who brings the core baritone repertoire vividly to life with gripping intensity, stylistic versatility, and profound emotional depth.
Anthony Clark Evans
Anthony Clark Evans is an American baritone acclaimed for his lush tone, dramatic presence, and a voice particularly suited to the Verdi and late-Romantic repertory. Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, Evans studied voice at Murray State University and is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Praise for his singing includes the “stentorian Verdi style” from the Chicago Tribune and recognition from San Francisco Chronicle as “warm-toned, vivacious and humane.”
In recent seasons Evans has expanded his operatic footprint with major role and house debuts: as Germont in La Traviataat Houston Grand Opera; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Cincinnati Opera; his return to the Metropolitan Opera as Marcello in Zeffirelli’s La bohème; his debut with Irish National Opera as Germont; and Tonio in Pagliacci at Austin Opera. His concert and oratorio work include major choral works and symphonic collaborations such as Carmina Burana with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cavalleria Rusticana (Aflio) with the Saint Louis Symphony, Beethoven’s Ninth, and appearances at the Richard Tucker Gala.
Evans’ list of honors is significant. He was a finalist at the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, won the Grand Finals of the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and has received prestigious grants and awards including a Richard Tucker Career Grant.
Currently, Anthony Clark Evans resides in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and continues to build a repertoire that blends Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, and 19th-century French opera with increasing prominence on international stages.
