Walter von Stolzing
Die Meistersinger/Wagner
Wiesbaden Kurier
Feb 20 , 1967
"Michael Trimbel made an extraordinary impression as Walter von Stolzing. His acting and appearance were ideal in every way, leaving nothing else for an audience to desire. For the first time ever, it became clear through Trimbel's remarkable acting ability that Richard Wagner wanted a Stolzing exactly as presented by this handsome, young tenor. Trimbel was able, with his perfectly produced voice and marvelous beauty of tone, to create a completely new and unique interpretation of this longest of Wagner's roles for tenor. His performance was perfect. The soft, delicate approach to the lyric sections gave ample opportunity for Trimbel to demonstrate the most beautiful mezza voce among singers active today. His powerful moments were tremendous, also, pouring out over the orchestra with radiant colors and consummate ease. This man is destined to be one of the most sought-after tenors in the world."
"Michael Trimbel is a fantastic singer. His performance of Turridu was full of vibrant energy that filled his voice and the theatre with irresistible golden metal and creamy, mellow, heart-felt quality. His ability to act and to sing notes of such completely different natures is astounding. We heard him recently as Walter von Stolzing. That performance was no less sensational. Who would expect one tenor could so completely fulfill the expectations of such diverse repertoire?"
Turridu
Cavalleria Rusticana/Mascagni
Baden State Theatre/Karlsruhe, Germany
Wiesbaden Kurier
April 12, 1968
Frankfurt Press
April 14, 1968
"The tenor, Michael Trimbel, easily took on the problems of the role of Cavaradossi. He is in possession of a very ringing voice and has completely secure high notes. He has obvious temperament and ideal technical ability. His thrilling delivery of 'E lucevan le stelle' inspired the audience to demand that he repeat the aria, which he did, with excitement and beautiful soft, mezza voce singing of the opening lines. Michael Trimbel is in possession of a genuinely beautiful voice with power, a superb mezza voce and perfect technical control of the true Italian vocal style."
Cavaradossi
Tosca/Puccini
Corriere della Sera/Milano, Italy
Dino de Vittori
June 23, 1963
Walter von Stolzing
Die Meistersinger/Wagner
Overseas Traveler
Feb 15, 1967
"The tenor, Michael Trimbel, with the big Prize Song to sing is a tall, handsome youngster from Texas, who has the girls in the Wiesbaden chorus gurgling with delight. And he knows how to sing. Trimbel's voice is purely lyric, produced without effort and handled with love. He makes no pretense of pushing for a heavy Wagner sound. He sings the many stanzas of the 'Prize Song' with soft, beautifully spun tone as though they were Schubert lieder. The effect is winning. No groan, no whine, no feeling the tenor is about to blow a gasket. The listener relaxes and hears what is indeed a beautiful love song."
Le Contrebasse/Henri Sauguet
U.S. Premiere
Aspen Music Festival 1962
The Courier Times/Aspen, CO
Ronald Hurst
"Young Michael Trimble is unquestionably one of Aspen's finest talents and a special addition to the growing family of important Texas musicians. I did not meet him until just before the performance. This is a warm, controlled, mellow voice which is highly suited for lyric opera in any form. Trimble sings with grace and assurance not usually apparent in singers until they have been at it for many years. Everyone was pleased and impressed with Michael's first Aspen performance. Not the least of these was the composer Sauguet himself, who was on hand to compliment the young artist most warmly. The performance was an important step forward in Trimble's career, as the Aspen Music Festival is probably America's most important summer artistic event.Michael Trimble is a name to be watched, obviously a talent from whom we can expect the outstanding career his gifts so richly deserve."
Santa Fe Opera
The Drum Major
Wozzeck/Alban Berg
Los Angeles Times
August 19, 1966
Martin Bernheimer
" In Alban Berg's Wozzeck, Michael Trimbel proved that the Drum Major loses
nothing in virility if entrusted to a healthy bel canto specialist instead of a sung-out heldentenor."
Don Jose
Carmen/Bizet
Baden State Theatre/Karlsruhe, Germany
Frankfurt Press/Nummer 69
March 24, 1970
"Such an overwhelming performance of the title role made the expectation for Michael Trimbel a wait-and-see matter. However, Trimbel's development in vocal and acting ability is so enormous, that one can only be joyful about his characterization of the young, helpless lover. Trimble's voice gained beauty, with an overflowing wealth of expression, and above all, the ability to maintain these qualities all the way to the last tone of the opera. Trimbel was able to raise the death scene to the high point of the evening."
Herman
Pique Dame (Queen of Spades)/Tchaikovsky
Bern, Switzerland 1969
"Michael Trimbel, in the huge and difficult role of Herman, carried through the entire evening an intensity of madness he made believable both vocally and histrionically. The death scene of the Old Countess, due to the unbearable dramatic energy produced by Trimbel, was the high point of the performance. Trimbel brought to the production a clear sense of the decadence of an entire epoch. The insanity glowing in his eyes, the ravaged breathing of his passion for love and gambling were delivered into the minds and hearts of the public by his magnificent vocal control and immense resonance of the voice. We know this extraordinary voice from other roles we have heard him sing. It is powerful, beautiful, with heart-rending mezza voce tones, especially in the suicide scenethat brought tears to the eyes of the audience. His diction is perfectly clear and he does not allow one word to be unimportant. His personality as a performer is totally dedicated to his Art. The finely tuned delicacy of his conflicting sentiments is made with exquisite taste. And we must comment on his ability to dominate the scene when full chorus is surrounding him. There is never a moment when we forget who the gambler is and how Alexander Pushkin conceived of this man's agony and helplessness."
NBC Opera-TV
Lucia di Lammermoor
Broadcast: January 19, 1964
Michael Trimbel: Edgardo
"Michael Trimbel, the Edgardo, contributed a handsome portrayal and brilliant singing, especially in the suicide scene. He, too, made his television debut."
New York Times
Howard Klein
January 20 , 1964
"Michael Trimbel brought forceful style and ringing tones to the part of Edgardo. Mr. Trimble embodied Edgardo more successfully than any other singer in his respective role."
New York Telegram
Louis Biancolli
January 20 , 1964
"The reviewer's favorite, Michael Trimbel, a lusty warm-throated Drum Major and member of the Bern, Switzerland Opera Company, was certainly deserving of the audiences and Marie's favors."
Santa Fe Opera
The Drum Major
Wozzeck/Alban Berg
El Paso Herald Post
August 24, 1966
Anne W. Cunningham
"The title role of Faust was perfectly cast with Michael Trimbel, whose caressing quality of soft, vocal colors was able to convey his concept of a self-centered fool, living in a state of complete fantasy and delirium. The great 'Ode to Nature' was a total surprise with truly stentorian tones overwhelming the fortissimi played by the orchestra. The beauty of his mellow voice was, however, never lost."
Faust
Damnation of Faust/Berlioz
Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
Frankfurt Press
October 17, 1971
Lionel
Martha/Flotow
Diario de Noticias
Lisbon, Portugal
July 14, 1968
"Michael Trimbel's Lionel was performed as a long crescendo from warm friendship with Plunkett to the passionate love he feels for Martha. He received a tremendous ovation after 'M'appari' and it was very much to be expected. We know of no one who can sing that famous aria more beautifully. Trimbel's natural bearing, without undue histrionics, made him a dignified, romantic hero who we did not begrudge a happy ending!"
"We do not think of Mr. Trimbel as a tenor who specializes in high roles, but his recent performances of the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier amazed those of us who are familiar with his great performances as Don Jose in Carmen and Max in Der Freischuetz. He certainly can sing the highest tenor roles and sing them with a
beautiful color in his voice. We heard him add another high Strauss role to his
repertory last night and we were amazed at the ease with which he sings Matteo. He looks the role of the intense young officer and his well-known acting ability allows him
to bring something to the role that we have not seen before. His ebullience and romantic interpretation can be an example for future Strauss tenors of the very best approach to the unique tessitura problem of the Master's writing for tenors."
Matteo
Arabella/Richard Strauss
de Volkskrant
Amsterdam/May 17, 1968
Cassio
Otello/Verdi
Frankfurt Press
Baden StateTheatre/Karlsruhe, Germany
June 1969
"Michael Trimbel jumped in to help the new production of Otello by quickly learning the role of Cassio. His amazing ability to change his normally powerful voice into a light, sweet tenorino completely charmed the public. Cassio suddenly became an important leading role."
"Monsieur Michael Trimbel fulfilled the role of Nero in every way. The voice is superb, with every possible shading of color and his appearance spectacular. There is no performer on the lyric stage today who is handsomer or more appealing. And his sense of the musical style is truly a wonder. One feels that Trimbel defines for us exactly the correct way to perform this music."
Nero
L'incoronazione di Poppea
Monteverdi
The Tribune of Geneva, Switzerland 1969
"Michael Trimble brings everything to the role of Tom Rakewell. His appearance is spectacularly handsome and young. He is a real Adonis, which makes his 'Adonis Mad Scene' in the insane asylum completely believable. He also has perfect control of his voice at all levels of expression from strong careless joy to an entire scene of the finest use of mezza voce we have ever heard. As the scenes change, Tom's degeneration moves along from station to station: There are seven complete changes of costumes and wigs. Trimbel, with the technical prowess of a master technician, clearly manages to produce seven different voices for the audience and each of them is more exquisitely beautiful and touching than the one preceding."
Tom Rakewell
The Rakes Progress/Stravinsky
Wiesbaden Kurier
April 14, 1967
Alexej
The Gambler/Prokofieff
Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace
Strasbourg, France /January 30, 1969
"Michael Trimbel sang the long, dramatic role of Alexej with everything the role required both vocally and theatrically. He is ideal in every way for this very grueling role. The voice is very powerful, yet gentle and touching in the soft sections of his duet with Pauline."
