Éric Vivion, Lyrical Tenor

"In Edgardo’s air from Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti, Éric Vivion, gave us the full scope of his talent as a lyrical tenor. A powerful, dazzling performance !"

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert at Barr, 22 September 2011, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"Alfredo Germond, impersonato dal bravissimo tenore Eric Vivion !"

La Traviata Castellucchio Mantova, Italy, 4 July 2011, La Gazzetta di Mantova

 

"A communion heightened by the sublime performance of tenor Eric Vivion. An incredible voice and presence... A finale which sent the audience into raptures, intoxicated with joy ! Eric Vivion has just returned from a tour in Italy where he met with a resounding success. And with the audience at the Sacred Art Festival, he shared a few moments of unadulterated musical pleasure."

Sacred Art Festival, Ariège, 12 June 2011, La Dépêche du Midi

 

"Eric Vivion joins the singers. We can but admire the ebb and flow between the organist and the lyrical tenor. The maestro offers such a convincing "Tombe degli avi miei" by Donizetti from Lucia di Lammermoor. A blend of gravity, ardour and prayer. This man standing alone in this enormous building, armed solely with his voice – simply breathtaking !"

Lyrical Concert, Sélestat, 12 March 2011, L’Alsace

 

"Eric Vivion, a tenor at the apex of his art, brilliantly sang a zarzuela by Sorozabal, with impressive range and unreserved warmth. He was also a flawless choir master. His lively, clear and colourful conducting wonderfully united the choir and organ."

International Organ Festival, Thann Collegiate Church, 19 October 2010, L’Alsace

 

"The tenor Éric Vivion and the members of his choir, Choeur Lyrique, were a joy for music lovers. The burst of applause that greeted the choir after the last number on the programme liberated the conductor’s fire and passion. And it was a totally unexpected "Nessun Dorma" that was the real finale to this long concert. Puccini and his opera Turandot, gave Éric Vivion, this magnificent, heart-warming tenor, the place he deserved in this grand performance. He had set the example with his beautifully contoured, vibrant voice by striking up Leandro’s Air by Pablo Sorozabal".

International Organ Festival, Thann Collegiate Church, 22 October 2010, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"… the closing concert of the 16th international singing course with the precious backing of tenor Eric Vivion, an effective teacher and brilliant singer."

International Singing Course, Ariège, 20 August 2010, La Dépêche du Midi


"The earth moved for the audience when lyrical tenor Eric Vivion sang… A magical repertoire… "Terre de Rêves, Chemins d’Enfance" created and directed by Eric Vivion, a divine, grandiose show of exceptional quality".

Lyrical show at the "Les Nuits Mandréennes" Festival, Saint-Mandrier, August 2010, Var Matin

"As for Eric Vivion, he’s everywhere and everything at once : an accomplished, masterful conductor, he comes back to being a much loved lyrical tenor in a zarzuela by Pablo Sorozabal, and then came the surprise encore, Nessun Dorma from Turandot, backed by his choir in a vocal firework finale which brought the enthralled house down."

"Les Heures Musicales d’Ebersmunster" Festival, 2 June 2010, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"Eric Vivion is a tenor of tremendous stature... He is poignant, intoxicating, and declaims Pablo Sorozabal’s "No puede ser" with such passion and sensitivity... The audience is on its feet with the sheer joy of it. Fantastic !"

"Les Heures Musicales d’Ebersmunster" Festival, 1 June 2010, L’Alsace

 

Eric VIVION Artistic and Musical Director of the Choeur Lyrique d'Alsace

 

"The perfection of the Choeur Lyrique d’Alsace. "Mille et un rêves, Mille et un chemins" (A thousand and one dreams, A thousand and one paths) - this beautiful concert was given by the Choeur Lyrique d’Alsace, on Friday evening at Saint-Matthieu church. It was the inaugural concert of the cycle "Colmar chante Noël", organised by the Conservatoire de Colmar. The Choeur Lyrique offered the audience a top-quality programme of sacred and lyrical music. The texts, with excerpts from Letters to Mozart and La Pastorale des santons de Provence, added a special nuance to this concert redolent with lyricism and romanticism. The choir members were rewarded with resounding applause."

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert at Saint-Matthieu Church "Colmar chante Noël" 29 October 2011 Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"Lembach. A memorable concert. The public witnessed an exceptional concert performed by the Choeur Lyrique d’Alsace. For two hours, the church resonated to the sound of the choir and the organ. The concert entitled Itin-Errance was a wave of music rolling under the church's vaulted roof. An undulation, starting in silence and moving onto quiet murmurs before the total liberation of sound - the full audience was completely under the spell. The staging was remarkable with lighting effects that were a real treat to behold. Mozart's "Laudate Dominum unveiled soprano Viviane Dedenon. And it was in Gaetano Donizetti's "Tombe degli avi miei" and "Fra poco a me ricovero" that Eric Vivion, the Musical Director and Lyrical Tenor revealed his beautiful voice to the audience. The final part of the concert was devoted to Giuseppe Verdi, with a change of costumes for the choir. They discarded their concert attire for magnificent bourgeois costumes of the Italian Renaissance. The audience listened spellbound to Verdi with excerpts from the political-religious opera "I Lombardi alla prima crociata" and Nabucco. Throughout the entire evening, the audience couldn't restrain their applause. They were rewarded with two encores, including a solo by Eric Vivion. The Mayor, Charles Schlosser, no doubt summarised the state of mind of the audience that evening. "It's hard for me to find the words to express the emotion or describe the passion for singing and music."

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert at Lembach, 30 October 2011, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"The concert "Itin’Errance", under the guidance of Eric Vivion, displayed stage effects that blended the musical works with visual beauty. The brilliance of Estelle Gerthoffert on the organ. Eric Vivion, singing Edgardo's air by Donizetti, gave the full measure of his talent as a lyrical tenor. The choir members in full costume gave a beautiful performance with an array of excerpts from "Il Lombardi alla primera crociata" by Giuseppe Verdi. A powerful, mind-blowing exprience!"

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert at Barr, 22 September 2011 Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"The first and remarkable lyrical experience of a performance by the Chœur Lyrique d’Alsace Centrale in the courtyard of Château de Latour (Virton). Directed by the internationally renowned lyrical tenor Éric Vivion, no less than two dozen choir members in Mediaeval costume took a spellbound audience on a journey with airs principally by Giuseppe Verdi."

Lyrical Concert-Show 13 September 2011 Virton-Latour Journal L’Avenir Belgium – Pays de Gaume

 

""Itin-Errance" with the excellent Chœur Lyrique d’Alsace Centrale Choir directed by Eric Vivion, lyrical tenor and choir master, whose solo performance of an excerpt from Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor was met by resounding applause. The organist, Estelle Gerthoffert, who accompanies the Choir, displayed her fine talent when she performed "Fugue sur le nom d’Alain" by Maurice Duruflé."

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, Hoenheim, 27 March 2011 Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"The public was spellbound, fascinated by the accuracy of the emotions and feelings. The Choeur Lyrique, led by Éric Vivion, submerges pilgrims and audience in broad-sweeping jubilation. Everything is balance, harmony, serenity. Encore!"

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, Sélestat,12 March 2011 L'Alsace

 

"The audience in the collegiate church fell under the charm of lyric art. In the first part devoted to a spiritual repertoire, the Choir rose to the heights of perfection. Their performance was impressive in Mozart's "Ave Verum", blending fervour and polyphonic fullness before the female voices gave a masterful rendering of "Kyrie" by André Messager, with its superb melodic dynamics, sculpting the open space of the collegiate church in the work's magnificent colours. The entire journey through the mythical, operatic airs was a real enchantment. Complete mastery of the repertoire, faultless style and impeccable diction, a lyrical quality with astounding depth - an absolute delight. Beautiful, quite simply beautiful! And if we add the intricate blend of voices and the ever-present elegance to the beauty of the timbre, you will understand why it was beautiful, quite simply beautiful while the souls of Mozart, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Mascagni soared beneath the vaulted roof. Generous, spell-binding soloists displaying meticulous phrasing underlined the perfect balance of the Choir. Finally, Eric Vivion, a tenor at the height of his art, radiated brilliance with his impressive range and engaging warmth as he sang a "Zarzuela" by Sorozabal. Estelle Gerthoffert was perfectly at ease at the organ. An accompanist who truly respects the singing voices, she wonderfully forged the vast melodic perspectives with a rainbow of sparkling, radiant yet refined colours in tribute to Boellmann and Langlais. And the cherry on this delicious cake was the choir singing as they processed out of the collegiate church to salute the public forming a guard of honour at the back of the church. International Organ Festival at the Collegiate Church of Thann."

International Organ Festival of Thann Collegiate Church. Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert,Thann, 17 October 2010 L’Alsace

 

"A musical voyage. The collegiate church's Association in favour of promoting organs made the right choice when it invited the Chœur Lyrique d’Alsace Centrale last Sunday. Tenor Éric Vivion and the members of his choir, Choeur Lyrique, were a joy for music lovers. The burst of applause that greeted the choir after the last number on the programme liberated the conductor's fire and passion. And it was a totally unexpected "Nessun Dorma" that was the real finale to this long concert. Puccini and his opera Turandot, gave Éric Vivion, this magnificent, heart-warming tenor, the place he deserved in this grand performance. The Chœur Lyrique d’Alsace Centrale is at one with their musical director and founder. Mozart's Ave Verum is surprising in the distinction between the different timbres - here absolutely intentional, in a somewhat unusual interpretation. Yet the almost imperceptible transition from sumptuous praise to infinite unison sends a shiver down every spine… "Itin-errance" is a musical voyage. "Artists are also nomads, wandering from one work to the next," declares the reader. A tribute to Anton Bruckner and then André Messager shows that the Choir has carefully stowed away the sacred part of the programme, like well-disciplined people.

The Choir gives full voice to the grandiose, ringing tones of Nabucco, and demonstrates the full range of their generosity in "O Voto Tremendo", a sumptuous excerpt from Idomeneo. Éric Vivion sets the spotlight on his most beautiful soloists in the Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, one of the most beautiful works in this concert, no doubt difficult, but magnificent in its impetuosity. We must do justice to the Choir Master - he had set the example with his beautifully contoured, vibrant voice by striking up Leandro's Air by Pablo Sorozabal. From the loft of the great Rickenbach-Aubertin organ, Estelle Gerthoffert offered a meticulous performance, flamboyantly playing the stops in Boëllmann's "Suite Gothique" and underscoring the contrasts in Jean Langlais' "Incantation pour un Jour Saint". The finale was a temporary affair as the applause pushed back the limits of the programme sine die, and so Éric Vivion and his Choir launched into a rendition of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni."

International Organ Festival of Thann Collegiate Church. Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, 22 October 2010, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace


Impressive fervour and polyphonic fullness. Superb melodic dynamics, sculpting the space in the song's magnificent colours. Enchantment, complete mastery of the repertoire, a lyrical quality with astounding depth…"

International Organ Festival of Thann Collegiate Church. Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, October 2010,L'Alsace

 

The Choeur Lyrique d'Alsace and their choir master, tenor Éric Vivion, were a joy for music lovers!

International Organ Festival of Thann Collegiate Church. Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, October 2010,Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace

 

"The beauty of the timbres, blending of the voices, generous, spell-binding soloists displaying meticulous phrasing, and ever-present elegance, underlined the perfect balance of the Choir...Éric Vivion was flawless as a choir master. His lively, clear and colourful conducting wonderfully united the choir and organ…"

International Organ Festival of Thann Collegiate Church. Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, October 2010,L'Alsace


"Marc-Baron Theatre was too small for the Chœur Lyrique d’Alsace who had brought in the crowds to the embarrassment of the organisers who were obliged to refuse access to the show for lack of room. The earth moved for the audience when the imperturbable soloist Eric Vivion sang. A magical repertoire, a divine, grandiose show of exceptional quality".

Festival Danses et Musiques du Monde, Lyrical Show "Terre de Rêves, Chemins d’Enfance" Saint Mandrier sur Mer, 6 August 2010, Var Matin

 

"Generous and lyrical! A top-rate performance in a register they master from start to finish: lyrical art. "Itin-errance" is the title given to this concert-show. Mozart then Bruckner open the concert enabling the choir to display the multiple facets of their talent, but above all to demonstrate a generosity of sound, which was the main feature of the entire concert. As for Eric Vivion, he's everywhere and everything at once: an accomplished, masterful conductor, he comes back to being a much loved lyrical tenor in a zarzuela by Pablo Sorozabal, and then came the surprise encore, Nessun Dorma from Turandot, backed by his choir in a vocal firework finale which brought the enthralled house down!"

Abbey Church Festival in Ebersmunster, 2 June 2010, Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace

 

"The nave of the Abbey Church throbbed with emotion as the Chœur Lyrique gave a pulsating inspiration to the Heures Musicales in Ebersmunster. Superb costumes, bold voices full of emotion, rather like a moment of salvation taking life to its utmost limits. Sylvie Adam sets the ample audience alight in all gentleness… we move on to Taha Bekri, Jean-Yves Le Loup, P. McLeod, Eric Emmanuel Schmitt, but above all a tenor of tremendous stature, Eric Vivion. And we float away on a voyage of dynamic, vibrant tones. From the start, we should savour the subtle, ethereal accompaniment of Estelle Gerthoffert on the organ. Exactly just what's needed, but with wondrous presence. Beautifully mastered, assertive, bold voices perform a crystal-clear Ave Verum by Mozart. Everything is expressed with a dazzling freshness. The choir voices sing out radiantly, powerfully with the spirit of life. The spellbound audience is totally won over and can but give themselves over to marvellous bliss. Anton Bruckner (Os Justi), André Messager (Kyrie), each new part of the programme is a discovery. The voices emerge from the depths of another universe, leaving the public stunned. What voices! What expression! Eric Vivion's secret lies in this ability to push his singers to experience the emotions, feelings and techniques underscored in these works to the full. The nave is awash with emotion. Everything blends together with astounding genuineness: tragedy, joy, fate, hope. Estelle Gerthoffert gives a rich performance at the organ with an ethereal sensitivity. We delight in a March by Mozart, Trivium by Arvo Pärt. It is luminous and sumptuous. Eric Vivion is poignant, intoxicating, and declaims Pablo Sorozabal's "No puede ser" with such passion and sensitivity. And the choir continues to move the audience through changes in mood and staggering dynamics. Haydn to the point of imploring and the excerpt from Verdi's Nabucco, plunging the audience into esoteric euphoria. A torrent… and then Tchaikovsky's peasant women take voice. You close your eyes. And the men return to glorify Mascagni. It warms your heart and gives you a new lease of life. It's so beautiful! And the costumes! The audience is on its feet with the sheer joy of it. Fantastic!"

Festival at the Abbey Church of Ebersmunster, 1 June 2010, Gilbert Mosser, L’Alsace

 

"An exceptional concert "Mille et un chemins" (a thousand and one paths).The Choeur Lyrique excels in the repertoire they present and for this Palm Sunday concert displayed the extent of their talent. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Ave Verum sublimely interpreted by twelve women and ten men, just like Anton Bruckner's "Os Justi" gave some 120 music lovers the opportunity to become familiar with the perfect execution of all these works, marvellously accompanied at the grand piano by Estelle Gerthoffert, Eric Vivion's very own piano accompanist. Between the different choral works with soloists, Sylvie Adam, the reader, sensitively recounted the spiritual dimension of Jesus' path to death. Power and precision. Twelve women's voices and ten men's voices, all exceptional solo artists displayed the full extent of their art with faith, pin-point accuracy, power and precision. Ammerschwihr had never experienced such intensity and the soulful elevation felt by all the music-lovers in presence of the "thousand and one paths" had every heart brimming over with emotion listening to all the voices of the choir resonating with the tribulations of the Easter mystery. Two encores with works by Mozart ended this superb early evening performance and the choir members and their choir master received a unanimous and fitting tribute."

Lyrical and Sacred Music Concert, Ammerschwihr, 28 March 2010 Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace