A Lack of Subtlety From Hao Jiang Tian

His trademark bass powers through this collection.

Composer: Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, Gounod, Tchaikovsky, et al
Repertoire: Operatic Arias
Artists: Hao Jiang Tian (bass), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Rahbari
Rating: 2/5

Genre: Vocal

Label: Naxos 8.557442

‘It is excellent to have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant,’ says Isabella in Measure for Measure. If only someone had said that to Hao Jiang Tian before he made this recording. He clearly has one of the loudest bass voices around (no wonder his career has been such a success in the cavernous spaces of the Met in New York) but subtle he ain’t. If you want seductiveness, introspection or Rossinian comedy, forget it. But if you want huge walls of sound – and admittedly, it can be thrilling – then roll right up.