Despite having sung in the Bay Area numerous times since his 1999 debut — especially compelling were his roles in John Adams’ A Flowering Tree and Doctor Atomic, the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and Handel’s Ariodante — Eric Owens’ powers as a recitalist are relatively unknown here. All the more exciting, then, to welcome what seems to be a Bay Area recital debut that contrasts German lieder with more intimate fare from Debussy and Duparc. Ravel’s Don Quichotte to Dulcinée should be the icing on the cake.
Jason Victor Serinus regularly reviews music and audio for Stereophile, SFCV, Classical Voice North America, AudioStream, American Record Guide, and other publications. The whistling voice of Woodstock in She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, the longtime Oakland resident now resides in Port Townsend, Washington.