“Eric Jurenas sang “But who may abide …For he is like a Refiner’s Fire.” Simulating flames with quick “shimmering” bowing, the strings brought to life the word “Fire.” Mr. Jurenas’s brilliant virtuoso singing rose crystal clear above the spirited orchestral accompaniment.”
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“Countertenor Eric Jurenas sang two cantatas by Vivaldi, both well suited for his vocal range. The training for this kind of voice is a demanding one, and it is impressive to see and hear someone so young with such talent. The challenging melismas that Vivaldi wrote to emphasize words in the text ̶ for example the “a” at the end of ondo urtando và (rolling waves), or the last syllable in mi torno à respirar(breathing again) ̶ were accurately sung with warmth and solid intonation.”
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Translated from Dutch:
“The execution by Jurenas, of the commissioned piece ‘Quale Coniugium!’ by Willem Jeths, made it quite clear that his vocal reading was superior.
That brought the audience to offer big applause for the countertenor and his companion, Bretton Brown. Willem Jeths wrote the song based on the soprano part, but he can be proud of his composing talent through the vocal expression of Eric Jurenas.”
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“A long, long day came to an end when Eric Jurenas, countertenor from the USA, after a lovely ‘Silent Noon’ by Vaughan Williams, performed ‘Quale Coniugium!,’ which was downright thrilling. He played extensively with different intonation and color, let the vowels do their job, and made his performance one of the more memorable of the day. His tone was extremely pleasant which made his performance very worthwhile.”
More“The alto aria “Erbarme dich” (“Have mercy”) was sung here by a countertenor, Eric Jurenas, with beautiful, well-supported tone and compelling expression: merely one of his many superb outings during the evening.”
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“To weave together this narrative, Adams chose the distinctive timbre of three countertenors – men able to sing in the range of a female contralto, and in some cases, higher. Michael Maniaci, Eric Jurenas and Steven Rickards were well-balanced and sang mostly as a trio, adding to an already colorful palette. One of their most compelling moments was “The Three Kings,” performed against low horns and trombones.”
More“Two pieces by Pärt provided the somewhat unusual opportunity to hear secular vocal music by a composer more given to setting sacred texts. Eric Jurenas evenly balanced his countertenor from top register to bottom, encountering no difficulty essaying the challenging tessitura of these pieces. Violinist Yezu Woo, violist Charlotte Steiner, and organist Janet Yieh imbued the inexorably slow-moving accompaniments with abundant energy, preventing the proceedings from dragging and providing Jurenas with staunch support.”
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“Countertenor Eric Jurenas made the reach for his highest notes a kind of musical aspiration, a summons to ‘rejoice again three-fold!'”
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“Mr. Jurenas’ flashy long runs with equally long breaths were exciting.”
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