Clay Hilley

Hilley (is) the real deal. The voice here was bright and heroic yet sufficiently burnished in the middle register to convey the character’s emotional experience. There was plenty of heft, when required, and a radiant hushed upper register. Rarely one to hold back dramatically, he was on fire, especially in Act III, with the necessary stamina to sail through Wagner’s long, drawn-out death scene.

Musical America, Clive Paget

Indeed, it’s fair to say that Hilley is the new heroic Wagner/Strauss tenor on the block…The tenor’s vocal material may be less special than the soprano’s – and he’s less charismatic a presence – but his high notes were steadfast and, more importantly, he has stamina to spare at the point in Act 3 when many Tristans’ voices give up the ghost.

Operalogue, Hugh Canning

Clay Hilley came to prominence in the Deutsche Oper Ring cycles too and has sung at Bayreuth as Siegfried in Götterdämmerung (with one day’s notice) and subsequently Tristan. He is perhaps the most open-faced – and oddly likeable, character-wise – Siegfried since the heyday of the late and great Alberto Remedios. Hilley’s Siegfried is brash, unaware, belligerent, fearless, naïve, contemptuous and emotionally immature, and much else besides; all explored by some understated acting and making out he was forging and then wielding an imaginary sword (including slow-mo fighting), before later using it to remove Brünnhilde’s (non-existent!) helmet and breastplate. Hilley’s voice is not as lyrical as Remedios’s was, but his stamina is unquestionable and – in my opinion – he sings all the notes of the fiendish part with accomplished ease without resorting to shouting on pitch like Andreas Schager at Covent Garden.

Seen and Heard International, Jim Pritchard

Her Tristan was the American Clay Hilley, one of the small handful of heldentenors – heroic tenors – who can excel in the fiendish role, maintaining stamina right through to the end, which he did, with sterling energy and distinction.

The Observer, Fiona Maddocks

The night belonged to the powerhouse pairing of Lisa Davidsen and Clay Hilley. Their artistry and connection on stage were truly incredible, turning the long, demanding duets into a seamless conversation of souls…​Clay Hilley was the perfect Tristan, matching her intensity with a heroic, robust voice that stayed strong until the final breath.

Opera Vibes, Vladimir Drumey

El tenor Clay Hilley ya fue su pareja el año pasado en un memorable primer acto de Die Walküre en este mismo escenario y se pudo comprobar la química y compenetración que hay entre ambos. De voz robusta y sólida técnica, Hilley fue un Tristán más que convincente, capaz de cantar el extenuante rol sin dar en ningún momento muestras de fatiga…Hay que tener en cuenta la dificultad de cantar junto a un coloso como Davidsen capaz empequeñecer al más pintado y, en ese sentido, hay que subrayar la notable prestación vocal del tenor americano.

Platea, Antoni Colomer

Ante la endémica penuria de “heldentenores”, contar con la experiencia en el rol y la resistencia física y vocal de Clay Hilley, supone toda una garantía para cualquier teatro, pues no siempre los tenores llegan vocalmente vivos al tercer acto. Su entrega es absoluta, desde la lógica reserva en el primer acto ante los retos que se avecinan en el segundo y el maratón que le espera en el tercer y último acto. Y Hilley cumple con mucha solvencia, una emisión limpia y buena línea…

Scherzo, Pablo Meléndez-Haddad

“Tannhäuser” an der Staatsoper mit dem famosen Clay Hilley. Wunderschöne Aussprache Wie vor vier Monaten gibt Clay Hilley die Titelpartie. Sein Tenor bietet trompetenhelle Geradlinigkeit, kennt aber auch die federnde Gangart und die zarten Töne. Die Rom-Erzählung gelingt dem US-Amerikaner spannend und intensiv. Eine famose Gesamtleistung.

Der Standard, Stefan Ender

La distribution vocale chargé de porter le récit était, à une exception près, extraordinaire. À tout seigneur tout honneur, rendons grâce au ténor héroïque Clay Hilley qui nous a offert une interprétation très inspirée, faite à la fois d’une fragile tendresse (Waldemar mit Tove Stimme et Du wunderliche Tove, bouleversant), de furie et de rage (Roß!, mein Roß! et Herrgott weißt du Waldemar  même si l’orchestre était souvent trop fort) et qui n’a jamais placé sa partition entre le public et lui. Son instrument vocal est un trésor rare qui combine à la fois des graves au timbre barytonal, un médium lyrique souple et des aigus dramatiques qui se déploient autant dans une douceur frémissante que dans une puissance au cuivre doré.

Ludwig van Montreal, Julien Bilodeau

Stamina, high spirits, and a golden instrument made Clay Hilley’s Siegfried a resounding success…American heldentenor clearly had fun swaggering around the stage displaying a madcap arsenal of gestures, postures, and costume changes demanded by Herheim’s hyperactive directorial concept. And in keeping with Herheim’s collaging of historical performances, Hilley was here clad as super-tenor Lauritz Melchior’s 100 years earlier…Hilley did rise to the occasion, top notes ringing in his love duet with his sleeping beauty. Here again, the almost impossible beauty of Wagner’s music, as Siegfried discovers the sleeping Brünnhilde, becomes a living creature in Runnicles hands. The hypnotic chromaticism, the re-invention of the previous themes, Siegfried’s final aria “Sangst du mir nicht”—come alive with Wagner’s evolving leitmotifs.

Opera Wire, Christina Waters

D’une voix d’acier, Clay Hilley franchit les obstacles dressés sur les pas de Siegfried avec une endurance admirable. Heldentenor évidemment, sans la brutalité que l’on associe parfois à cette typologie, élégant au contraire, attentif au texte, sa clarté, son phrasé, avec pour seul talon d’Achille, un aigu parfois serré – non que la note soit imprécise ou extraite au forceps mais on devine alors des limites sinon imperceptibles. Ultime exploit : le duo final, inéquitable en ce qu’il confronte une soprano au saut du lit à un ténor soumis quatre heures durant à rudes épreuves n’accuse aucun déséquilibre.

Forum Opera, Christoph Rizoud

Siegfried gets even better. Herheim has a gift for comedic detail, and there are outstanding performances from Clay Hilley, as a charmingly hulking Siegfried…Hilley, done up like Melchior in some faded production of yore, is a thoughtful, nuanced actor with a good line in irony. Vocally, he’s the finest Siegfried on DVD, with ringing top notes, perfect diction and impressive tonal flexibility.

Opera News, Clive Paget

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Discography

Amazon | Presto Classical

Amazon | Presto Classical

Amazon | Presto Classical