Panela sings with a fine, high lyric baritone and really sells the songs whilst never trying to hide their quasi-operatic leanings. He can manage a big climax but also hush mezza-voce so that the songs showcase some truly beautiful singing. His English is creditable and wonderfully understandable. (Berlin im Licht)
ROBERT HUGILL, Planet Hugill
E de repente, dois recitais de canção de câmara, dois compositores, Fernando Lopes-Graça e Kurt Weill, duas visões da música do século XX, uma preocupação similar com a palavra, objetivos humanos e sociais próximos e, em ambos os álbuns, excelentes músicos, o barítono Ricardo Panela, nos seus discos de estreia em nome próprio, a soprano Susana Gaspar e o pianista Nuno Vieira de Almeida, nome essencial no ‘lied’, revelador de gerações de cantores, parceiro de grandes vozes portuguesas e estrangeiras. Em suma, o melhor que se pode ter. (Berlin im Licht, Songs and Folksongs Vol. 2)
MARIA AUGUSTA GONÇALVES, Jornal de Letras
Así pues nos encontramos con tres idiomas diferentes que Ricardo Panela modula y expresa con gran precisión en este trabajo profundo y complejo (…). El sonido del tándem Panela - Vieira de Almeida, con la contribucción en dos de los números de Sousa y Gaspar, es fantástico, la claridad en la pronunciación idiomática hace realmente que también el piano brille, y su voz tiene fuerza y está maravillosamente hecha. (Berlin im Licht)
LUIS OSORIO, Tarraco’s Culture Club
Neste recital, que será lançado pela Artway Records, o barítono ilhavense é acompanhado pelo pianista Nuno Vieira de Almeida, mestre do repertório de canção de câmara, e ainda pelos cantores Susana Gaspar e Alberto Sousa, convidados para várias canções. Com gravações inicialmente agendadas para o primeiro semestre de 2020, o álbum, como tantos outros projetos em tempos de pandemia, emerge de um processo de uma imensa flexibilidade e resiliência, acrescentando às histórias de Weill a história dos próprios músicos e da Humanidade, como um todo, em momentos de particular aperto.
ISADORA FREITAS, AveiroMag
The young, Portuguese-born artist not only drew attention to his powerful, beautiful-sounding baritone, but also to his great role-shaping and acting skills. His vocal production spoke richly in colours, and at the same time he was a great comic - completely relishing the role. (Leporello)
PÉTER ZOLTÁN, Opera Portál
Panela's statuesque figure is a vivid stage phenomenon with humor, playfulness and stage sensitivity. (Leporello)
BEDÖ J. ISTVÁN, Olvassbele
Ricardo Panela , who played Leporello, has also determined the whole line of the piece, so obviously he won the best performer award at the festival. (…) The young singer showed a perfectly mastered sound and stage game.
Cafe Momus - Komolyzeneimagazin
Grand Master Jean de Valette, the only historical character to appear in ‘City of Humanity I - Swar’ was powerfully sung and portrayed by the London-based Portuguese baritone Ricardo Panela.’
YEHUDA SHAPIRO, Opera Magazine
An emerging artist and two-time recipient of the International Opera Awards Foundation bursary, Ricardo Panela (ricardopanela.com) is a Portuguese baritone now based in London. He joined me for tea at Bea’s of Bloomsbury to discuss his recent and upcoming roles as a gambling addict, a mad king, and the hero of Malta. (Interview, link below)
SARAH GIBBS, PlaysToSee.com
It was a full and enthusiastic house for a polished performance of Mad King Suibhne; (...) the singing and the playing were first class - with a remarkable instrumental ensemble led by an outstanding Japanese violinist Makoto Nakata, and conducted by the composer. The cast was led by the Portuguese baritone Ricardo Panela in the title role - impressive.’
BRIAN DICKIE, Life after 50 years in Opera
The lower class couple, Zerlina and Masetto, were the delightful double act of Eleanor Sanderson-Nash and Ricardo Panela. (...) Panela was a lively Masetto, a bit less of a bully than some with more of a sense of bluster, he has an engaging stage presence but also a real ensemble sense too.
ROBERT HUGILL, Planet Hugill
Dvorak's 'Zigeunermelodien' seven songs setting texts by Adolf Heyduk, was originally written in German in 1880 (...). From the first song, 'Mein Lied ertönt' Panela created a virile lyrical vocal line complemented by a vibrant (if overly pedalled) piano. 'Ei! Wie mein Triangel' was lively and engaging, whilst 'Rings ist der Wald' showed quiet calm and control. 'Als die alte Mutter' ('Songs my mother taught me') was sung with a shapely and nicely even line, whilst 'In dem weiten' was vigorous. Both performers brought the right sort of dance-like feel to 'Reingestimmt die Seiten', finishing with the highly engaging 'Hörstet hoch der Habicht'.
ROBERT HUGILL, Planet Hugill
Panela has a consistently strong voice in a sort of dark baritone register and was enjoyable throughout the evening. (...) I deeply love Piazzolla’s music, and to get a whole evening of it performed this well – and in the most bizarre of settings – was a treat.
DAVID KARLIN, BachTrack
From the entire cast, baritone Ricardo Panela's debut on this stage has to be singled out. Despite only singing smaller roles on this opera, he was, by far, the best on stage. He's a singer with a beautiful voice and remarkable technical and expressive qualities.
JOSÉ ANTÓNIO MIRANDA, Fanáticos da Ópera
Ricardo Panela as Dandini did an excellent job keeping up the comedic pretence of the Prince’s ploy and singing with flair and joviality as well.
MARY GRACE NGUYEN, London Card
Rather impressively, Baglietto and Ricardo Panela as Doctor Malatesta sang the famous patter duet whilst pretending to box, a tour-de-force which came off brilliantly. Both were technically confident and conveyed the sheer joy of the brilliant music. Panela made a very fine, rather knowing Doctor Malatesta who seemed rather too fond of Norina himself. He was clearly having fun and conveyed this enjoyment in his vivid performance.
ROBERT HUGILL, Planet Hugill
The entire cast of this wonderful production was very strong, including the warm, clearly enunciated singing of Ricardo Panela as Ory’s friend, Raimbaud.
ANN PINHEY, Haslemere Herald
(...) Ory's charade backed up by the support of his friend and co-conspirator Raimbaud, nimbly sung and acted by baritone Ricardo Panela.
MARGARET DAVIES, Opera Magazine
Belcore (Ricardo Panela), who has turned up to make big bucks and to find a wife, boasted a round tone with good vibrato.
SARAH REID, BachTrack
His brash rival Belcore was forcefully sung by Ricardo Panela in a baritone that would have filled a much larger space. A polished performance.
MARGARET DAVIES, Opera Magazine
Baritone Ricardo Panela’s Belcore was beguilingly sonorous.
STEPHEN WILMOT, Londonist
For me, the show is stolen by Belcore (Ricardo Panela), cross bred between David Brent and Casanova.
OWEN WINEFELD, PlaysToSee.com
Ricardo Panela is mesmerising as Belcore.
DAVID RUMELLE, Remote Goat
Panela used his reverberant baritone to relish Malatesta's plotting and his teamwork in duets was impeccable.
MARGARET DAVIES, Opera Magazine
Baritone Ricardo Panela sang with brilliant and precise tone. (Dvorak, Stabat Mater)
JOHN BROAD, Somerset Gazette
Ricardo Panela, as a traveling salesman (Belcore), turned comic caddishness into astonishing music.
MATTHEW PARRIS, The Times
The scheming Doctor Malatesta was roundly portrayed and sung by personable Portuguese baritone Ricardo Panela; (...) and they teamed up to rousing effect for the patter duet.
MARGARET DAVIES, Opera MagazineC