W.A. Mozart | L’Oca del Caïro (The Goose of Cairo)
Het Laatste Nieuws – June 1990
“Soubrette Greetje Anthoni and servant Romain Bischoff form a duo who are welcome to carry Belgium’s reputation abroad.”
Alfred Schnittke | Life with an Idiot
De Volkskrant – April 1992
“Dale Duesing’s interpretation of Schnittke-Erofeyev’s I was clear
and lucid and was only equalled by his fellow performer and understudy
Romain Bischoff, who stood in for him by arrangement in one scene.
Händel | Messiah
Haarlems Dagblad – December 1992
“Bischoff has an impressive, resonant voice, which in the recitative
‘Behold, I tell you a mystery’ he was nevertheless able to restrain to
an appropriate pianissimo.”
John Adams | The Wound-Dresser
Trouw – January 1993
“As far as interpretation is concerned, the Belgian baritone Romain Bischoff also scores in Adams’ The Wound-Dresser.”
Algemeen Dagblad – January 1993
“Walt Whitman’s lyric – a summary of horrific war wounds – was in good hands with Romain Bischoff.”
Telegraaf – February 1993
“Here too the performance by baritone Romain Bischoff and the Schönberg Ensemble was excellent.”
J.S. Bach | Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio)
Trouw – December 1993
“An equally pleasant surprise was the solo contribution by bass
Romain Bischoff, who of the four soloists achieved by far the greatest
depth, with an inner experience of the lyric.”
Boudewijn Tarenskeen | Persians
Trouw – February 1994
“Also in his acting, the powerful figure performed by dramatic baritone Romain Bischoff produces a stunning effect.”
Qu Xiaosong | The Death of Oedipus
Trouw – June 1994
“But the expressive power of the music and of the baritone Romain
Bischoff in the Oedipus role were so strong that the meaning of Oedipus’
ultimate suffering came across clearly.”
Algemeen Dagblad – June 1994
“Rarely did everything in a new opera fit together so seamlessly.
Romain Bischoff’s singing as Oedipus was simply fantastic…”
Het Parool – June 1994
“In The Death of Oedipus, the baritone Romain Bischoff,
disguised as a Chinese ‘doll’ with his face hidden behind a large mask,
held the attention with his acrobatic voice and effective body
language.”
“The result is enchanting and forces one to listen and watch with bated breath, also because of the wonderful performances by the vocal soloists, in particular the baritone Romain Bischoff in the role of Oedipus.”
Utrechts Dagblad – June 1994
“In particular Romain Bischoff in the title role excelled in a long solo passage using Chinese vocal technique.”
Benjamin Britten | War Requiem
De Gelderlander – September 1994
“The accompanying orchestra and boys’ choir were excellent, while the
soloists Hilary Reynolds, Philip Salmon and Romain Bischoff performed
their parts with great devotion and conviction.”
Ernest Bloch | Bloch’s Avodath Hakodesh (The Jewish Liturgy)
Utrechts Dagblad – October 1994
“Bass-baritone Romain Bischoff was a moving Jewish cantor. In the
singer’s personality, two elements merge: an extremely powerful, lithe
and expressive voice, and a strong personal charisma.”
Kurt Weill | The Four Walt Whitman Songs
Noordhollands Dagblad – November 1994
“With his beautifully lithe voice Romain Bischoff works just as
easily in the ultramodern as the super-popular repertoire and never
gives the lines he sings less than the maximum expression. Especially in
Hans Eisler’s Brahms-inspired Ernste Gesänge the baritone scaled great heights.”
Leoš Janáček | Příhody Lišky Bystroušky | The Cunning Little Vixen
Brabants Dagblad – January 1995
“Especially the Belgian baritone Romain Bischoff as the tramp and
poacher Harasta and the baritone Russel Smythe were impressive.”
Parool – July 2005
“In the third act the Fox is to end up as a new muff for the
sweetheart of poacher Harasta, a convincingly jocular role played by
Romain Bischoff.”
Viktor Ullman | Der Kaiser von Atlantis (The Emperor of Atlantis)
Het Parool – May 1995
“The soloists gave penetrating performances, and in the first
place – balancing convincingly between madness, power and melancholy –
Romain Bischoff, who not only acts well but also sings excellently.”
De Volkskrant – May 1995
“Also the soloists, with starring roles for Romain Bischoff (the
Emperor) and Piet Vansighen (Death), played their parts with verve.”
Händel | Alcina
De Volkskrant – August 1996
“Romain Bischoff interpreted his role with verve.”
NRC Handelsblad – September 1996
”Melisso is on stage almost all the time but does not have a lot
to sing… A lonely figure, until Romain Bischoff sings. Then the world
revolves around him…”
W.A. Mozart | Don Giovanni
NRC Handelsblad – April 1996
“This production assigns a prominent role to Leporello, a
small-minded, miserly and dirty little man, performed and sung
impressively by the Dutch baritone Romain Bischoff.”
De avond van Micha Hamel (The evening of Micha Hamel)
De Volkskrant – February 1997
“(…) Thus something banal gains an elevated aspect. For the rest,
the expressiveness of these miniatures depends equally on the
magnificent delivery of Romain Bischoff, for whom the cycle was
composed.”
Robert Heppener | Een Ziel van Hout (A Wooden Soul)
De Volkskrant – June 1998
“Romain Bischoff shines as the coarse, split Wohlbrecht…”
NRC Handelsblad – June 1998
“But also the other musicians, particularly Romain Bischoff, were up to the mark.”
Manuel de Falla | El retablo de Maese Pedro (Master Peter’s Puppet Show)
Haarlems Dagblad – November 1999
“The bass Romain Bischoff is a convincing Don Quichote.”
J.S. Bach | Matthäus Passion (St Mathew Passion)
Zwolsch Dagblad – March 1999
“The bass Romain Bischoff gave the part of Christ a fine and powerful weight, and the character of a peacemaker.”
Guo Wenjing | Nachtelijk Banket (Night Banquet)
Noordhollands Dagblad – December 1999
“Particularly Romain Bischoff as the court painter and porter Zhuo
Wenju gave a hysterical performance, in which he went radically in
search of fitting vocal extremes.”
Werner Herbers | Ebony Band
Trouw – March 2005
“In the semi-staged setting in Grosz’s burlesque, in particular as a
singer and actor the energetic Romain Bischoff bursts from the stage.”
Robert Zuidam| Rages d’amours
Trouw – June 2005
“Fine roles also from Hilary Summers and a narrating Romain Bischoff.”
Benjamin Britten | Curlew River
Algemeen Dagblad – November 2006
“Vocally just as impressive and highly expressive is the Ferryman Romain Bischoff.”
Maria de Alvear | Colourful Penis
Die Opernwelt – December 2008
”Wie ein spukhafter Reigen tanzen kauzige Wichte, lasziv
herausgeputzte Frauen um den Soldaten (mit schmerzensreichem
Bassbariton: Romain Bischoff).”
Seung-Ah Oh | Lege Wieg – Boş Beşik (Empty Cradle)
NRC Handelsblad – April 2010
Romain Bischoff conducts the instrumental ensemble, seated a long
way back in the auditorium, from a great distance (he sits in the
audience himself), but nevertheless he is able to bring out many
nuances.”