Brian Mulligan (also Donner in Rheingold) sang Gunther with the voice of a king masked by a softness in physical presence that made him easy prey for Hagen.
Richard S. Ginell, Classical Voice America
“Baritone Brian Mulligan unfurled a resplendent baritone as the thunder god Donner and returned in Götterdämmerung as a weak-willed but smoothly sung Gunther.”
-Harvey Steiman, Seen and Heard International (June 19, 2018)
“In contrast to his half-brother, Gunther was surprisingly sympathetic, thanks to Brian Mulligan’s dark, chocolatey sound and obvious reluctance to betray Siegfried. (It didn’t hurt that he and Siegfried sounded perfectly matched when swearing their oath.)”
-Ilana Walder-Biesanz, Bachtrack (June 25, 2018)
“Brian Mulligan sang, as always, with impressive tonal beauty and firmness of line as Donner and Gunther.”
-Lisa Hirsch, San Francisco Classical Voice (June 19, 2018)
“San Francisco audiences have the pleasure of hearing baritone Brian Mulligan and tenor Brandon Jovanovich in principal roles in subsequent operas in the “Ring cycle”, so their welcome appearances as “Rheingold” siblings should be considered “luxury casting”. The power voices and stage presence of Mulligan and Jovanovich in these small roles heightened the appreciation of Wagner’s inspired writing. Mulligan, who is cast as Gunther in “Götterdämmerung”, sings the thunder god Donner’s brief but familiar He Da.”
-Opera Warhorses (June 20, 2018)
“Hagen’s half-siblings, the pusillanimous Gunther and his inconsequential sister Gutrune, are never pleasant company, but they were rendered with unusual dramatic presence by baritone Brian Mulligan and soprano Melissa Citro.”
-Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle (June 18, 2018)
“Brian Mulligan’s Donner was sung in a handsome, lyrical baritone.”
-Operatraveller (June 20, 2018)
“. . .likeable, big-voiced baritone Brian Mulligan was notable as the god of thunder Donner.”
– James Ambroff-Tahan, San Francisco Examiner (June 13, 2018)