Aye: Akhnaten / English National Opera 2023
“…the trio of dissenters – Paul Curievic’s High Priest of Amon, Jolyon Loy’s Aye (his top hat adorned with a skull) and Benson Wilson’s general Horemhab – all delivered their roles with authority. “
Opera Today
“Jolyon Loy makes a fine ENO debut as Aye…”
Seen and Heard International
Tarquinius: The Rape of Lucretia / Royal Opera, London, 2022
“The cast reacted to Mears’ challenging staging with a performative style of total commitment, both vocal and physical. Jolyon Loy’s Tarquinius drew the eye; a towering figure with Hollywood looks, Loy’s studied movements immediately conveyed a restless shiftiness to Tarquinius and imbued him with a disturbing wildness from the outset. That, combined with the mellow seductiveness of Loy’s baritone and his pointed diction, gave hints of a Don Giovanni and it would be intriguing to see Loy tackle that role.”
Bachtrack
“Jolyon Loy’s stormy sonorous vocal performance as Tarquinius is virile and concrete. But he carves room for just enough darkness behind the façade to suggest that the Prince of Rome is more insecure than he realises.”
Broadway World
“Musically Collatinus, Junius, and Tarquinius (Jolyon Loy) express not so much an overt brute force as an insidious lustre, particularly the latter as he hovers over the sleeping Lucretia and insinuates himself into her dreams, making her believe that at this point she is embracing her husband.”
Classical Source
“Baritone Jolyon Loy is an impressively repellant Tarquinius, a physically powerful figure used to his own way but with distressing incel views about women.”
Culture Whisper
“Jolyon Loy’s towering Tarquinius”
Financial Times
“Musically it’s extremely fine, with superb central performances from Stanley and Loy. Loy’s Tarquinius seems all the more dangerously psychopathic for being so charismatic of both voice and presence.”
The Guardian
“British baritone Jolyon Loy plays the immature and entitled Tarquinius. Loy is an imposing figure with a suitably threatening stage presence for whom women are either up on a pedestal or whores. His lyrical approach is at its best as he approaches the sleeping Lucretia – ‘Within this frail crucible of light’ – which allows him to display a more tender side to his character.”
London Unattached
“Tarquinius is a difficult role to bring to life, given his character is utterly unsympathetic, yet Jolyon Loy managed to make him three-dimensional. Using his height to his advantage, he commanded the stage, literally towering over the action while producing much nuanced, yet thrilling singing.”
MusicOMH
“Lucretia is well-matched by the Tarquinius of British baritone Jolyon Loy who brings a dangerous sense of sexual entitlement and lack of moral compass to the role. Towering over the rest of the cast, his sheer physicality is threatening enough, but he can be unnervingly graceful too as he glides through Lucretia’s house at night like a wolf on the prowl. His bright, virile voice is impressive, ringing out with formidable top notes, but turning disconcertingly soft and sensual as he bends over his slumbering victim.”
Musical America
“The performances from the young cast are uniformly stunning. The baritone of Jolyon Loy’s Tarquinius is highly engaging.”
Opera Online
“Jolyon Loy’s Tarquinius – tall and hulking – positively gloats and glories in his own masculine aura, though later it’s suggested that he is suffering from PTSD, haunted by flashbacks of battlefield brutality and bloodshed.”
Opera Today
“Physically imposing, Jolyon Loy’s Tarquinius was fatally attractive and very aware of his charms, feeling himself infallible. Loy drew Tarquinius as someone whose lack of emotional intelligence meant that he could not believe he was not the object of attention, which led to his fatal step with Lucretia. It was a fine performance and a complex one because this Tarquinius was violent from the outset, yet Loy seduced us with his physical and vocal charms.”
Planet Hugill
“There is an outstanding performance from British baritone Jolyon Loy as Tarquinius – acting and singing the role of entitled aristocrat with a persuasive mix of arrogance and self-absorption.”
Plays To See
“Jolyon Loy is the most macho of Tarquiniuses, a huge brute of a man who convinces us that he is led by base instinct; and yet his voice is flexible and capable of a multitude of shades. A successful actor has to make us dislike this character, and at that, Loy excelled. Remarkable – as is everything about this production and performance. This is not only the Royal Opera at its very best – it shows great hope for the new generation of singers coming into their own right now.”
Seen and Heard International
“Mears has a cast of young singers at the beginning of their careers; they perform with the utmost commitment and no little finesse. Jolyon Loy’s Tarquinius is a frightening embodiment of toxic masculinity.”
The Standard
“The opera’s villain Tarquinius, rarely without a drink or a weapon in his hand, is clearly disturbed, often visibly out of control. The role is brilliantly played by Jolyon Loy, his tensile, dynamic vocalism underlining his menace.”
The Stage
“Tarquinius – glamorously sung and acted by Jolyon Loy”
The Times
Leone: Tamerlano / Cambridge Handel Opera Company 2022
“Jolyon Loy as Leone sang with resonance and swagger.”
Opera
Aeneas: Dido and Aeneas / Vache Baroque Festival 2020
“Jolyon Loy lent substance to Aeneas with his powerful presence and warm, closely grained baritone…”
Opera
Apollo: Semele (Eccles) / Cambridge Handel Opera Company 2019
“As Apollo announcing the birth of Bacchus, the baritone Jolyon Loy was a suave, commanding and suitably joyful presence.”
Opera
