Press Reviews

"It is a pleasure to report that "The Tyrant" is a tour-de-force - a gripping music-theater piece that is witty, poignant and wonderfully effective." - Melinda Bargreen, The Seattle Times (download pdf)

"Tenor John Duykers returned to Seattle Sunday night in an unforgettable portrayal of a tyrant..." - Philippa Kiraly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (download pdf)

"One is reminded of Dresher's monodrama of two decades past, "Slow Fire," but his musical resources are now more sophisticated. Intricately orchestrated, with one fascinating sequence for clockwork percussion patterns, the score ranges comfortably from lyrical compassion to dissonant backgrounds and an outbreak of free jazz." - Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times (download pdf)

"Composer Paul Dresher, in collaboration with writer Jim Lewis and tenor John Duykers (Nixon in China), has created a significant new music theater work entitled The Tyrant, inspired by Italo Calvino's short story A King Listens." -Jerry Zinser, Sequenza 21 (download pdf)