Thus, Antonio Poli’s protagonist is not the stentorian bandit to which certain traditions have accustomed us. Instead, he is the young Romantic hero of Byronic ancestry, who finds in nuance and in elegant, aristocratic singing the truest qualities of one of Verdi’s most fascinating heroes. The voice is very beautiful, with a dark and rounded color, the phrasing carefully crafted, and the performance is not compromised by any tension in the ascent to the high register.

Antonio Poli certainly does not make one regret the replacement of the originally announced tenor (...); the voice is perfect for the role: youthful, spirited and, once a few minimal rough edges in the upper register are smoothed out, skillfully controlled in tackling the bel canto/Donizettian heritage that permeates the score.

(...) and in Antonio Poli’s radiant Ernani, convincing for his ardor and vocal generosity.

Italian tenor Antonio Poli has the right voice for the title role: a spinto lyric tenor with squillo and glamorous high notes. He had an imposing presence and moved well on stage. While some may prefer a more dramatic tenor in the role, a lighter voice reflects youth and contrasts better with Don Carlo’s baritone. Thanks to his great charisma, he was convincing as the noble bandit and as Elvira’s love interest. His rendition of the opening aria, “Come rugiada al cespite” was appropriately passionate as well as sad.

I was also very happy to hear Antonio Poli (…) He has a beautiful vocal line, sings with elegance, acts convincingly, and can be genuinely threatening when the role demands it. His love duets with Elvira were lovely.

Antonio Poli certainly connects more closely with what appears to have been the softer and less forceful vocality of the original protagonist, Carlo Guasco. Indeed, from his opening cavatina “Come rugiada al cespite” and cabaletta “Oh tu che l’alma adora,” Poli displayed highly lyrical tenor qualities, lacking some metallic brilliance and bite in the upper register. That said, the timbre is pleasant and homogeneous, and the tenor from Viterbo sings correctly and musically, though without particular incisiveness or variety in phrasing. He seemed somewhat lacking in character in passages requiring bolder and more heroic accents.

Antonio Poli offers an Ernani that is less of a heroic postcard figure and more real, more human, more Romantic in his existential wound, with a beautiful, dark, rounded voice, elegant phrasing, controlled ardor, and high notes approached with courage and restraint.

Antonio Poli is an Ernani who is more Romantic than heroic, standing out for his full-bodied timbre rich in nuances (...)

Turning to the musical aspect, it is first of all necessary to mention Antonio Poli’s fine performance in his first encounter with the title role. The tenor places his pleasantly colored voice at the service of Verdi’s writing and approaches it with the proper awareness, relying on the softness of his emission and the brilliance of the upper register.

Tenor Antonio Poli, in the title role, built an interpretation that continually grew throughout the evening and was filled with many beautiful moments. Vibrant in the trio with the baritone; especially expressive was the splendid “Io tuo fido il sarò a tutte l’ore.”

Tenor Antonio Poli, in the role of the opera’s protagonist, enters dressed entirely in black, with a dark and well-tuned voice, though initially somewhat rough, which improves as the drama unfolds and ultimately shapes a magnificent fourth act.

Antonio Poli continues his survey of the Verdi tenor roles with this assignment (…) At the close of the evening, he sang with generous force and genuine feeling.

His truly triumphant success did not overshadow the rest of the company: Antonio Poli was a convincing Ernani and at times especially evocative in the more intimate passages.