"Other parts were impressively taken by Scott Scully, Julia Migenes, Omar Ebrahim, Janice Hall, Brian Asawa and Ava Pine, all required to multi-task, as in the play."

".......for All roles, except the main protagonist Prior Walter, are doubled in the opera, too, Anderson and Ebrahim sing Ghosts of Plagues past, but Brian Asawa stands out. He sings no major role but a variety of subsidiaries, yet brings such assertiveness to them that they register well. His bright countertenor, these days mellowing lower in the range, extends Kushner’s ambiguity into the music."

"........countertenor Brian Asawa brought real conviction to the very different roles of Belize/Mr. Lies...."

"Top-notch performances also came from Scott Scully, Omar Ebrahim, Janice Hall, Ava Pine and Brian Asawa. Now, please, a full production from ENO.."

".......the radiant Brian Asawa was the nearest I’ve heard to a soprano castrato."

"...Prince Go-Go, the embodiment of petulance, given lustrous, clarion voice by countertenor Brian Asawa.."

"The cast is exceptionally strong, especially Brian Asawa as the nar-cissistic gold-suited Prince Go-Go, and Susanna Andersson as the manic Gepopo, chief of the secret police."

"Brian Asawa as Prince Go-Go and Susanna Andersson (Venus and Gepopo) provide the most effective vocal performances..."

"The countertenor Brian Asawa was in splendid form as the sissified
Prince Go-Go..."

"...the irresistable Brian Asawa, countertenor al dente as Prince Go-Go also quite the dancer"

"The chief merit of the staging, along with Franc Aleu’s staggeringly inventive and beautiful video work, is that you find yourself chuckling about it the morning after, not least a side-splitting disco scene to a pastiche of a bourrée where Prince Go-Go (Brian Asawa, superb) struts his stuff in a silver lamé suit."

"Countertenor Brian Asawa enriches his interpretation of the infantile Prince GoGo with a hint of melancholy: sorrow about not being able to prevent the downfall of Breughelland, his slightly bizzare Kingdom..."

"...Countertenor Brian Asawa does brilliantly interpreting an
immature Prince Go-Go"

"...Mescalina, a role entrusted to the soprano Nin Liang, and Brian
Asawa, counter tenor who is the incarnation of an immature Prince
Go-Go, both are amazing"

"...and the excellent countertenor Brian Asawa did a brilliant job
in his interpretation of Prince Go-Go"

"Additionally, the other roles were first-class, particularly/specifically Werner van Mechelen as Varlaam and the countertenor Brian Asawa as Feodor."

"...There was good casting throughout with Vladimir Vaneev sonorously as Pimen, John Daszak as Grigori and Brian Asawa as Feodor."

"It is hard to equal Tomlinson's performance, but the tenor Chris Merritt positioned himself well as villainious Bojaar Shuisky; the countertenor Brian Asawa and the soprano Marina Zyatkova also gave colour to their children's parts."

"As in the Boris of 2001, the title role is sung by the British bass John Tomlinson. His vocal performance is again convincing. Equally convincing are the mercurial timbre of Russian soprano Marina Zyatkova as Xenia and the voice of Brian Asawa (Feodor)."

"...Chris Merritt is again eerily credible as Shuisky, Brian Asawa moving as Fjodor..."

"Asawa was great fun as the androgynous Tolomeo, singing with firm tone and assurance. The countertenor brought uninhibited panache to the decadent villain role in his sashaying about the stage and incestuous tussles with Cleopatra, even giving Partridge a resonant spank that could be heard in the balcony."

"...Brian Asawa, who already sang the role in the Scala, the Met, Covent Garden and Paris, creates the most cunning, deceitful and lustful Tolomeo. With his firm staccato in his arias and a fine example of legato in the recitativos he sings fascinatingly though all registers from top to bottom like the role demands."

"The event of the evening, however, was the appearance of male soprano Brian Asawa, fresh from his performances with Seattle Opera as the villain in Handel's "Guilio Cesare." A dramatic and compelling singer, he brought considerable presence as well as superb technique and musicianship to arias from the opera "L'Olimpiade" and cantata "Cessate, omni cessate," both by Vivaldi."

"Countertenor Brian Asawa as Tolomeo, Cleopatra's brother and rival, sang with accuracy and passion."

"Countertenor Brian Asawa brought a delightfully sneering malevolence to his bratty, belly-thrusting, pharaonic Tolomeo."

"....of her conniving brother Tolomeo (countertenor Brian Asawa, in top form both vocally and dramatically)."

"...are few more lyrical high male voices around, and Asawa's pure, clear countertenor projected well.... He brought agility, crisp articulation and a poised lyrical line to the Handel pieces, hurling furious thunderbolts in an aria from Vivaldi's "L'Olimpiade."

No matter what language he is singing, Asawa cares about getting the words across and he brought a particularly keen attention to textual nuance in the Dowland pieces. What's more, he rose to the full-throated climax of Schubert's "Ganymed" without disturbing his smooth tonal finish."

"Asawa possesses a voice of arresting beauty and all the fioratura finesse to make his a remarkable performance. As if that were not enough, he’s an excellent actor who obviously relishes his character’s petulance and machinations."

"...The role of the mean Ptolemy, Cleopatra's brother, is brilliantly sung by the Japanese-American countertenor Brian Asawa. With his da capo virtuoses, his impeccable sharp and deep sonorous notes and a strong, well-driven line, Asawa confers to his personage all the necessary worry. His very original interpretation ... according to Opera News, has earned him many successes in this role, notably in Paris, Barcelona and New York. He also sang Sesto in 2002 with the Canadian Opera Company of Toronto..."

"...the strength and clarity of his high-pitched singing contributed to the quality of the production from New York's Metropolitan Opera, which was staged with lively assurance..."

"...And Asawa has never been in better form. If he feels threatened at all by the increasing countertenor hoard, he must be channeling that emotion into singing and acting like a house on fire."

"Here were thrills galore ... the surging drama of Brian Asawa's riveting alto solos..."

"Asawa's expressive sound and graceful ornamentation made ... one of the evening's highlights."

"Brian Asawa was a standout, his voice an instrument of great power that filled the stone sanctuary."

"Brian Asawa can deploy the silky velvet of his timbre to express the charm of the inconstant prince Licida and to assert himself as the star..."