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THE TENOR VOICE
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Many fine tenors, especially Ben Heppner, have recently labored in the shadow of the Big Three, and a crop of others, including Roberto Alagna (who appeared in ROMEO & JULIET on GP in 2002), José Cura (who appeared in LA TRAVIATA FROM PARIS on GP in 2000), Ramon Vargas, and Richard Margison, have had busy careers. Now that Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras are gradually withdrawing from the stage, new voices have come forth to fill their formidable shoes. One, a Peruvian tenor named Juan Diego Flórez, is expert at the very specialized bel canto repertory of Rossini. But the heirs apparent to the Three Tenors repertory of Verdi, Puccini, certain roles by Bellini, Donizetti, and dramatic French roles took a little longer to surface. But they are here: Argentina's Marcelo Álvarez and the Italian Salvatore Licitra.
Álvarez's dashing good looks and stage presence, coupled with his suave voice and elegant singing, made him an instant favorite from his operatic debut in Venice in 1995. Since that time, he has made debuts in most of the world's great theaters, including La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and Covent Garden in London.
Licitra's rise was even more meteoric. After studying with Carlo Bergonzi, Licitra auditioned to sing at the opera festival in Verona in 1998. He was accepted, scored a huge success, and went on to appear on major stages in Europe, with a Metropolitan Opera debut set for 2004. Then, on May 11, 2002, he made history when he was summoned to New York to fill in for an ailing Pavarotti, who was to sing his Met farewell in "Tosca" (this will now be on March 13, 2004).
Anthony Tommasini of THE NEW YORK TIMES called it "the starry anointing of a potential successor," capped with "an ecstatic standing ovation." "It was his athletic and ardent singing that won you over. ... He is a genuine find, an exciting tenor with a big, dark-hued and muscular voice." The critic also noted Licitra's "viscerally powerful" top notes and his "ability to shape long pianissimo phrases with sensitivity."
Álvarez and Licitra recently made a recording called DUETTO for Sony, the goal of which is to showcase their beautiful voices and vibrant singing. And that it does, with music ranging from Bach, Bizet, Fauré and Gounod to traditional works in Italian and Spanish. It shows how varied the styles and qualities of a tenor voice can be: at one moment soothing and caressing, then suddenly clarion and noble, and then heartbreakingly gorgeous.
Much of the music in DUETTO: THE CONCERT AT THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM is from this new recording, but with a difference: singing in a live performance, as the performers do here, is the true indicator of a tenor's impact, and television audiences are in for a treat. Anyone new to operatic singing will realize that the golden age continues.
Top banner photos: Marcelo Álvarez and Salvatore Licitra (photos by Alberto Tolot) and the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. |
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Marcelo Álvarez didn't see his first opera until he was 30 years old (photo by Alberto Tolot). |
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Salvatore Licitra only began singing when he was in his late-teens (photo by Alberto Tolot). |
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