Category Archives: Tenors
William Tell: Act 4 Scene 1
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd March 2017After an hiatus of 85 years, last fall the Met brought back Rossini’s William Tell in its original French version. Previous performances of the opera by the company were done in German! and Italian. One of the main reasons for Tell’s infrequent stagings is its demanding tenor role, Arnold. This part was first sung by…
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Nicolai Gedda 1925-2017
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 21st February 2017Nicolai Gedda died this month at age 91. The Swedish singer was one of the great tenors of the middle part of the last century. His best years overlapped the careers of an extraordinarily large number of great tenors. When he started singing professionally Jussi Björling, Richard Tucker, Mario Del Monaco, and Giuseppe Di Stefano were…
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I Puritani at the Met/ Nicolai Gedda Dies
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th February 2017Last night the Met presented its first performance of its revival of Bellini’s I Puritani. This show was much anticipated mainly because of Javier Camarena’s first appearance in New York as Arturo, one of opera’s most challenging roles. I listened to the Sirius broadcast of the opera and thus can only comment on the music…
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Il Mio Tesoro
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th January 2017Don Ottavio,the tenor in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, is opera’s biggest nebish. After being alone in a bedroom with Giovanni, a life with Ottavio seem worse to Donna Anna than 100 flights on American Eagle. I think after more than two centuries Ottavio’s still waiting for her to agree to marry him. But he has two…
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Vittoria! Vittoria!!
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 2nd January 2017The tenor’s big moment in the second act of Puccini’s Tosca when is he gets to sing “Victory” twice. He’s just discovered that his favorite military dictator (Napoleon) has won the Battle of Marengo instead of the reverse which was the initial news of the affair to reach Rome. He’s been brought onstage after a torture…
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Recording of the Week: Richard Tucker – America’s Best Tenor
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 27th October 2016Amazon is currently selling this 10 CD set for $16.98. Many of the selections are from Met broadcasts. The rest were made in the studio. There is some duplication with the multi-CD sets release three years ago in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Tucker’s birth. The 1st Act duet from Lucia Di Lammermoor is…
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Recording of the Week – Gigli Compelation
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 2nd October 2016Amazon has a 10 CD collection of recordings by one of the greatest tenors of the 20th Century – Beniamino Gigli (1890-1956). They are currently selling it for $36. I got it for $14, so you should wait until it goes on sale again before buying it. The tenor had one of the most beautiful voices…
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Amadeo Zambon
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 26th September 2016Amadeo Zambon (1934-2000) was an Italian tenor in the mold of Mario Del Monaco. This no surprise as he was taught by Mario’s brother Marcello Del Monaco. Marcello, in his turn, was taught by Arturo Melocchi who also taught Mario. Melocchi was known for his advocacy of the ‘lowered larynx’ method of singing which was credited…
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Keon Woo Kim Wins Top Prize at Operalia 2016
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 27th July 2016Korean tenor Keon Woo Kim shared the first place award at Operalia’s 2016 competition. Founded by Placido Domingo in 1993 to launch the careers of outstanding young singer, the event is still under the guidance of Domingo. The other first place award went to French soprano Elsa Dreisig. Born in 1985, Kim is a graduate of the…
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Antonio Paoli
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 9th July 2016Antonio Paoli (1871-1946) was a Puerto Rican tenor; he was the first opera singer from the island to achieve international renown. The son of a Venezuelan mother and Corsican father, orphaned at 12, he moved to Spain with his sister where he began vocal studies. He continued these studies in Italy and made his formal…
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