Bravo Cura

Celebrating José Cura--Singer, Conductor, Director

 

 

 

Operas:  Turandot

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Arena di Verona

2003 and 2005

Role Debut

Turandot, Verona, 2003:  “Sometimes, all you want to say about an evening at the opera is 'Wow!' As Calaf, José Cura's charisma shone from the start, with the size of venue seemingly a perfect match for this great artist. His melodious vocals, with beautifully held top notes, were expertly controlled. ‘Nessun dorma’ was fresh and true, sung with charm and ease - in the spirit of the night, rather than as a challenge or with gusto, as is often the case.”  Opera Now, September 2003

Turandot, Verona, 2003:  “In a magnificent debut, José Cura wore the costume of Prince Calaf.   He proved himself incisive, always with grand nobility of intonation and with an energetic line of song.  Very strong phrasing in the middle register . . . his "Nessun dorma" was of enormous power, soaring at the right point, thrilling and poetic at the same time. The audience would not stop the loud clamoring for an encore. […]  At the end a grand consensus, hearty applause for all, cheering and enthusiastic."  L'Arena, June 2003

Turandot, Verona, 2003:  “The star of the opening night, tenor José Cura, was almost thundered down by Giovanna Casolla's Turandot, but the audience's energetic, if futile, da capo shouts for Cura's "Nessun dorma!" were undoubtedly well deserved.”  Der Standard, 23 June 2003

Turandot, Verona, 2003:  "The 81th opera season of Arena opened in the name of Giacomo Puccini with the fabled world of Turandot and the exceptional Liù of Michaela Carosi and the wonderful Calaf of José Cura. ….Cura was magnificent, with his sculpted accents and impeccable diction, but without the veristic bombast so favoured in the old school."  Il Gazzettino, June 2003

Turandot, Verona, 2003:  "[Giovanna Casolla as Turandot] was cheered and celebrated, as was the audience's darling José Cura (Calaf), who as one of the important tenors of our times faced the challenge of the much-feared role energetically with a present voice of rich color."  Salzburger Nachrichten, 23 June 2003   

Turandot, Verona, July 2003: “[José Cura] fills up the Arena with two words "all'alba vincerò" like a challenge to the entire world, singing supine, with the attitude and the pride of an ancient Roman.”  Il Corriere della sera

Turandot, Verona, July 2003: “José Cura, in excellent form, asserted himself from the beginning with his full and robust voice, rich in accents and high notes: his "Nessun dorma" was particularly noteworthy and and was followed by a flood of encore calls, which unfortunately went unanswered.”    Il Giornale della Musica, 24 June 2003

Turandot, Verona, July 2003: “José Cura delivered an impressive arena debut in the role of Prince Calaf. His performance was persuasive.  The phrasing in the middle register had volume, the high notes were occasionally not fully controlled but his "Nessun Dorma" was the high point: thrilling, touching and poetic.  An encore was not granted despite enthusiastic shouts…. At the end there was hearty applause and enthusiastic cheers.”   Tageszeitung L’Arena, 22 June 2003

Turandot, Verona, July 2003:  “José Cura, renowned for his acting and not necessarily for the biggest of voices, sings an impeccable Calaf and in "Nessun dorma" a high B which others can only dream of.”  Kurier, 23 June 2003

Turandot, Verona, July 2003:  “José Cura's Calaf, in metallic, shining armor, acts the restless, stubborn hero rather than a touchingly radical lover. Since his virile, darkly timbred tenor voice tends to get into trouble in big lyrical arias, he staked everything on one card in "Nessun dorma" and mastered this, his test, with great bravura. The audience, overwhelmed by this brilliant performance, clapped and cheered even as he was singing the last note.”  Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23 June  2003 

Turandot, Verona, August 2005:  “Tenor José Cura certainly doesn’t lack substantial vocal means [and poffered] a technically sound Calaf capable of unleashing thrills with his "Nessun dorma;" frankly, the problem is that he seems not to understand what to do with his character on an interpretative level. Cura seems undecided between a cynical and contemptuous Calaf and one animated by true love’s passion. The former seems to prevail—in the end he rises haughty to the throne vacated by the emperor—conceding little to sentimental abandon and only occasionally lighting up with some flash of emotion.   While it might have been an attempt at an interesting if unconventional reading of the character, the whole thing needed to be better defined and refined to make completely convincing a part that is in any case lies well within the vocal cords of the lusty tenor.    In the end, a complete success, with unflagging acclaim for all the performers…”  L’Arena, 15 August 2005

 

 

Photos 2003

   

 

 

 

   
   
 

 

 

José Cura, the star at the Verona Arena

Diario La Nueva Provincia

8 June 2003

 

The Argentine tenor José Cura will be the great star of the next season of the Arena of Verona, the prestigious Roman theater that hosts several operatic shows every summer in that Italian city.

Cura participated in the presentation of the program of the Festival, which will reach its eighty-first edition between 21 June and 31 August.

The singer will open the season with the role of Prince Calaf in Turandot, the famous unfinished opera by Giacomo Puccini.  Later he will sing the role of Don José in Carmen by Georges Bizet, and Alfredo Germont in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, which makes him this year the main guest of the Veronese festival.

The Arena is "my second home" as it represents "a dream come true" and a place to return to, said Cura.

"Tackling these three shows represents a great joy," said the tenor, who in the specific case of Turandot wanted to reply to the criticism that "I do not interpret Calaf's character until the end."

"It is true that Calaf is not a character I like, but Puccini's music is infinite and that is why I have accepted it, knowing that I must perform the role to the fullest," he explained.

The Arena's managers hope this year to improve on last year's figures, when 572,000 people attended the shows.

 

Jose Cura's first time in Turandot

Opera Lirica

The tenor tells us about his excitement, his love for Italy and the bureaucratic difficulties he had at the beginning of his career in our country.

 

"I will play Calaf in Turandot, my first time at the Arena di Verona in Puccini’s masterpiece.  Verona is a city to which I am personally connected. I made my debut in 1991 in Henze's Pollicino and then in Zeffirelli's Carmen to replace Carreras who had been injured just a few hours before the premiere. Since then I have hardly left the Arena."

With these words Jose Cura, the great South American tenor, opened the season of the famous open-air venue on June 21 with Turandot.  Performing with him are Giovanna Casolla, Aldo Buttion, Hao Jian Tian; the opera is conducted by Yuri Alexandrov.

"Turandot is not a colossal opera like Aida," adds Josè Cura.  "My role is so different from the protagonists of Verdi's Otello and Samson et Dalila, especially in terms of vocal extensions, duration and stage presence."

Jose Cura (originally from Santa Fe) is married and has three children.  He loves Italy and divides his time between our country, France and Spain, places of the soul, lands of choice. He jokingly says he has always felt like a posh "non-EU."

"The Italian people have always loved me but the Italian law towards me has been, at least in the past, inflexible. The Martelli law did not provide that an artist, a freelancer, could be put on a legal footing with his work. Sadly, I had to leave Italy."  Cura further explains, "I am convinced that laws should be enforced but only when interpreted fairly.”

 

 

2005 Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated:  Sunday, July 02, 2023  © Copyright: Kira