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Two Recitals by Cura

   Gazzetta di Parma

25 May 2003

 (translated by Martina/photo by Ilaria)

 

Verdi, his land, his music. And José Cura. This promises dreams come true. So how can you not buy a ticket?

Recitals by José Cura, tonight and next Tuesday, at the Teatro Verdi in Busseto (8:30pm). The famous Argentinean tenor will interpret eight arias from Trovatore, Ernani, Corsaro, Luisa Miller, Simon Boccanegra, Un ballo in maschera, Macbeth, La forza del destino, and will mount the podium of the Orchestra Toscanini to conduct symphonies and preludes that will open the doors to the beautiful world of the “Bear” (Verdi’s definition of himself). We will see performances of the symphonies of Nabucco and I Vespri Siciliani, Alzira and Luisa Miller; also the wonderful overture to La forza del destino; and the preludes from Il ballo in maschera, I masnadieri, Macbeth.

José Cura – conductor? Nothing new on the international front. Since 2001 this versatile artist has in fact been principal guest conductor of Sinfonia Varsovia, a title inherited directly from the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin; very recently the same appointment has been conferred on him by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bulgaria. Singer and baton: a Cura divided into two parts? No, a José regained. This is what the tenor said when asked Friday by the press at Palazzo Marchi, the new home of the Foundation Toscanini, about the origins of his strong wish to conduct. 

        

“I started in music as a conductor,” explains Cura, “ and it was only much later, more than 15 years later in fact, that I launched my professional singing career. With the Sinfonia Varsovia I have already done symphonic concerts, among them Rachmaninov’s Second Sympphony, Beethoven’s Ninth, and Pini di Roma by Respighi. With the very same orchestra I have also recorded Aurora and Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony; and I have just finished work on a  live recording of Beethoven’s Ninth. With the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bulgaria, on the other hand, I will concentrate on Tchiakovsky in particular. In Budapest, I will perform Liszt’s Messa Solenne, and maybe this piece, which is very rarely performed, will be recorded live and available on CD.”

 

But José Cura’s projects certainly do not stop there; he always strives to achieve both an alternation and symbiosis of opera and conducting, as was apparent in his triumphant concert at Vienna’s Konzerthaus [last November], where the tenor interpreted some arias from his latest album and then conducted Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony. In Busseto, although a purely Verdian program, the audience will witness something similar: Cura singing, Cura conducting, and Cura speaking, or rather, reciting the monologue of Don Alvaro, taken from the original play by Angel Perez de Saavedra, Don Alvaro o la fuerza del sino.

 

Everything, and always more: this is also where Cura’s appeal lies, and he would still reject – we are sure – potential complaints, innocent and ignorant as they may be, about the mere idea of excessive energy, even when crowned by success. Because in reality we find ourselves face to face with a man who affirms, “In my life I have never been unprepared and lacking: I have always acted, knowing that I have the means to confront what I want. I am a singer and conductor who, before stepping on the rostrum, studied the flute, the violin and the piano, in order to get a real idea and precise knowledge of the rapport between individual instruments in the orchestra and orchestral complexity. 

 

'Directing, for example, also appeals to me, and I have received numerous proposals in that respect. I gained experience in that field as a very young man in Argentina. However, I will restrain myself for the time being, it’s not the right moment for me to get involved in this, because I want to be prepared in various ways, I would like to know very well the new technology in computerized lighting, and I would never want to present myself in the theater – as is the case with certain directors – being the patron of one single cause, one single technique, one single idea among the many that make a true professional.”

 

This tenor, who is Otello, Samson, Canio (an enormous number of people around the world identify him with these roles), we come to realize, is above all José Cura. Knowledge or instinct? Art or cleverness? In opera, truth is theater. And life is a mystery. José Cura, in a high-wire performer’s manner, continues his tightrope walk.

ANTICIPATION

Two CDs Reviewed By the Person Who Created Them

Paolo Patrizi/ translated by Monica B.

 

If it is true, as Berlioz has stated, that a conductor is the most dangerous of musical performers--after all, a singer can ruin his part but a conductor can ruin everything--then José Cura is really reckless.  His latest CD finds him engaged in the double role of tenor and conductor (in the same pieces), running the risk of doing as much damage to himself as to everyone else.  Cura smiles as he listens to Berlioz' quip but takes offense at the critics' deploring the alleged artificiality of the undertaking (first the instrumental recording is done, then the vocal, in which the singer synchronizes his singing with the orchestra by listening through a head set). Cura has recorded this particular CD--a recital disc entitled 'Aurora' and published under the Cuibar/Avie label--singing and conducting simultaneously, without particularly hard work but rather with a lot of concentration. At the point of his assertion--on being asked whether the tenor, the conductor or the producer was the prima donna today- that the critics themselves are the real prima donnas, one becomes aware of a definite resentment toward the confrontations of the critics right in the middle of an otherwise very relaxed conversation.

"First of all, the title is 'Aurora'. It is an opera by Ettore Panizza, the great Argentinean conductor of Italian origin [like Cura, editor's note], who is also a composer of definite weight and worth. In 1907, he composed an opera for Buenos Aires' (Teatro) Colón Italian, which was in those days the official language of operatic theaters everywhere. The Spanish translation came later. It is a patriotic opera. The piece that I have recorded, the "Canzone alla Bandiera' (Song of the Flag), is very popular in Argentina, almost a national anthem... not a very original piece of music, in the veristic style, but nonetheless rich, with a few surprising moments.

That's the first selection; now let me tell you a little about the rest: from 'Norma' to 'Siberia'. I must say, I feel the aria of Pollione is one of those that has turned out best here.  I have sung the role on stage only once because it doesn't offer great starting points. Generally speaking: in a recital, the singer must decide whether he favors singing the notes as written or being an interpreter. I have always preferred the second hypothesis. What's more, one must obviously arrive at a compromise between technique and spontaneity, between the exact reading of the music and the ability to communicate it. If I had to give a mark from one to ten to the ingredients that the artist has to mix and blend into his singing, well then, I say:" Breath: 10. Legato: 10. Diction/Delivery: 11!" But that doesn't only go for the recital. I also pay attention to aspects of interpretation when I select the roles for the stage. As a matter of fact, this return of mine to Italy (then, unfortunately, no Italy for the entire year 2004) began with 'Otello' in Florence and continued with the challenge of dealing with the very different characters of Calaf, Don José and Alfredo at Verona in a short span of time. Calaf was a debut, Don José an old acquaintance, but I still have not figured out whether a role that is tackled several times gets easier or more complicated with each turn. Having arrived at the 10th performance (of 'Carmen'), everything appears less difficult. At the 30th, we'll put everything up for discussion again so we don't get out of our routine. And then, we singers might just be like fruit: ripeness signals the start of the rotting process, of deterioration. The maturity of the artist hardly ever coincides with his best form. When you feel that you have finally come to understand a character, so many years have already passed that a beginning of the decline is imminent.

And on the subject of difficult characters: in September, I will debut as John the Baptist in Massenet's 'Hérodiade' at Vienna, which is one of the problematic roles defying the traditional 'tenor' categorization--as it happens, my preference. I personally don't feel like a tenor, not in the traditional, anthropological sense of the word. I would like very much to be able to sing certain baritone roles, negative and twisted 'bad guy' roles! Sure, the tenor is more 'stellar' than the baritone, but one ought to be mindful not to forget the past. At one time, the baritone was the 'support beam' of the show, carrying the weight of it. Today, he is a component part that must interact with all the others, and it's rightly so. New recording commitments? Those most imminent refer to conducting. I have recorded Rachmaninov's 'Second Symphony' for Avie, still with the same orchestra as 'Aurora' (i.e. the Sinfonia Varsovia, of which I am principal guest conductor). Presently, there are other projects in the works. I chose the 'Second' because it was a symphony that neither I nor the orchestra had ever done; I wanted to have every last one of us come to the score, to this first common undertaking, fresh and new. It appears to me that the result is a Rachmaninov that is less persuasive and more energetic, more 'slavic': I respect how one feels, as a rule. No, conducting is not a phase. I have come to music studying conducting: I started to conduct at the age of 15; I became a tenor at the age of 30... When certain critics write that I don't know how to sing, it is perhaps because my career actually should have been that of a conductor. I have discovered that singing has become a passion, but initially it was a way to 'crack the market place', a way to a breakthrough in the music business. Let me tell it to you in no uncertain terms: to be a dramatic tenor is a real step up in the world, commercially speaking."

Paolo Patrizi/ translated by Monica B.

The Creative Tenor 

 Magyar Hirlap (30 December 2003)

Attila Retkes

Translated by Zsuzsanna

 

On Tuesday evening – titled as Europa Silvester – a Gala Evening and Ball will be presented in the Opera House featuring as guest star the word famous Argentine opera singer, José Cura. We asked the 40 years old artist about his career, his production company and his future plans.

You came to Budapest for the first time in the summer of 2000 and since then you have planned to return to visit Hungary, but you always make lightning-fast visit lasting only 1-2 day. Have you develop some kind of opinion about the Hungarian culture or the audience?

I was already familiar with Hungarian music – first of all through the composition of Ferenc Liszt and Béla Bartók – while at home in Argentina. These two composers were on the syllabus at the Conservatory and Music Academy of Buenos Aires. The connection and the response of the audience is very important for me during a concert or performance and from this point of view, I have always had good experiences in Budapest: a really good musical layer still exists here and the audience doesn’t consist of snobs who interrupt the performance with applause at the worst moment. The beauty of the refined buildings has caught my attention so far, but this was only a quick impression yet. After the gala evening I will have two days to discover Budapest and I also would like to go to Esztergom. There is an idea that I will conduct Liszt’s Mass of Esztergom in August 2003 in the Esztergom Basilica. I hope this plan will be realised.  Now, however I have to concentrate on the gala evening.  This is the first time that I don’t spend the New Year with my family but instead greet it with work.

You talked—sadly--about the deep crisis of your homeland, Argentine two years ago in Magyar Hírlap. Has the situation change since then?

Unfortunately, everything there is still as uncertain in a similar way as two years ago…Despite this situation whenever I can manage I am at home and trying to help with my modest tools. I dedicated my new album Aurora to the Argentine people.

As I know your new album Aurora was produced by your own production company, Cuibar Phono Video. You had an exclusive contract with the Erato recording company belonging to the Warner groups. Do you not trust the multinational companies anymore?

I enjoyed an exceptional situation at Erato.  My records were released when contracts were cancelled with other word famous artists because of the crisis of the production of records and the most serious recession ever. We separated in peace, but the past years have taught me that it is better to keep everything in my hands. I do not believe in the theory that a singer must concentrate on only one thing, on the art and the roles alone. I am not having any trouble getting to know more about the tricks of management, production and distribution. I only founded Cuibar recently in September and yet I managed to negotiate an agreement with the London-based Avie Records by November that they would distribute my records all over the world and they would be responsible for the marketing and promotion, too. Two of my records have already been released: on one I conduct The Rachmaninov Second Symphony and the other is my aria album titled Aurora as I mentioned before. My plan is to issue 4-5 additional publications in 2003 including a Christmas album…

You always declare that singing and conducting can be harmonised, this is just a question of a “date calendar.” Don’t you want to choose between them in the future?

No, so much I don’t that I would like to find time for a third activity, for composing, too. Before I came to Europe I studied composition and some of my pieces have been performed, including church music. A tenor’s work is not creative at all – I learn one new role in every year and maintain my old repertoire – a conductor’s work is only sometimes creative and I like to find out new things.

 

José Cura - The Interview 

Opernglas

Feb 2003

Ralf Tiedemann

 

Translated by Yvonne

 

"Very hot heart and very cold mind!"

A new music label,  opera conductor debut.. a Star tenor is  taking different paths 

José Cura knows what he wants - and what he no longer wants.

 

 

We meet for our conversation in the Russian capital, a town that at the time had caught worldwide attention because of the tragic events at the Musical Theater.  You have rehearsed here during these sad days.  Your concert at the Kremlin took place exactly one week after the hostage- taking and your second scheduled concert was called off for security reasons.  Don't you at times want to lead a different life, more secure, less travel, a less public one?

 

That would be difficult for me to imagine as I have been on stage for 28 years.  I am 40 years old now, that means more than half of it has been a public life.  I almost don't know anything else. 

 

I think that perhaps the year 2003 will be a decisive one. The worldwide crisis we experience is not only an economical one; the elementary question is - War or Peace. It is in these uncertain times the artists need to unite and cooperate.  It is our duty to comfort people through music and theater. We cannot and should not walk away from unpleasant situations.

It seems you wish to make a change at the peak of your career.  Your schedule shows less vocal performances but more conducting.  Is this just an interlude or a turning point?

Indeed, it could look like an interlude but it isn't.  Of course, one cannot plan his life precisely. We are experiencing this drastically during these dramatic days.  I cannot tell you what will have happened in five years time.  For me, this path means a return to my roots, to what made me a musician.  As you know I debuted as a conductor in public at 15.  This was 25 years ago.  I became a professional singer in 1992 only.  

What about the often repeated story that one of most in-demand tenors in the world became a singer only to gain easy access to the business? 

 

This is true - but only partly.  I also moved to Europe because of the substantial economic crisis we were experiencing already at that time in Argentina. Of course, as a tenor - lyrico-spinto - it was much easier for me to get into the business.  I abandoned conducting for 6 or 7 years and have only slowly taken it up again since 1998.  It increased in 2001 when I was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonia Varsovia.

 

For me, conducting also represents a good opportunity to escape from the routine of the opera singer. Whether I like it or not, out of the eighty yearly opera performances, 75% are always from the same repertoire.  So one comes quickly to a point of falling into a certain routine. One loses freshness.

 

As a singer, are you now in demand for Verismo roles only?

 Most of the time.  Verismo is fantastic and interesting.  But to sing the same roles over and over again can became painful.

 

Today you are surely in a position where you have your say on what will be performed?

No, I have a different opinion.  One needs to meet, sit together to find out the best way.  Dialogue is the key. Unfortunately, mostly it ends up with roles like Otello or else.  This is also the reason why I have not conducted an opera so far but only symphonic repertoire - and of this, not the most current.

 

The planned performances at the Hamburg State Opera are in fact your real debut as an opera conductor?

 

Yes, it will be the very first time that I conduct an opera.  I am looking forward to it very much. "Cavalleria Rusticana" is a work I know well and have sung often and have also recorded.

 

Was it a conscious decision to choose for your debut an opera you know well from your own performances as a singer?

 

It was, in fact, a very pragmatic solution that allows me to do both - singing and conducting - in the same evening.

 

You will sing Canio in "Pagliacci" after conducting "Cavalleria."  Did you offer  to sing so you could conduct or did Hamburgische Staatsoper offer you the conducting job so you would agree to sing? 

 

When we met about three years ago, our discussion was free on both sides, without any criteria that had to be fulfilled. We quickly came to the conclusion that this combination was something extraordinary and could be a great attraction. Perhaps it will even be the first time that someone who conducts an opera will sing the lead role in the second part of the evening.

 

In concert performances you have already often practiced this flying change. Do you believe that it will be easy for you to stand the same day for one hour in the orchestra pit and for another hour on stage and act as a fully engaged singer?

 

It will be an adventure, I admit.  The advantage is that I know very well, from my many performances, the character I will interpret in "Pagliacci."  I can look back on sufficient experience and know which inner key to push to reach the character fast.

 

I have no doubt in this respect as you live your roles on stage with great acting intensity. But what happens should the conductor Cura break through the singer Cura?  Yesterday evening, during the Kremlin concert, on some occasions in your role as singer you gave directions to the orchestra.

 

It is true that there is a special way of communicating musically not only within the orchestra musicians. If this were not the case, no homogeneity would be possible.  Of course, one can still experience that when the singer sings his part, all the conductor and the musicians can do is to follow. This is not the right way.  The singer has to develop a way to communicate (with the orchestra): with the eyes, the expressions, the gestures.  All this together makes a satisfactory, common musicianship possible. Of course, one could interpret this to mean I wish to overrule the conductor but this is not true.  I have been working this way with conductors like Sir Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta - and these are really gifted conductors.  They have understood me because they know the basics of good musicianship.  Unfortunately, yesterday evening I had to step in at several times to save the concert.    

 

We know you as a totally emotionally engaged singer, reacting sometimes even impulsively. How can you control your temperament as a conductor when you have to go through all the emotions of an opera?

 

Particularly as a conductor, one needs to remain cool.  One is not only responsible for himself but for all.  Whatever happens on stage goes through the conductor's hands.  Should anybody experience a problem, you are the one who can and must help.  As an opera conductor, you often have only two rehearsals. This also is part of the job and can be mastered by acting professionally.

 

I think it important during rehearsal to bring out all the emotions that will later be interpreted vocally and musically.  In some cases [it's important] even to exaggerate the emotions, to force extremes to know how far one can go. During the performance, the art is not to cross that border but stop just at the limit.  When I conduct, I have already given so much of my physical energy during rehearsals that the orchestra understands my intentions.  During the concert, my gestures are noticeably less. The formula is then "very hot heart and very cold mind."

 

What in your eyes is the greater challenge, singing or conducting?

 

These are very different things.  For a singer, it is a tremendous feeling being the last instance between the music and the audience, to be the executing "Instrument."  As a conductor one feels somewhat less stressed, at least in my experience.  This is because a good orchestra will continue even should you lose track for a few seconds.  If a conductor falls ill, he still can somehow do his job.  Is a singer is feeling just a little bit sick, it is a problem: nobody will sing the high note for him! 

 

Do you think you will encounter difficulties in obtaining contracts to conduct operas?

 

I don't believe so but in any case I will approach it slowly.  I want to allow myself and the musicians sufficient time to realise that they are not being directed by a conducting singer but by a true conductor.  For sure, the orchestra may imagine, "Here comes a tenor to conducts us and it is only because he is famous."  It pleases me when the musicians, after a short time, make me feel that they want to work with me.  The Moscow Symphony Orchestra, with whom I should have given a concert tomorrow [performance was canceled for security reasons], were initially skeptical of my abilities, they admitted after the first rehearsal.  But they also told me they had rarely played the music with such intensity and this in a program of Rachmaninov, their own music and repertoire.  This is how it usually goes: the first rehearsal proves whether you are a bluff or not.  

 

I wish to earn my success as a conductor over time.  In no way do I want to experience another PR-campaign like at the beginning of my career as a singer:  "Here comes the New Tenor, The Tenor of the Century, The Sex Symbol of Opera." This was nonsense and totally dangerous!  When you arrive at a place where you are not yet known but everybody has read the most incredible stories  - the pressure is unbearable!  I will never forget a review written after my first "Otello" in Munich: ... believing until that performance that I was just a Sunnyboy, they finally understood that I was a serious singer. And this was in the year 2000, eight years after the ridiculous PR-campaign.  I will not make the same mistake [with my conducting career].

 

You have already mentioned "Sinfonia Varsovia."  What is the role of a "Principal Guest Conductor"?

 

This orchestra does not have a principal conductor.  It is a free-lance orchestra.  It also has no "season," no regular concert series, etc... So it would not make sense to have a principal conductor.  As the "Principal Guest Conductor" I am holding the highest conducting function and am conducting concerts as they are scheduled.  If they had a fixed season, it would be impossible for me to act as principal conductor - my tight schedule would not allow it.

 

Does this mean that if you should today get the opportunity to work with your own orchestra, with worldwide engagements, that you would go so far as to give up your singing career?

 

I have been working over the last 10 - 15 years to become a good singer.  Now that I have reached the peak of my singing career -- this is for singers the age of 40 -- it would be unwise to abandon the success of this work.  For sure, I will continue as a singer but will reduce my vocal performances.  I have been singing a lot: up through the year 2000, eighty-five to ninety performances a year - far too much.  Today, forty-five to fifty performances a year will allow my voice to remain fresh for a longer period.

 

There is a new milestone in the development of your career. You have founded your own music label.  Why?

  

Two years ago, I founded my own production company: Cuibar Phono Video.  I am a very active man and always eager to explore new things.  I can carry out my plans, create my own productions and recordings.  Together with an English producer we are about to make a film on "Il Tabarro," to be released maybe around 2004/05.  We also arrange, together with other production companies, concerts all over the world.

For me it is a special experience to be a manager.  It opens many new doors and it allows me to have a view on the business from  a different perspective. 

 

Was (creating a record label) a decision to allow you to do things you love, like making recordings major companies could not or would not want to make?

 

Correct.  I can also make decisions on the choice of singers.  It is always very important to me to engage young singers for my concerts.  The creation of my own recording label is a way to allow me to realise my own ideas.  To create official recordings you need a legal company.  I am very pleased, I have signed the joint venture contract between my company and Avie Records for the marketing and distribution of my recordings.  It is a young, dynamic company in London that markets selected product lines in an exclusive way.

 

 Are other recordings planned with major labels?

 

Not at the moment.  The reason is the actual important crisis in the recording industry.  There are no more new recordings of entire operas, almost only of recitals and, of course, live recordings!  But studio opera recordings?  Almost none. 

 

More and more smaller music labels are appearing on the market.  Is this a reaction to the crisis in music business?  Will the majors lose their influence long-term?

 

Let me answer this way.  When a big elephant has a problem with a small nail, it can be helped by simply getting rid of the nail.  The problem in today's CD-market is that the classical music department of a major company represents just a small part.  If there is not enough demand and therefore not enough profitability in the classical music market, you just get rid of it and the Major company will survive.

 

As a small label, you need to operate differently.  You are not allowed to ignore problems.  On the one hand this means great risks but it also forces you to be very flexible.  The influence of the market is less but it is more difficult to become established in the market place.

 

On the first solo-CD of your own label you have recorded a series of interesting opera arias.  Do you have plans to sing some of those operas on stage?

 

I did already sing on stage "La Gioconda" and "Il Corsaro." As for plans on "L'Africana," I don't know. I recorded the aria of "L'Amico Fritz" because I love it but for the entire opera I am not the right tenor.  There could be a possibility for "Siberia," it was once thought of for Zurich - longer-term.  It is very interesting music, a totally different, more modern "Giordano," not so melodious as "Fedora" or "Andrea Chenier."

 

What more can you tell us of new roles?

 

I have signed the contract for my first "Calaf" in Verona, and this coming September I will debut as Jean in "Herodiade" at the Vienna State Opera.  In 2005 I will sing a very rarely staged opera "Nerone" by Mascagni (not Boito).  A very strong music, an extremely demanding and long role, because "Nerone" is almost all the time on stage.  I am looking forward to it - for sure it will be another milestone in my career.

Another, less known aspect is that you started composing very early.

 

Before I came to Europe, I had been composing quite a lot because I had much more time than now.  I have  composed a "Requiem," dedicated to the victims of the Falkland war. It is called "Requiem Argentino por la Paz."  Furthermore, a "Magnificat," a "Stabat Mater" and a piece called "Ecce Homo."

 

I have also heard of a work for musical theater: "The Girl with the Matches." 

 

Yes, that's true.  It's a small opera for children I wrote in 1992; at that time I was already in Europe.

 

How would you describe your composition style?

 

I believe that my music style today is different from that of earlier times.  From 1980 to 1990 I was still very young and I did not have the European experiences.  Today, I ask myself if I would perform my works the way I wrote them as a young man or whether, with all my experiences, I would want to change them.  I have not found the answer yet.

 

Let us talk now about the classical music field in general.  Where and how, in your opinion, is an artist influenced from outside?  Today, do you feel free and independent ?   How strong is the influence of the opera house and major recording companies on a famous opera singer?

 

Well, as far as the recording companies are concerned, the creation of my own company has solved this problem.  The pressure that was part of my life during the past ten years won't exist anymore.  As for the Opera houses, it would be unwise to tell them what to do.  You get together with the intendants and discuss possibilities.  What has definitively changed for me is that nobody can make me sing on stage something I don't want to sing or I cannot support.  As a result, when I go on stage I am definitively doing what I love. 

   

Do you have a vision on the future development of musical theater?

 

The neo-romantic style that has influenced the symphonic music thirty years ago is now slowly also taking its path towards opera.  You can hear in new operas an integration of melodious music--of course, no honeyed, romantic-old-fashioned songs, but melodies - and not just sounds and noise.  The music is now finding a balance, a compromise, if I may say so, between tradition and modernity.  This will develop in all fields: music, direction, staging, lighting.  It is a small step backwards, after the crossing of borders and limits.  If one would not have experienced this, we would have never known the possibilities of how far one can go.

 

And how do you see the development of opera in respect of direction?

 

Of course, I cannot predict anything but I can make a statement: for five or six years, what was going on on the opera stage had become more and more hysterical, very special, bizarre things, just to show something totally unusual, for no valid reason.  Over the past two years I have observed a trend, the opera directors's staging has become a little less hysterical but more meaningful.

 

More and more singers, also young ones, are questioning the directors. They want to know "Why."

 

Singers are not just executing robots.  Many directors - but not all - have understood the message.  There is some hope for the future.

 

"I became a musician because I wanted to conduct"  

(Sz. J., 28-10-2003) 

Interview with José Cura

The great Argentinean tenor, composer and Orchestra Conductor talks to the Arena di Verona

Prague Post

Argentine tenor Jose Cura has earned some gratifying nicknames during his 25-year career in opera. In 1997 he was labeled “The new Domingo” after recording the Puccini Arias, previously interpreted most famously by Placido Domingo. Soon after, he was deemed the successor to the trio of Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras and hailed as “the fourth tenor.”

Cura has also been dubbed the "Diego Maradona of opera" thanks to an incident in which he yelled at a crowd in Madrid who boo’ed him, along with conductor Garcia Navarro, at the end of his arias. “That was very cruel,” he told the UK’s Evening Standard, “And I got pissed off and said so to the audience.”

Ever aware of the media’s appraisal of him and somewhat sensitive to audience criticism, he reads all of his reviews—good and bad—and often takes the opportunity in later interviews to make retorts to the negative ones. He commends himself on his fitness and is given to making pointed comments about fat opera singers using their art as an alibi for not taking care of their bodies.

In keeping with one of the most clichéd traditions of opera culture, Jose Cura is a prima donna. And his personal flair for drama helps form one of the pillars of his operatic success: he insists that he is an actor who sings, and not a singer who pretends to act. Critics universally agree, praising him for delivering the kind of package—acting ability, an incredible voice, and good looks—that a new generation of opera-goers seeks.

Vocally, Cura is considered one of the most versatile artists of his generation. He rejected a career as a singer for years while he studied conducting and composition, but eventually gave in at age 23 when the principal of his music school convinced him not to let his gift go to waste. Three years later the fledgling tenor was bound for Italy and a career as a professional opera singer. In 1994 he won the International Operalia competition, led by Placido Domingo, and a list of illustrious roles performed with esteemed conductors in cities throughout Europe  followed.

The works of certain Italian composers provide especially ample opportunity for the emotional charge of Cura’s voice to shine. In the past few years, as he has been in enough demand to pick and choose his roles, Verdi has become Cura’s obvious favorite. His interpretation of Otello has earned him more praise than any other role, and yet another laudatory title: “The New Otello.”

The program for Cura’s January 31st Opera Gala evening at Obecni Dum includes arias from Otello and other works by Verdi, as well as pieces by Puccini, Leoncavello, and other composers. He will be accompanied by the City of Prague Symphony Orchestra.

An audience gets from an artist the performance it deserves, Cura says; if the artist feels the energy, love and engagement of the audience, he is ready to give his blood for the crowd. If the unswerving enthusiasm of Prague concert-going audiences is anything to go by, Cura’s Prague debut is guaranteed to be a memorable evening.

She's beautiful and almost coquette. He's a titan of work and macho. Her name is Ewa Malas Godlewska. His--José Cura. They sing together like a dream. It's a pity they see each other so rarely. Recently they met in Warsaw on the occasion of releasing their “Song of Love” CD.

 

Daniel Wyszogrodzki: Why did such famous opera singers record a crossover CD?

Ewa M-G: It's a pleasure for me. I like doing something new. My intuition tells me to do some things and to refrain from other. Looking back at my career I can say that my intuition has never misled me. It's an essence of an art.

J.C.: People should understand that pop music doesn't have to be bad. Words “pop” and “bad” are not synonyms. This is a light music, which could be played during a romantic dinner, etc. One doesn't have to concentrate on it. Nevertheless, it has to be high quality music with good orchestrations.

D.W:  What kind of tunes did you record? Were they written only by Polish composers?

Ewa M-G: This album is full of various music. Everyone can find something for oneself. The arrangements are fabulous and intimate. We covered Barbra Streisand's and Celine Dion’s hit Tell Me. Krzesimir Debski, Seweryn Krajewski, Adam Abramek and Wojciech Kilar wrote other songs. We also recorded Fra di noi--a song, which is originally a part of the “Metro” musical. Krajewski wrote beautiful tunes and I'm happy he allowed us to record them.

J. C: There are many gifted people in this country. No wonder many romantic and early music masterpieces have been composed by Poles. The classical music tradition is old here. It makes an influence on contemporary music. Wojciech Kilar is a wonderful film composer.  

D.W.: Mrs. Godlewska has been living in France near Swiss border. What about you, Mr. Cura?

J. C.: I live somewhere over the rainbow. I haven't been to Argentina for years. I live in Europe. No matter how much I want it, Argentineans are not interested in me. There were some proposals for me to perform there, but they have always been cancelled for political reasons. I feel hopeless. My previous CD called “Aurora” was officially dedicated to my homeland. They didn't react. I got a kick in the ass instead of “Thank you”.

D.W.: How did you get to know each other?

Ewa M-G: I saw José on TV for the first time. He enchanted me... I loved his attitude to music. He's very elastic. He's a genius.  That’s very rare in the world of music.

J. C.: There are some things that I didn't understand. However, she's a great liar.

D.W.: What is the real version?

J. C.:  I was invited by Ewa. I came to Sopot in Poland for one concert. I didn't think it would end up like it did now. Thanks to recording the “Song of Love” single I met Ewa and started collaborating with Sinfonia Varsovia. I became their Principal Guest Conductor some time later. We recorded a couple of CD's already. My meeting Ewa might have been our destiny.

D.W.: Do you believe in destiny?

J. C.: I believe in God. If it's the same for you...

D.W: You meet each other at work only. Where do you spend your spare time?

E. M-G: I like the sun and the sea. Canary Islands... I have to relax completely. I don't sightsee when I travel on duty. I'd love to see many places in the world but it should have nothing in common with my career.

J. C.: I travel a lot, so I relax at home. I love sleeping in my bed and taking a shower. The worst thing is that I'm like a guest in my own house. I spend short periods of time there. Moreover, I don't have time for doing something other than working. I do many things for a living. When I don't sing, I conduct. Other times, I work for my company. I run my own record label. I'm starting a publishing house now. I'd like to publish photographic albums, etc. I love working in my garden in a free time. I know there are people, who don't like what they do for living. I'm happy not to be one of them.

E. M-G: Although we have many invitations, it's very difficult to organize our concert, for José is too busy. I'm a lazy singer. He is a titan of work.

J. C.: That is the truth. I'll be busy during a couple of years for sure. A week ago I arranged an orchestra rehearsal that will take place on 5 May 2010! Don't forget that classical and pop music markets have their own and different needs, like marketing strategies. Now we recorded a CD full of popular music. When pop artists record new CDs, they usually go on even a yearlong promotional tour. Such people have nothing else to do. I would love it. Someone who sells five million copies a year can have a free time for the next twelve months. Such person can just lie on the beach. Meanwhile, a classical artist has to work every day. Speaking of pop music market again, record companies organize special promotional events. They ask their artists to perform there. It's not like that in the field of classical market. Artists like me can promote their albums only during their scheduled performances.

D.W.: That means Poles are very lucky, that you are here.  

J. C.: I am lucky. Originally, I was going to spend Easter holidays with my family. I had to convince them it was very important to promote this CD. I cut my vacation. My wife and kids weren't happy. They had to reconcile themselves to it. It's a matter of compromise. I have to reconcile myself with getting up at 7 a.m. and working until late evening. I don't have enough time to go for a walk in Warsaw and to taste some of Polish cuisine.

D.W.: Do you like Polish cuisine or do you like eating at all?

E. M-G.: Some time ago José cooked a beetroot soup in  the Sheraton hotel in Warsaw. He tried to persuade everybody that it was an Argentinean meal! José, you love cooking, don't you?

J. C.: I do, but it's always an improvisation. I don't use recipes. I usually open my refrigerator and check what's inside it. I cook at home quite often. There is a stove made of stone in our garden. It's something like a sort of grill! Our exemplary bill of fare consists of: BBQ on Fridays, pizza on Saturdays, steak with cheese and baked potatoes on Sundays. One could drink wine also, but I don't do it. I've got to take care of my health. I work up to 15 hours a day. I neither drink nor smoke. I'm already forty years old. Men of my age should take care of their hearts.

D.W.: Is there any sense in dividing music into popular and classical?

E. M-G.: Such divisions are becoming meaningless. In my mind there's good and bad music only. There are genius popular tunes that have a chance to make a history. On the contrary, some classical pieces are worthless and should be forgotten. One should enjoy what one does. A violin player might dream of playing other sorts of music. People didn't accept it before. They changed their minds thanks to some brave artists. One of them was an operatic diva Montserrat Caballé. She recorded a song with Freddie Mercury of Queen. It didn't impact her career.

D.W.: It doesn't happen in music only. People's customs change.

E. M-G.: That's right, but there is one condition: a classical artist can't pretend to be a pop singer. I think José and I forgot about the operatic manner. Everyone knows we are musically educated people but we didn't even try to change colour of our voices. This should be “easy listening”. Such productions must be of highest quality. In other case they would never sell well.

J. C.: We recorded a classical CD full of popular music.

 

The Price of Fame

Anna Augustyn-Protas in conversation with José  Cura.

Translated by Iwona Pomes.

 

You are a world famous tenor. You sing in the best opera houses. Why did you become interested in Poland?

I didn't choose this country. It chose me. Two years ago Sinfonia Varsovia gave me a proposal to become their Principal Guest Conductor. I accepted it. Sinfonia's musicians are wonderful. We are a very creative team. Our collaboration is harmonious.  Please, don't ask for other reasons.

What do you like better: singing or conducting?

It's impossible to choose. I'm an educated musician. I became a tenor by chance.

You are very versatile. You sing, conduct, compose and make photographs... Once you said that you were a singing actor. Do you have any film plans?

Not now. However, I have performed in a movie. I still get interesting offers, like playing in a theatre. One can't do everything, because a day is only 24 hours long.

There is something theatrical in each of your symphonic performances. During your first concert with Sinfonia Varsovia you went down the stage. The orchestra played on, the overture to Rossini's “ William Tell,” without a conductor...

I love what I do. I enjoy myself on stage a lot. This is my style. When I'm at ease, I'm unpredictable. It might be shocking for some older music lovers but that's nobody's duty to come to my concerts. I hope that my authentic way of presenting music doesn't  stop the audience's perception.

Some people called it a part of a marketing strategy.

This is not my problem. These people have no idea of my work and emotions.

Didn't you feel sorry leaving Argentina?

It was obvious for me to go to Europe, because I wanted to sing Italian opera. If you want to be good at Italian repertoire, you've got to go to Italy. You have to live among these people either to understand them or to feel and sing the way they do. Opera is different in each country. You wouldn't fully understand a composer if you didn't live where he or she did.

Don't you miss your home?

I do a lot. Traveling is a part of my live. It's the price I have to pay for the job I love. I got used to it. It helps me to make two ends meet.

And to help others by taking part in charity concerts, etc?

I feel we must help people in need. I took part in three charity events in Poland. The other one was organized in Portugal to help people suffering from leukemia.

Who do you think is the best tenor in the world now?

I will not answer this question.

Who was the best tenor of the last century?

My answer is the same ( laughter).

Why in your opinion tenors raise so many emotions?

A tenor voice has always been associated with romantic characters. Baritones were bad, basses- old.

You sing pop music, don't you?

First of all I don't divide music into serious and pop. There are good and bad tunes only. Some classical pieces are awful and a couple of popular songs are splendid. One can't compare The Beatles with Schubert...By the way, maybe I like pop even better than classical music.

Do you like  contemporary operas? Why they are not that known yet?

It's a matter of some regularity. Even Beethoven's talent was underestimated when he lived. Critics considered him to be crazy. He became popular one age later. Our contemporary composers experience the same. Next generations will prize them. People of our times want to listen to the operas they know, not to the new ones.

Which is your favourite aria?

No one.

Do you sing in a bathroom?

Like every professional singer, I never sing outside the stage. After ten hours of work I'm fed up with singing. Can you imagine a surgeon, who makes operations at home after a long and hard day at work? Each surgeon, singer, miner or every other person wants to rest with one's family at home.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love spending my time with my family the most. My relatives are fantastic. I do my best to be with them as often as possible. I try to be as good husband and father as possible. I can't spend as much time with them as I wanted because of my job.

Did you meet your wife in Argentina?

Yes. We were 15 then. We're parents of three now.

Are your children going to follow your steps?

I'm very happy they don't.

Do you have any time for sightseeing when you travel?

Completely not. I'm too busy. When I finish my work, I usually meet with journalists...( laughter) 

... Who constantly ask the same questions?

I didn't want to say that! I have to be careful with journalists. Once I said that singing an aria from Ponicelli's Gioconda was like an erotic dream for a tenor. The journalist whom I talked with then called that interview Cura's Sexual Dream.

It's funny.

Really? I lost three sponsors because of that. How should I know whether to trust my interviewer or not?  The journalist knows me better than I know him or her. You have more information about me than I do about you.  

That's right. As far as I know you have a black belt in karate.

Yes, that's truth. I used to have one.

Do you find it useful?

Every method of controlling one's body is good for an artist.

You like cooking, don't you?

All artists love it, I suppose. We are creative people. Although I don't cook often, I do it with pleasure. I don't use recipes. I improvise.

 

TOURNAMENTS: WORLD CUP 2003

Deborah Cheetham and Jose Cura sing the opening anthems When Argentina and hosts Australia meet on October 10 in the opening match of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, soprano Deborah Cheetham and tenor Jose Cura, a former rugby player, will sing the opening anthems.   Deborah Cheetham, who wrote and performed the welcome to country at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and appeared as a soloist in the Centenary of Federation's Ceremony in Sydney, will sing a new arrangement of 'World In Union' with José Cura, backed by the Rugby World Choir as part of the Opening Ceremony of RWC 2003. She will then lead the stadium crowd Australian anthem, while Cura will sing the Argentinian anthem. "To sing in the Opening Ceremony of Rugby World Cup 2003 and to lead the national anthem with the Wallabies there on the field next to me is a huge honour," said Cheetham. "To perform with José Cura is another extraordinary honour and one which I am very excited about. He is such an amazing talent and this will be a very special event for everyone involved and watching." Cura will arrive in Australia on October 6 to rehearse for the Opening Ceremony. He is considered to be one of the most accomplished artists of his generation and celebrated the world over for his performances of Verdi and Puccini, Cura has established himself as not only a great tenor and specialist in. "When, after almost 10 years of playing 'the oval', I had to give up my beloved rugby to dedicate myself to my musical career, I never dreamt that more than 20 years later I would be taking part in the opening ceremony of the world's top rugby event - the Rugby World Cup. "To reach a global audience with World in Union and to have the chance to inspire my own team 'Los Pumas' in the opening match by singing our National Anthem is for me a deeply touching experience full of emotion and pride. "Performing at Telstra Stadium, in the middle of the green, I only hope that my passion for rugby won't draw me in to join the team and play the game!"

 

José Cura:  Tenor and Director

 

On the international music scene, Argentine-born José Cura is considered to be one of the finest and most versatile artists of his generation and, as such, the unrivalled successor to the tenor trio of Placido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti.  Today, his beautiful voice, attractive appearance, innate talent, broad musical education and exceptional diligence have made him a star of the first order.  Originally studying conducting and composition, he had long rejected a career as a singer despite his evident talent.  In the end, however, he succumbed to the magic of singing and now has sung a number of lead roles on some of the world’s most prestigious stages.  José Cura is also permanent principal guest conductor of the Sinfonia Warsovia and has led a great number of world’s renowned symphony orchestras.  José Cura will perform with the Prague Symphony Orchestra on Friday 31 January in Smetana Hall of Municipal House at 7:30 p.m. under the baton of his countryman, Tulio Gagliardo.

 Maestro, I know that you visited Prague, a city known for its rich musical history.  If I am not mistaken you sang here in September 2000, in a recital at the Vladislav Hall at the Prague Castle on the eve of the World Bank and Monetary Fund Summit in the Czech Republic.  What were your impressions from Prague?

 Well, I cannot say a lot – my last visit to Prague was arriving in the afternoon, singing in the evening and leaving in the morning next day.  So you see, I don’t have much to say about my impressions of the city.  Anyway, this time I am going to stay in Prague for almost a week and though the schedule is pretty demanding (rehearsals, meetings with the press, etc.), I hope to have time to walk around and be almost like a tourist.

 Do you have a manual on how to become a great singer?

Yes.  Pray every day and cross your fingers and be ready to jump.  I think that it is a complex combination of courage, technique, professionalism and most of all charisma.  You can have all these things but if you do not have charisma it is more difficult.  If you think of people who were the top singers in every generation you will find that all of them were charismatic.  Sometimes not as good singers or as good musicians, maybe one tiny step below, but charismatic.  And that is the secret.

In 1993 you sang in Torino the role of Albert Gregor in Janacek’s Makropulos Case, conducted by Pinchas Steinberg.  Do you remember this encounter with the Czech repertoire?

My feeling was that the music is great but the singing extremely difficult.  The fact that it was written in Czech means that the stresses are on different syllables than in other languages.  I sang Janacek in Italian and really, sometimes it was hopeless, some of the phrases sounded really funny when they were supposed to fit perfectly with the music.  It proves again the theory that opera should be sung in the original language.  And therefore the next Czech opera I will sing will be when I learn Czech fluently.

 In your profession you travel extensively.  What do you value most when staying in a hotel, whether in Prague or anywhere in the world?

Number one is privacy.  Complete privacy.  I do not want to be invaded by people.  Some hotels respect that, others don’t.  It happens to me that people call the hotel and say “Is Maestro Cura staying in the hotel?”  “Yes”. “Can you put me through?”  “Yes, of course”.  These things are very delicate.  When I like the hotel, I come back again and again – I like it when I can feel “at home” in a hotel.  Because the employees know you, they know what you want and what you do not want.  There is nothing nicer than going to the hotel restaurant and they do not need to ask you what you want since they know what you like – they bring you the water you like, the bread you want, the salad you like, the pasta you love . . . without having to ask because they know you.  It’s like home from home.

JOSÉ CURA – THE “TENOR OF THE FUTURE”

 Rita Szentgyörgyi

Translated by Lilian

At last a modern artist who knows how to make the audience get to like music! At last a good-looking opera singer who is able to make credible Cavaradossi’s revolutionary impulse, Samson’s energy, Alfredo’s fiery love, Otello’s insane jealousy. That by chance he happens to have the appearance of a Latin lover is a gift of God as is his rich velvety voice, artistic originality, his being of exuberant vitality, and his suggestive stage acting.

 [In 1997] A few days before my departure I was informed with disappointment that in the Verona opera festival report I was to make for the TV I would not be able to talk with José Carreras. He had fallen ill in the last moment and a “certain” José Cura would substitute for him in the role of Don José in the Zefirelli-directed Carmen. The disappointment was “increased” by the sceptical remark of the show’s editor in chief: “Cura instead of Carreras?! – Who is he at all?” However, on arriving in Verona, seeing the performance, and finishing the report I was happy. And I still am even today when I recall that magical evening: the catacomb-like labyrinth of the Arena di Verona, the tiny dressing-room, Cura’s deep fiery look in his soaking wet shirt when he was just about to wash off his make-up, the smile radiating from his being, and the good-humoured invitation, “Do come in, let’s get over it at once!” And while the plump dresser was occupied with the removal of Don José’s beard, the young maestro answered my questions with the informality of a natural-born charmer.

[That] talk took place in the summer of 1997 in the year of Cura’s debut in Ponchielli’s Gioconda in the Teatro alla Scala of Milano. It was a triumphant year for the opera singer as it was the first time when he sang Otello in a concert performance conducted by Claudio Abbado. “José Cura: a new Otello was born” the papers wrote about him.

In the Erkel Theatre the Hungarian audience could already greet the Argentinean tenor as the tenor of the twenty-first century who has been the returning guest of the Hungarian opera stages since then. He gave a concert on the stage of Margitsziget on 20 August singing from his favourite composers, and gave a romantic aria evening and conducted Dvorak’s Symphony no. 9 in the Budapest Congress Center on 28 October.

Just like every artist with a brilliant career Cura could also not evade gossip. According to certain biographies he became famous as a bodybuilding champion in Argentina. According to him the only truth in this is that he likes sports, bodybuilding, kung fu, football, horse riding and rugby. And as every great artist he has learnt the lessons of life. He was born in Rosario, the second biggest city of Argentina. He began to play the piano, the guitar and sing by the age of twelve. Pop music, jazz and spirituals were included in his initial repertory just as opera arias. “There is no need to mysticize too much. In his time Mozart was the first bar pianist,” he said with the ease characteristic of him when his versatility, musical erudition was praised. He composes with pleasure today as well, and lifts the baton between two arias. He has mainly dedicated the present year to the conducting of symphonic concerts from Sydney to Vienna, from Brahms to Beethoven.

After studying at the academy of music in Buenos Aires he sang in chorus for years and no prospective opportunity showed itself to start a career as a soloist. It was a real blind-flight when in 1991 he decided to start everything from the beginning again and moved to Europe. He was thirty years old at that time and in addition to this he had a family: with an infant in arms and a supportive wife, Silvia, who currently manages JC Productions in Madrid. He also took a reference with him from his teacher at home, the conductor Horacio Amauri. So he found his way to the tenor Vittorio Terranova, an excellent expert and teacher of the Italian melodramatic style. “He is so excellent,” recalls Cura, “that in two years’ time I debuted in front of the Italian audience in Trieste.” Who discovered José Cura, whose is the merit? The Italians of course say that it is theirs, while the international press connects the illustrious date, the discovery of the new singer generation's most promising talent, to the Domingo singing competition.

“I did not become a star overnight. It is the fruit of hard, purposeful work and resolution over years so that I can address people in the language of music. Success, fame, money and the limelight did not make me presumptuous... Verdi’s and Puccini’s music lead me to become an opera singer. I would like to sing more dramatic roles for I am very interested in the psychology of dramatic heroes. I have a lot to learn also as a conductor. I aim at perfection, I do not settle for less,” he admits of himself.

 

 

To Aim For Much And Be Able To Do Even More

Hamburg LIVE 

 20 Feb 2003

Translated by Monica

"I cannot do everything because, as you know, the day has only 24 hours," says José Cura, the ring of regret about this clearly evident in his voice.  For someone who desires much and can do even more, the inevitable limitation of his working hours is indeed a problem.

The native Argentine evolved long ago into a highly praised tenor of international stature, and also as a conductor, Cura is meanwhile at home on the important stages of the world. Naturally, he also composes but down-plays this area the most. "I can still occupy myself with that when I am old and people won't show any interest in me otherwise," the 40-year-old Cura explains.

Until that happens, a great many curtains are bound to come down; after all, Cura is currently one of the top favorites of opera audiences. That is naturally also the case in Hamburg, where - in February and March - he will be on or in front of the stage respectively, three times. In a double program, he will conduct "Cavalleria Rusticana" to begin with and then sing the tragic part of Canio in "I Pagliacci".

 

 

 

 

*

 

SING EXACTLY AS COMPOSED!

 

Star tenor José Cura debuts at the State Opera in a double role as singer and conductor

 

Monika Nellissen

Die Welt, February 25, 2003

 

Translated by Monica and Martina

 

Perhaps all the questions that one has prepared have actually already been answered by him and been published somewhere. Checking the almost endless stream of PR materials, one reads about José Cura as the singing testosterone jock or about the Latin lover who compared the holding of high notes to an orgasm. With all that, one can easily lose sight of the big picture. Moreover, how should one meet and deal with a man who has by now mastered the strategies of a superbly oiled self-promoting marketing apparatus to such a degree of perfection that he answers allegedly provocative questions so cleverly that the journalist is always the one who looks bad, but never Cura himself? Let's not even try to go there.

 

On the same evening and for the first time at the Hamburg State Opera, José Cura, celebrated as tenor for the 21st century, sings the part of the comedian Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci" and conducts Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana"-- both operas in a 15-year-old staging/production by Gian-Carlo del Monaco. Hence, [we have a] good opportunity to check whether Cura actually sticks to his own rules, often proclaimed in interviews and elsewhere. After all, the Argentinean contributes very good looks: he is tall and not fat unlike many of his colleagues,  and therefore doesn't have to tell the lie- as they do- that excessive plumpness is good for resonance. He possesses it without the "handles."

 

"The two big mistakes are these: that Verismo operas like 'I Pagliacci' and 'Cavalleria Rusticana' are viewed as a minor category of musical drama. Many colleagues believe that they have to shout to portray their feelings," says the 40-year-old. At the same time, he starts to sing a few notes and just leans back in this relaxed way as if he couldn't possibly expect any journalistic feints for the moment.

 

The ‘shouting’ aspect is, of course, a tricky one, as Cura himself has occasionally been accused of it. Yet at the State Opera, he follows his previously stated maxim: "The struggle is always to want to sing feelings in an absolutely sterile environment. That is wrong. We shouldn’t confuse emotions with sloppiness and we shouldn’t exaggerate, but the artists are only human too, and they sometimes feel bad when they’re performing on stage. It’s always the best way to sing as it was written by the composer. That works.”  

 

When Cura sings THE "Pagliacci" hit "Vesti la giubba..." in tortured agony and with controlled sobs, we are honestly touched and affected. And at the end, when he- broken but very calm- states quite as a matter of fact, "La commedia e finita", he has attained exactly what he wants-- to stir us up emotionally with "cold mind and hot heart."

 

The same goes for the conductor Cura. "Let us trust the composer" is his motto. His movements when conducting are rather simple and unassuming but  were obviously so effective [on Sunday] that the Philharmonic Orchestra – despite only few rehearsals--followed his design of a tapestry of sound, as finely spun as it was broadly woven, that never interfered with the singers.

 

Cura has been conducting for the better part of 20 years; he has honed his skills- in addition to choral singing and composition attempts- from the ground up. "Conductor Cura has learned from singer Cura," the star tenor knows. "The natural phrasing which only a singer has-provided that he possesses a healthy intellect-can also be transferred to an instrument. I require of my musicians to breathe," he explains.

 

And continues that he had his most important musical experience as conductor as a 24-year-old with the (Bach's) St. Matthew Passion. THAT we had never read anywhere before! "Bach's music is my greatest passion; it has changed my life," says Cura and asks to consider "that after Bach actually not much more of anything earth-shaking happened in the world of music." If he were allowed to take just one musical score to the proverbial deserted island, it would be the (Bach's) St. Matthew Passion.

 

Cura is a family man, and he appreciates politeness. What he doesn’t care for, on the other hand, is being rudely booed, which has happened to him.

 

"That's as if you would spit a meal, which your best friend has lovingly prepared for you but which you don't like, back out onto the plate.” José Cura likes to speak in clear, vivid pictures.

 

"I am still young, but I imagine that it is difficult to stop after 30 or 40 years of singing. Because then a profound bond, a deep-seated connection exists between oneself and the audience. It would be as if a battery were suddenly unplugged. One doesn't say either after 30 years of marriage: 'Get out of here! I'm going to look for a sweet, young thing.'"

 

The art of getting out at the right moment is a human, not an economic problem, Cura suspects. And we know now that the saying "dumb as a tenor" isn't valid, at least not in his case.

 

Two paths – one goal:

Tenor José Cura as Conductor

Klassik Heute 

January 2003

Translated by Martina

 

Tenor José Cura was among the artists present at the international music fair, MIDEM, in Cannes. The reason for this was certainly also the release of the first CD which features him as a conductor. On the rostrum of Sinfonia Varsovia José Cura interprets Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony in e-minor, op. 27, released on his own label Cuibar Phono Video. During his visit at the stand of Klassik Heute we had the chance to talk to the tenor about the new direction his career has been taking. In the conversation Cura proved to be a very consciously creative artist, who understands how to combine his two professions as singer and conductor in a fertile synthesis.

 KH: Mr. Cura, you are known as a singer, as a tenor. Now it at least appears that you are starting a new career as a conductor. Is this a natural development for you?

JC: I am actually a conductor, both as to my training and professional goals. I gave my first concert as a conductor at the age of 15. I also conducted many more concerts after that. I only stopped conducting when I came to Europe to start a career as a singer. I wanted to concentrate fully on singing to become successful. But it’s not like I decided to conduct out of the blue. On the contrary, I  decided one day to sing, even though I was a conductor, and  didn’t decide as a singer to conduct. I studied conducting and composition. I started to sing professionally only 10 years ago.

KH: Which musical direction do your compositions take?

JC: I don’t compose now. I simply don’t have the time, it’s impossible. Composing is something I’m saving for the future when I’m old and people don’t pay any attention to me anymore, when someone else is in my place, then I’ll have time to compose.

I would describe my compositional style as neo-romantic. It is marked by the type of sound you can find in Penderecki’s second period, the Penderecki of today. It is the kind of sound which is favored by many composers nowadays. They are trying to find a kind of compromise between individual contemporary techniques and expression.

KH: You are a singer and conductor. How does the one influence the other? Does the fact that you are a singer change the way in which you approach a work?

JC: I think the interaction is very strong. People who know me say that I sing with the precision of a conductor. I do everything the way it’s written in the score. It is very interesting, but it’s an approach not everybody likes, because some people love singers who make use of clichés and do things that aren’t written in the score. I hate that! I will usually sing what’s written in the score. It’s crazy: I’ve had reviews as a singer that claimed that I was absolutely unmusical. I’ve often thought about this and have come to the conclusion that many critics are not musicians. They are people who know the music because they have heard many interpretations of a given work in their lives, but they don’t really know what happens. They compare what they hear with what they know from experience, and if it doesn’t correspond they say, he must be wrong, instead of taking the score and looking up what’s really written.

The greatest influence of José Cura the singer on José Cura the conductor is the fact that I pay extremely close attention to phrasing, that the music is played ‘horizontally’, not ‘vertically’, not bar after bar, but in phrases which create another kind of energy within the music. And as I have to stick very much to phrases as a singer – because without phrasing you cannot sing – the influence of the ‘singer’ on the ‘conductor’ is very big.

KH: For your debut as a conductor you have chosen Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony. Why this particular work?

JC: It was a simply decision. When I was appointed principal guest conductor of Sinfonia Varsovia, I asked the orchestra which of the great symphonies they had never done. In our first concert I wanted to present a piece that was totally new, both to the orchestra and to myself. I wanted to start afresh and not with a work from the old repertoire of the orchestra, which the musicians had already played many times before. Among the symphonies to choose from was Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony, which we all love very much and which we finally chose. We recorded the work only ten days after the first concert, in order not to lose any of the spontaneity of the ‘live’ performance.

KH: Which recordings are planned for release in the near future?

JC: I don’t know yet. Everything’s possible. If you have a big label you can realize a lot of recordings. You can balance the expenses: there are productions that sell well, and there are those that don’t, but you can balance the costs. If, like me, you have a small new label, you cannot get involved in big new productions without having recouped at least part of the costs of previous productions. We released the first CD’s only last month, and when we’ve covered the costs we’ll start thinking about new projects. If not, we’ll probably wait until next year. Last November we celebrated our first ‘anniversary’ with the orchestra and we performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in a concert in Warsaw. We taped the live concert, and the recording is actually very good. Sure, there’s some noise from the audience and off and on there’s a tiny little mistake – after all it’s live – but it is a very interesting and powerful recording. Maybe this production will be released in the future. The costs of a live recording are low and that’s how we can manage.

KH: What work would be on top of your ‘want’ list to record?

JC: Many, of course, because the repertoire is so incredibly rich in good works. But there are two things I would really love to do. One project I have in mind I’m not sure will ever be realized: I would like to record the five most famous Fifth’s, that is, the fifth symphonies of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schostakovitch, Bruckner, and Mahler.

And the second thing I’m dreaming of is to record Bach’s Matthäus-Passion. I conducted the work in my youth before coming to Europe. It is one of my favorite pieces, the music simply expresses everything.

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Last Updated:  Thursday, July 01, 2010

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