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Concert, Emilia Romagna Festival, Rocca San Casciano, 18 July: With the last poignant note from the encore ‘Nessun dorma’ from Puccini’s Turandot and marked by ten minutes of shouts and thunderous applause, the opera concert offered in the Piazza Garibaldi at Rocca San Casciano by the Fondazione Ugo Becattini
came to a triumphant conclusion at midnight with the Romagna public in delirium, bewitched by the eclectic Argentine-Madrilenian tenor José Cura and the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini.Despite the sudden drop in temperature which forced some to leave early, the public generated its own heat so involved and enchanted were they with the beautiful music of the unforgettable evening.
The generosity of the orchestra, skillfully conducted by Mario de Rose and twice by José Cura, whose entire body was like a true matador of the stage, pulling out all the artistic energy of the instruments as a Madrilenian toreador in the arena, the superbly skill and appealing actor and tenor José Cura, even the once hesitant then secure soprano Emanuela Guidice and the essentially dry presenter Enrico Stinchelli, offered such a harmonic show that it satisfied a thousand people….
Cura opened the concert with the aria ‘Vesti la giubba’ from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, the manifesto of every tenor, then the concert slipped away on wings of music by Verdi and Puccini, with the most famous arias from Otello to Madame Butterfly, through the vibrant ‘Recondite armonie’ from Tosca, that brought out complete enthusiasm from the public. …
Quinto Cappelli, Il Resto del Carlino, 21 July 2009
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Cav & Pag at the Met, AM New York
'On Friday, I caught the final performance of the season revival of Zeffirelli's production of "Cav/Pag," a double-header of the Puccini-esque one-act operas "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci." The roles of Turiddu in "Cav" and Canio in "Pag" were shared between Robert Alagna for the past few performances and later Jose Cura.... I thought that Cura was in excellent voice and gave a strong performance in both operas. I always recommend this double bill of realismo melodramas for newcomers to opera.' Matt Windman, AM NewYork/New York City Theater, 13 April 2009
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Cav & Pag at the Met, AP
NEW YORK (AP) — Double duty in Leoncavallo's "Cavalleria Rusticana" and Mascagni's "Pagliacci" has become common at the Metropolitan Opera.
Before this year, the only tenors to sing both "Cav" and "Pag" leads at the same Met performance were Kurt Baum, Placido Domingo, Frederick Jagel, Salvatore Licitra, Ermanno Mauro and Thomas Salignac. Now both Roberto Alagna and José Cura have performed the verismo doubleheader in the very same month.
Cura is not ideal but is far closer, with a baritonial timbre but a big bright side. He combined for thrilling duets with mezzo-soprano Ildiko Komlosi (Santuzza) in "Cavalleria" and soprano Nuccia Focile (Nedda) in "Pagliacci." His "Vesti la giubba" was penetrating [...]
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Cav & Pag @ Met, From Opera Today
'The spotlight on the curtain just before it rose on Franco Zeffirelli’s almost too-accurate Sicilian mountain village drew from us soft gasps of alarm, but it was just an announcement that José Cura, though suffering from a cold, would be singing both leading tenor roles in any case. In the event, his opening serenade did indeed sound labored — but when was the last time you heard any tenor, even in the pink of health, sing that aria of sated love with an easy, leggiero line? For the rest of the night he was fine.....' John Yohalem, Opera Today, 7 April
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Carmen in Vienna, from Opernglas
[…] in the role of Don José, José Cura may have wished for someone more spirited and energetic, as was witnessed in the dramatic Act Two duet, but it by no means influenced the star tenor's incredibly virile vocal performance and poignant, precisely sung interpretation. On the contrary: Cura is more than reliable and an absolute musical revelation in his present form and with all the vocal and dynamic refinement, which in taste and style is unequaled among his colleagues today. Ovations for him […].
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Tosca at the Staatsoper (Vienna), 3 March 2009
'Three artists with extraordinary stage instincts shaped this noble thriller in the 525th performance of this production. José Cura is the extraordinary man familiar in illustration and from the beginning he scores points as the revolutionary and the lover, especially when facing the firing squad at the execution command, recognizing it as the consequence of the perfidy of Scarpia he had understood for a long time. The fact he proved, in defiance of his critics, that his is a still a serious singer positively rounded off his achievement of the evening. With almost sinewy stretched phrases, concentration, and brilliance in the high notes, he sang the aria and the duet in the first act with the requisite fervor, with convincing despair in the dungeon scene and hurled an ardent Vittoria at the police chief.' Peter Skorepa, Der Neue Merker, 5 March 2009
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Stiffelio, Vienna, Feb 09: Wiener Staatsoper: Verdi’s “Stiffelio” with José Cura and Hui He
'The hapless man of God, Stiffelio, arrived (as in the last few years) with José Cura and it is certainly one of his best roles - he does not do much yet conveys the internal struggles credibly. Vocally, we have heard the same for some time: passages with real, beautiful tenorial brilliance - and those in which he does not control his voice. ...Applause.' Renate Wagner, Der Neue Merker, February 2008
'... with distinctive baritone and manly roughness in the low [notes] and with lots of strange sounding tones in the high, José Cura appeared as the preacher who was cheated on. Those who do not like him will always knock the effusive style of his singing while those who like him can almost always take pleasure in his intense singing and acting portrait in the role, as happened this evening when he thanked with much applause. To try to bind Cura to a bel canto line would require a renunciation of intensity and expression.' Peter Skorepa, Der Neue Merker, February 2008
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Carmen, Vienna, Feb 09: Wiener Staatsoper: Bizet's Carmen with José Cura and Vasselina Kasarova:
‘As to José Cura as Don José, the criticism leaves a little good hair, but he is at least honest to the fingertips. Certainly, the mezza voce of the Flower song does not make his voice happy, but as soon as he let loose with power, he does so with full commitment and therefore also to full effect. And he is a fascinating actor, especially at the end. Unlike many of his contemporaries in the role he does not transform into a begging weakling who sprawls at Carmen’s feet pleading desperately. This José, who in the third act has already made plain how much his honor has been violated by Carmen’s behavior, tries one more time to settle things, to give her one last chance: when she pushes him away, he does what must be done without emotion. He stabs her, wipes the bloody knife on his pants and turns away. No whimpering breakdown over the corpse. Perhaps too macho but in any case, a man of honor. And a highly impressive performance….’ Renate Wagner, Der Neue Merker, 1 Mar 2009
‘At moments of strength, José Cura (as Don José) convinced; where it became intimate he came to the edge of his pianissimo art. Nothing new here, but in any case an intense, raging performance.’ Ljubiša Tošić / Der Standard, 27 Feb 09
‘At the very forefront is the concentrated power by the name of José Cura: manly and massive is his tenor, but capable of caressing tones.’ Christoph Irrgeher, Wiener Zeitung, 27 Feb 09
‘José Cura, who seems to relish the role, seemed almost indifferent in the first act, thawing only with the Flower Song. He sang with unexpected control – and suddenly one felt what is actually in the voice, if it is reined in to meet the part. After an emotionally strong third act, Cura changed in the finale to a desperate, introverted underdog, who begs for love and can not tolerate Carmen’s superiority any longer. Thus the murder becomes the impulsive act of a man with no reason to live begging for one last toke of love.’ Dominik Troger, Operinwien, 25 Feb 09
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Tosca, Wiesbaden, Feb 09:
Hessisches Staatstheater: Puccini's Tosca with José Cura and Hui He:‘José Cura, the Argentine-born tenor whose star could not rise high enough for some fans a few years ago has recently been specializing in Gala performances like this one in Wiesbaden. In vocal terms, Cura proved to be a nearly perfect Puccini singer whose voice in piano suggests iridescent colors; in forte, a metal sound may be present. His aria in the third act (E lucevan le stelle) was a trace reserved, his vocal union with Mario de Rose, guest director of the Hessischen Staatsorchester, flawless.’ Axel Zibulski, Main-Rheiner, 23 Feb 09
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La Rondine, Bologna (conductor), Feb 09: '…continuing on to the orchestra conductor was the surprising presence of José Cura, and as a conductor he surely has a future in front of him. To begin with, the care, if you excuse the word games, with which he wraps, protects the soloists is the reason for the sustained singing. … He was attentive to the rich colors that Puccini spread freely throughout this bird that are many times underestimated. Bravo Maestro Cura!' La Recensione, April 2009
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Andre Chénier in Karlsruhe: Wild with enthusiasm
Andrea Cheniér in the Badischen Staatstheater: an impressive gala with José Cura
José Cura is already almost a good friend of the Badischen Staatstheater: now he lent a festive brilliancy to the second opera gala of the season. After two performances of Cavaradossi and one as Don José, he starred as Andrea Chénier in Giordano’s opera of the same name.
The character of the revolutionary French poet is written into Cura’s body. Magnificent was the fiery appeal in the salon of the Coignys when he presents his ideals or before the tribunal when he defends his honor. Also the singing requirements [of the role] lie extremely well within his vocal chords. After a few unfocused moments in the first act, he raced from highlight to highlight, crowned by the scene that might be considered to have taken the honors of the evening, at the beginning of the fourth act, ‘Come un bel di di maggio,’ in which José Cura also found quiet, gentle tones.
Barbara Dobrzansky was an ideal partner for him. One could not have filled the role of Maddalena di Coigny better for the celebrated guest. It was magnificent how both voices in the final duet merged so harmoniously. Vocally, Armin Kolarczyk as Carlo Gérard was highly respectable and quite credible. […] The audience was wild with enthusiasm in celebrating the three protagonists. Manfred Kraft, Neue Badische Nachrichten, 17 March 2009
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Turandot at Zurich Opernhaus
24 May 2009 was a day of superlatives at the Zurich Opera House: Jonas Kaufmann in recital and Rigoletto and Turandot, all in one day!
Hard to believe but the Zurich Opera House was ready on Sunday for three high-caliber performances in a row on its stage, presenting itself as a renowned singer venue without equal. The audience was thrilled from the first minute to the last, especially since of the viewers were in the seats for all three performances.
At eleven in the morning was Jonas Kaufmann with a performance of Schubert and Strauss songs and in the early afternoon was the opera Rigoletto with singers like Elana Moscu as Gilda, Leo Nucci as Rigoletto, and Piotr Beczala as the Duke of Mantova. Finally, later in the evening came the most expensive of the performances, Turandot with José Cura as Calaf, Paoletta Marrocu as Turandot, and Elan Mosuc as Liu. The last had a rigorous day of work, gamely performing in two operas.
It is difficult to believe that the Zurich Opera House could bring so many shows and stars to the stage in a single day. Not to be ignored is the enormous amount of work such a feat takes, including the high number of stage technicians, choir and orchestra needed. What other opera house can bring such diversity and such an illustrious cast at such short intervals in such small space? While the people were coming into the theater in droves for the performance of Rigoletto, Jonas Kaufmann was still busy in the foyer giving interviews and signing. Hardly had the last curtain fallen on Rigoletto than the technicians were already at work building the set for the next costly program. It was impressive how smoothly the day went and practically with no delay.
[…]
José Cura was announced as indisposed; coughs and beads of sweat plagued the singer. Nevertheless he was able to inspire and survived to the end in good shape. His Nessun dorma was brave and his interpretation was convincing and often amusing. He solved the riddle with a laptop and gave us the best of an earthy and macho but gentle Calaf.
[…]
The crowd celebrated with enthusiastic ovations for all the
performances. -
Der Neue Merker,
May 2009,
Marcel Paolino
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Elina Garança and José Cura Conquer the Campoamor
Paul GalicianLNS / Diario Independiente de Asturias
25 June 2009
[Excerpts]
A convincing success. The opera gala to benefit the Fundación Banco de Alimentos that united Elina Garança and José Cura on the stage of the Campoamor won the hearts of the audience that filled the seats of the theater….
The recital began with works by Verdi, Leoncavallo, Donizetti and Bellini, alternating the voice of the mezzo, with her brilliant performance of arias from Don Carlo and Maria Stuarda, with Cura's strong dramatic energy that gave life to Verdi’s Otello and the clown in “Vesti la giubba”. Together they closed the first half with Norma; Cura used glasses to read in snatches from the score, something unusual in shows of this sort.
[…] Cura, who changed from white shirt in the first half to a black one for the second, sometimes exaggerated his strong acting skill, offered a passionate interpretation of Don José in Bizet’s ‘La fleur que tu m'avais jetée’. After three rounds of bows and having presenting works not often heard at Campoamor, came the encores. … . Cura offered a ‘Nessun dorma’ that finished conquering the audience who had gathered for a good cause.
Opera Gala, Oviedo: 'One of the best opera galas, if not the best, to have been heard in Oviedo in decades. This was the general impression among the public who attend the charity gala in the Campoamor Theater on Wednesday, which brought together two great voices of enormous acclaim and different temperaments, Elina Garança and José Cura.
[…] The program continued with a presentation from Otello by José Cura. The tenor sang a shattering "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar», que fue una de las páginas con los mejores momentos de la actuación del tenor. My potevi Scaglia." The Argentine singer, one with a controversial career, transmits the dramatic quality like few others though sometimes the overacting falls into histrionic poses. But add to this his beautiful timbre and good muscle and it all suggests a winning value beyond market invention. At the same time, channeling skills through technique is essential.' Diana Díaz, Lne.es y La Nueva España, 3 June 2009 
Last Updated: Sunday, July 26, 2009
© Copyright: Kira
