Belfast 2006

*October 2006* *BELFAST FESTIVAL*



Friday 20 October 2006 Waterfront Hall, Belfast 8pm José Cura tenor/conductor* Mario de Rose conductor Mascagni Prelude from Cavalleria Rusticana with “Siciliana” backstage Ponchielli “Sia Gloria ai canti … cielo a mar” from Gioconda Giordano Prelude to the second act of Siberia Giordano* Come un bel dì di maggio from Andrea Chenier Giordano Amor ti vieta from Fedora LeonCavallo Intermezzo from Pagliacci LeonCavallo Aria di Canio Saint-Säens Baccanale from Samson & Dalila Verdi* Aria di Don Alvaro from La forza del destino Verdi Morte di Otello Verdi Sinfonia from la Forza del destino Puccini E lucevan le stele from Tosca Puccini Nessun dorma from Turandot Encores Puccini Tra voi belle from Manon Lescaut Guastavino Soneto IV (Argentinean song. Harp and tenor) Puccini Addio fiorito asil from Butterfly

Belfast Festival Tuesday 24 October, Irish Times Michael Dervan The starry opening concert brought a Belfast début with the Ulster Orchestra for Argentinian tenor José Cura, one of those singers whose voice so fits him like a glove it gives him the freedom of movement of any well-fitting garment. He conducts, too, and not without skill…

Ever-charming Cura wows the audience

Tuesday 24 October, Newsletter

Andrea Rea

Possibly the glitziest place to be was the Grand Opera House for the gala opening of the new extension.

Perhaps the trendiest place to be was the Spiegeltent, a new Belfast Festival venue that promises a slightly bohemian experience for audiences in a tent of mirrors.

But I’ll bet you the crowd that had the most fun was at the Waterfront Hall, for the Ulster Bank-sponsored Festival Opening Concert with José Cura and the Ulster Orchestra.

In an age when everyone seems to be labelled a star, each one bigger than the next, it was nice to see and hear a performer of genuine quality and surprising humility.

The Festival programme calls Cura “the world’s finest tenor”, a claim which simply shouldn’t be made. Not that he isn’t great, because he is, but its just so much a matter of taste. And I don’t know about anyone else, but I was prepared to take a sceptic’s-eye view of this musician because of the hype. As it happens, Cura’s voice is pretty wonderful: strong, accurate and well-supported.

Friday evening’s repertoire, all operatic, was a crash course in some of the lesser-known tenor arias from Italian opera, with some firm favourites as well. The concert began with the Prelude to Cavalleria Rusticana, conducted by Mario de Rose, who kept the orchestra on it’s toes by being less than precise in his style of beating. His conducting is very fluid and beautiful to watch, but not always clear.

Cura sang from off stage during this and then appeared for an aria from La Gioconda. As a performer, he’s entirely at ease on stage, moving about and interacting with the orchestra. Indeed, the orchestra was very much a part of this concert, with both Cura and de Rose going out of their way to acknowledge them collectively and individually.

Clarinettist Chris King received special and well-deserved notice for warm solo passages. Cura also conducts, and took up the baton for the Prelude to Act 2 of Siberia, a little-known Giordano piece. He also conducted the Bacchanale from Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilia. He’s a confident conductor, not graceful but with a kind of animal energy and terrific precision. The opening chord of the Saint-Saëns was as well placed and together as anything in the concert.

We were also given a glimpse of José Cura’s acting ability as he inhabited the role of each piece he sang. Death of Otello by Verdi was especially heartfelt, as was the spectre of the broken-hearted clown Canio leaving the stage after the famous aria from I Pagliacci which ended the first half of the concert.

Cura lifted the stool he had been sitting on and carried it forlornly off, the absolute picture of dejection. Cura himself seems a very jolly fellow, and he chatted to the hall and the audience listening on BBC Radio Ulster, making fun of himself and bantering with the orchestra.

Inevitably, there were encores, one of which, Soneto IV by Gustavino, was an Argentinian song for harp and voice only. The ever-charming Cura planted a kiss on the harpist’s cheek afterwards, and I’m sure the entire hall sighed as one.

The concert finished with an aria from Madame Butterfly, despite calls for Danny Boy from the floor. When Cura returns to Belfast (and I hope he does) I suspect he will give us Danny Boy.

And, in the meantime, I’m going to learn the harp!


Charismatic Cura impresses Saturday 21 October, Belfast Telegraph Rathcol José Cura is a rare find. As well as being a talented vocal actor that has the physicality to add a sense of realism to popular operatic roles, he is also a skilled conductor. Last night’s opening concert of the 44th Belfast Festival saw the Argentina tenor perform with the Ulster Orchestra in the Waterfront Hall. A few empty seats did not detract from what proved to be a magical evening. Conductor Mario de Rose led the Orchestra through the beautifully delicate Prelude from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Cura began his performance offstage, later casually strutting around to envelop the audience with his powerful presence as he performed Sia Gloria ai canti … cielo a mar from Ponchielli’s La gioconda. The charismatic performer next switched roles to conduct Giordano’s Prelude to Act 2 from Siberia. Cura’s relationship with the orchestra blossomed as he interpreted Giordano’s Come un bel di maggio from Andrea Chenier and the short but sweet Amor ti vieta from Fedora. A passionate Intermezzo and Ariadi Canio from Leoncavallo’s I pagliacci followed. Puccini’s touching E lucevan le stelle from Tosca, and the crowd-pleasing Nessun dorma from Turandot, signalled the end of the programmed concert. However, Cura was far from finished. Three encores later, this international star was met with a standing ovation. It is no easy task to adequately express a character within just a few minutes of music but José Cura managed it with aplomb. Praise must also be given to the accompaniment. As Cura exclaimed: “What an orchestra!”



Memorable Cura! Monday 23 October, Irish News Ruth McCartney The opening concert of the Belfast Festival at Queen’s is always a great source of conversation and a much talked-about affair. Without a doubt, this weekend’s concert, featuring José Cura and the Ulster Orchestra, in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, will be discussed for a long time to come. To enlist an international opera star like José Cura is a real triumph for Queen’s. This is a man with a hectic schedule around the world opera circuit. The Argentinean-born tenor has won critical acclaim both as a singer and a conductor. On Friday night he entertained the crowd with his sheer excellence in both capacities. The concert began with the Ulster Orchestra playing Prelude from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. Cura kept us in suspense as he sang from off-stage. When he entered, he radiated a warmth, magnetism and great sense of enthusiasm which won the audience over straight away. In his chosen selection of songs, which included Leoncavallo’s Aria di Canio from Pagliacci and Verdi’s Morte di Otello, from Otello, Cura displayed his complete mastery of vocal technique. His phrasing was always perfect and his seemingly inexhaustible voice just floated up to one stunningly brilliant top B after another. His strong voice could be heard clearly throughout the auditorium from any point that he moved to on stage, even when his back was to the audience as he faced the choir stalls. Cura seems to surrender himself totally to the characterisation of each role and his disciplined singing and passionate expression were supreme. He had a very relaxed manner for a super-star and one wouldn’t have expected him to take time to search out in the hall the school choir who greeted him at the airport on Thursday or to applaud the Ulster Orchestra so warmly, but these little touches and his infectious sense of enthusiasm added to his enormous charisma. The Ulster Orchestra responded well to all that was asked of it in the romantic accompaniments and in the stand alone pieces. Both harpists played very sensitively throughout. Cura’s broad talents were clearly displayed in his conducting skills in works such as Sinfonia from Verdi’s La forza del destino when conductor Mario de Rose stood down to let the great man take to the podium. After a few lollipops such as Puccini’s E lucevan le stelle from Tosca and the ever-popular Nessun dorma, Cura returned to the stage to perform several encores and received a standing ovation from a very appreciative audience. This was a very memorable occasion. Well done Belfast Festival!

Friday 20 October 2006 Waterfront Hall, Belfast 8pm

Ever-charming Cura wows the audience

Tuesday 24 October, Newsletter

Charismatic Cura impresses

Saturday 21 October, Belfast Telegraph

José Cura is a rare find. As well as being a talented vocal actor that has the physicality to add a sense of realism to popular operatic roles, he is also a skilled conductor.

Friday 20 October 2006
Waterfront Hall, Belfast 8pm