José Cura, the Black Belt Sexy Tenor

Horizon

AN

February 2010

When he was eight his piano teacher sent him home saying it was clearly audible he was not interested in music, but never mind—he had no talent anyway.  When he nevertheless decided to become a musician his father patted him on the back saying, ‘Alright son, be a musician but what job will you do?’ At the age of hardly 30 he sold his apartment in Argentina—for a quarter of his concert fee today—packed up his wife and baby and moved to Europe where he dreamt about music, while living in a garage and collecting firewood at night.  Then came the breakthrough, since when the world has known him as the ‘fourth tenor,’ the ‘sexy tenor’ and sometimes the ‘arrogant tenor.’ José Cura was in Budapest as this year’s star guest of the opera ball.  He talked to Horizon about roles, writing fiction and responsibility to God—without the slightest trace of arrogance.

When you left Argentina with your family for Europe you encountered extreme hardship.  What gave you faith and strength for such a change?

It’s in my genes.  My grandparents were immigrants from Lebanon, Italy and Spain.  They fled for survival to Argentina at the beginning of the 20^th century.   We are usually referred to as ‘remigrants’ because we return to Europe as the second or third generation.  It’s like the surge of the sea—it takes people from one corner of the Earth to another.

Will you settle in Madrid for good?

Yes, I’m planning to stay there.  When we left Argentina we only had our first child, who was still very little.  The other two were born over here.  For them, Argentina is only dad’s and mum’s homeland.  It wouldn’t be fair on them if we moved back, yet it’s conceivable that I will spend more time there in the future.

Most of your roles are connected to Verdi and Puccini—is it a personal attraction or are they the most appropriate for your voice?

My repertoire is basically French and Italian, and the latter’s two most important composers are Verdi and Puccini.  They also composed the most.  So it’s rather a question of quantity and specialization.  I’m a ‘specialist’ of this repertoire—even if it sounds rather funny.

Are they also your favourite composers?

I don’t have favourites, because a favourite somewhat limits you.  I’d rather say I sing their pieces with pleasure, though of course not all of them.

Does it help on stage that you not only have the voice but, as a former body builder and a Hung-Fu Black Belt, you also have a bearing for certain roles?

Very much so.  The biggest trouble with opera is that many people think that once they have a good singing voice it’ll make them a good opera singer.  But that’s a big mistake. An opera singer is one who can perform  and sing in equal measure.  If someone auditions for a musical but doesn’t know how to act, jump and sing all at the same time, they can get the boot. However, at an opera audition it’s enough for the singer to pull off the high C and the contract is signed.  Isn’t it a joke?  It’s constantly discussed how young people could be attracted to the opera, though there’s no secret in it.  There’s no need to be modern by having Aida arrive in a flying saucer and Troubadour on a Kawasaki.  That’s rubbish.  Young people also want real acting and real singing.  Many people are irritated because I attribute such significance to acting and I’m often criticized for it.  But that is the real revolution, not the many ridiculous ways of staging an opera, which is only about having a big sensation picked up by the media.

You do not seem to agree with the increasingly fashionable director-oriented opera.

I’ve also done crazy things.  It’s great if something is crazy, but full of ideas.  The trouble is when something is mad and empty, aiming only to stand out. You can undress naked on stage if it’s artistically necessary.  But if nudity replaces the message it is stupid and pathetic—just like those who buy tickets for a production because of that.  They’d be better off switching on the internet.  It’s full of nudity and you don’t even have to pay for it.

You became famous as a tenor when you began conduction, which was received with much incomprehension.

I’ve got to a point in life when I don’t want to set limits for myself.  For a long time I didn’t dare do certain thing because I was worried about what people would say. After a long time I started conducting and many people said: “Look at the tenor, now he’s conducting!” Though in fact I originally graduated as a composer and conductor. After a while I said to myself—I do what I feel like and everyone can say what they like.  If you always pay attention to others, in the end you do nothing.  God has given me a gift and if I don’t do anything with it because I’m afraid of public opinion eventually I will have to explain myself to Go.  If I use the gift then people criticize me, so I lose either way.  In the end I decided that if I had to fight anyway I’d rather fight with people than with God.

Have you got abilities you haven’t used yet?

I constantly discover something in myself, though of course everything is connected to the stage and arts. In 2007 I wrote a 15 minute monologue for a premier and I discovered I could write.  I thought why not? So now I’m writing—a lot. I’ve recently finished my first novel and now I’m working on some short stories.  I may never get them published, but then they will be my children’s inheritance.  Should I nevertheless see them published then of course people would immediately say:  “Who the devil do you think you are?”

What is the novel about?

It’s got something to do with my own experience, since no writer can get away from that.  But I can’t tell you what it’s exactly about. Imagine, should I be so lucky that it appears in print my publisher would knock me on the head for betraying the secret too early!

Singer José Cura Brings his Family to Český Krumlov for a Holiday

Cura will perform at the opening of the 19th International Music Festival Český Krumlov 2010 on 16 July.

České Noviny

14 July 2010

[Computer-Assisted Translation]

Prague - The biggest star of the International Music Festival Český Krumlov, José Cura, is coming to South Bohemia with his his wife and two [of his three] children. The Argentinian tenor will sing twith Korean soprano Kim In-hye at the opening concert on 16 July in the Brewery Garden. Due to the great interest, a repeat performance has been added, which will take place at the same venue two days later.

"I am very proud that my first concert in seven years in the Czech Republic sold out in one day. That's why I am adding a Sunday performance, which will be identical to the one on Friday," Cura announced.

At today's press conference at the Augustin Hotel in Prague, the 48-year-old singer also told journalists that the festival organizers were lucky to have approached him for dates during the summer holiday months since, for example, his participation in February would have been completely out of the question.

"The most difficult thing was to convince my wife to agree to a holiday in Český Krumlov, where I will also be working, but I showed her photos of the town and the family will spend a week there," said the smiling, slightly greying artist, revealing that he and his wife have been together for 31 years.

Cura gave a very relaxed impression at the press conference. He joked with photographers in the front row and wondered if the handsome translator was married.

"There are still about a hundred tickets left for the second concert.  Do any of you want to buy them?" he asked the media representatives.

According to Cura, he will return to Český Krumlov next year to perform an opera in front of the local revolving auditorium. "I hope I won't have to take pills against seasickness," he laughed with those present.

Cura will be accompanied in Český Krumlov by the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Italian conductor Mario de Rosso. Cura himself is also exceptional in his ability to combine singing with conducting. He appeared as a conductor at the Municipal House in Prague in 2003. "Being a conductor is a completely different responsibility than being a musician or a singer. A conductor is especially important in rehearsals," he pointed out. He described the question of whether it is better to be a conductor or a musician as similar to whether it is better to be a player or a coach in football.

The concert in Český Krumlov will feature arias and duets from Italian operas by Verdi, Leoncavallo and Puccini. Cura will perform his famous roles such as Otello, Canio from Pagliaci, Calaf from Turandot and Mario Cavaradossi from Tosca. With soprano In-hje Kim, he will also sing duets from Madama Butterfly.

The character of Otello from Verdi's opera is considered to be very difficult to sing and Cura also pointed out the complexity of the character. "It's not just a play about a handkerchief, but also about racism and disappointment. It is still relevant, nothing has changed in the thousand years since the character was created, we are still killing each other in the name of God," he shared.

Cura is not only a tenor and conductor, but also a composer, opera director, designer and photographer. He has written three novels, he said, but has not yet published them. "I enjoy everything in the world, I have to stick my nose into everything," said the artist, who said being original does not mean being different from others at all costs. In art, he stressed sincerity. "Even Oscar Wilde said: Be yourself, all other roles are already taken apart," said Cura, who first performed in the Czech Republic in 1998 accompanied by the Virtuosi di Praga orchestra.

"Voice is a delicate matter," says José Cura

ČT24

Martin Veselovsky

14 July 2010

[Computer-Assisted Translation / Excerpts]

This year's 19th edition of the International Music Festival Český Krumlov will be opened by the Argentine opera star, the "tenor of the 21st century," José Cura. This will be the third time that the Czech audience will have the opportunity to appreciate Cura's unique voice and interpretive talent, and the interest is considerable; the festival organisers have even had to add another concert. Martin Veselovsky spoke with José Cura, "the fourth of the great tenors," in Události on 13 July.

José Cura didn't start singing professionally until he was 28. Before that he was conducting, composing and playing the piano. In 1991 he left Argentina for Italy, and in 1992 he made his debut at the Arena in Verona in Henze’s Pollicino. Further success came in 1993 in Turin, where he sang Alberto Gregor in Janáček's The Makropulos Affair. But his real breakthrough came when he won the prestigious international competition Operalia in 1994, after which he immediately made his debut in the United States and London's Covent Garden. From then on, he began to receive offers from all over the world. In 2003 he came to Prague, where he presented himself at the Municipal House not only as an opera singer but also as a conductor.

Martin Veselovsky: At concerts, you often include Latin American songs in your repertoire in addition to classical compositions. Can the Czechs also expect this at the festival in Krumlov?

José Cura:  Of course. I'm really proud of that because it's not common.  I'm Argentinean and I usually sing the Italian repertoire, so I'm looking forward to being able to sing songs from Argentina as a person from Argentina.

MV:  As well as singing, you are also a conductor, direct opera, and are involved in photography and design. Normally, one needs to be fully dedicated to only one profession if one wants to get to the top. How is it possible that in your case you are successful in more than one field?

JC:  I don't know, you'd have to ask my mother. I believe in a very holistic approach to career work. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong. It's just that some can only focus on one area but my approach to the work is different and so far it's working. I have to follow certain rules, of course. Some people enjoy it, some people don't, but that's normal.

MV:  If I started saying to my bosses, gentlemen, I'm going to try my hand at news editing, I don't know what I'd encounter. How do other conductors and other professions that you kind of dabble in in classical music feel about it?

JC:  When you're standing in front of someone who is a well-prepared professional, a good conductor, director, the more those people know about the work, the better. Things run smoothly. But when you're faced with someone who's not doing very well, just someone who's bluffing, of course you're nervous. And things get complicated.

MV:  It's generally assumed that people who are involved in the arts in the highest levels have to start at a very early age. But you didn't start singing until you were about 28. Are you an exception, or is that just the way it goes?

JC:  I started singing at the age of twelve and then there was a long period of time where I was also acting, composing and doing anything related to theatre including menial jobs. That was a really big advantage. I became a professional singer at the age of 28. The voice is a delicate thing. When you start singing at an early age, and my repertoire is very difficult, you suffer a bit. And I was young enough to justify the investment and old enough to be able to control it.

MV:  You're sometimes described as the successor to the three great tenors. Luciano Pavarotti tried to move out of classical music towards a more popular approach, for example by collaborating with pop singers. Is that your way too?

JC:  Every great artist leaves a mark on history. And those who follow him try to be as good or better, but they have to follow their own path. Then we'll see what happens, because history will have the final say.  But it’s not good to follow in someone's footsteps. Because that means you're not respecting the person who worked hard to become someone unique.

If someone tells you they're following someone who won a Pulitzer Prize, maybe that's good because they are working hard to win their own Pulitzer Prize. And I'm happy to make an effort in that regard.

MV:  Does that mean you're purposely setting  yourself up in your career to have your "Pulitzer Prize"?

JC:  I don't want to define myself.  You may have someone you really admire, but you're not going to copy them. Copying is a lack of respect. For example, a great composer is distinctive, you don't just copy him. To show respect to somebody means that you will notice their life, their career in a certain way, but you will not copy their art.

MV:  How is it with artists of your caliber with the move into the mainstream, into pop music? Is it something that is basically completely inappropriate and something that colleagues turn up their noses at, or is it a legitimate way to reach a wider audience?

JC:  That's an old question. Caruso and Mario Lanza started it. They were the first singers to sing pop music alongside classical music.

It's not that we have pop music or classical music. We have good music or bad music. What we call classical music today was popular music 200 years ago. The definition between pop and classical is a matter between profane and ecclesiastical phenomena. And profane music includes what we call classical music today.

Do you know the first piano player in a bar in history? Mozart. The great god of music. He played the piano while the monarch ate and entertained. And he was indeed the great Mozart. We must abandon this phantom. People should be involved in music and enjoy it.

MV:  When a famous opera singer stands in a stadium at the closing or opening of the Olympics and sings a Queen song, is that stepping over your line or not yet?

JC:  I've done something similar many times. For example, in Australia in 2003 (a few months before I came to Prague) I attended the opening of the Rugby Championship. I was singing in the middle of the stadium in just my shirt, it was about 5 degrees. There were 100,000 people in the stands and I was hot in that shirt. It's a completely different energy than a traditional theatre.

MV:  You're from Argentina. When you look at the origins of many of today's opera singers, it's as if that country, and the Latin American region in general, is producing more and more people in your field. Why is that?

JC:  The largest number of classical opera singers in Europe came after World War II. It was a reaction to the suffering of the war. It was a kind of cry against the pain - let's start singing, let's start doing music, let's enjoy ourselves. That time has passed.

Today, even with the big crisis we have in Europe, Europe is Disneyland compared to some countries in South America. The reason why people from Latin America are really struggling is because of the difference between eating or not eating, trying to survive. Many young people in Europe have forgotten these types of feelings while we still have to push ourselves against that.

Interview with tenor José Cura

CIA News

15 February 2010

The music palette of the 19th year of the festival will be opened on July 16 with a unique opera gala performance featuring the famous Argentinean "tenor of the 21st century," José Cura. The charming voice, brilliant technique, and suggestive stage performance of this first-class star singer promise an unforgettable experience. Partners of this singer will include Korean soprano In Hye Kim and Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Radio conducted by Mario de Rosa.

Q:  In 2003 you debuted successfully in Prague and your concerts became ones of them Prague never forgets. Are you looking forward to your come-back to the Czech Republic?

JC:  Unfortunately, after my last concert in Prague, I received no serious offers anymore to come back to your great country. It is a real pity as the Czech musicians are fabulous and the Czech public very warm. Now, after so many years, I will finally be back in the Czech Republic, although not in Prague. I hope one day I will be invited to work in Prague once more.

Q:  Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 could be heard several times in your interpretation. You have published a unique recording Antonin Dvořák Centenary Tribute including his beautiful Love songs cycle. How is your relationship to Antonin Dvořák and Czech music?

JC:  I do not have a special, dedicated relation with Dvořák apart from my great admiration. One of my dreams would be to conduct his choral symphonic pieces.

Q:  Let's start in the beginning. During your studies you were concerned mostly with conducting and composition. In 1988 you began developing proper singing technique and few years later you made triumphant debuts on prominent opera scenes in Europe and USA. What was the key stimulus for you to shift to the opera singing?

JC:  Please, do not be disillusioned if I tell you that, in the beginning, the reason was "pure survival". It is very difficult to survive just as a composer, so having discovered my voice, it was logic to use it. Eventually, I started to love the singing "twist" in my life. The rest belongs now to the story everybody knows.

Q:  Your repertoire is very broad, nevertheless the critics joins you especially with such roles like Samson, Otello, Andrea Chénier, Canio and others. Do you personally prefer some role(s) or specific part of the opera repertoire?

JC:  Of course, being an actor-singer, I prefer those roles were I can develop a stage presence that fulfills my comedian instincts.

Q:  Your sophisticated, insightful, emotionally deep interpretation fascinates both audience and critics all over the world. How is your approach to the interpretation? What is crucial to create high quality and heartbreaking performance to attract present-day audience?

JC:  TO GO BEYOND THE SURFACE OF THE MELODY AND THE TEXT (yes, like that, in capital letters!), in order to reveal the essence of a masterpiece without hiding behind tones of books of the apparently correct interpretation. Books written by other... It is good to use them as a point of view to enrich yours, but never as the only possible plan. "Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken", one of Wilde's best quote...

Q:  You are really a renaissance personality coping with many art crafts - opera singing, conducting, composition, stage direction and design. What are your principal artistic plans and goals for future?

JC:  Only God knows the future. As for me, I could be happy if I can continue to earn my living by working in this privileged job: being an artist.

Q:  In 2001 one you founded Cuibar Productions. Why and what is your vision of this company?

JC:  This company was born as a back up to my work. Eventually, I got enough with all the crap in which my early agents and PR people put in, so to be my own man was the only possible cure. As a result, I am in sight when needed and in "sordine" when not needed. It is not as some think that because I am not torturing everybody all the time with my presence in all media that I am not the same level of artistic being I was. Discretion and respect towards the public is what has been lost in the past years.

Q:  The life of an opera star is very demanding and exhausting, especially when combined with conducting and other art activities. How do you relax and care of your splendid voice?

JC:  Writing answers for interviews like yours... :-)

"Perfume" of the words important, says star of Český Krumlov International Music Festival 

Radio Prague International

Ian Willoughby

16 July 2010

The Argentinean singer Jose Cura is one of the biggest stars of contemporary opera, known for his powerful and distinctive interpretations of characters like Verdi’s Otello. Czech fans will have a rare chance to see him in the flesh this weekend, when he performs two concerts at the International Music Festival in Český Krumlov, one of the country’s most beautiful towns.

I spoke to Jose Cura in Prague earlier this week, just before he set off for south Bohemia. Given his famed skills as an actor, does he give preference to operas with relatively strong narratives?

“Of course, of course. I feel very embarrassed when I have to do operas with a…silly libretto. Even when the music is good. For example, [Verdi’s] Il Trovatore is a great, great piece of music, but the libretto is so, so…funny sometimes that it is very difficult sometimes to feel comfortable on stage.

“I did Trovatore and there is a DVD of my Trovatore, etc, etc. But it’s a role I don’t do any more now, because I really didn’t feel happy on stage with it. But this is only an example.”

Is your interest in acting also a reason you don’t like singing phonetically?

“Of course, yes. When you are an honest actor on stage, you know that the most important thing is not only the words, but the perfume of the words, what is behind, under and around the words, what is not written exactly.

“If you don’t speak the language very, very well, if you don’t master the language, unless you think in the language, pray in the language, you cannot say that language belongs to you.

“That’s why I don’t sing in German for example. I am sure I would probably do a more or less good thing vocally, but I am sure that I would not be very happy with my dramatic interpretation. I don’t want to feel unhappy on stage, because then people will feel it.”

Generally speaking, opera stars are expected to be able to act more today than they would have been in the past. Why has that change come about?

“It’s very simple. In the past – I’m talking about a long time ago – when cinema was in the beginning, when going to the theatre was for a very small group of people, of course we didn’t have internet, we didn’t have TV, we didn’t have any of these things, it was easy to be on stage doing little things, almost nothing, because the people were there to enjoy the music.

“Now, if you only want to enjoy the music you stay home, you put on a CD, and that’s it. If you come to the theatre with the background of…everybody knows a good movie, everybody understands when a movie is good or bad, when an actor is good or bad.

“When you watch TV you know if you are watching garbage or a good show. If you like garbage, that’s another problem, but you understand…many things in the past were not so easy.

“So it’s impossible today to behave like in the past. Not because the past was bad, but because our present has a lot of different information. And the obligation of an artist is to live in the present.”

I guess also you must have to be physically fitter than your predecessors.

Well, it’s expected. The problem with opera is that opera is a paradox. Of course the number one thing is the voice. If you don’t have the voice, even if you look very good, you can go home.

“And the contrary…if you have the voice and you don’t look good, that you can accept sometimes…Of course everybody would like to look like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie – we would love it, but it’s not possible. But to look at least as good as you can, that is not impossible.”

What is your relationship to Czech music?

“As everybody knows I started my career almost with Janáček. I also did a recording of Dvořák’s Love Songs and the Ninth Symphony for the one hundredth anniversary in 2004. So far that’s my real link to Czech music, which is not big.

“Again, if I conduct then it’s OK, but when I sing, because I don’t speak Czech…it was very, very difficult to do the recording of the Love Songs for example. I did it at Czech Radio, by the way, in 2003. It was very, very difficult – it was a nightmare to try to convey the words of a language that is not mine.

“That’s why I wanted to do it in Prague here, because I was surrounded by Czech people…the technicians, everybody was Czech, so I was breathing in Czech.”

Tell us what can fans expect at your two concerts in Český Krumlov this weekend?

“What you can expect for sure is that I will try my best to make people have a good time. Then you have all the unpredictable aspects. You don’t know if it’s going to rain or not, you don’t know if it’s going to be so hot that we will…feel like a piece of nothing, instead of a singer, and you will try even still to sing these difficult things.

“For the musicians to play in 35 degrees it’s no fun. These things you cannot control. But one thing is for sure – everybody’s going to give their best.”

And you’re spending a whole week in the town?

“A whole week in the town, yes. After the first concert the next day is free but I cannot do a lot, because I have the obligation of the second concert. But we will go sightseeing and everything. I’m really looking forward to it: everybody says Český Krumlov is like a postcard.”

José Cura (tenor)

Opera Plus

16 April 2010

Opera Plus:  You are tenor, conductor, composer, stage director but also designer and photographer. Which of them is the most difficult one and why?

José Cura:  All of them are extremely difficult and greatly complementary. I am very lucky to be able to enrich my life and performing career by doing all these artistic activities. Einstein said: if you want different results, don’t do always the same things…

OP:  You have been among the world´s prominent tenors for a long time. Is it very difficult? How do you do it?

JC:  Work, work, work, study, study, study. Never give it for granted, never cease to investigate.

Be aware that the farther you get the less you know, and so start studying again and working even more.

OP:  Your repertoire includes a lot of very difficult roles like Otello, Radames, Samson, Cavaradossi, Calaf, Dick Johnson, Don José and Andrea Chénier to name a few. In your opinion, which one is the most difficult and why?

JC:  All of them…

OP:  It seems that you receive or reject offers with careful consideration. What are your decisive criteria?

JC:  First of all I have to be able to give a good vocal performance. Opera is about singing, after all. But because opera is NOT ONLY about singing, I have to be sure I can create a good character; otherwise, I feel stupid on stage and that is a heavy limit for me.

OP:  A lot of your colleagues complain that singers are nowadays rather second-rate because of stage directors. What is your opinion? Do you prefer traditional or modern productions?

JC:  Nobody is second rate due to somebody else’s fault. If you are mediocre it is your responsibility. Don’t look around for excuses. I like good, intelligent productions independently of being traditional or modern. I have only one condition: if you are going to direct me or conduct me, you have to be honest and prepared. I cannot stand lack of professionalism and preparation.

OP:  Are you preparing new roles now?

JC:  I have just done my debut in Bohème. To sing such a lyric role after so many years of dramatic repertoire, is a good confirmation for my career.

OP: You have already sung in the Czech Republic and that is why you have so many fans here. Please, be frank and tell us: Do you sometimes mind that huge interest in your personality?

JC:  Don’t worry, I am always frank. When you attract the interest of people, you have to understand that you will awake both admiration and rejection. If your question is if I “mind”, of course yes. It is a big and heavy responsibility. Not only artistic, but mainly human. You can turn to be an example or a shame. Of course, as always, it is a point of view.

“Schubert was the John Lennon of his time”

The tenor justifies his words by giving the example of the Austrian composer Franz Schubert, a songwriter in his day, who today is considered a classical musician.

“I am going to say something that will seem blasphemous to many, but it is not: Schubert was the John Lennon of his time and we cannot know if in thirty or a hundred years Lennon's songs will be considered, if they are not already considered, as classics of his style. This applies to pretty much everything,” he notes.

“I am not as I appear in the publicity photos”

In promotional photos, José Cura usually appears as a very serious and thoughtful man. But he says that he likes to develop his comedic talent. Let's see, what is José Cura really like.

“The real me is what you see now, normal, spontaneous and that's it. What happens with the photos, when you send promotional photos, you send serious photos, laughing photos, photos with a bad face and photos with a good face. I don't know why publicists always choose those that I have with a bad face and looking like I'm angry... (laughs) I'm not like that at all, on the contrary."

The tenor describes as false the idea that a performer of classical music is generally serious.

“That is an invention of recent years, from romanticism onwards. When romanticism began and an artist was associated with a languid, white, pale person, if possible with glasses, and what's more, if it was a little scruffy, even better.  An image that is a complete distortion of the famous maxim of the inventors of modern art, the Greeks and Romans, to be of a healthy mind in a healthy body. Guys like Pythagoras were musicians, composers, mathematicians, and Olympic champions, and no one cared about image. It was part of what it had to be,” he insists.

A tenor who loves rugby and football

José Cura's trajectory squares well with these terms. The tenor does not focus his attention exclusively on music, in addition, he is dedicated to design and photography and in his time he practiced many sports, as he recalls.

“As I usually say, 25 kilos ago, not years but kilos (laughs), I was a semi-professional athlete. I have done rugby, body building and martial arts and worked for many years in a gym as a trainer.  And this came in very handy in my career because later on stage it allowed me to use a physical message, the body that collaborated a lot with my way of acting and singing on stage.”

The singer, born in Argentina, and living in Spain since the 1990s, is also a great football fan who, of course, enthusiastically followed the World Cup matches in South Africa.

“Yes, I was glued to the television for sure! When Argentina played first, because I am Argentine by birth, but I have citizenships in both countries. My grandfather was Spanish and I am Spanish by adoption, so I was lucky to have two countries to be with. I followed Argentina until it was eliminated and then I followed Spain until the end, of course,” he explained.

“Dances and nostalgia give Dvořák a special color”

José Cura returned to the Czech Republic after a seven-year hiatus.  He says he arrived with great enthusiasm, since during his career he has collaborated with several Czech orchestras and appreciates the long tradition of classical music in this country.

“I really like this country. As in all the countries in the north of the world they have incredible musicians. The string and wind sections here are great. The Prague orchestras are famous all over the world, so in that sense, it is really very good professionally here. The rooms are beautiful with incredible acoustics and everything and the audience is very warm.”

And which Czech composers would he highlight?

“Well to limit it to one because if not we would be talking here for two hours, the most famous of all is Dvořák. His New World Symphony, his Ninth Symphony, is famous far and wide in the world. He has the characteristic that so many Czechs have had, above all, basing his music on local colors, dances and that nostalgia that the Czech people also have in some things and that gives a special color to his music.”

Before leaving the Czech Republic, José Cura promised his fans not to make them wait so long for his next concert. The tenor announced year he will return to Český Krumlov next year to delight the music lovers of this country.

Tenor José Cura Braved both Tropical Heat and Freezing Cold

Halo Noviny

Tomáš HEJZLAR

3 August 2010

[Computer-Assisted Translation / Excerpt]

The opening concert of this year's 19th edition of the International Music Festival Český Krumlov was again of an exceptional standard, although the media coverage surprisingly did not correspond to it.

The world-famous Argentine tenor José Cura is a sought-after personality abroad yet his presence at this year's Český Krumlov festival was not as well received as his last visit to Prague seven years ago. Perhaps this is due to this year's tiring climatic conditions? Or are the journalists waiting for next summer, when the famous singer should be the star in front of the Český Krumlov turntable in Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci?

The organizers of the Český Krumlov Summer Festival prepared a program for the performance of the world-renowned tenor José Cura that is artistically valuable and equally acceptable to the broadest audience. The singer's name alone is a great attraction, even for a less musically sophisticated community. As expected, individual arias were always followed by thunderous ovations and yet, although Cura's performances this time were incomparably more artistically worthy than during his two previous performances in Prague at the beginning of the century, there were still some things missing for a truly five-star rating: in particular, a more refined timbre in all registers, for example in the subdued dynamics, but also a more expressive cantilena worthy of the singer's reputation. The artist certainly possesses these qualities, as he demonstrated at times during his Český Krumlov creations, but at times the expressive uniqueness was lacking.  The more experienced listener must have been aware of Cura's occasional technical shortcomings, which would probably not have passed muster in large opera houses under the scrutiny of the demanding critics.

[We should note] that the weather were not favorable for these concerts. The first evening in Český Krumlov's Brewery Garden - the official one with the participation of important personalities - took place on an incredibly scorching evening while two days later the temperature had completely changed and the audience sat on the seats and huddled in warm blankets.

Hello, signor journaliste

The gala concert began somewhat unusually: while singing, Cura strolled nonchalantly between the completely filled rows of the audience and "sang into the ears" of those present. Cura is a master at getting in touch with the audience and can artfully improvise imaginatively, especially when the part he is singing allows him to do so. In the case of Leoncavallo's dramatically exposed yet melodically moving music from Pagliacci, this is perfectly true. And so, while singing the prologue to this classic work, which next year - with Cura in the lead role of Canio - will be performed in front of the Český Krumlov revolving stage, the spontaneous Argentine smiled at those present (especially the ladies, but not only the youngest ones...) during his singing, sometimes almost conspiratorially, sometimes making gestures as if he were flirting slightly, and even sometimes shaking hands with them.  […]  He continued to “wander” through the rows of audience with a smile and nonchalant elegance as the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Mario de Rose, finished the instrumental interlude in Leoncavallo's aria.

Communicating astutely with gestures and facial expressions, it was not only the expected level of his singing but also his spontaneity and wit that won over the audience in Český Krumlov. The evening of melodic and veristic music of Italian opera masters Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi in an impressive interpretation by the charismatic Argentinean singer, was certainly an extraordinary experience for many.

The highlight was Otello

Direct contact with those present took place during both performances and he reacted spontaneously: during the first performance, which took place in the middle of a steamy hot summer evening, when even the setting sun did not cool down the environment, he asked the president of the republic, who was sitting in the audience, if the musicians could play without jackets in the unbearable heat (he was of course granted...).  Two days later it was an incredibly cold environment, with the audience huddled on comfortable armchairs in warm blankets - and the spirited Cura ended up throwing one of the blankets over himself as well. With an apology, an explanation and a smile. However, even with these temperature changes, which are an incredible, even dangerous burden for any singer, the tenor still exuded the proverbial optimism. He commented on the mentioned temperature extremes with his own wit, a truly southern grace.

The vocal highlight of the evening can easily be considered Cura's rendition of Verdi's Otello. In the arias Dio! mi potevi and also Niun mi tema he portrayed a wide range of feeling, which was offered directly in accordance with the score. Aware of this expressive variation, however, the performer does not embrace his protagonist in traditional expressive grandeur but rather tries to understand the psychological instability of this opera character, oscillating from dramatic exaggeration to deep human interiority. After a less intense onset, Cura only slowly expands the sound register to a dramatic impact in a quest to psychologize this musically, ambivalent character. He thus expresses Verdi's Otello with a suggestive persuasiveness that springs from his perception of the role.

Conductor's extempore

José Cura may have made a name for himself as a tenor but he devotes himself to other fields in his quest for the greatest contribution to the Renaissance breadth of human endeavor.  He is a photographer and writer, but most often he is a conductor. Unfortunately, in this area his expression is often rather superficial, with a poorly developed sense for the more detailed concept of the scores: the conductor's performance is therefore more indicative of a generous effort to impress the audience with spectacularly conceived movements than of a gradual, ingeniously sensitive unravelling of the musical score.

The audience could see this during the course of the evenings in Český Krumlov not only during the performance of symphonic music in the part La Tregenda from the second act of Puccini's opera Le villi, but also in the conception of the intermezzo from Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut. Compared to guest conductor de Rose, Cura's conducting does appear livelier, which corresponds to his nature, but in terms of the actual interpretation, the sometimes overly excessively sweeping gestures are not very functional, even superfluous.  And since the Prague Radio Orchestra was perfectly prepared, obviously mastering everything from the previous rehearsals "to the last note," it seem Cura’s conducting was more about a spectacular visual display. 

[…]

Of course, such a gala concert could not have ended any other way than with the famous operatic hit Nessun dorma from Puccini's opera Turandot as the finale. Cura commented on it by saying, "It is as inevitable a conclusion to opera galas as the song New York, New York, without which no Frank Sinatra concert could end. And I am very happy that people in Český Krumlov also took away joyful moments of good music into the late summer night!"

During the final long-sounding Vincero!, everyone, even the most hardened critics, stood up with emotion and enthusiasm. Cura really "pulled it off" here as a true tenor of world renown; he proved that his vocal possibilities are truly outstanding. For his colourful, metallic-sounding bel canto of Pavarottian colouring finally asserted itself here, firm, sure, sonorous and impressive, something that the discerning spectator had found somewhat missing during the evening. So excitement and emotion were ultimately present in spades and the audience could be satisfied, certainly for the melodically rewarding repertoire. There are not many evenings like that.

The 19th year of the International Music Festival Cesky Krumlov

Lipa Musica

Lucie Johanovská

29 August 2010

This year’s opening concert was a really great celebration because one of the biggest stars of the opera world, renowned Argentinean tenor José Cura, accepted an invitation to the festival. The program consisted of the most famous opera arias of Italian opera repertoire spiced with inserted instrumental opera compositions, in most cases directed by José Cura himself. Cura’s singer partner was a leading Korean soprano, In Hye Kim. Both singers were accompanied with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Argentinean conductor Mario de Rose.

José Cura presented not only a brilliant singing performance but by his informality and openness to the audience, he prepared a great artistic experience for everyone present despite of extreme weather conditions when tropical heat did not get to a tolerable level even in late night hours. With respect to the orchestra, José Cura then even asked President Vaclav Klaus, if members of the orchestra could take their jackets off. The heat however did not undermine the artistic quality of the concert. José Cura returned to the Czech Republic after seven years, his voice has matured like wine and got a darker color without losing the loveable cantilena that managed to charm literally everyone.

The suggestive opening presentation of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, for which Cura walked informally from a side of the stage, was an example of next year’s cooperation in the framework of which José Cura will return to the Revolving Auditorium in Cesky Krumlov in a new version of Pagliacci. Then the Korean singer In-Hye Kim introduced herself to the festival audience for the first time in aria Pace, pace, mio Dio from the opera Forza del destino.

It was followed by one of touchstones, very difficult pieces of Verdi’s opera Otello. Cura’s interpretation of arias Dio mi potevi and Niun mi tema were certainly among peaks of the entire concert. José Cura pointed out at the press conference that “if you are in hands of a good conductor, if you follow what Verdi wrote, Otello is not dangerous... Otello is a murderer but he is not a murderer of voice... psychology of the character is the most important, though.” Cura however humorously remembered his first performance in Otello: “When I was thirty-four, the main goal was to survive and I changed my nappies between acts.” Otello in Cesky Krumlov was however so persuasive and intensive that it left no room for doubts whether Cura has mastered this role perfectly.

Arias from Tosca then shone through the hot night. Cura excitedly interleaved them with symphonic parts from operas Le Villi and Manon Lescaut. The fact that Cura is also an excellent conductor is not unknown. His expressive, charming but at the same time very precise gestures led the Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Radio to a very good performance. The night peaked with parts from Madame Butterfly in which Kim at first perfectly presented aria Un bel di verdemo and then both singers said good-bye to the audience and the main part of the program in an excellent duet, Viene la sera from the same opera.

At the end, Cura himself pointed out that like Sinatra said that until New York, New York is played, no really good ovation can be heard and it is similar in the world of opera where everyone expects Calaf’s aria Nessun dorma and thus even this time this beautiful and tough aria could not absent although there was no lack of applause during the entire night – and standing ovations ended the concert. The perfect presentation of this aria was preceded by refreshing examples of Cura’s popular Argentinean song repertoire – songs Somos Novios and Esta Tarde Vi Llover. The entire night was ended with colorful fireworks.

And what were artists’ reactions after the concert?

In-Hye Kim said: “I am extremely happy and honored that I’ve had an opportunity to perform with one of the best tenors in the world, José Cura, and the great Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Radio, and that it happened here, in beautiful Cesky Krumlov. In addition, we are celebrating 20 years of diplomatic relations of South Korea and the Czech Republic this year and thus I believe that this lovely cooperation will continue.”

José Cura, physically exhausted by the complicated conditions of the performance, pointed out he had lost two kilos of weight and he joked that he had not managed to eat any mosquito – which is one of the greatest risks of open-air concerts, which he had mentioned during the concert.

At the end of the last year, when advance sale was started for the opening gala evening with phenomenal José Cura, it was obvious that it would be sold out soon and therefore it was very pleasing that José Cura was willing to please the demand of Czech audience and added a second performance. What could not have been influenced, though, was the weather that negatively affected even the second performance of José Cura who sang with determination with a blanket over his shoulders.

“It was very, very tough. It might seem funny but it isn’t. If you sing in 40 degrees of Celsius one day and in 12 degrees the next day, it’s no fun. The difference of 28 degrees is lethal and it is not just about you being cold, you can wear warm clothes after all but the problem is that the cold air that you breathe in with your mouth goes directly into your lungs. If you went out now (i.e. at night) and breathed in with your mouth, not your nose, you would start coughing after three breaths. So imagine what it is like to sing in these conditions... it’s very, very hard because ice-cold air gets into your body and your organism is beginning to produce mucus to protect your tissues so you have to cough out all the time. If the audience understands that you are trying to do the maximum for the love of the concert, you cough and people understand it. It is unpleasant, though, if the concert is recorded and people sitting at their radios do not understand what is going on. That was also the reason why I tried to explain that it is cold but in your homes it is cozy and warm,” Cura said after the concert and added:

“Energy here, in this place, is really very nice and people who come here, at least as far as I’ve been able to see, are those who want to enjoy it, not to judge whether they liked it or not but to spend a good time here. You can see people in the audience, how happy they are, excited by the concert and nobody leaves. If a similar concert took place at a different festival in the same weather, for example in more southern countries, I don’t know if the audience would stay until the end of the concert. I remember a concert in Verona, for example, one raindrop was enough for the performance to be ended and everyone left and if it stops raining, the concert continues, if it does not, it is canceled. And here you can see the opposite. It was not so bad today but yesterday my wife went to the Broadway Night and people listened to the music in rain. It proves that people want to enjoy nice moments together and are very devoted and excited listeners and you do the maximum for them so that they could bring home a great experience and they suffer with you. That is really a great thing that is worth mentioning.”

The artistic peak of not only this year’s festival, thousands of excited visitors, atmosphere that is hard to describe with words – these were two performances of José Cura in Cesky Krumlov. We are pleased and excited that next year we will meet José Cura in Cesky Krumlov again – as Canio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at the Revolving Auditorium.