“José Cura has a good stage presence, accentuated by a striking resemblance to Puccini, with an important voice.”  Teatro.org, 27 June 2008

“[Edgar] has the charm and stage presence of the intriguing José Cura as a point of strength. Certainly the part is very complex and there is some forcing perceived when his singing is dramatically taut and angry, but in some of the phrases in the duet in the last act, Cura lightened his voice and offered beautiful moments of lovely relaxation, confirming him as one of the top tenors of the time.”  L’Opera, August 2008

“José Cura as Edgar offers a stunning portrait of a sexy all-rounder who finds himself increasingly at the mercy of fate the more he acts. Despite his tendency toward thickening, throaty sounds, he succeeds in presenting a masterpiece of volcanic feeling.”  Opernwelt, August 2008 

“José Cura in the title role was only slightly less brilliant than as the tremendous Calaf in the Ronconi Turandot in 2007—although it must be said that the role of Edgar does not give many gifts to whoever plays him.”  Trapsi, 7 July 2008

“With the phenomenal José Cura in the title role the Teatro Regio could get one of the best singers in the world for this role. His deep-voiced tenor is a perfect fit for this conflicted figure, self-restrained even in the arias.”  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

“Yoram David conducted loudly, Amarilli Nizza sacrificed with generous skill, and José Cura hurled a lot of high note. For him, there was applause.”  Il Giornale, 29 June 2008

“José Cura defines the eponymous hero as a torn character with his expressive bronze tenor.” Kleinen Zeitung, 21 February 2010

“With strong male leads and a colorful, handsome staging by Lorenzo Mariani (with costumes and sets by Maurizio Balò), this Edgar makes for a mostly entertaining show. José Cura’s portrayal of Edgar gains strength as the character darkens. A less charismatic tenor might sing the entire role better, but really only a stage animal like Cura has a chance of making the character believable at all.”  Opera Today, 30 August 2009

“Act 3 goes with terrific zest, José Cura as Edgar in disguise, holding forth with burnished tone.”  Gramophone, December 2009

“Argentinean tenor José Cura is at his stentorian best, an approach that works well in this blood and guts piece, and he is in excellent voice. The unit set is beautiful, and the videography is superb. This is an important addition to the discography of early Puccini.”  La Scena Musicale, November 2009

“Having unearthed an intact score of the original four-act version, the Teatro Regio staged the opera complete in 2008, with José Cura in the title role. The performance is rendered lovingly. Cura is an appropriately brooding, dissolute and enigmatic Edgar. One recognizes his familiar vocal virtue (big dramatic explosions) and deficiency (shortness of legato). But the overall performance works, particularly during the welcome Act IV.”  Opera News, February 2010

“If this is second tier Puccini at heart, this live 2008 production courtesy of Teatro Regio Torino is big, frequently colorful and often quite compelling. Luckily the faults of the original piece and the sometimes frankly ridiculous staging choices here are frequently overcome by the commanding lead performance of Argentinian tenor José Cura, one of the most legendarily agile voices in opera today and one who brings his formidable brilliance to bear, providing Edgar what fitful life it has. Cura has an uncommonly large range and though Puccini provides the role with artfully high arias, the underlying gravitas of Cura's voice lends this interpretation a literal depth and tragic nuance it might not have otherwise. This is an important production from a historical perspective, but its absolute musical value may be more limited. That said, even second rate Puccini is some pretty heady stuff, and there is abundant melody and brilliant orchestration here to spare. The ultimate fate of this version of the opera may not be rosy, but Puccini fans are sure to want to see and hear this at least once in their lives.”  Blu-ray.com, 27 September 2009  

“José Cura delivers a vocally correct, theatrically expressive interpretation.”  Pizzicato, December 2009

“José Cura lends impressive acting intensity to Edgar; his dark presence and the baritonal timbre of his tenor fit perfectly together.”  Das Opernglas, November 2009

“José Cura's Carreras-with-squillo voice is in excellent shape here [in] a role that doesn't give him any plums. Still, it's good to know that he's still going strong. Visually and sonically, the DVD's production values are beyond reproach.”  Fanfare, January-February 2010

“Obviously, the Argentine tenor found the measure of his character: with his dramatic, incandescent voice of power and color, he took on the Edgar role and made it absolutely convincing.”  ClassiqueNews, 30 October 2009

“This 2008 Turin production, although a treat to the eyes and ears, proves that some works of art are best left at the bottom of a pile of dusty archives (where Puccini's original score had been found the year before). It's a waste of fine tenor José Cura in the title role.”  The Star, 3 November 2009

“This is not just a beautifully designed, staged, and sung production of Puccini's second and least performed opera, but counts as an historical document as well. Preserved here is the first performance of the original four-act version since its world premiere (three performances only!) at La Scala in Milan on April 21, 1889. The singers are a well matched set with pride of place going to Cura's dramatic Edgar.”  American Record Guide, January/February 2010

“This is not Puccini at his best. There is little character development, more a series of situations to which individuals respond - frequently without reason. Many non-sequiturs surround Edgar and his inexplicable impetuosity. Loud dominating noise accompanies many of his actions. Act 1 affords José Cura little or no opportunity to sing: plenty of declamation, plenty of hard-edged sound. Even when in disguise as the monk at his `own' funeral, there is more declamation until the trio when at last his superb enunciation shines through with some beauty of tone. Similarly in his final duet with Amarilli Nizza (Fidelia) he is given the chance to sing with restraint and so produces strong colouring - even if the music itself is somewhat tedious.” MusicWeb International, December 2009

“Act III goes with terrific zest, with José Cura as Edgar in disguise, holding forth with burnished tone.”  BBC Magazine, December 2009

“This performance, honoring Puccini's 150th, is headed by the great Argentinean José Cura, so successful in Italian `heldentenor' repertory (Trovatore, Otello). He is heartrending in his immersion into Edgar's character.”  Whole Note, 26 November 2009

“This Teatro Regio’s production of the original four-act version is quite alluring. The musical cast is beyond reproach. José Cura’s portrayal of Edgar is convincing. The voice has forceful energy, a seducing timbre, but high notes are occasionally screamed more than they are sung.”  ConcertoNet, 2 April 2011

“Musically, this is a perfectly respectable performance, with José Cura committed in the title role.” Classical Music, 20 January 2012

 José Cura Decorates Puccini's Edgar

Place De L’Opera

Jordi Kooiman

October 6, 2009

Edgar, the Work I Helped Resurrect

 The Argentine tenor José Cura is the protagonist of Giacomo Puccini's youthful masterpiece at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna from 18 to 25 June

Expresso

Riccardo Lenzi

16 June 2010

[Excerpt]

 No less than the Argentinian tenor José Cura contributed to the re-launch of Giacomo Puccini's youth opera Edgar, staged at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna from 18 to 25 June, under the baton of Mario De Rose, directed by Lorenzo Mariani, with staging and costumes by Maurizio Balò.

In fact, José Cura, in addition to this "first" Bolognese, was the protagonist on June 25, 2008, of the historic first modern take of the original version of this opera at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

Cura, born in Rosario on 5 December 1962, is one of the few opera singers who alternate singing with conducting. He mainly covers tenor roles, but is also able to sing baritone parts.

The approach to the baton is the result of a utilitarian reflection: "The physical power sooner or later ends, the youthful beauty gives way to the fat, the hair falls out and grays, the voice becomes insecure," he explained to The Express. Perhaps this is why the tenor, at home in the world's greatest theaters, has invented other roles for himself. In Puccini's La rondine also at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna a year and a half ago he was an orchestra conductor but at the same time scenographer and lighting designer.

Could he ever sing and conduct simultaneously? "It is an experiment, done so to arouse the audience’s amusement,” he suggests. “Certainly I could not direct and singe simultaneously a complete work.  I did it on my records, in recitals and encores and this certainly meant offering an all-round interpretation of mine.” And do you like to cover baritone roles, other than tenor ones? “Nature has given me this vocality and with the passage of time my voice is getting darker. It is better this way: so much beautiful music has been written for the baritone. But the important thing is that the tenor is not lost, because that's where my popularity is fixed."

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive.

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