Operas done early, operas done once, operas done sparingly, operas done in various roles -- we explore special operatic performance by José Cura

Tenor -  1994;  Conductor - 2009;  Director, stage design, conductor - 2012

La rondine, Nancy (director / set designer /conductor), May 2012:   ‘Puccini's La Rondine flew northeast to the Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy for a new production conducted, designed and produced by tenor José Cura. Cura is a well-known pedagogic figure here and although it was an undoubted risk to allow the tenor a free hand in all aspects of the production, the exercise produced a highly enjoyable performance of Puccini's underrated score.  Cura was eager to reveal the seriousness of purpose behind Puccini's work. The composer's well-known penchant for exploring cruelty and female suffering is well served. Magda longs for fulfilled romantic love with Ruggero, but she painfully abandons the possibility out of shame for her past life as a courtesan, as well as the lingering doubt that she may still hanker after the security of her pampered life with sugar-daddy Rambaldo. This complex psychological tussle was directed with some skill by Cura, who chose to set the action in designs and costumes of a post-World War II period. Act I looked like the atrium of a four-star hotel, Chez Bullier featured bistro tables and a Chagall-style backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, and the final act was a Côte d'Azur seaside setting, complete with sand castles and deckchairs. Puccini's much-revised ending was cleverly staged by the tenor. As Magda rejected her lover to return to her former life as a kept woman, the marquee on the beach collapsed to reveal Rambaldo, Lisette and Prunier waiting to welcome her back to the stultifying atmosphere of her loveless relationship; Magda fainted, and her inner life died. Cura's conducting of orchestra and chorus was discreet and workmanlike on May 6, registering as well paced and singer-friendly ….’ Opera News, August 2012

La rondine, Nancy (director / set designer /conductor), May 2012:   ‘Apart from Le Villi and Edgar, early works, La Rondine remains the least known and least performed operas from the fully mature Giacomo Puccini, yet this was the work chosen by the famous tenor José Cura to lead, both as director and conductor, a troupe of young artists he had the opportunity to work with in the master classes he gives each year in Lorraine at the invitation of the Association Nancy Passion Opera, the co-producer of the show. In charge of all aspects of the performance, José Cura was also in charge of the staging, the sets, and the costumes.  His work was most respectable and even appealing, moving the action from the Second Empire to the Fifties and extending the metaphor of the bird cage, where the swallow (la Rondine) will return to self-imposed confinement. It was not wildly original but what else can be done with a libretto that is rather weak and devoid of dramatic action?  The direction of the actors led to a perfect naturalness; the costumes were elegant; and the sets, colorful and well lit, constantly appealed to the eye.  But what was most seductive about this Rondine was the conducting of this very same José Cura.  He lovingly supported his singers by making sure never to drown them out.  He supported them without ever lacking refinement, without a single uncalled-for affectation, without a single wrongly-placed emphasis.  This was a veritable jewel of balance and subtlety, the Nancy Symphonic and Opera Orchestra visibly under his spell and rich in finesse, with the Chorus of the Opera National de Lorraine perfectly in tune.’  Resmusica, 11 May 2012

La rondine, Nancy (director / set designer /conductor), May 2012:    ‘The series of performances of La Rondine at the National Opera of Lorrain is the culmination of a project that started five years ago with master classes led by José Cura.  From among those singers was then formed a troupe that would perform in Puccini operatic comedy, direct and conducted by the famous Argentine tenor.  [T]he result proved to be good performance.  Admittedly this Puccini work with its lightness and chatter, cannot measure up to Madame Butterfly or Tosca…but the ending, with the heroine returning to her golden prison as the swallow returns to nest – remember the French translation of the title-- reveals an effective intelligence in staging the scene, testifying to a skillful know-how in distilling dramatic tension.  In caring for the vocal platform, José Cura’s conducting breathed with the confidence that seemed connected to the musician of the Orchestre Symphonique de Nancy and confirmed the relevance of the project that he carried, bringing credit to the institution in Lorraine.’   ConcertClassic, 16 May 2012

La rondine, Nancy (director / set designer /conductor), May 2012:  'A successful double challenge for José Cura as both conductor and director for La rondine at Opéra National de Lorraine.  First, the conductor confirms his affinity with the Puccini repertoire, already in evidence during the master classes he conducted between 2007 and 2010 on the initiative of the Nancy Opera Passion Association, a valuable supporter of this new production. Flexible, lyrical, nuanced, as attentive to details as much as the overall architecture, he accompanies the young singers gathered on the stage with a vigilance and regard for their difficulties which, from beginning to end, commanding admiration and respect.  Second, the director, also in charge of sets and costumes, demonstrates wisdom and restraint, without trying to force the work to say more than it can. The transposition of the action in the 1950s works without gaps:  an elegant glass loft with black piano, deep sofas and small tables in Act I; outdoor dancing, with clean lines, in Act II; sun-drenched sandy beach, with deckchairs, parasols and a vast white tent, in Act III.  The direction of actors is simple, fluid, respectful of the libretto, with the best idea of the staging being the dazzling final image. The canvas covering the tent suddenly collapses, revealing a decor identical to that of Act I, with the same characters gathered inside.  Magda enters and, understanding that everything will start again as before her idyll with Ruggero, collapses (passed out? dead?).'  Opera, 12 June 2012, Richard Manet

La rondine, Nancy (director / set designer /conductor), May 2012:  ‘In designing the staging, the sets, and the costumes, the Argentine tenor José Cura (who also conducted) moves the action to a century later than that suggested by the book, to the 1950s.  The work was a fair presentation, limited to illustrating the libretto with simplicity and even a touch of naivety.  He was a better conductor, infusing the magnificent score was great emotion while bringing order in the confrontation of the various aesthetics. The tremendous ovation he received during curtain call was undoubtedly for this talent….’  Concertonet

La rondine, Bologna (conductor), February 2009:   '…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

La rondine, Bologna (conductor), February 2009:  '[…] the presence of José Cura, who as conductor certainly has a future ahead of him, is not surprising.  The care - excuse the pun - with which he envelops and protects the soloists provides support for singing.  This is due to the fact that he breathes and sings with them. But we must also acknowledge a personal, engaging reading with agogics [accentuating a note by extending it slightly beyond its normal time value] that are a bit exaggerated, causing a languidness in pianissimi and rubato but rousing in the turns of the waltzes and the rhythm of fox trots.  Cura also pays attention to the rich chromaticism that Puccini scatters with full hands in this Swallow, in many ways underestimated.' L’Opera, 26 Mar 2009

La rondine, Bologna (conductor), February 2009: 'And to prove that the youths were not sent into the fray without direction, José Cura was there to guide them vigorously from the podium (back after his recent concert in which he triumphantly led a concert of American music).' Il Giornale della Musica, February 2009

La rondine, Bologna (conductor), February 2009:   'José Cura goes from the stage to the podium, adroitly showing us how it is done in regard to timing, phrasing, and atmosphere. '  La Repubblica, March 2009

La rondine, Bologna (conductor), February 2009:   '…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

La rondine in Turin, 1994:  ‘The future looks bright for the Argentine tenor José Cura, who has a lyrical voice with brilliant top notes….The role of Ruggero, which he took in La Rondine, is well suited to his current vocal strengths, and it showed off his considerable stage presence.....’ Opera, 1994

 

1994 - Turin // Tenor

 

---

 

 

2009 - Bologna //  Conductor

 

 

Puccini’s La rondine Conducted by José Cura at Teatro Communale di Bologna Release date: Wednesday 21 January 2009 [Excerpt] Giacomo Puccini’s La rodine, conducted by José Cura with the students of the Scuola dell’Opera Italiana has been selected to replace Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  The opera, which will debut on February 17 at the Teatro Comunale, is a new production by the Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Bologna. The production is directed by Walter Le Moli. Without sacrificing the quality of the offer but rather enhancing the great resource that the Scuola dell’Opera Italiana represents, the Theatre management has decided to focus on young people, entrusting to the students of the School—who will be suitably chosen from a shortlist of names already under consideration by the Direction—the roles from two of the greatest titles of the Italian repertoire:  La rondine, performed only twice at the Teatro Comunale since it’s Italian debut in Bologna in June 1917, and Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti, which has been absent from the from the stage of Largo Respighi since 2004.  These two will replace, respectively, Britten’s A midsummer night’s dream and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.  […] On the podium leading the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Comunale will be José Cura, who returns to Bologna as a conductor after his success in the title role of Samson et Dalila last May.  The famous tenor, acclaimed all over the world for his intense and original opera performances thanks to a rich, brilliant voice combined with a charismatic and fascinating stage presence, will also be on the podium of for a symphony concert on 30 January at Teatro Manzoni—he is also a world-renowned and esteemed conductor.

 

 

 

---

2012 - Nancy //  Conductor & Director

 

 

La Rondine or the freedom of Returning A few words from the producer José Cura Many years ago, I lived an experience that I have understood only now that I am studying the libretto of La Rondine for its staging.  Coming in the garage of my house, I saw a sparrow that was flying around at a few centimeters from the ceiling, desperately looking for a way out.  Thinking that it had accidentally been locked in, I ran to open the door and let her out. Much to my surprise, instead of flying away, she came back inside, carrying something in her beak.  That’s when I discovered her nest which was sheltering eggs that were hardly bigger than chickpeas! At home, I told everyone to always leave the garage door open… Shortly after, the young birds were born, and when winter arrived, the family disappeared. The following year, much to my surprise again, my tenants were back… Sparrows cannot live confined; their need of freedom is such that, in order to regain it, they can go so far as to kill themselves by colliding with whatever imprisons them.  But, paradoxically, this claustrophobia, something they carry in their genes, does not hinder them from being faithful to their “hearth and home”, because they return every year to the same place, no matter what’s the distance that they have to travel or the time that has passed. Rambaldo does not deprive Magda of the freedom so vital to her, since he knows that his “Rondine” will come back to him, sooner or later.  She always has and always will.  But this time, her mind made up not to go through another separation,, she decides to retire forever in her luxurious cell, until such time as death will give her wings once again.

 

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive.     La Rondine Takes Flight Le Républicain Lorrain 5 October 2010 [Excerpt] The Argentinian tenor Jose Cura, one of the best singers of his generation, is auditioning for La Rondine, a little known opera by Puccini. In two years, José Cura will conduct and direct La rondine by Puccini in Nancy. He has recruited fifteen young voices. Behind the scenes, next to the stage, they contain their nerves as they can. Some wander, others remain in their bubble or joke. But the features are a bit drawn. In a few minutes, in turn, they will sing before the Argentine tenor José Cura, one of the best singers of his generation. "Singing in front of him is a great experience, but it puts additional pressure on me," said Ronan Debois, 30.  As a young baritone, he tried his luck, like his thirty-eight comrades from around the world who appeared at the hearing at the Opéra de Nancy. "It’s true, we have a little extra stress before entering, but José Cura gives confidence, it’s a pleasure to sing in front of him, and we have a beautiful smile," confirms lyric baritone Mickaël Guedj. Two productions "Here is it nice because you can sing your whole song. In some auditions, you are stopped after two phrases," says Ninon Dann, 29. "I want every singer to perform a complete aria, that's important psychologically," said José Cura. In two years, he will direct, set the sets and conduct La rondine, a little known opera by Puccini, with a cast composed entirely of young singers. "In this opera, there are five major and some small roles," said Jacques Delfosse, president of Opera passion, the association bringing the project to Nancy. The fourteen to sixteen singers selected were chosen from the voices heard in Nancy. "For the project, the selected singers must be in their thirties. They are still young and we can see that some lack maturity,” says Cura. The challenge will not be limited to future talent. In working on La rondine, the director draws on additional experience. The first act of the book, without real opera aria, offers the students the opportunity to learn to move on stage and to speak more than to sing. "For young people, this act is a real school on its own," the tenor says.

 

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive. La Rondine according to José Cura  M. R Republicain Lorrain 4 May 2012 “Happy, tired but filled with a very positive energy….I love what I do here.  It is very emotionally charged!” This week at the Opéra de Nancy, the generous tenor José Cura is everywhere: on stage, backstage, in the pit, taking care of the young cast's every need; the young cast that is of La Rondine, Puccini’s lyric comedy which is rarely performed and thus little known.  But this is just the piece that was needed to allow the artists to express themselves without excessive risk taking. At almost 50 years of age, Maestro Cura, the flamboyant director of a troupe with an average age of his eldest son, finds the experience…. “refreshing.” He even swears he feels no frustration in not singing. “I have been singing since I was 12 years old, so I can live this time without it,” says the star who is incubating his young artists.  But how could he have anyway?  He has the baton, is the director, designed the costumes, set the scenery in the style of the fifties, and specially selected and coached the young artists, who will perform on the stage of the Opera of Lorraine starting Sunday. A Puccini that palpitates José Cura and Nancy go back a long way. Following an invitation by Nancy Opera Passion, the association of opera lovers which annually organizes the incredibly vibrant master classes, José Cura floated the idea of mounting a performance in Nancy wedged between his performances on the world-wide stage, specifically assigning some of the young, confirmed talents he worked with in his the master classes. La Rondine is exactly the work needed to allow everyone to give expression to vocal talent, dramatic acting, and a well-tempered personality.  And then there is the story of the swallow itself—the Rondine—who dies if she is caged and thus prefers to give up her lover, a story that makes the genius of Puccini so palpable that we cannot help but be excited by the proposal of the maestro. “I love this Puccini opera because it breaks the rules of the genre.  It is because she loves that she leaves.  This is the romantic aspect of the time, do not forget that La Rondine was created in 1917.  And when Magda leaves, that's it.  Wind it up!! Curtain! It is very different from all those operas where dying and singing go on and on, a knife planted in the heart,” laughs José Cura.

---

 

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive. La Rondine of José Cura L'Est Republican Didier Hemarninquer 30 April 2012 Will the Swallow (La Rondine in Italian) make the spring on the stage of the Opera de Lorraine, from 6 to 15 May? Puccini’s work will be directed and staged by José Cura, who also designed the sets and costumes.  This production is a follow-up to the master classes organized in preceding years by Nancy Opéra Passion and l’Opéra de Lorraine.  We will hear, in alternate castings, the most promising singers from these classes.   The Fifties   “We had to find a work with many characters.  There are fourteen on the set.  It was also necessary that the work provide the singers with suitable opportunities,” says José Cura who has conducted La Rondine but never staged it.  The outline:  it is the story of Magda, a courtesan who is in line to marry a banker.  She finds herself dealing with a one-time lover and in the end opts for comfort and security in the arms of her wealthy husband, who has come to understand that for her to return to the nest, he must leave her a degree of freedom.   The work was created in 1917, during the First World War, but José Cura has chosen a setting that is distinctly Fifties.  “I wanted to avoid the megalomaniac aspect of a banker's mansion and make the costumes more appropriate to the youth of the performers,” said José Cura.  When asked why the work is so rarely given, the tenor explained that “from the point of view of form, the first act is the most modern of all of Puccini's compositions.  It is an act with conversation, in the style of Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss.  Perhaps this has caused an audience more accustomed to a very dramatic Puccini, to be repulsed.  On the level of a psychological approach to the characters, though, there again, Puccini goes quite far.  It is an easy work to listen to with its beautiful melodies.” For the first time in Nancy In 1994 José Cura had the chance to perform an unpublished version of Act III, based on the rediscovered third version manuscript.  Cura and Nancy have forged strong ties.  The idea to produce the work, never before presented, so it seems, at the House on Stanislas Square, was brought up over two and a half years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Delfosse of the Nancy Opéra Passion and Laurent Spielmann, director of l’Opéra de Lorraine.   José Cura had to decline a proposal to sing Pagliaccio in Vienna in order to spend a month at Place Stanislas, the time needed to create and present these performances.  After Nancy, he will next perform Verdi’s Otello in Luxembourg and then give a series of recitals in Russia.

A new Youth production in partnership with Nancy Opéra Passion Ouvrage chanté en italien, surtitré Durée de l'ouvrage : 2h + entracte Comédie lyrique en trois actes Livret de Giuseppe Adami d’après Alfred Willner et Heinz Reichert Créée à l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo le 27 mars 1917 Direction musicale, mise en scène, décors et costumes : José Cura Lumières : Gerd Meier Chœur de l’Opéra national de Lorraine Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy

Note:  Click on the photo to go to Opéra National Lorraine website, then click on the video to watch.

---

 

La Rondine Nancy / Opéra National de Lorraine / 5/6/12  Opera News August 2012 — Vol. 77, No. 2   Stephen J. Mudge Puccini's La Rondine, first heard in Monte Carlo in 1917, flew northeast to the Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy for a new production conducted, designed and produced by tenor José Cura. This was a Youth Production sponsored by Nancy Opéra Passion, featuring a double cast of young singers. Cura is a well-known pedagogic figure here, where he has conducted master classes, and although it was an undoubted risk to allow the tenor a free hand in all aspects of the production, the exercise produced a highly enjoyable performance of Puccini's underrated score. Cura was eager to reveal the seriousness of purpose behind Puccini's work, not as a Viennese-style operetta — as it was initially commissioned — but as a work dissecting the female psyche that could stand beside the works of Richard, rather than Johann, Strauss. The composer's well-known penchant for exploring cruelty and female suffering is well served. Magda longs for fulfilled romantic love with Ruggero, but she painfully abandons the possibility out of shame for her past life as a courtesan, as well as the lingering doubt that she may still hanker after the security of her pampered life with sugar-daddy Rambaldo. This complex psychological tussle was directed with some skill by Cura, who chose to set the action in designs and costumes of a post-World War II period. Act I looked like the atrium of a four-star hotel, Chez Bullier featured bistro tables and a Chagall-style backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, and the final act was a Côte d'Azur seaside setting, complete with sand castles and deckchairs. Puccini's much-revised ending was cleverly staged by the tenor. As Magda rejected her lover to return to her former life as a kept woman, the marquee on the beach collapsed to reveal Rambaldo, Lisette and Prunier waiting to welcome her back to the stultifying atmosphere of her loveless relationship; Magda fainted, and her inner life died. The gorgeous Gabrielle Philiponet had many qualities for a great Magda — a beautiful soprano capable of creamily floating Doretta's dream and the musical intelligence to sculpt an intense line for the reading of the letter from Ruggero's mother, as well as the power to ride the magnificent ensemble Chez Bullier. Mickael Spadaccini has a dark, smoky tenor timbre that he used effectively for Ruggero's distress in the final act, but he needed to find a greater physical liberty and a readier smile for the earlier scenes. Moroccan tenor Abdellah Lasri, cast as the poet Prunier, offered an attractively plaintive timbre and an easy dramatic confidence for his pairing with the light-voiced Lisette of soprano Norma Nahoun, who relished the comic possibilities of the role and was touching in her dedication to domestic service under the firm Rambaldo of baritone Marc Scoffoni. Cura's conducting of orchestra and chorus was discreet and workmanlike on May 6, registering as well paced and singer-friendly after a first act in which stage-to-pit balance favored the enthusiastic orchestra over the young cast.

 

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive.   La Rondine à Nancy, toute en délicatesse Resmusica Michel Thomé 11 May 2012     Director, sets and costumes: José Cura. Assistant musical director: Marco Berdondini. Assistant director: Silvia Collazuol. With: Yuree Jang, Magda de Civry; Avi Klemberg, Ruggero; Xin Wang, Prunier; Eva Ganizate, Lisette; Jean-Vincent Blot, Rambaldo; Benjamin Colin, Périchaud; Florian Cafiero, Gobin; Sébastien Parotte, Crébillon; Alexandra Matloka, Ivette; Cristina Antoaneta Pasaroiu, Bianca; Rany Boechat, Suzy; Josef Skarka, le Majordome; Olivier Trommenschlager, Rabonier; Vincent Royer, The Pianist; Inna Jeskova, une Chanteuse/Georgette; Eléna Le Fur, Gabrielle; Julie Stancer, Lolette; Tadeusz Szczeblewski, Adolfo. Chœur de l’Opéra national de Lorraine; Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy; Conductor: José Cura   Apart from Le Villi and Edgar, early works, La Rondine remains the least known and least performed operas from the fully mature Giacomo Puccini, yet this was the work chosen by the famous tenor José Cura to lead, both as director and conductor, a troupe of young artists he had the opportunity to work with in the master classes he gives each year in Lorraine at the invitation of the Association Nancy Passion Opera, the co-producer of the show. This "operatic comedy," delicate and nostalgic and without violent outbursts, in fact lends itself well to the first steps of young singers by not requiring them to undertake vocal performances that are too athletic or characters that are too extreme. It was particularly well-suited for Yuree Jang, whose finely personified Magda persuaded with crystal-clear high and low notes, her homogenous voice with its reserve of power dominating, as befits the title role, the rest of the cast.  The Ruggero of Avi Klemberg, while a bit clumsy, was very touching.  And while he offered an assured and beautiful vocal projection, [the performance would have been better] if he had been less concerned about his singing, less stiff on stage (stage fright, perhaps) and certainly less skimpy with the colors and if he had avoided the stentorian voice and misplaced sobs of Verismo. Xin Wang did well with his Prunier, vocally strong and theatrically funny, while Eva Ganizate’s Lisette stood out with her innate gifts as an actress in spite of being a bit sharp vocally. The remainder of the cast offered perfectly individualized and striking silhouettes; we particularly noticed the rich and fruity timbre of Jean-Vincent Blot as Rambaldo. In charge of all aspects of the performance, José Cura was also in charge of the staging, the sets, and the costumes.  His work was most respectable and even appealing, moving the action from the Second Empire to the Fifties and extending the metaphor of the bird cage, where the swallow (la Rondine) will return to self-imposed confinement. It was not wildly original but what else can be done with a libretto that is rather weak and devoid of dramatic action?  The direction of the actors led to a perfect naturalness; the costumes were elegant; and the sets, colorful and well lit, constantly appealed to the eye. But what was most seductive about this Rondine was the conducting of this very same José Cura.  He lovingly supported his singers by making sure never to drown them out.  He supported them without ever lacking refinement, without a single uncalled-for affectation, without a single wrongly-placed emphasis.  This was a veritable jewel of balance and subtlety, the Nancy Symphonic and Opera Orchestra visibly under his spell and rich in finesse, with the Chorus of the Opera National de Lorraine perfectly in tune.

 

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive. EXCERPTS   La Rondine à l’Opéra de Nancy ConcertCassic Gilles Charlassier 16 May 2012 The series of performances of La Rondine at the National Opera of Lorrain is the culmination of a project that started five years ago with master classes led by José Cura.  From among those singers was then formed a troupe that would perform in Puccini operatic comedy, direct and conducted by the famous Argentine tenor. Certainly the ubiquity of the production in general arouses skepticism but it must be acknowledged that the result proved to be good performance.  Admittedly this Puccini work with its lightness and chatter, cannot measure up to Madame Butterfly or Tosca…but the ending, with the heroine returning to her golden prison as the swallow returns to nest – remember the French translation of the title-- reveals an effective intelligence in staging the scene, testifying to a skillful know-how in distilling dramatic tension. […] In caring for the vocal platform, José Cura’s conducting breathed with the confidence that seemed connected to the musician of the Orchestre Symphonique de Nancy and confirmed the relevance of the project that he carried, bringing credit to the institution in Lorraine. Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive. José Cura, excellent Conductor Concertonet Emmanuel Andrieu La Rondine is a curious opera.  Created in Monte Carlo in March 1917, Puccini’s work seems to belong more to the world of the maudlin melodrama of Viennese operetta than that of Mimi, Manon, Butterfly and Liù.  The plot is a little reminiscent of Die Fledermaus, with the beautiful Magda going to Bullier disguised as a grisette , but her secret dream is much closer to that of Violetta in La Traviata.  The score is a strange mixture of lyricism that captivates like nothing else—a secret Puccini holds--and operetta music but also announces some contemporary concerns with the introduction of the tango, the slow foxtrot and ragtime.  It is especially present in the delicate “Sogno di Doretta”, so beautiful that Puccini could not resist the urge to use it throughout the opera as a haunting leitmotif. In designing the staging, the sets, and the costumes, the Argentine tenor José Cura (who also conducted) moves the action to a century later than that suggested by the book, to the 1950s.  The work was a fair presentation, limited to illustrating the libretto with simplicity and even a touch of naivety.  He was a better conductor, infusing the magnificent score was great emotion while bringing order in the confrontation of the various aesthetics. The tremendous ovation he received during curtain call was undoubtedly for this talent….

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive.   Successful Double Challenge for José Cura Opera Richard Manet 12 June 2012 [Excerpt] A successful double challenge for José Cura as both conductor and director for La rondine at Opéra National de Lorraine.  First, the conductor confirms his affinity with the Puccini repertoire, already in evidence during the master classes he conducted between 2007 and 2010 on the initiative of the Nancy Opera Passion Association, a valuable supporter of this new production. Flexible, lyrical, nuanced, as attentive to details as much as the overall architecture, he accompanies the young singers gathered on the stage with a vigilance and regard for their difficulties which, from beginning to end, commanding admiration and respect.  Second, the director, also in charge of sets and costumes, demonstrates wisdom and restraint, without trying to force the work to say more than it can. The transposition of the action in the 1950s works without gaps:  an elegant glass loft with black piano, deep sofas and small tables in Act I; outdoor dancing, with clean lines, in Act II; sun-drenched sandy beach, with deckchairs, parasols and a vast white tent, in Act III.  The direction of actors is simple, fluid, respectful of the libretto, with the best idea of the staging being the dazzling final image. The canvas covering the tent suddenly collapses, revealing a decor identical to that of Act I, with the same characters gathered inside.  Magda enters and, understanding that everything will start again as before her idyll with Ruggero, collapses (passed out? dead?).

 

Note:  This is a machine-based translation.  We offer it only a a general guide but it should not be considered definitive.   Puccini Offers Cura a Cure Classica Franck Manet 12 June 2012 After La Fanciulla del West, Puccini wrote La Rondine in 1917 in a parenthesis before his grand Triptych. Thanks to Nancy, this rather rare work on the opera stages is proudly offered in a new production entrusted to the famous tenor José Cura who, for several years now, has been working as a conductor, director, costume and set designer! Admittedly, the forces of the l'Opéra National de Lorraine are still modest, but with such a musician at their head, [these limits] are transcended. We admire the maestro’s precision and control of sound and dynamics. Suddenly, for this "conversation in music" which recalls Capriccio or Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss, singers and instrumentalists are one, united by the same enthusiasm […] There are few successful tunes in this work with a breathless rhythm, but magic for sure, scattered here and there: the final chorale in Act II and several tunes of poignant brevity. As a result, the conductor's direction and the homogeneity of the solo singers prevail over a set and costumes too traceable to Manet and Renoir.

 

José Cura:  Never too Maestro La Semaine Elise de Gove 26 April 2012 The most Lorraine of all Argentinian tenors is coming back to the Opéra de Nancy to stage Puccini’s La Rondine.  He is in charge of the stage settings and the costumes; he is also conducting and directing some of his former pupils from the Master Classes.  One good way for the association Nancy Opéra Passion to complete the circle with its favorite and insatiable artist. He is considering this experience as a “lovely madness.”  The one that you can allow yourself to live only once or twice in a lifetime. The one that comes true in one of those cities you really love.  The one that can be realized only through the mutual trust between the artist and those who longed for him so much.  José Cura has put on his striped summer shirt and a pair of sneakers.  He has been working on this project since the end of March. Setting himself to the challenge of managing, all at once, the conducting of the orchestra, the directing, the stage settings and costumes for this new production at the Opéra de Nancy, the tenor knows that he must get ready for a wild rhythm.  But his bulging chest and his dark eye leave us to believe that he does not fear the devil. The Master and his pupils: Many people are calling José Cura a workaholic. This time he will not disappoint them.  The artist is already recognized for excelling as a tenor as well as a conductor.  Conducting and singing simultaneously do not scare him; he remains the first in the world to have developed this perilous exercise.  “I am often blamed for doing many things.  I can do it all today simply because, through the years, I have been practicing all these disciplines separately. I would not allow myself in any way to just skate over any of them.” José Cura knows that he is original and he claims it.  He loves photography. Four years ago, he published a successful collection of his most beautiful photos.  By pure chance, his meeting with a publisher came to crown one of the lyric artist’s talents.  ”Nowadays, we live in a world of hysterical specialisation!  We have lost that beautiful spirit from the Renaissance.  Having many talents is pointed at with a dubious finger, while in fact, being eclectic has never been easier than it is today,”  continues José Cura. For the past four years, José Cura has led the Master Classes at the Opéra de Nancy.  The most talented singers from the new generation—more than a hundred candidates each time—are coming, eager to receive the maestro’s advices.  Launched by Jacques Delfosse, president of the association Nancy Opéra Passion, these classes gave 38 artists the possibility to perfect their discipline and for some of them, to start a career.  José Cura does not claim to give lessons to his trainees because he does not regard himself as a voice teacher.  Yet, the simple evocation of his name attracts as much as his unconventional side:  “Having a beautiful voice is not sufficient.  In order to stand on an opera stage, I think that someone must master at least three forms of arts:  singing, acting and …opera singing.  I cannot make my character sing as though everything is fine with him when he has just been stabbed three times in the back.  An opera singer is a singing actor. Not the opposite.  And too bad if the voice diverts a little, if everything does not sound perfect, as long as the emotion is there.” The swallow and the freedom: Less than two weeks before the opening night, José Cura is directing the rehearsals with a piano.  The costumes are ready, so are the stage settings:  “I have already performed the part of Ruggero in La Rondine in the past.  I have also conducted this opera.  But I needed some time to comprehend what La Rondine really meant, its symbolism.  It is the only bird that prefers dying to being shut up in a cage. For the whole concept of my stage settings, from the open veranda to the finale cage, I have found a way to share the images representing my views on the subject. Because, if the music is beautiful, the libretto is magnificent.  It is surely Puccini’s richest text regarding his characters’ psychology. I was dreaming that the metaphor of the swallow, the thin line between freedom and prison, could be felt through the stage settings.” Between two rehearsals, José Cura is settling details regarding his different hats.  The conductor is correcting the level of a voice. The director is whispering an advice to his assistant about the position of a candle on the table.  To the wardrobe mistress, he is suggesting an alteration.  And always José Cura is adding a touch of his Latino hand, warm and committed, sometimes quick-tempered, but often enthusiastic.  On that day, he is thanking the artists with a big kiss blown to them from the production desk:  “For a dress rehearsal, it was very good!” At the Opéra de Nancy, José Cura is now in known territory.  The globe-trotter that he is has nowadays settled down in Madrid with his wife and children.  After his native Argentina and after a detour in Italy, it is in France where he spent several years near Paris that he was offered his most beautiful human adventures.  He retains from this time an impeccable French and a love for our country that his settling in Spain never altered: “My family needed to go back to its roots, its language and to the sun.  From there, I can project myself throughout Europe and then find again some of my freedom.”  When the tenor wants to project himself to the Lorraine, he does this with a disconcerting naturalness.  At almost 50 years old, he confesses to be enjoying a dazzling shape today and a voice at the best of its maturity:  “It is a period that lasts only a few years in the life of a singer. So I don’t count my hours…”  There is only ten days left to polish his Rondine in its red and golden cage, on Stanislas square.  José Cura will then be able to open it for six performances.  Opening night is May 6th.

   

 

---

Conducting La Rondine in Pécs 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Pécs Music Harvest in September   Opera is the focus of the festival this year Magyar hHirlap MH/MTI 15 August 2023  [Computer-Assisted Translation / Excerpt] The Zeneszüret Festival, which is organized in Pécs between 4 and 10 September, offers programs at almost twenty locations in one week with performances by more than three hundred artists, including the world-famous opera singer José Cura. Cura, the world-famous Argentine tenor, made his debut at the festival last year and this year he will perform three times At the press conference of the thirteenth classical music festival on Tuesday, organist Szabolcs Szamosi, the managing director of the organizer Filharmonia Magyarország Nonprofit Kft. (Philharmonia), stated that the most important goal of the event is still remains the effort to move classical music from within the walls of the concert halls and bring it as close as possible to the people. Péter Hoppál, ministerial commissioner responsible for priority cultural affairs and Fidesz member of parliament from Pécs, believed that the festival, which will be organized with significant government support, has become one of the country's leading "crossover" classical music festivals. He drew attention to the fact that at the festival, the interested parties will be able to welcome popular and high-level Hungarian and foreign classical music performers: so the "fourth tenor" in the person of José Cura will take the stage while representatives of folk music and lighter genres will also play a role in the event. Opera is the focus of the festival this year: on the open-air stage set up on Széchenyi Square, performers capturing the lighter, more playful side of classical music will be heard throughout the week. In Pécs, there will be flash mobs, playground concerts and downtown street music, while on the weekend there will be a Musical Forest and a family-day rock concert and musical instrument tour in the Zsolnay Cultural District. Among the special programs, Puccini's La Rondine (The Swallow) will be performed at the Kodály Center on September 7 and 9, interpreted by the Pécs orchestra, conducted by José Cura. The Argentinian opera singer, composer and conductor will also sing at an opera gala on September 8.  The artist along with the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra of Debrecen and the Kodály Choir of Debrecen, as well as singers Ester Pavlu and Piero Terranova will perform excerpts from the best-known opera classics in the Pécs in the concert hall.

 

 

Opera singer, conductor, composer José Cura, also known as the fourth tenor, will perform Puccini's opera The Swallow on September 7 and 9 at the Kodály Központ in Pécs. In connection with the performance within the framework of the program series Zeneszüret Fesztivál 2023, we talked with the maestro about, among other things, how he prepares to conduct a piece. - How are you preparing for the upcoming premiere? José Cura:  The presentation of The Swallow in Pécs is a moment of operatic historical significance. This opera is rarely included in the repertoire, although it is special for several reasons. First of all, its music is great. It is easily accessible to everyone, so we can also appeal to that segment of the audience who are not used to listening to opera. And we can also win young people for the genre. In addition, this play has never been seen in Pécs, so those who will be there at the premiere will write themselves into the history books.   Filharmonia plays an important role not only for Pécs, but also for the whole country. As a state institution, it is their responsibility not only to present well-known performers, but also to introduce the younger generation to the public. There are many young artists in this show, and we, the more mature generation, have a duty to pass on our knowledge to them. Filharmonia Hungary supports this so we could fulfill our duty. Now it's the audience's turn to show their support and interest in the new generations, coming to the performance.   - What makes this Puccini work special?   José Cura:   Those who come to listen to this wonderful music will be able to discover many interesting things. One of these is how closely The Swallow's music is connected to this Central European area. After all, in addition to the characteristics of Puccini's music, many features characteristic of Lehár and even a small Strauss influence can be discovered in it. Many waltzes and other musical elements typical of the operetta genre can be observed in these fascinating melodies, so Eastern European audiences can feel at home listening to the work.     - And what about you? Which is your favorite part?   José Cura:  I like the first act the most, because it is almost revolutionary modern, it stands out from Puccini's oeuvre. In contrast to the massive first act typical of Tosca or Turandot, here we almost get a chamber music experience. The characters sing as they were sitting in their living room and talking to each other in the language of music. In this sense, it is strikingly similar to Strauss' Rosenkavalier, for example. But the story of the work also touched me. The main message of The Swallow is a paradox arising from the desire for freedom and the difficulty of separation. The title also refers to this, as this little bird sets off every year and then returns to its nest. This opera reflects that same loyalty. Magda, the protagonist, feels in a cage, longing to spread her wings and see the world. When all this is given to her, in the end she still returns to Rambaldo, she cannot be separated from him for a lot of different reasons. Freedom and slavery, selfishness and love intermingle in this deeply human story.   - How do you prepare to conduct a work? José Cura:  When I start working on a new play, I first study the script. Only then do I study how the script relates to the music in the score. Of course, in the case of famous works, we already know both the music and the text, in which case I already have a step of advantage. However, it is not only important to understand the literal text, but also the underlying content. If I succeed, I start thinking about how I can convey that essence through the use of music and find ways to convey those meanings to the audience. How can I get people to talk about the show and think about what they saw not only that night, but also the next day, the next week? For me, that's the real success of a show and not just the applause of the moment.   - You are a singer, conductor, director, composer. A true polymath. Do the different fields of arts influence each other during the creative process? José Cura:  Surely. As a singer, for example, I strive to apply the attitude and skills I acquired as a conductor. And as a conductor, I encourage the musicians to phrase like singers do. There is no instrument that can express the subtle nuances of feeling like the human voice. If we manage to convey this essence to a band, that's magic.   - As a hobby, another branch of art, photography, is also part of your life. How do you choose the subject of your pictures? José Cura:  I started taking photographs mainly to study people to enrich my character’s interpretation. This served my development as an actor, because I believe that someone becomes a good actor only if he has stories to tell, if he has rich life experience. That's why I always took my camera with me on my travels and tried to capture moments, faces and different situations. These studies helped a lot in shaping the characters. I didn't plan to make this material public, but a friend of mine showed my pictures to an editor without asking me, who, to my surprise, approached me one day saying they wanted to publish my photos. At first I hesitated because I thought no one would be interested, since I am not a professional photographer. But the publisher finally convinced me, saying, "You're an artist with a lot of followers who want to know how you see the world". So I finally agreed to publish the book.   - We just talked about younger generation. What advice would you have for them? José Cura:  It is difficult to give advice, because the world today has changed a lot compared to when I was young. I was not surrounded by so many technical devices, social media did not play such a big role in my life. These tools are incredibly useful, but only if we use them well. I would advise them to be very careful because social media nowadays makes it easy for people to become famous without really becoming great. Before going public, make sure you have something to say and that your performance is strong and valuable enough to stand the test of time. If they reach the stars too quickly, they can easily fall to the ground, which is often an unmanageable trauma. Many people struggle with alcohol problems, depression, and panic attacks because of this. It is sad that we lose many talented people because they do not give themselves enough time to develop their talents. Being a singer, conductor or director is like planting a seed. Talent is the seed, and craft is the tree it grows into. It takes time and consistent effort to grow from a tiny seed into a huge tree. It is no different in the human world.

Puccini's rarely heard opera was conducted by José Cura The Swallow soared high in the Kodály Center Magyar Nemzet Orsolya Tukács 8 September 2023   [Computer-assisted translation // Excerpt]   As one of the highlights of this year's Music Harvest Festival, the audience could enjoy Puccini's three-act opera The Swallow on 7 September at the Kodály Centre in Pécs. The internationally renowned singers, the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir Debrecen completed the concert-like performance with the incomparably charismatic and passionate conducting of the world-famous singer, conductor and composer José Cura. The performance will return to the concert hall on the evening of 9 September.   Originally an operetta, this work, commissioned by the Karltheater in Vienna, is unique in its genesis. Puccini was only willing to create it on the condition that it would never be performed in Italy, and he returned the script to the sender after reading it. The Viennese, however, insisted that the work be produced, citing the contract. In the end, Puccini agreed, on the condition that the libretto would be written by his favorite author, Giuseppe Adami. This is how the text that served as the basis of the light lyrical opera was finally completed. This was the basis for the text of the light lyric opera. Even so, Puccini was still very slow in his creative work. The premiere was also delayed by the outbreak of the First World War, which made the Italian composer an undesirable figure in Vienna. In March 1917, the premiere finally took place in Monte Carlo, a neutral territory, but Puccini did not attend. It was the only work of his that he did not attend.   The three-act opera is also a musical standout from Puccini's oeuvre. The rich, sweeping and passionate orchestration, which can be heard in operas such as Tosca, Turandot and La bohème, among others, is made a little lighter in this work by the contemporary musical elements which are also associated with the operetta genre, evoking the style of Lehár and Strauss The beautiful, easy-to-listen-to music, sometimes soaringly passionate, sometimes soft and gentle, sometimes dramatic, sometimes playful, but always emotional and heartfelt, captivated the Kodály Centre audience in no time—just as did the virtuoso musicians of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, the world-class performances of the solo vocalists and the harmonious sound of the Kodály Choir of Debrecen. The emotions conveyed by the virtuoso artists were nourished and amplified by José Cura's uniquely charismatic, emotional and passionate conducting style, which is at one not only with the music but also with the musicians and singers. The world-famous artist captivated and influenced both performers and audiences with his extraordinary charisma, emotion and direct personality. The performance brought to life in the form of a concert Puccini's rarely performed work, staged for the first time in Pécs, but this fact - as shown by the standing ovation that lasted for many minutes at the end of the evening - did not leave any sense of absence. This deeply human story combining the longing for freedom, the difficulty of separation and honest, self-sacrificing love was brought to life in a heartfelt way. Polina Pasztircsák, who played Magda, not only demonstrated her brilliant singing technique, but also conveyed the different nuances of emotions expressively, both with her tone and her acting. Leonardo Caimi, who brought Ruggero to life with his outstanding singing and performing qualities, and Piero Terranova, who played Rambaldo, another key character in the story, were worthy partners. Nadia Vella and Jihoon Son as Lisette and Prunier, as well as the three artists Kíra Raposa, Virág Mórocz and Rebecca Mitrasca-Astrid, who brought Magda's friends to life, were a bright and cheerful addition to the performance. The concert was attended by Péter Hoppál, Ministerial Commissioner and Member of Parliament of the City of Pécs, who told our newspaper that the idea of José Cura becoming the star of Pécs was born almost four years ago. After lengthy negotiations, this was realised last year with the help of Zoltán Szemerei, director of the Pécs Brewery, and thanks to the organisational work of Filharmónia Magyarország Nonprofit Kft. After last year, thanks to the management of the Philharmonia and the support of the government, this year the conditions have been created for the Maestro to return to Pécs, raising the standard of the city's vibrant cultural life.

---

 

Home | Up | About | Awards and Honors | José Cura | Cover Photos | Concerts 1 | Concerts 2 | Discography | Guest Artist - Budapest | Guest Artist - Prague | Master Class | Opera Work | Photos | Press

Last Updated:  Sunday, September 10, 2023  © Copyright: Kira