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‘Tosca:’ magnificent, unrelenting drama at the Manoel next month
The Malta Independent
Marie Benoît
26 February 2023
The versatile tenor JOSE CURA, answers Marie Benoît’s questions
about the forthcoming production of Puccini’s opera Tosca, in which
he is the leading light… opera lovers can’t wait
In October last year the gifted Argentinian tenor José Cura mesmerized
audiences at Teatru Manoel not only with his singing but with his
very presence and performance. The programme was Argentinian music
including his own song cycle which he set to the poetry of Pablo
Neruda. There are no two ways about it. He is a towering presence
and larger than life and not only because he has a huge stage presence
but also because of his many gifts. Apart from being a world-renowned
tenor he is also a composer, conductor, stage designer and director.
He will he be designing and directing Tosca early next month
but he will also be singing the leading role of Cavaradossi. Isn't
that a lot to handle I asked him?
"Challenging is an amazing condition for work to be done with passion,"
he replies, passion being his mot de passe.
Are there any roles you haven't sung and which you would like to
sing? "I am very lucky because in my 40 years of stage life I have
already sung all those roles I dreamt about. Now my "stage dreams",
to say it in a Freudian way, are more connected to pieces I want
to produce, including my own music. A dream come true would be to
stage my "neo-baroque" comic opera at the Manoel, for example, which
enjoys the kind of ambience where my piece could easily be performed
without any stage adaptations."
If
you could give one reason for someone to come and see their first
Tosca what would it be? "Depends on where it is produced.
In our case in particular, to the fact of coming to enjoy one of
the most famous masterpieces of all time, you have to add the emotional
factor - we are producing an opera at the Manoel for the first time
after the pandemic, not to mention that this piece is one of those
that needs a lot of creativity to be produced on a stage that is
primarily created for smaller productions."
When did he first perform in an opera? What is his first memory?
"My first performance in an opera was in 1984. It was Massenet's
Manon and my role was one of the minor characters. I was
21 years old."
Will
opera still be performed in say, 100 years' time or will it be dead
by then? "I would be more worried about having or not a healthy
Planet in 100 years; more than the flowers that we will or will
not be putting in a flower pot, we should all be very concerned
about whether we have a flower pot at all... Anyhow, if there's
still a World, by then, I hope it is one in which the great achievements
of human kind are not forgotten, classical art among them."
Opera lovers are waiting to see how you are going to deal with the
limited space in the orchestra pit of the Manoel Theatre. (You can
be certain he has many weapons in his armoury, I said to myself.)
This has prevented the staging of big operas and the use of a full
symphonic orchestra. Can you give us an indication of how you intend
getting around this limitation in our national theatre?
"There are not many ways out of this limitation which is not a defect
of the house, but results from the stage being used for performances
for which it was not originally conceived. When Malta eventually
builds (or rebuilds) the multicultural stage that the country needs,
these adaptations will not be necessary anymore, and the beautiful
Manoel could be solely dedicated to what is, after all, its original
nature. Until then, and the size of its pit being among the most
evident handicaps when having to fit the kind of orchestra operas
like Tosca need, we have figured out a solution, always keeping
in mind that this solution, one hopes, is temporary and will not
have to be used forever. My solution is to put the orchestra on
the stage, behind a curtain, and the action in front, using the
pit space levelled to the height of the stage."
Maestro Cura was highly praised for the concert version of
Tosca in Hanover in 2014 which was held outdoors. Will the
Tosca he will be directing next month at our national theatre
be anything like it? "I understand your question due to the same
positioning of the orchestra, but while in Hanover I had devised
a semi-staged version, with the musicians in sight, for Malta we
have devised a solution that will allow for a fully staged version,
always within the limitations a small stage inevitably brings with
it. For example, we cannot do a real "procession" during the
Te Deum, simply because there is nowhere to go..."
When you get back home after rehearsing or performing do you listen
to music and if so what kind of music? "When I am off duty, silence
is my favourite after hours [of] music. Yesterday I left my
apartment at 08:00 and was back by 22:00 after a long working day
with the different production departments. Imagine arriving home
and listening to even more music!"
Are any of your children going to follow in your footsteps? "My
eldest son, Ben Cura, is a professional actor and a very good music
film composer too. Since he is a public person, I feel comfortable
mentioning his name. My other children are not in show business."
You have sung your way through several performances of Cavaradossi.
What do you find so appealing about this character? "Standing for
my ideals against all odds has been a strong trait of my personality
since my primary school days... and that is Cavaradossi at his best."
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