'This debut shows all the signs of being sensational. We have not heard a tenor voice so immaculately controlled, equally unshakeable in delicate points of intonation as well as rhythmic volleys and so very much at home with the high C, since Domingo’s early days.'    Stereoplay 

‘Here is lavish confirmation that Cura is the answer to our prayers: a true spinto tenor leaning towards robusto that we have needed for so long. Cura sounds as though he is in the line of Pertile, Merli, Del Monaco, Corelli and Martinucci (briefly), with few ifs and buts this time. The sound has both baritonal warmth and true tenor top with the appropriate heroic ring, really thrilling. If there were a chink in his vocal armour it would certainly show in this taxing recital comprising practically all the arias Puccini wrote for tenor.   Yet, more than the best of his predecessors, he seems able to fine down his largish voice to encompass a real mezza voce. You hear it at 'O susurro gentil' at the end of 'Tra voi belle', at the start of 'Che gelida manina', in the dreamy treatment of 'E lucevan le stelle', which has many colours to enhance it, and the airy insouciance of 'Amore o grillo'. This is the work of a real artist (with the odd lachrymose touch the only down-side). So is the manner in which, despite studio conditions, Cura finds just the right emotion for each of the characters in turn, not least the anger of Luigi, the Parisian charm of Ruggero, the dark, handsome mystery of Calaf in 'Non piangere Liù' and the inevitable 'Nessun dorma', where the correspondence with Francesco Merli is most obvious. But the most convincing portrayal of all is perhaps his Des Grieux…’  Opera Magazine

'His timbre in full cry has the bronze of a Pertile, a Vinay, a Del Monaco or a Corelli, but just when you've heard the opening blast of "Nessun dorma" and settled down for an hour of can belto, you discover that Cura can sing gently -- not only in volume but in feeling. .. In the Vickers tradition, this is interesting tenor singing -- pithy and substantial, pleasing to fans of vocal athletics without pandering to them.'     Opera News  

'As it [the voice] takes the high As we realize (if we have not done so already) that this is special, rising easily and thrillingly out of the baritonal middle register.  But he is a man with surprises in store. . . .  So, we have here, in this 34-year-old record-debutant, a thrilling voice, an individual timbre, an unpredictable art...He has, apparently, two more discs in preparation. One thing is certain: we who eat tenors have two feast-days set aside.'     Gramophone Magazine

'Cura's voice is robust and exciting. If there is an absence of contrasting tonal colours, there is abundant compensation in the impulsive urgency of his singing and careful interpretation of character. The five selections from the underrated Manon Lescaut indicate just how much intensity and understanding he can generate.'   Financial Mail

'This is a disc of genuine glory:  passionate, firmly shaped singing supported with utmost sympathy in the expansive rhetorical and melodic crests.’ The Los Angeles Times

'The greatest singers all have an instantly recognisable, distinctive timbre or vocal signature. This is in addition to even legato, beauty of tone and technique. Domingo and Pavarotti have it...and José Cura has it also. I had the privilege of hearing Cura at his first concert in Dublin in 1995, an unforgettable experience, even more exciting than hearing the young Pavarotti in the early 1960s. Since then he has become a star of the great opera houses and this is his first recital disc. It is a Rolls Royce of a voice, in tone somewhere between the young Corelli and Bjoerling. For a sampler, try "E lucevan le stelle": it will leave you spellbound. The more you hear of this recital, the better it gets. Don't delay, go out and buy it ...'    Muse Review

  'Good tenors are always in short supply, a particularly lamentable circumstance given the great demand for them in the operatic and symphonic repertoire. Thus, the advent of a good young tenor is always cause for rejoicing. A tenor of the caliber of José Cura--a composer, conductor and guitarist as well as a singer--is really good news. There is nothing wimpy about Cura's singing, nothing strained; he sings with baritonal beef and strong, chesty high notes. A protégé of Placido Domingo, he shares some qualities with the older tenor, but is definitely an artist with something to say for himself. This is a career to watch.'  Amazon US
 

'On the Puccini disc, Cura did not hesitate to sacrifice vocal suavity in favor of characterization. This proved controversial, but I continue to find that disc impressive.'   Andante

'The Argentinian tenor José Cura took nine days in summer 1997 to record these 21 Puccini arias, which is about par considering there are rarely more than two in any opera. Counting Il Trittico (the trilogy of Il Tabarro, Gianni Schicchi and the all-female Suor Angelica) as one, all ten Puccini operas are represented. They follow in reverse order of composition starting with the unfinished Turandot of 1924 and finishing with the youthful Le Villi of 1884. The order enables the disc to begin with Cura's inspirational power-singing in "Nessun Dorma", where he manages to generate genuine lump-in-the-throat passion despite the unromantic recording venue of London's Air Studios. He is meltingly tender in caring-sharing Rodolfo's "Che gelida manina" in La Bohéme, heart-rendingly final in Pinkerton's insincere "Addio fiorito asil", and sobbingly distraught in Des Grieux's "Vedi son Io" where he whacks out a terrific speaker- rattling top C. Other tenors rely on the heroic quality of their voices to render them handsome, but not Cura as the centrefold in the entertaining booklet reveals.'   Amazon UK

‘His is a big , beefy tenor , solid in mid-range and with ringing top notes: a spinto-edging-toward-dramatic voice with great potential. (He has already sung Otello.) Here he presents the entire catalog of tenor arias from Puccini operas , though in reverse chronological order , starting with 'Nessun dorma' from Turandot and ending with Roberto's long scene from Le Villi. His voice is already too dark and heavy for the lyric juvenile roles-Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Ruggero in La Rondine--and somewhat overpowering for Pinkerton and Rodolfo. But his muscular power is impressive in Luigi's arias from Il Tabarro and Dick Johnson' s from La Fanciulla del west…’   American Record Review

‘It's hard to escape the vocal and physical presence of Argentinian tenor José Cura: an impressive voice, magical timbre and athletic physique. Obviously, José Cura is a real phenomenon in the small, often hushed and conventional world of opera. By choosing for this recital a program composed exclusively of arias taken from Puccini's operas, the Argentinian is advancing from the start on conquered territory. Seduction guaranteed, especially since his partner is none other than Placido Domingo, a famous tenor caught in the past few years by the demon of conducting.’  Amazon France

‘Habemus tenore! was the phrase of a fanatic of lyrical voices when he heard for the first time this Argentine singer who is not yet 35 years old and who promises to become, if he does not resort to the handy phrase of testa di tenore, the Otello of the next decade and foreseeably the Latin hope in the dramatic-heroic fach. This recital also promises to become one of the hits of the coming months, as the voice is powerful and sonorous, the timbre is attractive and there is an effort to deliver something more than robust and effective singing.  Not all of his Puccini - there are the 21 pieces intended for the tenor - is successful.  Cura is at his best in the Des Grieux of "No, pazzo son" and in the parts of La fanciulla del West or Il tabarro, while he has little  to do in Gianni Schicchi and the delivery of his Rodolfo does not exactly fit the musician's idea of the character. Some will not recognize the eleven-minute scene from Le Villi, Puccini's first opera, for which Cura becomes a good advocate. His colleague Domingo's conducting accompaniments are too "fervent.”  In any case, a worthwhile recital.’    La Música Emol