Otello 2017

Otello, Liège, June 2017: “It was not for the staging that we made the trip but for the title role, here embodied by the famous Argentine tenor José Cura, also heard at the beginning of the season in Turandot. We cannot forget, as the curtain came down, the exemplary nuances of the whispered death. And with the exception of a curiously negotiated “Exultate!” Cura displayed the vocal form that has not been heard from him since the time of early splendor (i.e., in the early 2000s when we heard him in the same part in Barcelona’s Liceu), and thus he remains one of the most idiomatic interpreters of the role today—and to speak frankly, and immense Otello, even more so Jonas Kaufmann did not seem to have fully convinced at ROH….” Opera Online, June 2017

Otello, Liège, June 2017: “With all the recent excited anticipation of the role debut of a certain German tenor in London, it was still a revelation to hear once again José Cura in this most demanding of Verdi roles, which he has been singing for twenty years. He is a singer who has never been content to rely on a safe number of familiar parts, and this year alone he has sung Tannhäuser in French, and produced, designed and taken the lead in Peter Grimes. The psychological and vocal demand of the latter came to mind when he sang “Già la pleiade ardente in mar discende”. In Shakespeare's original, Othello says “for that I am declined into the vale of years,” and Cura, with his leonine mane of grey hair and grizzled beard, looked every inch the mature military leader, commanding of stature and profile. At the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Cura's powerful spinto tenor immediately impressed with his opening “Esultate!” and left no doubt as to his authority in his masterful delivery of “Abbasso le spade!” in his quelling of the drunken Act 1 riot. With his years of experience, less becomes more. The waywardness of pitch and rhythm of earlier days are gone, and his sable dark resonant lower voice brought both exotic otherness and passion to the love duet. As Iago's poison took hold, Cura's imperious dignity and self-possession crumbled with lightning flashes of rage in his eyes. Encompassing dynamic vocal extremes, his subtle inwardness from “Ora e per sempre addio” and a grave sotto voce, almost muffled “Dio! mi potevi scagliar” through to a nobly pathetic “Niun mi tema” this was the tragic fall of a flawed hero on a Shakespearean scale. The compelling strengths of Cura and the ensemble made for a moving evening, more so than the recent stellar event in London.“ Bachtrack, 30 June 2017

Otello, Liège, June 2017: “Committed body and soul, capable of facing bravely this role feared by all tenors, José Cura creates a large-scale Otello with a strong force of conviction. The singing does not reach a high level of refinement but the timbre displays a beautiful consistency while the voice, very strong, is powerfully projected.” ConcertoNet, 25 June 2017

Otello, Liège, June 2017: “From the moment Otello bursts onto the scene, he captures it and becomes the undisputed winner. José Cura returns to assume the role of Verdi's Otello with the maturity of middle age, giving an intense and painful interpretation, one which he is able to easily alternate between power of expression and delicate inner turmoil.” GDM, June 2017

Otello, Liège, June 2017: “After a somewhat wayward start (a few lags between stage and pit), the first act went well with a correct love duet… [Act II offered a] final duet that electrified the room. The third act saw the triumph of José Cura’s Otello, a real beast on stage. His furious dialogues with Iago and then the famous monolog “Dio! Mi potevi scagliar” were offered by a great dramatic artist. In the fourth act, wounded, bruised like a wild beast, Cura delivered a moving “Niun mi tema.” Crescendo, 16 June 2017

Otello, Liège, June 2017: “The Argentine tenor José Cura explores his part with burning vigor and a profusion of colors. His “Abbasso le spade!” in which he proclaims his authority contrasts completely with his duet with Desdemona which closes the first act. He perfectly disseminates his perception of the volatility of happiness when he says he wants to die in the ecstasy of his partner’s embrace. His “Già nella notte densa” overflows with tenderness. Would the gods be jealous of this pure happiness?” Senior Magazine, June 2017

Cloak-and-Dagger Otello

DerOpernFreund

Jochen Rüth

06/21/2017

In the past, the Royal Opera house of Wallonia in Liège has always succeeded in bringing opera to the stage in traditional costumes, demonstrating that this approach is neither boring nor old-fashioned. In Verdi's late masterpiece "Otello", however, this was unfortunately not the case.

Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera tells the story in such a dusty way that one can almost imagine yawning. It can be argued that there is nothing wrong with offering a psychologically complex piece without interpretation, and the columns, palm trees and wood throne, placed on stage by Carlo Sala and assisted with the versatile and detailed costumes by Fernand would be at home in any world premiere. If, however, even during the most important moments, Iago’s “Credo,” for example, the rest of the stage is filled with extras and the children's choir hopping around so that unnecessary activities distract from the essential one, then all that remains is a superficial picture rather than a structured dramatic narrative.

A hundred years ago one might have expected an Otello with fencing duels and the title character striding around in a long flowing mantle but today it all seemed a little bit too simplistic for this subject. It also didn’t help that Mazzonis di Pralafera also used the pseudo-symbolism of the followers of Regietheater. That the protagonists are pushed on stage on carts or that Iago is stabbed in the back by Cassio in the final act to reflect the movements of the dying Otello remained as ineffective as the single ship and fish in the inescapable aquarium seen in the first two acts (during the interval, there were wagers on whether Desdemona would be drowned in it)—images without connection to a concept.

Similarly, Paolo Arrivabeni presented Verdi’s sophisticated score with little depth. Before this I have gotten to know the native Italian as a passionate interpreter of the Italian repertoire; yesterday, however, he was able to expose the force of Verdi’s Otello only to some extent, showing a rather uninspired conducting full of unsteady applications and best only in the quite passages of the work.

And so on to the singers. Most persuasive of all was the star tenor, José Cura, in the title role. The Argentine showed he is still at home in the royal class of tenors more than 20 years from his debut. If his "Esultate" seemed a bit forced, he improved from scene to scene, vocally and theatrically convincing as the insanely jealous husband and broken man who is Otello at the end. He was strongest when he relied not only on mere power but when transporting gentle, deep feelings across the orchestra pit, producing, for example, goose bumps in the final scene.

The audience was very enthusiastic about the singers’ performances.

Act IV

Surprise Bonus Performance: Otello in Dresden March 2018

Otello in Plovdiv

Portrait of Otello



Undeniably the most famous guest of opera open in 2019 is tenor José Cura (José Cura (official)) who will participate in the last of the series of star performances and concerts in July in the antique theatre! He has sung on the biggest opera scenes, and in Plovdiv we will see him in his crown role of Otello, which he has performed hundreds of times including at the festival in Salzburg, Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Reggio in Turin, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Teatro Real in Madrid and many others.

Besides a singer, José Cura is known as conductor, director and producer of opera performances.

The star tenor is already in Plovdiv and rehearsing without a day off with conductor Dian Tchobanov, Director Nina Naydenova, Tanya Ivanova as Desdemona, baritone Piero Terranova as lago, who has already partnered with Cura in Otello in Budapest, and with the other colleagues from Opera Plovdiv.

Photos from rehearsals: Alexander Bogdan Thompson

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

Jose Cura: "Artists Become Famous Before They Turn into Artists"

Classic FM

Georgi Mitov-Gemi

[Excerpt]

Tenor, director and opera producer, conductor, photographer. Pure, open, provocative, hearty. The famous Jose Cura returned to Bulgaria at the invitation of the State Opera - Plovdiv to join the Otello (Giuseppe Verdi) performance within the Opera Open festival, part of the Plovdiv - European Capital of Culture 2019 program.

"On July 26, I will be on stage at the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv with a band of my excellent fellow singers, the choir and orchestra of the State Opera - Plovdiv and the magnificent technical staff that works so well in front of and behind the stage. So everything is ready for everyone to come and enjoy a wonderful show and spend nice moments together.” With this friendly invitation, Jose Cura addressed the listeners of Classic FM Radio, not forgetting to appreciate the level of his Bulgarian colleagues. "They work on a highly professional level and the climate is great. It would be wonderful to work here and do even more, since it has been 16 years since my last visit. It's been many years! It is good that Plovdiv is the European Capital of Culture. The body is magnificent. The opera theater is excellent and the director Nina Naidenova is very friendly and well prepared. I feel good and if they invite me, I will come back without a problem,” confirmed the Argentine opera singer.

Tonight in Plovdiv he will play one of his crowning roles - that of Otello, partnering with Tanya Ivanova (Desdemona), and visiting baritone Piero Teranova (Iago). The remaining parties are distributed among Elena Chavdarova - Isa, Mark Fowler, Alexander Baranov, Alexander Nosikov, Yevgeny Arabadzhiev and August Metodiev. The conductor of one of the most powerful musical dramas in the opera literature is Maestro Dian Chobanov. The production director (also director of the Plovdiv Opera, Assoc.), Prof. Nina Naydenova, examines the constantly changing duality in the relations of the heroes and peeps in the darkest depths of the human heart. The Ancient Theater was transformed into medieval Cyprus by scenographer Svetoslav Kokalov ("Askeer" for "Storm" and "Don Quixote" by Alexander Morfov). The costumes from the period are made by the artist Tsvetanka Petkova - Stoynova, and the dancing is placed by the choreographer Boryana Sechanova. The choir is led by Dragomir Yosifov, and the concertmaster Miko Dimitrov is head of the Plovdiv Opera Orchestra. In the preparation of the show is included the stage martial artist Kamen Ivanov, who helps the soloists to master the intricacies of the fencing.

José Cura has performed the role of Otello hundreds of times on world stages including the Salzburg Festival, Barcelona's Gran Liceu, Teatro Regio in Torino, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Teatro Real in Madrid and others. In the last two years, the remarkable maestro debuted in two major opera productions - Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner at the Monte Carlo Opera and Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britton at the Opera Theater in Bonn, Germany.

The world-famous musician is concerned about the next generation of talented artists. "New voices come from China, Japan, Korea, Russia. This is a specific public phenomenon. When I was young, I often asked why so many South Americans came to sing in Europe. The answer is that in South America the difference between succeeding and failing is to eat or not to eat. The same happens with boys and girls from Asia, Korea, China, Russia, Balkan countries."

The 56-year-old tenor remains cautious about the future of opera art. "Artists become known before they have become such. To be an artist, you have take time," said Maestro Cura. "By the end of the 90's and the beginning of this century, to be famous, you had to have a bunch of qualities - artistic, professional," he stresses. "Today, to become famous, you need to master the means of communication to serve you - the Internet, Youtube, Instagram. Talent is abundant and mass media ruins it. Now are the junior conductors and conductors. It's nice, it's beautiful, but when I was young, you could not be an orchestra conductor at the age of 20, but a helper, an assistant conductor, and as such, you learned the craft. Today, at 20 they are already being chosen for conductors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra or the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. I think you must first learn the knowledge and then take that job," said Cura.

In his words, "we are probably losing the opportunity to have great talented artists, as we ruin them before we let them grow, so the future is at stake. In the case of the classical musician, whether violinist, pianist, singer or an orchestra conductor, you have to invest 15 years of your life so you can understand this vocation, which is as beautiful as it is difficult. How many young people today are willing to invest 15-20 years of their life not just to succeed but just to find out if they can succeed at all? But conducting an orchestra, performing an opera or playing a violin is not learned from Wikipedia. There is no way this can happen!"

At the end of the interview, José Cura noted the 25th anniversary of Classif FM radio with these words: "Anyone who has reached 25 years of something and continues to maintain enthusiasm and a desire to do so, deserves a great applause, congratulations and good luck!"





Note: if you want to watch the video, click on the photo above to be taken to the web page. The interview is dubbed and whatever José Cura is saying remains a mystery for those who do not speak the language. The video may not play in all regions.

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

"

World Tenor Jose Kura visits Plovdiv with his crowning role as Otello

BNT

Vladislav Sevov

26 July2019

[Excerpt]

One of the most sought after performers in the world in the Verdi repertoire is a guest at the Opera Open Festival in Plovdiv. The Argentinean José Cura is playing the crowning role in the production of Associate Professor Nina Naidenova. The show is tonight at the Ancient Theater.

The Ancient Theater charmed the celebrity tenor at first glance. He admitted that it was one of the reasons to accept the invitation to the festival.

José Cura, Tenor: I'm here for the first time, I'm still trying to get to know the place, but it's really magical. The Romans are incredible. Wherever they have touched, they created miracles.

Cura debuted in the role of Otello in 1997 at the Teatro Reggio di Torino under the direction of Claudio Abado. The Italian press was categorical: "A new Otello is born".

José Cura, tenor: I do not think the reason (they wrote that) is that I was very good, because then I was young and inexperienced. Perhaps I deserved the comment because the way I interpreted the role was different from what was then tradition. That is, today I read this it as "There is a new way of performing Otello.



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

José Cura - the Noble Argentinean

The famous tenor will sing at the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv on July 26th

BNR

Lili Goleminova

25 July 19

[Excerpt]

We all know that Plovdiv is the European Capital of Culture. It is clear that all traditionally large festivals are part of the special program on this occasion; this is the situation with Opera Open. The fact is that the programming of the festival this year is extremely strong. My personal favorite is Otello with José Cura.

While the entire schedule is strong, the figure of the Argentinian tenor is bright and outstanding in many respects. Wrapped in clichés—from the definition of the "fourth tenor" after the three big through the sexiest tenor to the most arrogant among the tenors—he likes to have an opinion and express it. He has even confronted the audience…

He is certainly brave but more importantly he how he sings. It is good that in Plovdiv he will perform in one of his crowning roles (based on number of performances and critical assessment), namely Otello.

But let's at the beginning, and that’s on December 5, 1962, in the Argentine city of Rosario, the capital of the province of Santa Fe. It was then that José Luis Victor Cura Gómez was born. He first played classical guitar, at 15 he debuted as a choral conductor, at 16 he began playing piano and studying composition - that is, his preparation was multifaceted before he ever started singing.

In fact, his great dream was (and is) to compose. He went to the university in his hometown, then won a scholarship to Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, focused heavily on conducting and composing, but singing was already on the agenda. In 1991 (when he was almost 30) he moved to Italy with the idea of a singing career.1994 was extremely important for the Argentinean: he won the first Operalia Award and made his first big record for a full-length opera for a large company, Puccini’s Le villi. It was also in 1994 that he had many [international] debuts, including in the USA (in Umberto Giordano’s Fedora alongside Mirela Freni). A year later he debuted at Covent Garden in Verdi's Stiflio. Key roles followed in Samson and Dalila, Norma, Carmen, André Chénier ... his repertoire was becoming more and more extensive, and impressive interpretations guarantee him the place among the most promising new singers. In 1997 he sang at the festival in Ravenna under the baton of Ricardo Muti in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana.

Meanwhile, the BBC chose Cura for the Puccini segment in the Great Composers series. That same year he made his debut at La Scala in Ponchielli’s Gioconda and was immediately invited back for the next two seasons, still under the baton of Ricardo Muti. Meanwhile he sang duets with Sarah Brightman while continuing to expand his repertoire. He also made his first appearance in Otello at Teatro Regio […] and the headlines the next day were stunning - "José Cura: A new Otello is born." Afterwards were gigs in the big opera on the five continents. And now he comes to Plovdiv.

Of course, José Cura is not a typical tenor. His passion for conducting has led him along a different path. At the end of the 90s [ed: early 2000s] he received an invitation for a three-year contract with Sinfonia Varsovia (taking the baton not from just anyone but from Yehudi Menuhin).

[Later] the talented Argentinean moved into two additional roles, that of director and set designer, first with Samson et Dalila in Germany and then Cavalleria rusticana [and Pag] in the Walloon region of Belgium. He has also been named a guest professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. And with that, we mark just a few of the great events and successes in the career of José Cura.

Undoubtedly, he cannot go unnoticed either on or off the stage. And now he becomes part of Plovdiv’s role as the European Capital of Culture.

We expect a great show!

Otello -- Budapest October 2024

José Cura performance dates: 19, 22, 26, 31 October

Other tenors will appear as Otello on 24 October and 3 and 10 November; the names have not yet been listed on the website

Rehearsal Photos