Roberto Alagna

Opera

Opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini

Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

based on a work of Victorien Sardou 1987

Firs performance  at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900.

Performance

Arena Di Verona

12th of August 2023

Cast

Aleksandra Kurzak - Cio-cio San

Roberto Alagna - Pinkerton 

Elena Zillio - Susuki

Gevorg Hakobyan - Sharpless

Matteo Mezzaro -Goro

Gabriele Sagona - Le Bonze

Production - Franco Zefirelli

Conductor - Daniel Oren

Orchestra and Chors Of Staatsoper Vienna 

Press Review

Musica in Opera - Loredana Atzei - 14th of August 2023

❝A cast of the highest level … Roberto Alagna, perfectly at ease as Pinkerton, captivates the audience with a stage confidence that makes him irresistible … manly charm, brilliance of his timbre, ability to cover every word with expressive signs … Impossible not to feel attracted to him … He immersed himself in the character to bring him closer to sensitivity and make him more multifaceted … He reveals a greater complexity of Pinkerton … Indulging in the music with enthusiasm and confidence …  Always perfectly measured gestures … Emotional in "Addio fiorito asil...❞ 

« […] Puccini is the most cinematic of all composers […]. Add to that performers who are not limited only to perform well, but who become so possessed by their characters that they are no longer able to distinguish the real from the fake, and you can understand the secret of the evening's success. […] The cast of the evening is of the highest level with a number of co-protagonists who keep the standard very high. […]
The role of Pinkerton was played by Roberto Alagna, who is perfectly at ease in the uniform of an American officer. He comes across as an amused young man, friendly rather than coldly sarcastic, even likeable in his easygoing manner. Seductive, charming, driven by a desire for adventure and new experiences. He underestimates the consequences of his actions, and spins his web of sweet words and honeyed melodies like a skillful spider. He enchants Butterfly and captivates the audience with a stage confidence that makes him irresistible. His manly charm, the brilliance of his timbre combined with the ability to cover every word with expressive signs make him dangerously lovable. It is impossible not to feel attracted to him.
Alagna immersed himself in the character to bring him closer to sensitivity and make him more multifaceted. Through his interpretation and his always perfectly measured gestures, he reveals a greater complexity that leads him to a sincere awareness. And he does this simply by indulging in the music with enthusiasm and confidence. On his face we can read the wide range of emotions that run through him: from laughter to mockery, friendliness, love. And each emotion appears so sincerely "real" that the audience experiences the same turmoil as Butterfly. […]  Particularly appreciable in the long love duet of the first act with voices and bodies harmonising in perfect synergy. Emotional in "Addio fiorito asil...", which exudes sincere and deep feeling, free of all hypocrisy, and puts before us a young man overcome by remorse, who has been swept away by events, adventure, desire, without considering the consequences of his deeds. He has already become aware of his mistakes, even if he does not yet feel their true extent. […]

The arrival of breathless and desperate Pinkerton only adds to the tragedy.
From the top of the hill he sees her dying and reaching out to him. The cry he repeatedly utters, "Butterfly...", strikes the viewer's heart like a needle prick. In that desperate plea is a confession of guilt, a plea for forgiveness, a final declaration of love. The man's hand reaches out in an attempt to reach her, but it is too late and she disappears, embraced by the closing hill. And it's an ending that perfectly matches the beauty of Puccini's music, reconciling us with both protagonists, victims of his “gioco” (“game") that turned into a tragedy for both of them. »

L'Arena (paper edition) - Alessandra Galetto - 14th of August

❝ Butterfly bewitches the Arena … Long applause for Aleksandra Kurzak and for the excellent cast starting with tenor Roberto Alagna during the successful debut evening of this 100th opera festival.[…] The Arena was packed, rewarding not only the excellent performance of the leading performer but of the entire cast, starting with tenor Roberto Alagna, imbued in the role of Pinkerton ❞ 

« Butterfly bewitches the Arena […]. Long applause for the leading performer and for the excellent cast starting with tenor Roberto Alagna in the role of Pinkerton. Aleksandra Kurzak's Madama Butterfly conquers the Arena. A soprano capable of giving a Cio-Cio-San who moves the audience and draws long and well-deserved applause during the successful debut evening of this 100th opera festival.[…] The Arena was packed, rewarding not only the excellent performance of the leading performer but of the entire cast, starting with tenor Roberto Alagna imbued in the role of Pinkerton, the U.S. Navy officer who, having landed in Japan, marries the 15-year-old geisha for the sake of adventure [...] »

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