Roberto Alagna

Opera

Performances

Royal Opera House of London 

Wednesday 30th of November

Saturday 3th of December

Monday 5th of December

Thursday 8th of December

Sunday 10th of December

Tuesday 13th of December

Thursday 15th of December

Cast

Press Review

Operawire - Mike Hardy - 30/11/2023

❝ Brilliant Cavalleria … A superior performance … The golden couple Alagna-Kurzak consolidated their positions as world class artists with spellbinding performances from start to finish … Roberto Alagna sings with wonderful legato, flourishes and trills … A tenor of steely power and resonance … His trademark colors and phrasing are in abundance … A great actor, a true gift of fully immersing and embodying the characteristics of his role. ❞

They go together like cookies and milk…like bacon and eggs…like Adam and Eve! Nooooooo! Not “Cav” and “Pag,” as the fans insist on calling the operas, but Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak! The golden couple, currently on at the Royal Opera House in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” consolidated their positions as world class artists here with spellbinding performances from start to finish. […]

One doesn’t know whether the fact that Alagna and Kurzak are married in real life adds to their chemistry here, but there is unequivocal dynamism of the highest order which just reinforces the authenticity of their on-stage relationship. […] 
Alagna’s instrument [doesn’t show] the signs of its age. From the opening “O Lola ch’ai di latti la cammisa,” ode to his true love Lola, where he sings with wonderful legato, flourishes and trills, to his combative duets with Santuzza, “Tu qui, Santuzza?” Alagna displays a tenor of steely power and resonance. His trademark colors and phrasing are in abundance. His “Mamma, quel vino è generoso” to his mother was superb. 

Moreover, he is a [great] actor. His challenging scorn and impulsiveness when his rival and nemesis Alfio refuses his invitation to drink with him, and he aggressively empties his glass at Alfio’s feet, is a genuine flinch moment. Alagna has a true gift of fully immersing and embodying the characteristics of his role. In a recent interview with OperaWire, he said: “I still feel the same thrill for singing like at the beginning. I have an unaltered desire to always try to do better and better; To study; To try to reach out and find other possibilities. I am like this. I am an eternal student.” It is clear, on this showing, that his philosophy has held him in good stead. […]
A “Cavalleria” of this quality is a hard act to follow […] When the performance is as superior as this, I believe it demands attention from opera goers of all persuasions. 

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA 30/11/2023

 
"The most brilliant show in town by far ... With this superb cast, we are vocally and dramatically in paradise ...  Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna's stage portrayals of Santuzza and Turiddu ring absolutely true ... Roberto Alagna wields his gleaming, steel-edged sound like a weapon ... He gives a powerful portrayal of an extremely convincing Turiddu ... Huge applause for a terrific and moving performance".

The Independent - Michael Church

"Every opera lover should see Covent Garden's heavenly Christmas offering.This double bill of Italian realism at the Royal Opera House is by far the most brilliant show in town [...] With this production - and this cast - we are vocally and dramatically in heaven. I can't remember ever being so gripped by the human condition as I am by this version of Cavalleria Rusticana.The fact that Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna are husband and wife in real life surely has something to do with it, but their embodiment on stage of the seething relationship between the wronged Santuzza and her love tormentor, Turiddu, rings absolutely true.Kurzak's timbre is beautifully supple, while Alagna wields his steel-edged, sparkling timbre like a weapon; his remorseful despair at the end of the opera is palpable.[...] There is no weak vocal link in these two village tragedies. [...] As there are more subtleties to savour in this double bill than can be easily absorbed on a first viewing, I'll be coming back to see it again soon. And I urge anyone with even the slightest interest in opera to go too. It has to be, by far, the most brilliant show in town.  

The Guardian - Tim Ashley
 

"Compelling and compassionate theatre [...] Michieletto's pair of short operas in 2015 returns for its third revival with a superb cast including Roberto Alagna [...] Alagna [gives] a powerful portrait of a man who unwillingly faces the consequences of his own reckless sensuality." 

The Article - Mark Ronan

"The huge applause also applied [...] to the wonderful performance of Cavalleria Rusticana in the first half, with Roberto Alagna as the extremely convincing Turiddu and Aleksandra Kurzak as his wife Santuzza.[...] Opera verismo offers a wonderful show [...] This is a high-flying opera for audiences who want to be moved - and we were."

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA 30/11/2023 
 

"An almost impeccable cast ...Roberto Alagna's powerful tenor remains exciting to hear ... He gives the character more dimension than usual ... A fiery voice ...Who better to sing a Siciliana?  His bronzed voice and cheeky attitude are perfectly suited to the role, and his brindisi is full of charming arrogance ... A fantastic singer, with a rich, brilliant, powerful and colourful voice ... His high expectations have been exceeded".

The Stage - George Hall

"Moving and often disturbing. [The cast is almost impeccable. As Turiddu, the village lover, Roberto Alagna's powerful tenor remains thrilling to hear. He gives the character more dimension than usual by looking at his jilted lover Santuzza with a mixture of pity and regret, rather than exasperated boredom".  

The Times - Mark Pullinger

(Kurzak's husband Roberto Alagna switches this time from Canio to the love rat Turiddu - who better to sing a Sicilian than a Franco-Sicilian tenor? - and his bronzed voice and cad-like demeanour suit the role well, his brindisi full of charming arrogance."

London Review - Andrew Lohmann
 

Roberto Alagna sang Turridu. Alagna is a fantastic singer, his voice rich, bright, powerful and colourful. "

Broadwayworld - Gary Naylor
 

Aleksandra Kurzak piles on the emotion in the role of poor Santuzza, her soprano saying as much with tone as the libretto does with words to make her fatal betrayal of Turiddu understandable.Roberto Alagna never sees this danger until it is too late, when he enters Alfio's off-stage duel.[...] I had seen an ROH Live presentation of these productions some eight years ago and, as a result, my expectations were very high - but they were exceeded."

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