Roberto Alagna

Programm

Part 1st

Sigurd - Reyer - Le bruit des chants...

L'Africaine - Meyerbeer - Pays Merveilleux

O Souverain... Massenet - Le Cid

Non Je ne suis pas un Impie - Frères Alagna - Le Dernier jour d'un condamné 

Part Second

O inferno - Verdi - Simon Boccanegra

No Pagliaccio non son - Leoncavallo - Pagliaccio

SI fui Soldato - Giordano - Andrea Chenier

Amor Ti Vieta - Giordano - Fedora

Nun mi tema - Verdi - Otello

Encores

Granada - Agustin Lara

La Spagnola - Vincenzo Di Chiara

Cielito Lindo -

Funiculi, Funicula

Performance

GALA CONCERT IN THE GARDEN OF THE SANTA CATALINA ROYAL HIDEAWAY HOTEL LAS PALMAS GRAN CANARIA

Spain as part of the 3rd Santa Catalina Classics Festival. 

Cast

Roberto Alagna - Ténor

Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria

Conductor - Karel Chichon

Interview

24th of June 2023

"A demanding, intense, refined programme in a crescendo of emotions... Homogeneous singing in all registers, soft phrasing, brilliant high notes that pierce the night with the brilliance of a ray of sunlight... Thrilling, powerful performances that are also melodious, sensitive and poignant .... The ardour flows with confidence, brilliant high notes, suave diminuendo... Magnificent, passionate singing, infinitely sustained, ethereal pianissimi ... The high-pitched finales are an explosion of light... Spontaneous, true, poignant, he manages to convey the full range of feelings, from anger to hatred ... In Canio his eyes light up with a flash of hatred. His phrasing is perfect, his breath control incomparable, his stage presence imposing... As Otello, his voice is full-bodied, soft and infinitely varied in nuance. He combines artfully and sensitively the half-voices, the splendour of the high notes, the beauty of the sunny timbre... In the encores, whatever the language, whatever the song, from the most sophisticated to the most traditional, the constants remain unchanged: the perfectly articulated words, the ease in the high notes that seem to flow from an inexhaustible source of brilliance, the infinite expressive richness, and the acting ability of someone who, with a single look, manages to paint the role on himself and transport the audience into another dimension"."A unique and all-encompassing "En plein air" experience, among fire trees glowing red at sunset, the spectacular Dracaene draco, palms and monumental Ficus trees. A setting as beautiful as it is challenging. Singing in the open air is an unknown. There are critical acoustic problems to overcome. Rehearsals are long and exhausting. Coordination between the singer and the orchestra is meticulously worked out, with the sound engineers having the arduous task of managing the output and return of the microphones. But when the challenge is finally met, the sound spreads across the garden in a natural and vibrant way, in a perfect fusion between stage and audience. And at that moment, nature ceases to be a constraint and becomes an enchanting setting for the sweetest music, the most passionate song, caressed by the wind and watched with curiosity by the crescent moon.

The programme is demanding, intense and refined. The arias are carefully chosen to create a crescendo of emotions. The programme is divided into two parts: the first covers the French repertoire and the second is inspired by the Italian repertoire. The arias are interspersed with large symphonic pages that introduce the audience to a captivating, dreamlike dimension. 

The recital opens with Ernest Reyer's "Le bruit des chants". Sigurd's aria immediately brings out Alagna's best vocal and interpretive characteristics: the homogeneity of his singing in all registers, the softness of his phrasing, the brilliance of his high notes that pierce the night with the brilliance of a ray of sunlight. In the finale, an ethereal pianissimo seals a performance full of pathos. And that's only the beginning. The "Pays merveilleux" from Meyerber's Africaine resonates in the large garden like an ode to nature. And the imagination runs wild, as do the parakeets that soar behind the stage, colouring the Las Palmas sky green. Their noisy passage makes the conductor's baton hover for a moment. A brief, amused wait for the birds to finish their performance so that the programme can continue. O souverain", an extract from Massenet's Cid, is fascinating. The first part is powerful and melodious at the same time, sensitive and poignant, and becomes a fervent prayer in which despair takes the form of harmonious notes capable of bewitching. The ardour is poured out in confident, brilliant high notes, diluted in a suave diminuendo in "...free from all human regrets!". The second part explodes in the magnificence of an open, passionate song that resolves into an infinitely sustained pianissimo in "Aurore du jour éternel..." until a subtle sigh that becomes a caress. The high-pitched finale is an explosion of light.

 The aria "Non, Je ne suis pas un impie..." concludes the first part of the recital. Taken from the contemporary opera "Le dernier jour d'un condamné", based on the novel by Victor Hugo and composed by David Alagna, who also wrote the libretto with his two brothers Frédérico and Roberto. A difficult, heart-rending, moving aria, in which the performer gives voice to the despair of a man condemned to death. An opera that, on the whole, strikes at the heart: painful, hard-hitting, profound... Necessary.

The second part opens with "O inferno" from Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, in which he manages to convey a wide range of feelings, from anger to hatred. The heroic accents flow into the sentimentality in a spontaneous, true and poignant way. He then moved on to "Non, pagliaccio non son..." in which he brought to life a Canio distraught with grief, vehement with rage, his eyes lit up with a flash of hatred. His phrasing is perfect, his breath control incomparable, his stage presence imposing. As in the aria from 'Andréa Chénier', 'Si, fui soldato', proud and indomitable poet and patriot. And also in the passionate 'Amor ti vieta...', where he portrays Loris burning with love. And again in 'Niun mi tema...' where he succeeds in giving Verdi's Otello a voice that is full, soft and infinitely nuanced. From the imperious 'Oh Gloria...' to the pitiful 'E tu, come sei pallida...'

 He blends artfully and sensitively the half-voices, the splendour of the high notes, the beauty of the sunny timbre. With the word '...ba.....cio' lost in a sigh, the face bowed, the eyes closed and the hands falling to the side of the body, the drama of the Moor of Venice is consummated and the official part of the programme comes to an end. As for the symphonic programme, it moved the audience with the same force. [...] Then came Roberto Alagna's encores, in which he raged with songs in Spanish, Italian and Neapolitan. Whatever the language, whatever the song, from the most sophisticated to the most traditional, the constants remain unchanged: the perfectly articulated words, the ease in the high notes that seem to spring from an inexhaustible source of brilliance, the infinite expressive richness, and the acting ability of someone who, with a single glance, manages to paint the role on himself and transport the audience into another dimension. It opens with 'Granada', by Mexican composer Agustin Lara, infusing him with all the Spanish atmospheres with perfect diction and brilliant singing that ends on a long, high note. He followed with 'La Spagnola', by baritone Vincenzo di Chiara. The song immediately takes on a whiff of sensuality, seasoned with a bewitching smile and a winning gaze. The ends of the phrases are underlined by bold punctuations that surprise and enliven the atmosphere. 

A vocal demonstration that delighted the audience and continued with a performance of two other battlehorses: 'Cielito lindo' and 'Funiculì funiculà', which confirmed him as an eclectic and convincing performer in splendid form. A Partenopean finale that involves everyone. The song is punctuated by the rhythmic beats of the audience, leading to long, thunderous applause. It's the perfect way to end an emotional evening surrounded by greenery and kissed by the immense Canarian sky.

Presse Review

Musicandosite - Loredana Atzei

Antena 3 - Iban Padron - 24 juin 2023

"A magical evening in which the French tenor enveloped the gardens of the iconic hotel with the magic of his voice in a very special Lyric Gala. Roberto Alagna delighted the audience with his masterful interpretation of a repertoire ranging from French lyricism to Italian verismo, with undeniable touches of deep drama." 

"The Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, was the setting for the first concert in the third edition of the Santa Catalina Classics classical music festival, featuring one of the most prominent names in international opera for more than three decades: Roberto Alagna. On this occasion, the tenor was accompanied by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, one of today's most renowned symphonic groups, under the artistic direction of Karel Mark Chichon. Attendees enjoyed a magical evening as the French tenor enveloped the gardens of the iconic hotel with the magic of his voice in a very special Lyric Gala. Alagna delighted the audience with his masterful interpretation of a repertoire ranging from French lyricism to Italian verismo, with undeniable touches of deep drama. In Alagna's own words: "I've always loved performing outdoors, despite the acoustic difficulties this often entails. The outdoors allows us to connect with the elements, and even if it's natural, it becomes supernatural: the sky, the wind, feeling the breeze and experiencing the immensity that surrounds us. The voice fading into the vibration of the night allows us all to connect together, with the audience and with nature. I love that feeling and, despite the challenges involved, I love playing outdoors."

Galllery