Roberto Alagna

Programm

First part

Giacomo Puccini
Madama Butterfly, « Viene la sera » (duo)
Manon Lescaut, Intermezzo

Amilcare Ponchielli
La Gioconda, « Cielo e mar » (Roberto)

Giacomo Puccini
Tosca, « Vissi d’arte » (Aleksandra)

Jules Massenet
Le Cid, Suite de ballet : Navarraise
Thaïs, « Thaïs !… C´est toi, mon père » (duo) Roberto en Baryton

Second Part

Giuseppe Verdi

Don Carlo, « È dessa! » (duo)

Giuseppe Verdi

Nabucco, Ouverture

Gustave Charpentier

Louise, « Depuis le jour où je me suis donnée » (Aleksandra)

Friedrich von Flotow

Martha, « Ach, so fromm » (Roberto)

Pietro Mascagni

Cavalleria Rusticana, Intermezzo

Cavalleria rusticana, « Tu qui, Santuzza? » (duo)

BIS 

Cielito Lindo

Funiculi Funicula

Espagnola

La Veuve Joyeuse

Performance

Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussel

10st of Februar 2022

Cast

Alekandra Kurzak - Soprano

Roberto Alagna - Ténor

David Gimenez-Carreras - Conductor

Belgian National Orchestra

Press Review

❝ ELISIR OF LOVE AT BOZAR: A TOTALLY THRILLING MUSICAL NIGHT ... The flamboyant Roberto Alagna, a figurehead of contemporary lyrical art, and the magnificent Aleksandra Kurzak at his side, are abundantly applauded ... Very skilful programming ... A very shimmering anthology of legendary arias that set the happy audience on fire ... Splendid and admirable voices engaged in a formidable journey through human emotions ... These two brilliant artists possess the art of condensing the action in a few minutes or jumping from one emotion to another in a vertiginous way ... Subtle acting and burning lyricism ... With humour and communicative happiness, they will offer the overjoyed hall no less than four exhilarating and funny encores, after having invaded the whole hall with a maximum of power and intensity of expression ❞

READ MORE (translated from French) : « 10 February 2022. At the Palais de Beaux Arts in Brussels - pronounced Bozar in short - we had the honour of discovering one of the world's best-known French-Italian tenors, the flamboyant Roberto Alagna, a leading figure in contemporary opera. At his side, the magnificent Aleksandra Kurzak.
Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak met as the lead singers in a production of Donizetti's 'L'elixir d'amore' at the Royal Opera House in London. A few years later, in a production of the same work at the Paris Opera, they decided to become a glamorous couple both on stage and off, and since then, they have enchanted audiences around the world.
Thus, their shimmering anthology of legendary arias by Verdi, Puccini, Massenet, Amilcare Ponchielli, Mascagni - among others - set fire to a hall happy to finally enjoy back the sparkling joy and spirit of live concerts bathed in the purest romanticism.
The very skilful programming also presented some very beautiful symphonic pieces, interspersed between each of the vocal performances of the two lyric singers, who were so abundantly applauded. The Belgian National Orchestra, conducted by David Giménez Carreras, "served as a guitar", as Verdi loved to say, for the admirable voices engaged in their formidable journey through human emotions. Very rich in timbre and colour, the orchestral setting, like a sound box animated by infinite nuances, nevertheless always remained in the background, all at the service of the splendid voices.
These two brilliant artists possess the art of condensing the action into a few minutes or jumping from one emotion to another in a dizzying fashion. Their subtle acting and burning lyricism made it possible to dive immediately into the chosen work, to exploit each melodic vein to the full and to feel the dramatic tension of the chosen excerpt and the exaltation of the characters with each new interpretation.
Not lacking in humour and communicative happiness, they will offer the overjoyed hall no less than four exhilarating and funny encores, after having invaded the entire hall with maximum power and intensity of expression. A totally thrilling musical evening. »

Musiculturaonline.it - Alma Torretta - 02/10/2022

❝OVATION AND GREAT SUCCESS for Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak, both in great form, in a fusional complicity ... The whole evening's programme was characterised by a positive elegance … What strikes you about Alagna is always his innate musicality, with melodies that flow in a wonderfully natural way. His voice is powerful, always well supported by the breath and well projected ... Simply perfect as Turiddu, he also confirms with the aria from Von Flotow’s Martha that his vocality is very well suited to the interpretation of the German repertoire, a language that he articulates very well giving meaning to each word ... A very successful and varied evening❞ 

MORE EXCERPTS (translated from Italian) : « A standing ovation in Brussels for Alagna & Kurzak with a 'European' programme • The French-Sicilian tenor and the Polish soprano, both in great form, tackle the Italian, French and German repertoire. At the end of their recital at the Bozar, one left the hall with a light heart and a smile on one's face, thanks in particular to the encore, a succession of lively popular songs - such as Santa Lucia, La spagnola, Funiculì, funiculà - perhaps also as a tribute to the large number of Italians present in the hall. But the whole evening's programme was characterised by a positive elegance. The couple entered the auditorium under a longer-than-usual applause, demonstrating the affection of the audience. She, very elegant in a silver dress, then after the break in shades of pink and more sensual. Roberto Alagna always smiling and serene, or displaying dramatic accents when necessary, in a fusional complicity with his wife Aleksandra Kurzak. 
Aleksandra Kurzak, with her luminous high notes, has also shown her ability to interpret many different roles, from Madama Butterfly to Thaïs and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. What is striking about Alagna is always his innate musicality, with melodies that flow in a wonderfully natural way; his voice is powerful, always well supported by his breath and projected, [...] Both of them showcase long sustained notes and beautiful “fil di voce”. 
Among his most successful pieces was "Ach, so fromm" from Friedrich von Flotow's Martha (1847), confirming, after his excellent performance in 2020 in Berlin in Lohengrin, that his vocality is very well suited to the interpretation of the German repertoire, a language he articulates very well, giving meaning to every word, and it is no coincidence that he will return to perform his first great success in Wagner next April, again in Berlin.
Kurzak attacked "Vissi d'arte" very well and portrayed a sad Tosca [...] She delivered a beautiful pianissimo in the aria "Depuis le jour" from Louise by Charpentier (1900). In addition to the duet "Viene la sera" from Madama Butterfly, with the aria finale, a true hymn to love, both delicate and passionate, which seemed to be a public declaration of their love as a couple in life, the programme was completed by the duet of "Thaïs! C'est toi, mon père" from Massenet and the duet 'È dessa!' from Don Carlo, ending with Cavalleria Rusticana where Alagna was simply perfect, as always, as Turiddu.
It was a very successful and varied evening, only a few people regretted the encores, all devoted to popular arias, when they would have liked to hear Alagna & Kurzak again in further great opera classics.»

Klassiek centraal - Jessy Baeken - 02/10/2022

❝Entire books could be written about the chemistry between Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak, so pronounced is it. There is nothing more beautiful to see than two opera singers with such a strong connection. The audience seemed to be able to listen to both of them forever. During the course of the evening, there was not a single moment when the audience was not involved, almost sucked into the interaction between the music, Kurzak and Alagna. The voices themselves, in addition to the star mojo of the opera couple, were perfectly in sync with the repertoire. The show lives up to all its promises: a fine balance between a well-chosen repertoire, a state-of-the-art orchestra, and top-notch performers. ❞ 

EXCERPTS (translated from Dutch): « The evening's program is a selection of opera arias and duets, interspersed with instrumental passages. The structure is cleverly chosen and balanced [...] Composing a repertoire for a concert is like walking a tightrope: everything must be in balance to keep the audience captivated. The Belgian National Orchestra, Alagna and Kurzak have taken a good step in this direction.
Beginning with "Vieni la sera" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Alagna and Kurzak immediately bring intimacy into the piece. Not an overly familiar opening performance, but an intimate duet - for the evening - between the geisha Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly) and Lieutenant Pinkerton. Entire books could be written about the chemistry between Alagna and Kurzak, so pronounced is it. There is, in my humble opinion, nothing more beautiful to see than two opera singers with such a strong connection. A good opera performance is the sum of trained voices and a mutual physical language. One without the other creates a beautiful performance, but that's it. During the course of the evening, there was not a single moment when the audience was not involved, almost sucked into the interaction between the music, Kurzak and Alagna.
The voices themselves, in addition to the star mojo of the opera couple, were also one with the repertoire. With the promise of a verismo opera, my ear expects to hear exactly that: hard emotion, alternating between clear line and rough sound, dynamic breaks and unexpected bursts. Verism is so far from Bel Canto in its intent that pure singing in this repertoire is a cardinal sin altogether. The only sin that Alagna and Kurzak committed was not performing more duets together, as the audience seemed to be able to listen to both of them forever. Both brought the necessary verismo to the story, with Alagna's powerful vocal drama in the duet "È dessa!" from Verdi's Don Carlos, and an almost bitterly brilliant Kurzak in "Tu qui, Santuzza?" from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.  [...] 
On this night, the Belgian National Orchestra, Alagna and Kurzak delivered and fulfilled their promises of romantic drama, for sure. It was a fine balance of well-chosen repertoire, a state-of-the-art  orchestra, and top-notch performers. Verism, as an art form, must be allowed to express itself, and it did so during this concert! »

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