Roberto Alagna

PROGRAMM

Première Partie 

Leoncavallo - Pagliacci - Prologue "Si Puo"

Petit - Thème de Cyrano de Bergerac

Alfano - Cyrano de Bergerac - "Je jette avec grâce mon feutre"

Mozart - Don Giovanni - Ouverture 

Gluck - Iphigénie en Tauride - "Unis dès la plus tendre enfance"

Gounod - Polyeucte - "Source Délicieuse"

Deuxième  Partie

Verdi - Luisa Miller - "O fede negar potessi... quando le sere al placido"

Verdi - Luisa Miller : Ouverture

Giordano - Fedora -  "Mia madre...Vedi io piango"

Giordano - Fedora - Intermezzo 

Zandonaï - Giulietta e Romeo - "Giulietta son io"

Verdi - Otello - Ora  per sempre

BIS

Massenet - Le Cid - "O souverain, ô Juge, ô père"

Puccini - La Toca - "E Lucevan le Stelle"

Verdi - Otello - "Nium mi tema"

Leoncavallo - Pagliacci - Prologue " Si Puo..."

Berceuse Corse à Cappella 

PERFORMANCE

SALLE GAVEAU PARIS

Friday the 10th on  December

CAST

Roberto  Alagna - Ténor

Appassionato Orchestra

Conductor : Mathieu Herzog 

PRESS REVIEW

Opéra Magazine - patrice Henriot 

❝Roberto Alagna set Paris Salle Gaveau on fire, on Dec. 10. He remains unrivalled in the subliminal encounters of his program. No lack of musical emotion and admiration! Perfect style, nobility, sobriety … He excels as Cyrano. Otello provokes enthusiasm. Legato, slancio, sharp high notes in the Verdian singing, beautiful recitative …. An astonishing demonstration of generosity with several long and difficult, overwhelming encores. In front of the widespread euphoria, a last exploit: a delicious Corsican lullaby sung a cappella…❞ 

EXCERPTS (translated from French) : « A magnificent journey through the works taken on by the mythical tenors, faced by Roberto Alagna’s personality [...] The musical emotion and the admiration will be there. [...]. Roberto Alagna remains unrivalled in the subliminal encounters of his program: Enrico Caruso, of course (Fedora), Georges Thill (Iphigénie en Tauride, Le Cid), José Luccioni (Cyrano de Bergerac, Polyeucte, Otello), Mario Del Monaco (Otello, Fedora, Giulietta e Romeo). The artist thus honours all his past, present and future repertoire. The "Prologue" of Pagliacci ("Si puo?") opens the evening. Great tenors have enjoyed singing baritone pieces and Roberto Alagna, himself, did not go along this summer, at the Théâtre Antique d'Orange, with the duet between Ezio and Attila, alongside Ildar Abdrazakov? Here he is very much comfortable. Then he excelles in Cyrano ("Je jette avec grâce mon feutre"), a role he has greatly championed on stage. The moving aria of Pylade (" Unis dès la plus tendre enfance ") offers a moment of pure declamation and perfect style. And the "Stances" of Polyeucte ("Source délicieuse") rise to the nobility of Cornelian tragedy. 
At the beginning of the second part, the French tenor returns to Verdian singing (legato, slancio, sharp high notes), for the beautiful recitative "Oh! fede negar potessi" and the aria "Quando le sere al placido" from Luisa Miller. The excerpts from Fedora tell the drama in a scene made up of stories, which reveal the crux of the action ("Mia madre... Vedi, io piango"). One has to admire the sobriety that Roberto Alagna brings to it. Finally, Otello ("Ora e per sempre") provokes enthusiasm. The first three encores, both long and difficult, provide an astonishing demonstration of generosity: Le Cid ("O Souverain, O Juge, O Père"), Tosca ("E lucevan le stelle", a heartrending daydream), Otello again ("Niun mi tema"). Is everything said, since (almost) everything has been sung? Not without malice, Roberto Alagna proposes to repeat the "Prologue" of Pagliacci, well synchronized, this time, with the orchestra. In front of the widespread euphoria, the tenor offers a last feat: singing a cappella a delicious Corsican lullaby. »

Première Loge - Nicolas Mathieu

❝ Roberto Alagna triumphs at the Salle Gaveau. An exceptional recital, a dense and generous programme. Captivating theatrical acting, superb projection, wide and ample, assured and radiant high notes, exemplary diction, elegant phrasing, poise, spine-tingling pianissimos, heartbreaking climax, admirable rightness of tone... In response to the redoubled applause of the audience, he comes back to offer 5 encore and establishes his triumph.…❞ 

EXCERPTS (translated from French) : « Roberto Alagna triumphs at the Salle Gaveau. Twenty years after his last appearance in loco, the French tenor offered an exceptional recital to the audience of the Salle Gaveau with a dense and generous program accompanied by the no less excellent Ensemble Appassionato conducted by Mathieu Herzog.
Entitled "When the Theater enters the Pantheon of the Opera", the programme proposed by Roberto Alagna tonight at the Salle Gaveau invites the audience to (re)discover great literary and theatrical figures in opera through a clever mix of famous and lesser known arias. [...]
After a few introductory measures of the orchestra, the tenor arrives on stage under the already enthusiastic applause of the public to display the character of Pagliacci’s Tonio with a "Si può?" with dramatic verve and measured vibrato. [...]. Freed from the score (he sings by heart the whole of his recital), the interpreter invests the space [...] to hook the public with a captivating theatrical game. The projection is superb, wide and ample, the high notes assured and radiant, on the well-dosed instrumental play of the Ensemble Appassionato. We heard the first bravi from the already enthralled audience. It was the turn of Cyrano de Bergerac by Alfano with the aria " Je jette avec grâce mon feutre ", which underlines, if one had to be convinced, an exemplary diction through the whole register, allied to an elegant phrasing. And the solemn presence of the " Source Délicieuse " from Gounod's Polyeucte will only redouble the applause of the audience.
The second part of the recital shows a singing that became even better, and a greater and greater chemistry with the orchestra. The final pianissimi of "Quando le sere al placido" (Luisa Miller), the tender fervor of "Mia madre... Vedi io piango" (Fedora by Giordano) were spine-tingling... And the "Giulietta son io" (Giuletta e Romeo by Zandonai) brings one of the moments of grace of the evening with a sublime rise to a heartbreaking and hypersensitive climax. Before leaving the languor for the firmness with a hammered "Ora e per sempre" (Otello by Verdi), with strong chest lines. […] 
Responding to the redoubled acclamations of the public, Roberto Alagna visibly galvanized by such a success comes back to offer 5 encore! A very solemn "O Souverain" (Massenet's Cid) enhanced by garlands of candles in motion, a striking "E luccevan le stelle" (Puccini's Tosca) and "Niun mi tema" (Verdi's Otello), before returning to the initial "Si può?", arguing that the first version given at the beginning of the concert left him dissatisfied! And as a final touch, he intones a cappella a lullaby, in a religious silence. Far from putting the public to sleep, Roberto Alagna establishes his triumph... »

Toute la Culture - Paul Fourier

❝Roberto Alagna's firework at the Salle Gaveau ... Dazzling recital … Of Pagliacci, we know that Alagna is without a doubt the best current holder. He seems to have made it his own, in its entirety and, one might say, in all its roles ... He seizes on the aria of Cyrano with gusto ... Incomparable style, fabulous pronunciation ... A breathtaking second part ... With a very long passage from Fedora, the evening, which until now has been very beautiful, turns into something exceptional … A miracle of interpretation ... Sumptuous … Extreme emotion, without ever falling into excess or emphasis ... Total mastery … Effects, vibrato, piani and diminuendos of pure beauty ... The final scene of Otello is absolutely gigantic ... The power of the programme and the encore amazes the audience, which is totally galvanised by the artist’s performance and prodigality ... Immense talent and generosity …❞

EXCERPTS: (translated from French) « The tenor gave a dazzling recital on 10 December. Despite the constraints linked to the pandemic, Parisians did not miss the event and the hall was almost full. They did not regret it. The evening was entitled "From theatre to opera", a catchphrase reminding us that many operas have had a theatrical precedent before being set to music. [...] If Leoncavallo's Pagliacci is an exception to the rule, one will understand, from the words pronounced by Tonio (and spoken this evening by Roberto Alagna, despite the baritone tessitura required) that they offer the best introduction to an evening in which the lyric art joined the theatre [...] Of Pagliacci, we know that Alagna is, without a doubt, the best current holder. "Si Puo", Tonio's aria, sung this evening, shows that as an interpreter of an opera, he seems to have made it his own, in its entirety and, one might say, in all its roles. His beloved Caruso (and a few other tenors, such as Beniamino Gigli) had already paved the way for him, and his voice is ideally suited to this theatrical declamation to which he gives life, as if he were going to string together the entire opera on his own.
He then gives flesh and blood to Cyrano's bravado; with a few exceptions, the arias performed tonight are familiar to him, as he has embodied them on stage. Few have done so as regards Cyrano and this is an opportunity to remember that this was, of course, the case for Alfano's opera. One can understand the gusto with which he seizes on the air of a character who has everything to please him. [...]. Of course, after Cyrano, the following aria - that of Pylade from Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride - is obviously appropriate with the evening's theme. It shows as well Roberto's desire to cover the widest possible period. But, if we cannot deny that his incomparable style and fabulous pronunciation are so well suited to the composer's writing, the fact remains that, tonight, the tenor's voice proves to be rather heavy for the exercise. On the other hand, this is obviously not the case for the very tense arias, each with its own difficulties, from Gounod's Polyeucte ("Source délicieuse") and from Luisa Miller which precedes and follows the break.
A breathtaking second half! If the evening had been very beautiful up to now, it turns into something exceptional with a very long passage (more than 8 minutes) from Giordano's Fedora ("Mia madre" ... "la fange mi svela" ... "vedi io piango"). It is worth remembering that a certain unknown Caruso was revealed with this role. Tonight's scene will be a miracle of interpretation. Firstly, because Roberto Alagna finds a perfect tessitura for him, but also because the true professional he is, the one who is known to work tirelessly, shows us what level of perfection he has reached for this role, while waiting for the performances planned at La Scala in Milan [...], performances that are always postponed, and which will hopefully take place next autumn. There is a little bit of Pagliaccio in the painful accents of Prince Ipanov and we would love to see these accents belong to a new signature role for Alagna... if only the big houses dared to stage the piece...
Roberto Alagna then tackles Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. In fact, the tenor who likes to make people discover this work presents an aria from Zandonai's little-known Giulietta e Romeo, an aria that also fits him like a glove and in which, this time, he brings the suffering of the lover, with extreme emotion, without ever falling into excess or emphasis.
And... Otello arrives... and this is the coup de grace, because the artist, in an instant, propels us to Venice, to the very heart of the man that deadly jealousy destroys. Are we now in an opera house where the works are paraded at full speed? The power and perfection of the interpretation take us instantly to Le Cid (Corneille again, but this time by Massenet) for a sumptuous "Ah, tout est bien fini... Ô Souverain, Ô juge, Ô père...", then defying reason and returning to Victorien Sardou whom Puccini sublimated, he goes on with a totally mastered "E lucevan le stelle", so truthful, where the effects, vibrato, piani and diminuendos are pure beauty.
After such a powerful programme and encore, we might think that the artist has sufficiently amazed us. Not at all! It is with a real greed - that we can see and feel - and with the desire to please his audience, that Roberto Alagna takes up nothing less than the final scene of Otello! ... and it is absolutely gigantic. The raw suffering is there, as Desdemona's body, and we, the audience, are included in an imaginary opera that unfolds before our eyes.
The moment arrives when all the scores are out of stock. With humour, as if to close the theatrical parenthesis, he pretexts a mistake in his first aria to take up the "Si Puo" from Pagliacci, with the same freshness as at the very beginning... and a redoubled intensity. And since, at long last, it was time to finish and send the public (totally galvanised by the performance) back home, he ended with a Corsican a capella song - a song that on occasion serves as a lullaby for Malena, his youngest daughter (who probably accompanied her mother to Poland for a Stabat Mater, given the same evening).
In the Alagna family, as we know, everything is a family story. Like everyone else, Roberto Alagna is getting older. He reminded us of this when, at the end of the evening, he said that he was returning to the Salle Gaveau as a soloist this evening after an absence of 20 years (he performed there in a duo concert with Aleksandra Kurzak in 2019). That day, his first daughter, little Ornella, brought him a bouquet 'bigger than she is'. Much taller now and very beautiful, she repeats the gesture, before 'la Mamma' went on stage with Roberto. The natural family then joined the other one, the loving adopted family, which accompanied him and was, once again, conquered by the prodigality of the artist.
Tonio's words still echo: "Mark well, therefore, our souls, rather than the poor players’ garb we wear, for we are men of flesh and bone, like you, breathing the same air of this orphan world!”. The artist, like the man, left us with the desire to very quickly renew this indefectible link that his immense talent and generosity were able to create... »

Joaquin Gomez Gomez  author of the book "Grande Moments Liricos"

❝ Roberto Alagna ha incendiado de perlas líricas Salle Gaveau Paris. Su canto, tuvo la esencia de la naturalidad y el estilismo de su antológica técnica, inundándonos de entusiasmo, alegría y esperanza. El canto lírico verdadero, tiene un tenor de auténtico “Primo Cartello”,  Roberto Alagna. Voz redonda y nítida, dicción memorable, autentica lección magistral a media voz con morbidezze, emulando al otrora histórico gran tenor francés George Thill. Prodigiosa técnica, estilo Pertile. Canto indescriptible por su naturalidad, expresividad vocal, nitidez e interpretación, casi como en la escena teatral.❞

LEER MÀS : “Roberto Alagna ha incendiado de perlas líricas Salle Gaveau Paris. Paris, se dice que es la ciudad de la Luz y del Amor, pero este año infernal por la persistencia del COVID, el alumbrado de la Navidad-Noël en “Les Champs Elysées”, tenia una luz plúmbea, mortecina, no tenia vitalidad. Tuvo que venir el “Angel du le France”, el grandi tenore Roberto Alagna, para, que desde la famosa y clásica Sala de Conciertos Gaveau (10/12/2021), esculpiera con fuego, las más bellas notas de celebres arias de opera, como perlas líricas, devolviendo con todo su Amor, la Luz y la Vida, a unos de los lugares más emblemáticos de la capital de la France. Alagna, estuvo acompañado por la Orquestre Appassionato,  bajo la espléndida dirección de Mathieu Herzog, llenando (1000 personas) la celebre sala, dotada de extraordinaria acústica. Su canto, tuvo la esencia de la naturalidad y el estilismo de su antológica técnica, inundándonos de entusiasmo, alegría y esperanza. El canto lírico verdadero, tiene un tenor de auténtico “Primo Cartello”,  Roberto Alagna.
El concierto, titulado  “Del Teatro a la Ópera”,  fue de amplio espectro, ya que tuvo una primera parte dedicada a la ópera francesa y en la segunda parte estuvo integrada por el canto romántico-verista y lírico-spinto verdiano, con unos bises finales apoteósicos.
Tras su introducción con Il Prologo de I Pagliacci, cantado de forma lirica, con voz redonda y nítida, nos invadió de extasis con la famosa aria de Cyrano de Bergerac de Alfano. Su exposición, fue como una perfecta clase de canto, con vocalizaciones especiales, realizando diversas escalas, mezclando las vocales en cada una de ellas. Su dicción fue memorable con acentos a flor de piel, es decir te ponía la carne de gallina. Después, con su Iphigenie en Tauride de Gluck, su canto fue modélico, autentica lección magistral a media voz con morbidezze, emulando al otrora histórico gran tenor francés George Thill. Para finalizar, esta primera parte idílica, nos introdujo en la poco conocida aria de Polyeucte de Gounod, “Source Delicieuse”. Esta aria, tiene gran dificultad por sus frecuentes cambios de tonalidad, poniendo de manifiesto la altísima excelencia de su prodigiosa técnica, estilo Pertile. Con valentía y seguridad, ascendió al “Do Agudo”, con una escala  de tesitura terrible y puso la sala boca abajo.
En la segunda parte, pudimos comprobar su dominio actual del canto romántico-verista, con una interpretación vehemente y apasionada del Loris Ipanof, con su “Vedi io piango” del segundo acto de Fedora de Giordano. Después, Roberto Alagna, como Romeo de referencia histórica, nos maravillo con su magnifico “Giulietta son io” de la opera de Zandonai, Giulietta e Romeo. En ella, sus acentos divinos, con “molta expressione”, invadieron nuestro corazón y nos hizo recordar a nuestro querido e histórico divo-tenor Don Miguel Fleta. Zandonai, dijo “Este es mi Romeo” en el día de su estreno 14 Febrero de 1922 en el Teatro Constanzi de Roma. De Verdi, canto correctamente “Quando le sere al placido” de Luisa Miller,  sobresaliendo especialmente en su aria de Otello, “Ora e per sempre”, dicha con fuerza y con unos acentos en la vocal “i” realmente emocionantes y mágicos. Se complementó en los bises, con un “Niun mi tema” como final del mismo Otello, cantada de forma indescriptible por su naturalidad, expresividad vocal, nitidez e interpretación, casi como en la escena teatral. En los bises, destacaron, la rotundidad de exposición de su famosa aria de Le Cid de Massenet “O souverain, o Juge, O Père” y su dominio total de “E lucevan le stelle” de Tosca. Finalizó “ a capella” con una canción de Córcega. Esperanza, de poder seguir disfrutando del, casi mítico, Roberto Alagna, el Príncipe de los Tenores del siglo XXI, señor y caballero del verdadero canto lírico, auspiciado por la naturaleza y por la gracia de Dios.”

Itatridellest.com - Loredana Atzei

❝A great solidity in the medium and low registers, a perfectly articulated text phrased with softness and enhanced sensitivity. Flawless brilliance of the high notes, smooth legato, interpretative nuances, dramatic tension, exceptional vocal control, long and greatly sustained breath, extraordinary ability to bring his character to life. Exceptional musicality, infinite range of colours, emphatically rich diminuendos. The audience is left breathless and completely captivated. A standing ovation bring him back on stage, to which he responds with generosity. The beauty of his tone, his ease of emission, his power and his great expressiveness remain unchanged. With a career well over 30 years, the tenor still rides firmly the top of the wave.❞ 

EXTRACTS (translated from Italian): "Music and singing, therefore, as complete forms of art, are able to reach the heart and explain the human soul even better than words. And this is what Alagna immediately brings to the stage.  Starting with the choice of opening the recital with what is a true manifesto of verist opera: the Prologue from Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci' [...] . Although this is a baritone piece, Alagna performs it well, showing a great solidity in the medium and lower ranges, a perfectly articulated text phrased with softness and enhanced sensitivity. In "Al par di voi respiriamo l'aere...", he gives us the opportunity to appreciate his high register and his greatly sustained breath. The rest of the recital is a tribute to illustrious literary authors, such as Rostand's Cyrano in Alfano's splendid, difficult and rarely performed opera.  Alagna then performs 'Je jette avec grâce mon feutre'. A role, that of Cyrano [...] which suits him particularly well, giving him the opportunity to show both his jovial, Gascon and his sentimental, tragic aspects [...]. We then move on to Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauride [...] with "Unis dès la plus tendre enfance".  [...] The smooth legato and interpretative nuances keep the dramatic tension high without forcing it. The first part of the evening ends with "Source Délicieuse". Gounod's splendid aria from Polyeucte [...] is divinely interpreted with smooth phrasing and flawless brilliance of the top notes. But the best is yet to come. 
The second half opens with another of his masterpieces. Luisa Miller's famous aria "O fede negar potessi... Quando le sere al placido", which the tenor performs by enriching it with colours and with an exceptional vocal mastery capable of longly sustaining "Ah mi tradia..." from the first part, then executing ethereal pianissimi, to reinforce them again in the burst of anger of the lover who believes himself to be betrayed. Evolutions worthy of a real vocal "rollercoaster" that only a perfect mastery of breath and support can ensure. All this combined with the extraordinary ability to bring his character to life. With his doubts, his passions, his affections. [...]
He proves it once again by giving body and feelings to Loris Ipanoff in the long passage of Fedora, "Mia madre...vedi io piango" in which we are completely overwhelmed by the tragedy of the Count who, betrayed, becomes a murderer, and we understand his suffering and his nobility.  It is one of those rare moments in the theatre when time seems to stand still, when the colours become more intense, when the heart beats faster and the audience is left breathless and completely captivated. His debut in "Fedora" next year at La Scala in Milan promises to be an exceptional event.
With "Giulietta son io" from Zandonai's "Giulietta e Romeo", he returns with a beautiful and heartbreaking performance, then takes on another of those roles in which he never ceases to surprise. Verdi's Otello with 'Ora e per sempre' concludes the official programme with a celebration of one of the greatest writer of all time: William Shakespeare. But the insatiable audience called for more, which the singer's generosity did not hesitate to grant. Those expecting a series of lighter arias or pieces of the traditional repertoire will be disappointed, as the tenor's choice was of great depth, as was the whole concert.
He began with Rodrigo's aria from Massenet's Le Cid: 'Oh souverain, oh juge, oh père', followed by Tosca's 'E lucevan le stelle' with a moving legato on 'le belle forme disciogliea dai veli...' concluded with a pianissimo that thrilled the audience, and ended with the finale of Otello: "Niun mi tema". A perfect aria for a lyric tenor capable of showing all the fragility of the defeated warrior who has lost everything and who is prepared, as a last resort, to lose even his life. And he does so with a voice endowed with exceptional musicality, an infinite range of colours and emphatically rich diminuendos; the eyes are closed, the expression painful. A pain that is never shouted but that pierces the heart, until the last painful moan and that word "ba-cio", interrupted by a break, in which the hand of the chest slowly falls until it is completely released on the last syllable. The breath is extinguished and death comes. Even in these small details, we find the artist's touch and his relentless work.
This might seem to be the end, but a standing ovation recalls him to the stage twice. He reprises the Prologue and concludes with 'O la ricchezza di la so mammuccia', a Corsican lullaby performed a cappella. A unique moment of great charm to seal an unforgettable event. Twenty years have passed since Roberto Alagna's first recital at the Salle Gaveau, and the beauty of his tone, his ease of emission, his power and his great expressiveness remain unchanged. With experience, he can be credited with having overcome a certain youthful exuberance, justified, in favour of an even greater attention to introspection and interpretation, obviously obtained through continuous study. The result is there for all to see. A tenor whose career is well over 30 years and who still rides firmly the top of the
wave. Hopefully for many years to come."

Forumopera - Christian Peter

❝A dazzling concert. In a creative program that constantly keeps our curiosity alive, our national tenor - elegant in a magnificent black tuxedo, slipping with ease into the skin of his characters even in concert - convincingly aligns well-known pieces not often performed in concert and absolute rarities. Throughout pages of contrasting styles, he shows an ample and solid medium, a perfect mastery of lyrical declamation, sobriety and palpable emotion, an impeccable legato adorned with fine nuances, and a great dramatic intensity. Fully convincing in long and poignant scenes requiring a great theatrical and vocal commitment, he goes then without transition from the scene of the tomb from "Giuletta e Romeo" by Zandonai where we have the impression to see again the Romeo that he was thirty years ago with his juvenile silhouette to Otello’s "Ora e per sempre" that he sings with an incredible aplomb and authority... After such an intense program, what other tenor today would line up in an encore the arias from Le Cid, Tosca and Otello with such a vocal insolence? Without an ounce of tiredness perceptible in his voice, he offers a spectacular interpretation of the Cid, a vibrant "E Lucevan le Stelle" in which he multiplies the diminuendi and the sustained piani, then the whole final scene of Otello "Nium mi tema".  He sings again the prologue of Pagliacci, concludes the evening with a Corsican lullaby a capella and leaves happily under the acclamations, almost with regret to leave the stage❞ 

GALLERY