CONCERT SALLE GAVEAU PARIS
Programm
Performance
Salle Gaveaux
11th of January 2024
Cast
Roberto Alagna - Ténor
Colonne Orchestra
Conductor - Marc Korovitch
Press Review
Ôlyrix - CJM - 01/13/2024
❝ Roberto Alagna, THE INNER STRENGTH ... A daunting program ... Elegant and smiling, a conquering energy ... A health and pleasure in singing that win the admiration of the audience ... A clear and incisive vocal emission, a pronunciation that is consistently crystal-clear, a projection that blows you away from the upper midrange through to vigourous yet secure high notes ... Expressiveness ... An athletic singing style, totally committed and embodied ... A frank, generous personality, always ready for embracing vocal challenges ... An inner depth and phrasing that evidently resonate with the audience. [...] Welcome nuances [...] His ability to sustain the tension of formidable phrases in the upper medium is impressive . The high notes are all there, powerful and brilliant [...] Highly applauded, the tenor shares his infectious joy of being on stage.❞
EXCERPTS (translated from French): "Roberto Alagna, the inner strength. In recital with the Orchestre Colonne directed by Jean-Yves Ossonce, the tenor defends a daunting program, alternating great French and Italian arias, with a health and pleasure in singing that always win the admiration of the audience. Elegant and smiling, Roberto Alagna enters the Gaveau stage with conquering energy. It has to be said that the tenor, who celebrated his 60th birthday in June, still has some fine qualities to boast: a clear, incisive vocal emission that translates into a consistently crystal-clear pronunciation, a projection that blows you away from the upper midrange through to vigorous but secure high notes. [...] An athletic singing style, totally committed and embodied, where expressivity is achieved through attention to the text and vocal energy. The tenor's personality is also evident: frank and generous, he is always ready for embracing vocal challenges like a sportsman, as demonstrated by the evening's program (finally given without an intermission) in which, after a first part devoted to the "broadest" of the French repertoire, the tenor moves on to some formidable Italian arias.
It's no novelty that Alagna's singing is so well suited to French opera. The opening aria from Reyer's Sigurd is a case in point: the audience doesn't miss a word, and the instrument gradually finds its feet in this art of declamation, at once lyrical and rhythmic, never embarrassed by articulation or nasal vowels. The same qualities are to be found in Meyerbeer and David Alagna's aria from “Le dernier jour d'un condamné”, a formidable monologue in which vocal tension and drama go hand in hand. From this first part, what stands out most is the memorable prayer from Massenet's Cid: with eyes closed, focused on text and singing, head raised to confront the high notes of the score, the tenor finds an inner depth and phrasing that evidently resonate with the audience. [...] He ventures into welcome nuances [...] His ability to sustain the tension of formidable phrases in the high medium, as in Pagliacci or Fedora, is impressive. The high notes are all there, powerful and brilliant [...].
Highly applauded, the tenor shares his infectious joy of being on stage by inviting Nabil Naestro, a self-described "street tenor" with a deep voice and natural charisma, to join him in singing "O sole mio," "Funiculì funiculà," and "Abballati," supported by an audience seemingly always responsive to the pleasure of singing and the inner strength that adds to the tenor’s charm (and longevity, no doubt). »
Forum Opera - Christian Peter - 01/12/2024
❝ IN TOP FORM! Rich bass , sumptuous medium - wide, round, and homogeneous - topped off by powerful high notes …Splendor of timbre, perfection of diction, bold projection … A true model of interpretation, perfect diminuendo … A simple yet captivating connection with the audience … Ardor and striking heroism … Throughout the evening, we were dazzled by the tenor's vocal health and seemingly inexhaustible breath … A magnificent "Niun mi tema" that resounds powerfully … In the encores, a radiant and muscular interpretation. ❞
EXCERPTS (from French): "IN GREAT SHAPE! Roberto Alagna made his Parisian re
turn before a packed Salle Gaveau in a finely balanced program, uniting his cherished French and Italian cultures. [...] The program includes some rarely performed pieces that are listened to with pleasure. [...] Amid thunderous applause, Roberto Alagna takes the stage, sprightly, with a smile on his face, elegantly dressed in black, his fitted jacket accentuating his silhouette of young leading-man. From the first notes, the French tenor presents a sumptuous, broad, round, and homogeneous medium , topped off by powerful high notes. The audience exults. The aria from Vasco de Gama, "Ô paradis," arguably one of the most admirable, captivates with the splendor of timbre, perfection of diction, and bold projection, bringing the audience to their knees. Next is the prayer from "Le Cid," simple and poignant, filled with restrained emotion, a true model of interpretation, with a perfect diminuendo on the word "éternel." The first part concludes with two excerpts, including an orchestral one, from "Le Dernier jour d’un condamné," composed by David Alagna for his brother, highlighting that this work, created in 2007, deserves to be revived. [...]
The initially planned intermission having been cancelled, the Italian segment follows immediately [...]. Roberto Alagna surpasses himself in Gabriele Adorno's aria, "O inferno," a page much more complex than it seems, where he excels in expressing the various emotions of the character. The audience gives him an ovation; the tenor responds with humor, greets an acquaintance, and turns with a smile towards the side boxes. Roberto Alagna manages to create a simple connection between him and the audience, as if singing in front of a group of friends. The tenor loves his audience, and they reciprocate. The next two arias come from famous operas but are not the usual "hits." Thus, from Pagliacci, we are given "Pagliaccio non son," a heart-wrenching piece that precedes the murder concluding the work. For Andrea Chénier, it's the aria from the third act, "Si, fui soldato," that Roberto Alagna chooses to interpret with striking passion and heroism. Following are "Amor ti vieta" from Fedora, an opera that marked his grand return to La Scala in 2022, and a magnificent "Niun mi tema" that resonates powerfully in a silent and attentive hall. Throughout the evening, we are dazzled by the tenor's vocal health and seemingly inexhaustible breath. While the high notes may not have the flexibility of the past, the midrange has gained richness, adorned with golden reflections, and the lower register has gained consistency, allowing him to approach spinto roles with great success.
For the encores, Roberto Alagna offers the timeless "Granada" in a radiant and muscular interpretation before introducing to the audience a promising young tenor, Naestro, a former boxer, with whom he sings duets "O sole mio", ["Funiculi Funicula"] and "Abballati," a Sicilian aria a cappella. [...]
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