METSTARSLIVEINCONCERT - EZE

Programm

DUOS

Puccini - Madama Butterfly - Vogliatemi bene (Cio cio san - Pinkerton)

Donizetti - Elisir d'Amore - Caro Elisir sei mio... Exulti pur la barbara (Adina et Nemorino)

Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana - Tu qui santuzza - (Turiddu - Santuzza)

Verdi - Otello - Già nella notte densa (Desdemona - Otello)

Lehàr - La Veuve Joyeuse - Lippen schweigen- (Mizzi - Danilo)

Mendoza y Cortès - Cielito Lindo

Denza - Funiculi Funicula

ALEKSANDRA KURZAK

Rossini - Il Barbiere di Siviglia - Una voce poco fa (Rosina)

Verdi - Otello - Ave Maria (Desdemona)

ROBERTO ALAGNA

Gounod - Roméo et Juliette - Ah lève-toi soleil (Roméo)

Puccini - La Fanciulla del West - ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano (Dick Johnson)

Orchestre

Gounod - Romeo et juliette - Ah lève-toi soleil (prélude)

Performance

Chateau de la Chèvre d'Or - EZE (France)

August 16th 2020

Cast

Aleksandra Kurzak - Soprano

Roberto Alagna - Ténor

Morphing Chamber Orchestra (Vienna)

Press review

Seen and Heard Inernational - Jim Pritchard

❝ Glorious setting, eclectic musical programme, an atmosphere that will live long in the memory. Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak raised the bar and what they did will be hard to top. Fine singing and excellent musicianship from them and the Vienna Morphing Quintet. Our 75 minutes in the irresistible company of Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak ended with wide smiles on the faces of all those looking in❞.

EXERPTS: ❝What a glorious setting there was for this eclectic musical programme and I have seen Le Chateau de la Chevre d’Or in the medieval city of Èze described as sitting ‘between the sky and the Mediterranean Sea’. [...] The sun had nearly gone by the time the pair sang ‘Già nella notte densa’ (‘Now the dark night’) from Verdi’s Otello, giving it so much atmosphere that it will live long in my memory.

[…] Not a promise but a fact is that Aleksandra Kurzak is currently one of opera’s finest sopranos. Although it is possible that what she achieved in a wide range of repertoire maybe equalled in coming weeks, I doubt anyone will sing better than her. For Rosina’s cavatina ‘Una voce poco fa’ (Il barbiere di Siviglia) Kurzak’s charming voice sailed through the coloratura with great technical assurance and it displayed a remarkably even range, as well as, showing how her voice possesses extraordinary warmth. Not only that she is a consummate actor-singer and even she could make me forget that Butterfly must sing ‘Love me with a tiny love as you would a child’(!) and, as a result, Kurzak persuasively brought a 15-year-old Japanese geisha to life.

In La fanciulla del West ‘Ch’ella mi creda’ […] Alagna was approaching his impassioned best. He was soon heard at his absolute best during two further duets; firstly, the confrontational ‘Tu qui, Santuzza?’ (Cavalleria rusticana) and then ‘Già nella notte densa’. The former had some vehement accusations and counter-accusations before ending with Santuzza’s ‘A te la mala Pasqua, spergiuro!’ (‘A curse on your Easter, you betrayer!’) that Kurzak uttered to chillingly visceral effect. The closing duet from Otello Act I made me hope I might get to see Alagna and Kurzak sing the roles of the Moor and Desdemona live on stage sometime in coming years. This husband and wife team believably recounted how another married couple first fell in love and romantic feeling was palpable when Alagna expressed how Otello feared he may never know the happiness again he is feeing now and Desdemona prays for their love to remain unchanged. Oddly, Kurzak sang a deeply poignant ‘Ave Maria’ – that Desdemona sings knowing her death is imminent – before their love duet.

After a suitably lilting ‘Lippen schweigen’ from Lehár’s The Merry Widow intriguingly sung in French (a first for me!), everything ended in upbeat fashion with exuberant, fun-filled, performances – with added trumpeter, wooden spoons for Kurzak, and a large tambourine for Alagna – of a Mexican favourite ‘Cielito lindo’ (with its familiar ‘Ay, ay, ay, ay’-ing) and ‘Funiculì, Funiculà’ allowing some Neapolitan fun and frolics. This meant that our 75 minutes in the irresistible company of Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak ended with, hopefully, wide smiles on the faces of all those looking in. ❞

Parterre Box - La Cieca - Callum John Blackmore

❝A charming, unabashedly entertaining program from the husband-and-wife duo, a spectacular view. Kurzak and Alagna’s fun and joy were visible, gratifying and utterly infectious. A breath of fresh air, a pure showmanship, delivered with spontaneity, flair and pizzazz. An excellent use of their onstage chemistry. Everything was sung with passion and commitment. Both artists were in good voice: Alagna : robust, temperamental, singing at full bore all the time, every phrase packing a full emotional punch. Kurzak : bright, radiant, sunny sound, virtuosic and agile as ever, rich and vibrant medium. A truly dazzling, dynamic, moving performance ❞ by Callum John Blackmore for Parterre box presents La Cieca.

EXCERPTS: ❝ By the beautiful sea. Husband-and-wife duo Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak presented a charming program of operatic favorites from the patio of the Château de la Chèvre d’Or in Èze, France. Just west of Monaco, the Château offers a spectacular view of the Mediterranean – made all the more spectacular by a truly dazzling performance from Kurzak and Alagna.

Their recital was pure showmanship, worlds away from the previous performances. Every number was delivered with flair and pizazz, every gesture larger than life, every moment milked for all its theatrical potential. As a result, the concert felt more spontaneous, more dynamic, and more “live”. Kurzak and Alagna played to the cameras, often looking directly down the closest camera lens as if addressing the viewer personally. The couple made full use of the makeshift stage, prancing, dancing, flouncing, traipsing, gesturing, capering, and generally moving about – at one point, Kurzak even fell dramatically to the ground, with Alagna collapsing to his knees next to her.

After all the pain and tragedy of the pandemic, it was refreshing to watch something so unabashedly entertaining. It was clear that the couple were having fun. Even over the online platform, their joy was utterly infectious – a breath of fresh air in these troubled times.This is not to say that the concert was completely lighthearted, nor that these artists didn’t take the music seriously. There were some hefty, hard-hitting operatic excerpts on the program, sung with passion and commitment by both artists.

Both artists were in good voice. Alagna was sounding robust in Sunday’s recital; Everything was sung at full bore all the time. Furthermore, the upper register was temperamental. His full-throttle approach […] worked well for Dick Johnson. Alagna sang “Ch’ella mi creda libero e lontano” from La Fanciulla del West with the cavalier defiance of a brawny outlaw, every phrase packing a full emotional punch.

Kurzak was consistent. Her high notes were the jewels in this soprano’s crown, the middle was rich and vibrant and her coloratura as agile as ever. Her “Una voce poco fa” was bright, radiant, and a little bit cheeky. She made light work of the aria’s more virtuosic passages, endowing them with a slick, glittery sheen – all while batting her lashes and smiling coyly at the camera. Kurzak showcased her lyrical side with Desdemona’s prayer from Otello. This number offered a moment of welcome respite from the nagging intensity of the rest of the program. Kurzak’s interpretation was certainly on the lighter side, her voice often fading to a mere whisper, as if gently caressing the ends of each phrase.

The rest of the program was devoted entirely to duets, the superstar couple putting their onstage chemistry to excellent use. They opened the recital with the Act I duet from Madama Butterfly, a number well-suited to the recital’s seaside setting. It was a delightful start to the program: Kurzak’s sunny, sweet sound contrasted perfectly with Alagna’s more aggressive timbre. The couple reprised their riotous rendition of “Caro elisir”, which they performed to considerable acclaim in the Met At-Home Gala. Kurzak and Alagna allegedly met during a production of L’Elisir d’Amore, and it’s clear that this duet holds great significance to the couple. Alagna brought a sharper, more brilliant edge to his sound – more reminiscent of his early years – while Kurzak sang with a bubbly exuberance.The couple did not shy away from the theatrics in this number. Alagna took several generous swigs from his bottle of “elixir,” occasionally miming an air guitar, and at one point launching into full-throated cover of an Elvis classic.

The couple closed the first half of their recital with “Tu qui, Santuzza?” from Cavalleria Rusticana, bringing a touch of Sturm and Drang to the program [giving a great] dramatic impact: Kurzak sang a large portion of the duet lying on the ground and shamelessly shrieked Santuzza’s Easter curse.

Following Kurzak’s performance of Desdemona’s prayer, the couple launched into a performance of the Act I love duet from the same opera. By this point in the program, the sun had well and truly set over the Côte d’Azure, mirroring the duet’s dusky Mediterranean setting. Both Alagna and Kurzak made a big point to gesture up to the (notably clouded) night sky at any mention of the Pleiades, making full use of the outdoor location, and both voices took on a tender, nocturnal quality, their timbres notably softer, more mellow.

The last three duets were far more schmaltzy: a bilingual version of “Lippen schweigen” from The Merry Widow (which saw both singers swaying and waltzing their way around the stage); the Mexican classic “Cielito lindo”, accompanied by a guest trumpeter; and “Funiculì, Funiculà”, featuring Kurzak on the castanets and Alagna bashing away on the biggest tambourine you’ve ever seen. It was gratifying to see both singers play off each other in charming and unexpected ways.

The recital was accompanied by a string quintet, a welcome change from the piano reductions featured in the previous recitals. The Morphing Quintet brought a wealth of color to the program, running the gambit from shimmering Verdian sonorities to cheeky pizzicato grooves.

Once again, the Met has done a stellar job of bringing opera into our homes in these difficult times. Of the three recitals so far, this was the most technologically accomplished: the camera work was more subtle, and the sound mixing was impeccable (despite the outdoor setting, perambulating singers, and large accompanying ensemble). It is becoming clear that the Met’s Live in Concert series is fast becoming the most essential operatic viewing of the pandemic.❞

St.Louis Post-Dispatch - Sarah Bryan Miller

❝ Fine and fun singing with Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak, in a gorgeous setting. The husband-and-wife tenor-soprano team offered an emotionally invested, ardent, heartbreaking, moving and rich singing and acting. They showed as well their comic side with good fun.❞ by Sarah Bryan Miller for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Excerpts : ❝Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak offered a grand view of the Mediterranean and nearby coastline, from a small stage on an outdoor terrace at the Château de La Chèvre d’Or, a boutique hotel in Èze, France. It also offered accompaniment by a string quintet, the Vienna Morphing Quintet (part of the larger Morphing Chamber Orchestra), with an excellent concertmaster in Yuuki Wong, to help make the most of the fine singing and acting by the husband-and-wife tenor-soprano team.

They began in the early evening in France, with an emotionally invested reading of “Vogliatemi bene,” the love duet that concludes Act I of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” Alagna sang ardently his first aria of the evening, “Ah! lève-toi, soleil!” which sounded great. Next, Kurzak sang “Una voce poco fa” in the Mezzo key with the requisite mischief-making glint in her eye. Donizetti’s “Caro elisir” gave both singers a chance to show their comic side, while the brief “Ch’ella mi creda libero e lontano ” from Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West ” was moving and richly sung.

After some verismo, a heartbreaking “Ave Maria” (from Verdi’s “Otello”) and a love duet, it was time to lighten up. The duet “Lippen schweigen” from Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” [sung in French and Polish] was good fun. For Quirino Mendoza y Cortés’ “Cielito lindo,” a trumpet was added and Alagna brandished a tambourine; in Luigi Denza’s “Funiculì, Funiculà,” Kurzak expertly played what appeared to be a pair of wooden spoons.❞

Opera News - Louise T. Guinther

❝Bracingly genuine and fresh, accompanied by the exquisite string-playing of the Vienna Morphing Quintet, the couple shows a chemistry and stylistic surety which produced musical gold and a real romantic frisson. Aleksandra Kurzak: sparkling expressive coloratura, gorgeous tone, pristine clarity and delicacy contrasting with passionate expansive phrases through sheer volume ; Roberto Alagna: easy, crystalline projection, warm, free and resonant tone, hot temperament, heartfelt singing. A climax magic moment under the darkling sky during Otello’s love duet and a cheerful, charming and playful concert’s end❞ by Louise T. Guinther for Opera News

Excerpts: ❝ The husband-and-wife team of Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak, accompanied by the exquisite string-playing of the Vienna Morphing Quintet, gave the third in the Met Stars Live Concert series on August 16, from the Château de la Chèvre d’Or in Èze, France, as the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea.

Kurzak, tan and radiant in a flowing floral gown that suggested a kimono, sang Cio-Cio-San with pristine clarity and shimmering delicacy, her voice opening up in the duet’s big, expansive phrases to create an apt contrast between the character's youthful naïveté and her outsize passion. The couple’s chemistry and stylistic surety produced musical gold, as well as a real romantic frisson. In the wake of such worthy artistry the absence of an audience was disconcerting. Kurzak defused the awkwardness with a brief welcome, followed by Alagna’s invitation to “have a beautiful drink” while enjoying the rest of the concert.

The tenor’s affinity for French repertoire—and his easy, crystalline projection of his native language—showed in Roméo’s “Ah! Lève-toi, soleil”. Next, Kurzak conjured sheer enchantment in Rosina’s “Una voce poco fa,” the sparkle in her voice perfectly matching the gleam in her eye. Her pinpoint-accurate highly expressive coloratura captured all the feisty charm of the resourceful Rosina without a hint of archness or cynicism.

An extended excerpt from L’Elisir d’Amore drew free, resonant singing from Alagna, while Kurzak’s Adina displayed a gift for playing directly to the camera. The couple’s flirtatious sparring was bracingly genuine and fresh: Alagna slipped casually into “It’s now or never” at one point and, at another, popped his cheek with his finger when a kiss seemed imminent, while Kurzak pouted and manipulated with an irresistible twinkle.

Alagna’s heartfelt “Ch’ella mi creda,” from La Fanciulla del West, preceded one of the evening’s highlights, “Tu qui, Santuzza,” from Cavalleria Rusticana. Turiddu’s edgy vocal lines are well suited to Alagna’s current vocal estate, as well as to his hot Sicilian temperament. As Santuzza Kurzak met the challenge with aplomb, rising to the moments of passion but giving the clingy, importunate Santuzza a softer profile than usual and using bel canto techniques to create the extremes of emotion that are often achieved through sheer volume. Alagna responded with a tender, regretful Turiddu.

Opening the second half, Kurzak brought gorgeous tone and reverent mien to Desdemona’s “Ave Maria,” balancing the character’s sincere faith and her growing trepidation. The Act I love duet from the same opera, another scene tailor-made for the twilit beauty of the Èze backdrop, evoked warmer tone from Alagna, while Kurzak proved particularly alert in her responses to Otello’s subtle changes of mood. A magic moment came when the two turned to the darkling sky on the words “Venere splende.” A series of crowd-pleasers—the Merry Widow duet, sung en Français, then “Cielito Lindo,” paired with “Funiculi, Funicula,” brought the concert to a cheerful, charming and playful end. ❞

Operawire - Dejan Vukosavljevic

❝ Famed Tenor & Polish Soprano offer an unforgettable dreamy night at the Mediterranean, a chemistry that makes them so special, an emotional and spicy rendition, a so immersive commitment that it reminded of all we’d been missing in these past few months. By leaps and bounds the best performance of this series to date, with the truly sublime singing and acting full of irresistible energy. The choice of program also allowed for an ebb and flow that matched the shifting nature of the gorgeous environment. The gravity of the evening fell on them entirely, and they dealt with it with supreme artistry.❞ by Dejan Vukosavljevic for Operawire

excerpts : ❝ Truth to be told, performing in such a setting is a huge acoustical challenge. The technical solution that was offered in this case was not a guarantee for a successful performance. Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak proved completely up to the task, projecting their voices in a spectacular manner.

The outdoor terrace in Èze offered a spectacular view of the Mediterranean. Per the words of Kurzak, it was a very hot and humid evening. However, those conditions did not seem to bother the famed duo as the evening progressed into a dreamy Mediterranean night.

The dynamic duo showcased the chemistry that makes them so special. Soft and emotional Aleksandra, vocally superb, with an absolutely gleaming coloratura. Her high notes were impeccable and she proved to have the supercharged voice during the evening.

Warmth in the voice and perfect diction of Roberto Alagna, who also showcased his charismatic and youthful personality, later unleashed the true power of singing and was giving it his all vocally. His singing throughout displayed a sense of ease and confidence.

The final three pieces in the program provided a much more joyful environment and the performance was quickly spiced up with Alagna and Kurzak’s playfulness as the energy burst out of their voices.

The best performance of this series to date. Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak offered up a night of unforgettable performance on the Mediterranean, with the truly sublime singing and acting full of irresistible energy. The choice of program also allowed for an ebb and flow that matched the shifting nature of the gorgeous environment. The gravity of the evening fell on them entirely, and they dealt with it with supreme artistry.❞

Gallery

28/09/2020

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