Opera
Opera in a prologue and two acts
music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo.
It is the composer's only opera that is still widely performed.
Opera companies have frequently staged Pagliacci with Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, a double bill known colloquially as "Cav and Pag".
Pagliacci premiered at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan on 21 May 1892,
conducted by Arturo Toscanini
Performances
Oktober 30th 2018
November 2th 2018
November 5th 2018*
November 9th 2018*
November 12th 2018*
* Lockdown in Vienna
Cast
Canio (Pagliaccio) - Roberto Alagna
Nedda - Aleksandra Kurzak
Alfio - Ambrogio Maestri
Production - Jean Pierre Ponnelle
Conductor - Marco Armiliato
Orkester and choors Wienerstaatsoper
Press Review
Wanderer - Guy Cherqui - 30/10/2020
❝Tonight, Roberto Alagna was heartbreaking of truth. His original qualities, his still equally bright tone, his diction, his commitment are still there, with a joy of singing that transpired from his very first words. His expressiveness draws tears, as the sun in his voice also makes us feel the color of the drama. The cast-shadow of Otello we could obviously hear behind this Canio makes Alagna even more heartbreaking, even truer and, without ever exaggerating, with a pure, obvious, natural style. His heartrending 'Vesti la Giubba' unleashed a thunderous ovation. Among the outstanding, unforgettable, diamond performers of this role, Alagna has his rightful place, with his singularity, which is called naturalness, simplicity and energy. What a moment! ❞
EXCERPT (from French): « When Opera is a celebration. This Friday evening was an island of joy, of reconnection with the ‘beau chant’ (the beautiful singing): a cheerful and exciting experience of Opera, as a celebration. A wonderful, exceptional evening!
Roberto Alagna, a genuine lyrical tenor originally, has for several years tackled heavier roles like Otello or Samson. No wonder to see him sing Canio, for the first time in Vienna, where he performed in almost all the great tenor Italian or French roles.
Allow me to evoke a very personal memory: I happened to attend in 1989 the audition for Traviata which he gave, very young hope of singing, in the hall of La Scala in Milan, under the watchful eye of Riccardo Muti. To parody Flaubert, "It was like an apparition", already an incredible clarity in the diction and the expression, already this youthful and fresh timbre, already this solar color. There was no doubt that in that young cast that Muti was looking for, he would be Alfredo, because he was Alfredo. It was obvious.
And listening to him that evening in Vienna, listening again to this tone, this diction, this commitment, we said to ourselves that his original qualities were still there, at 57 years old, with a joy of singing that transpired from his very first words.
Obviously, he grants a heartrending “Vesti la Giubba”, personification of the destroyed clown with a voice still equally bright, an expressiveness that draws tears because the sun in his voice also makes us feel the color of the drama: we obviously hear Otello behind this Canio, who is undoubtedly Leoncavallo's model: whether it is justified or not, jealousy is a deadly driver in opera, like the burning of a twilight sun. If Carmen hovers over Cavalleria and a little above Pagliacci because of Nedda, Otello hovers above Pagliacci, up to the dramatic subtlety of the beginning with its initial chorus from which Canio emerges, declaring his so exclusive love for Nedda, a bit as Otello will emerge from the chorus for his Esultate: of course the topic is different, but the dramaturgical emphasis is similar. This cast-shadow of Otello makes Alagna even more heartbreaking, even truer, and without ever exaggerating, with a pure, obvious, natural style. Could it be otherwise? Alagna unleashed one of those ovations of which only Vienna has the secret, the audience shouting for "Encore!" . We forgot everything, the Covid, the masks, the reduced gauge: we were wholeheartedly at the opera, in this suspended time in which everything disappears when the singing is exceptional.
Tonight, Alagna was heartbreaking of truth. Among the outstanding, unforgettable, diamond performers of this role, Alagna has his rightful place, with his singularity, which is called naturalness, simplicity and energy. What a moment! »
Merker Online - Peter Skorepa- 10/30/2020
❝ Pagliacci became the hit of the evening. The Calabrian protagonists’ couple Alagna and Kurzak sang and played as if they had to prove that the Art form of Opera must not perish. Alagna as Canio: a thrilling singing rendition and vocal achievement, supplemented by an extremely dramatic acting ❞
EXCERPT (from German): "La commedia è finita ! There is no doubt that, on that evening, there was already a feeling of the pandemonic doom and gloom of an impending second lockdown, the rumor foreshadows of a planned interruption of the opera activity were dominating the scene. This later became a certainty: the Calabrian protagonists’ couple Alagna and Kurzak sang and played in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci as if they had to prove that the Art form of Opera must not perish. And they and their troupe were also successful in it. Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci became the hit of the evening. [...] Roberto Alagna was performing as Canio for the first time at the Vienna State Opera: a thrilling singing rendition, a vocal achievement in the right balance between verismo expression and Italian bel canto, supplemented by an extremely dramatic acting. [...] Big final cheers as far as the corona-related thinned audience was able to do it."
Opera-Online.com - HelmutPitsch - octobre 2020
“ Alagna does not shy away from total commitment, masters effortlessly the high range with a well rested and powerful voice. He impressed with his intense, lively portrayal of a Canio full of energy, dramatic impetus and vocal style. He was able to express the highest level of emotional excitement and its simultaneous waning. Long, strong, grateful applause.” Check out extended quotes below.
❝Roberto Alagna slips into the role of Pagliacci and earns long applause for his aria ‘Vesti la giubba’. Thereafter he shapes the role with dedication and passion. His voice sounds well rested and powerful. Even in his increasing insane jealousy he effortlessly masters the high range and whirls furiously across the stage. (…) A wonderful Italian evening as a balm for the soul before the enthusiastic audience and the well-deserving artists are locked down.
Die Presse - Walter Weidringer - octobre 2020
❝Alagna gives full vent to sentimental pathos and thus makes an appropriate impression: after ‘Vesti la giubba’ and the subsequently required sobbing, the audience cheered his performance for several minutes. Alagna does not shy away from total commitment and succeeds with dramatic impetus to go up to the traditionally inserted top notes.❞
Der Standard - Stefan Ender - octobre 2020
❝Tenor Roberto Alagna performed a Canio full of energy. (...) Roberto Alagna was cheered by the audience - including the veteran star Plácido Domingo - with longer acclamation for the hit of the evening, ‘Ridi pagliaccio’. In the course of Leoncavallo’s one-act opera, Alagna (57) impressed with his lively portrayal of the central comedian Canio. Vocally, the star tenor reminded a little of late Udo Jürgens: the character slowly gains access to the overall outlook of his timbre and adds interesting aspects to the pure beauty here and there.❞
Onlinemerker - Karel Masek - octobre 2020
❝With Roberto Alagna in the title role, "Pagliacci" had a Canio who, with increasing fever, reached absolute mental limits. His impetus carried the second part of the evening.
Onlinemerker - Dominique Troger - octobre 2020
❝Pagliacci” was also very intense, Roberto Alagna as Canio was the center of the performance, with a lot of applause after his aria and his sobs. What’s more as Canio, Alagna remains stylish enough to know that the aim is not just to sing out loud.Ultimately, this opera lives from the intensification of the acting in the acting and when the audience trembles for Nedda in the finale and desperates of Canio's madness - like this evening - everything is won. Roberto Alagna also succeeded in getting to the heart of it with his ‘La commedia è finita’, expressing the highest level of emotional excitement and its simultaneous waning, capturing the culmination point at which the drama changes completely back to real life […]❞
Toute la Culture - Paul Fourier - novembre 3th 2020
❝Superlative Canio, a role that now has become his, exclusively his, are we tempted to say, so much each note, each sentence achieves perfection. He is the unsurpassable Canio of our time. His ´Vesti la Giubba’ spread in the rows of the theater a breadth of pure joy towards the art of the artist who gives it his all for his audience❞
EXCERPT (from French) : “The great tradition of excellence of the Vienna Opera. The magnificent simplicity of the beautiful and grand interpretation. In front of [Nedda], stands Roberto Alagna’s superlative Canio. We know how this role is close to his heart, if only by the admiration he has for Enrico Caruso, legendary performer of this role. But, today that role has become his. Exclusively his, are we tempted to say, so much each note, each sentence of a role finally short but in which it is easy to wear down or to be consumed, achieve perfection. He is the unsurpassable Canio of our time to such an extent that we can only admire how he, Roberto Alagna - a person who, in life, exudes kindness and generosity - manages to condense like this, in this little brother of Otello, so much jealous rage and criminal will.
The aria ‘Vesti la giubba’ - this moment of delirium, one of the key passages of the role, the one where Canio lose his mind - reached, this evening, such a climax, that the audience of the Staatsoper reserved for him an incredible and endless ovation. Of course, those who were waiting for an encore will have get little for their effort because Roberto never does this but, in the rows of the theater, we then felt a breath of pure joy towards the art of the artist who gives it his all for his audience.
Later, having become an intractable wild beast, ready to kill Nedda, this Canio, restoring Leoncavallo's will, will close the opera with the famous sentence ‘la commedia è finita’, and fortunately, in this troubled period we know that it is far from being over, as Roberto and the beautiful artists of this world have so much to offer to comedy as to tragedy.
If the sentence also sounded like a premonition while the last performance before the lockdown - at the end of which the artists found themselves trapped inside the opera house - would, three days later, take place whereas the Austrian capital city was attacked, it sent a breath of optimism. That of being still accompanied by these admirable artists who work, rehearse, hold out against all odds and continue to fulfill their beautiful mission of entertainers in order to brighten our lives decidedly well poisoned by the so worrisome current events.”
Seen and Heard International - Jim Pritchard - november 3th 2020
❝ Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak are memorable in Vienna’s Pagliacci on a sad night for the city. Alagna is at the height of his artistic powers and in glorious voice.❞
EXCERPT : “Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak are memorable in Vienna’s Pagliacci on a sad night for the city. I enjoyed this Pagliacci more than any other over many years. I have never seen Canio and Nedda acted and sung better than real-life couple Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak did in their Vienna role debuts.
Alagna is at the height of his artistic powers and was utterly committed to the truth of everything his cuckolded character endured. During the play Canio/Pagliaccio must sing like an Otello whilst having (similarly) to act out every green-eyed moment. Alagna was in glorious voice: it was an open-throated, emotive lyric tenor sound with characteristically vibrant top notes. His ‘Vesti la giubba’ was deeply affecting and quite rightly needed no encore though the socially distanced Viennese audience were demanding one.
This Cav & Pag is being streamed again on 12 November and I may well watch Pagliacci again as it will live long in my memory, although it is impossible to ignore the circumstances under which it was performed.“
Gallery
