Roberto Alagna

Programm

1st Part

Torna ai felici di (Le Villi)
Orgia chimera (Edgar)
La Bohème, scène de Musette - Piano
Tra voi belle (Manon Lecaut)
Donna non vidi (Manon Lescaut)
Manon Lescaut - Intermezzo - Piano

2nd Part

Che gelida manina (La Bohème)
E lucevan le Stelle (Tosca)
Madama Butterfly - duet - Piano
Addio, fiorito asil (Butterfly)
ch'ella mi creda (La Fanciulla del West)
La Rondine, Nella dolce carezza - piano
Nessun Dorma (Turandot)

ENCORES

Orgia Chimera (Edgar)

Performance

Suntory Hall Tokyo

Sunday  9th of  June 2024

Cast

Roberto Alagna - Ténor

Orchestre Philharmonique de Tokyo

Direction usicale - Keiko Mitsuhashi.

Press Review

AUDIENCE REPORT 🇯🇵 Suntory Hall CONCERT 09/06/2024

❝ Undoubtedly a performance that left everyone deeply satisfied … Overwhelming top form … Strong, rich, and brilliant voice … Emotion… Many challenging high notes, he nailed with courage and strength … Golden, radiant voice coupled with gentle diminuendos, blending falsettos to delicately paint the vibrant world of Puccini … Not only was his voice and singing wonderful, but his pure heart shone brilliantly … Italian charm … Thunderous applause and standing ovation … seeing Alagna up close in Japan made me realize again how amazing he is, both in voice and character. He truly is a superman! ❞ 

« I returned home from the concert at Tokyo's Suntory Hall, and I am overwhelmed with emotion! Everything was far beyond my expectations, making it a dreamlike day and one of the best days of my life. I can't thank Roberto enough. 
His voice was in overwhelming top form! I was worried about the fatigue from the long journey and jet lag, but he didn't show any signs of it at all. His strong, rich, and brilliant voice was in perfect condition, even better than usual. Singing all the arias from Puccini's entire works in chronological order is a demanding challenge, and I wondered if he could really sing them all. But he delivered all 14 arias with all his might from the first aria of Le Villi! I was in awe of how he sang each piece with such dedication and passion for us, the Japanese audience.
He perfectly performed the roles he frequently sings on stage (like Tosca, Turandot, Madama Butterfly), but also completely embodied the characters of the roles he had never performed before (like Le Villi, Edgar, Il Tabarro). His Manon Lescaut, which he has sung only once on stage, overflowed with emotion and made me cry. Each aria includes challenging high notes, but he nailed the powerful high C's with courage and strength. His golden, radiant voice was coupled with gentle diminuendos, blending falsettos to delicately paint the vibrant world of Puccini.
After each song, he looked around the entire hall and greeted all the seats, even those on the sides and behind the stage at Suntory Hall. His joy at the audience's enthusiasm was evident in his smile, showing how much he loves seeing people enjoy his singing. Not only was his voice and singing wonderful, but his pure heart, the essence of his belief that "singing for those who enjoy it is my purpose in life," shone brilliantly.
Conductor Keiko Mitsuhashi was excellent! With her petite figure, she conducted a beautiful orchestra with great dedication and charm, and it's clear that Roberto liked her a lot. He often made the audience laugh, prompting her to leave the stage first in a gentlemanly manner (which confused Mitsuhashi). His Italian charm was on full display.
The encore began with a surprise performance of "Happy Birthday" by the orchestra, which made him very happy (I sang along too!). He mentioned, "This is the second time I've celebrated my birthday in Japan," showing he remembered the previous time well.
The encore included the planned four songs, but with added talk, saying, "I came from Paris, so I'll sing a song from Paris (La Rondine)," and at the end, "There's one Puccini song I haven't sung yet. Do you know what it is?" "Gianni Schicchi!!" "Yes! This role is difficult for me because it's a role for a young singer, so please be indulgent but I'll try for you!" He sang perfectly until the very end.
Of course, the audience gave a standing ovation with thunderous applause. It was undoubtedly a performance that left everyone deeply satisfied. 
After the concert, there was no planned autograph session, but a long line formed at the stage door. Roberto, always smiling, signed autographs and took photos with each person. Despite the staff calling, "There’s no time for two-shots!", Roberto himself took fans' smartphones and continued taking selfies, like a god. (I'm glad he made it to his flight)
Usually, I listen to his recordings and watch videos from far away in Europe and America, being a fan of a distant star. But seeing Alagna up close in Japan made me realize again how amazing he is, both in voice and character. He truly is a superman.
Seeing Alagna's Instagram post about Japan, with Aleksandra in Barcelona commenting, "I’m so proud of you ", made me happy too. I am really proud of him and feel lucky to be his fan! »

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