November 9, 2002: Jose Cura in Aalborg

2002-11-09 Opera Concert, Aalborg Kongress & Kultur Center

José Cura, tenor & conductor
Giuseppina Trotta, mezzo
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra
Fernando Alvarez, conductor



CONCERT WITH THE TENOR JOSÉ CURA
with AALBORG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA under the baton of Fernando Alvarez. Guest soloist: mezzosoprano GUISEPPINA TROTTA in Aalborghallen, Aalborg Kongres & Kultur Center, at 20hrs.


PROGRAM
Giuseppe Verdi
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO - Ouverture, Cura conducts
He still thinks conducting is about the exact notes. So this ouverture is not alive, his excact movements, makes it fuzzy.
Il CORSARO - Ah si, ben dite - Tutto parea sorridere Cura sings
He sings wonderfully, but he does have a cold. He moves too much, what was cute in the DVD Passion for Verdi is not cute in Aalborg.
IL TROVATORE - Madre, non dormi Duett: Cura/Trotta
The mezzo is to young to give Azucena the drive she needs, but she tries to be real even if this is a concert. Cura is his usual Manrico

Pietro Mascagni
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA- Voi lo sapete, o Mamma Trotta
This aria is like exam for the mezzo, does Trotta pass the Santuzza test. Well, there is a great promise in her rendition.

Amilcare Ponchielli
LA GIOCONDA Cielo e mar Cura sings
A wonderful rendition of Cielo e mar.

Giacomo Puccini
MANON LESCAUT Intermezzo Cura conducts
He starts the intermezzo by nodding to the cellist, and slowly he builds up this intermezzo, and what a wonderful building it is. BRAVO Cura and Aalbirg Symphony Orchestra

Giacomo Meyerbeer
L'AFRICAINE O, paradiso Cura sings
This time Cura sings it better, but still the prononciation could and must be improved
Cura speaks.Oh new world you belong to me Cura (Vasco da Gama) sang in L'Africaine, and in Aurora, the new world have got it freedom.
Hector Panizza
AURORA Cancion de la Bandera Cura sings
Spendid rendition of this Argentine aria

Intermission

Camille Saint-Saëns
SAMSON ET DALILA Bacchanale Cura conducts
Cura conducts a wonderful bacchanele
Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix Trotta / Cura
When Cura comes and sings the Samson lines, it is perfect

LE CID O souverain, o juge, o père Cura sings
Wonderful aria sung perfectly

Georges Bizet
CARMEN Prelude Cura conducts
Wonderful prelude by Cura and Aalborg, going directly to the Habanera. Trotta is going onto the stage during the predude
Habanera Trotta, Cura conducts
Cura conducts Trotta, and Trotta sings Carmen. She is not a full-borne Carmen, yet.
La fleur que tu m'avais jetée Cura sings
A magical Flower-song by Jose Cura
Entr'acte, act 4
Alvarez conducts the Entr'acte, wonderful
C'est toi, c'est moi Trotta / Cura
Wonderful and dramatic Carmen Duet.

EXTRA
Addio, fiorito asil (MADAMA BUTTERFLY) Cura
Seguedilla (CARMEN) Trotta / Cura
Nessun dorma (TURANDOT) Cura

When Cura errs in Nessun dorma it only makes
this opera night more magical.

OD Travel

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
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June 28, 2002: Jose Cura in Dalhalla

2002-06-28 Opera Concert, Dalhalla, Sweden

José Cura, tenor & conductor
Giuseppina Trotta, mezzo
Sinfonia Varsovia
Pietro Veneri, conductor



PROGRAM
It begins with a rowboat, and Cura with an umbrella, then he arrives at the stage, jumps up, and begins conducting
Giuseppe Verdi
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO - Ouverture, Cura conducts
Veneri comes out, and conducts Il Corsaro, and Cura does Corsaro in his usual way.
Il CORSARO - Ah si, ben dite - Tutto parea sorridere Cura sings
Giuseppina Trotta joins Cura in this duet. I was disappointed by hearing her, a little voice and the duet did not catch air.
IL TROVATORE - Madre, non dormi Duet: Cura/Trotta
Cura talks to the audience, " you are crazy, sitting in the rain". Telling us as a Latino for him this is Winter. "Wonderful Dalhalla" Then Trotta sings alone. This is not a highlight.
Pietro Mascagni
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA- Voi lo sapete, o Mamma Trotta
Cura sings Cielo e mar, not just the aria but also its introduction. He is doing alright, he is sick, has a cold.
Amilcare Ponchielli
LA GIOCONDA Cielo e mar (introduction + aria) Cura
The conducting of Forza del Destino was disinteresting, but he made a very good Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut, I have not heard it, so touching as Cura made it. It was really great. He said in his Verdi DVD that Verdi can easily become band-music and he did that to FORZA. But with Manon Lescaut he redeems that fault.
Giacomo Puccini
MANON LESCAUT Intermezzo Cura conducts
Cura is trying to sing O paradiso, it is never apparent in which language he sings it, it sound like a combination of French and Italian, maybe with a Spanish touch. He is sick, maybe that is the reason, or maybe he haven't learnt it properly.
Giacomo Meyerbeer
L'AFRICAINE O, paradiso Cura
Wonderful,in the program it says only the intermezzo, but we also gets Cura singing the song to the Flag (the Argentinean Flag,naturally). It is really touching, but I would to hear it when Cura is vocally on top, too.
Hector Panizza
AURORA Intermezzo epico Veneri conducts
Cancion de la Bandera Cura

Intermission
Cura talks again, this time about AURORA, and the song of the flag, National Song of Argentina. It is the first time it was sung outside Argentina, Cura said. And he saw the Argentinean Flag when he was singing it. Very touching. I looked up and I saw an umbrella, with white and the light-blue of the Argentinean flag, so I know what he saw. (But I was wrong there was Argentinean flags there as one Argentine who lives in Sweden told me in an e-mail. But I did not see it). Then it the Girl of the Golden West, Cura conducts, and then after it is over the Prelude, Veneri have to "fight" with Cura in order to get the baton. And then Cura have to make an excuse to the audience for having blown his noise for open mike in the first part. And then it is "Ch'ella mi creda". Again he sings the introduction to the aria too (seldom done in concerts)
Giacomo Puccini
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST Prelude Cura conducts
Ch'ella mi creda Cura sings, Veneri conducts
Veneri conducts a wonderful Bacchanale, then Trotta sings the seduction-aria, and in the end of the aria, Cura comes out, and sings "Dalila, je t'aime" .
Camille Saint-Saëns
SAMSON ET DALILA Bacchanale
"Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix Trotta / Cura
Veneri is a good conductor, and Trotta was much better in the Carmen section than anything else. Cura had really a cold, but with a careful use of his voice, out came one of the finest interpretation of the Flower Aria. Then the end-duet, and Cura was so sick, he had to fight with himself not to cough in the wrong musical moment, concentrate to have his throat ready when the duet need Don José. Most singers would have said to the audience, I am sick, this duet is too much for me today. And nobody would have thought less of Cura had he done that. (It was his right, and maybe his obligation to do so)
Georges Bizet
CARMEN Prelude
Habanera Trotta
La fleur que tu m'avais jetée Cura
Entr'acte, act 4
C'est toi, c'est moi Trotta / Cura

EXTRA
Addio, fiorito asil (MADAMA BUTTERFLY) Cura
Seguedilla (CARMEN) Trotta / Cura
Nessun dorma (TURANDOT) Cura
Who would have thought that we would get extra-numbers. I thought that in case of extras, it would have been Trotta and Veneri who would have to do it, Cura needed rest. But he sang one of the shortest arias, Addio fiorito asil, I think it is not really an easy aria, even if it is being short. Trotta sang Seguedilla and Cura came in as Don José does in the opera. Then HE ended it all with Nessun dorma, it wasn't necessary, but we loved it. As the absolute end of the show, this Gala concert, he made us applaud every section and every musician in the Sinfonia Varsovia. The Concert ended at 22.00


JOSÉ CURA IN DALHALLA

Friday 28:th - 19.00-21.30 - Open 17.00
José Cura, tenor and conductor
Giuseppina Trotta, mezzo soprano
Sinfonia Varsovia
Assistant Conductor: Pietro Veneri

OD Travel