CLASSICAL MUSIC - JOSE CURA AT THE BARBICAN: A PASSION FOR VERDI

With

DANIELA DESSÌ

 And

PIER GIORGIO MORANDI & JOSÉ CURA

 CONDUCTING

 THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

 José Cura not only has one of the most affecting voices of our times he also has the kind of smouldering good looks that make him an ideal romantic and heroic lead. He thinks in an original way about the roles he sings and produces an exciting combination of high powered vocalism and committed acting. He brought a dynamic emotional charge to the Verdi centenary concert he gave at London’s Barbican Centre and thrilled the audience with his performance of solos and duets from operas by the great Italian composer: “As a singer Cura has it all”, wrote The Times. His choice of soprano, Daniela Dessì, one of today’s leading interpreters of Verdi, was critically endorsed, with The Times also writing: “Dessì is a revelation...She brought a wealth of pathos, fire and sympathy to the various objects of Cura’s blighted affection.” The Guardian commented, “Pier Giorgio Morandi is…an immaculate judge of the pace, ebb and flow of this music. The playing by the London Symphony Orchestra was simply to die for.” Cura showed another of his talents when he took over the baton from Morandi for some of the orchestral interludes. The concert features music drawn from Il corsaro, Ernani, Don Carlos, Les Vêpres Siciliennes, La forza del destino and Otello. 

José Cura (born December 5, 1962) is a prominent operatic tenor known for his intense and original interpretations of his characters, notably Verdi’s Otello and Saint-Saëns’ Samson, as well as for his unconventional and innovative concert performances. He is also able to perform high baritone roles with the extended lower parts of his vocal range.

José Cura was born in Rosario, Argentina. He originally trained as an orchestral conductor, his vocal talents largely unrecognised until 1988. He became the first artist to sing and conduct simultaneously (both in concert and on recordings) and the first to combine singing with symphonic works in a ‘half and half’ concert format. Cura made operatic history when he first conducted Cavalleria Rusticana and then stepped on stage after intermission to sing Canio in I Pagliacci at the Hamburg Opera in February 2003.

A compelling actor and charismatic stage performer, Cura has been featured in numerous telecasts of opera and concert productions from venues around the world.

He created Cuibar Productions, formed by the following branches: Cuibar Phono Video (Recording Label), CuibArt (Artist Management).

He is also the Patron of the New Devon Opera and the Vice-President of British Youth Opera (BYO). In 2007 José Cura was appointed a visiting professor of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Source: Wikipedia