Alagna pair fly to Covent Garden’s rescue
NewsJust in:
Ermonela Jaho has withdrawn from all performances of Pagliacci due to illness. The role of Nedda will now be performed by Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak – in addition to singing the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana.
Italian tenor Fabio Sartori has withdrawn from the Pagliacci performances on Tuesday 5 and Friday 8 July 2022 – this is due to suffering from COVID-19. Roberto Alagna will sing the role of Canio on these dates. I
Jonas Kaufmann is still recovering from COVID-19 and is unable to sing the performance of Cavalleria rusticana on Friday July 8. He will be replaced by SeokJong Baek as Turiddu in addition to singing the role on Tuesday 5 July.
The pandemic is over, Covid is just a minor cold. Take off your masks and pretend it is all in the past. These are the famous people we know about in the opera world. Countless others are getting sick and disabled and the popular choice seems to be to just ignore and enjoy. Where will this mass madness take us?
Dear Ms. Melody. If we are informed about those famous people in the opera world having Covid it’s not because they are famous but because they are SINGERS. And an opera singer can’t – well, shouldn’t – sing even with a common cold!
Thankfully San Francisco’s Opera and Symphony still require proof of vax, booster and a well-fitted mask (no scarves, neck gaiters, etc). Ushers were vigilant too. Despite more Covid in the Bay Area than ever before, there have been no cancellations, and all the singers were healthy and in great voice. Thank you SF Opera! Common sense is not that common, but it does work.
and what did I say? that it will end with the pair Kurzak – Alagna. Apparently, they are virus-proof cyborgs. And the other players in smaller roles don’t have COVID?
Your guess was right! Let’s see … anything can happen in this production. It seems to de cursed.
Oh, both Alagnas were, very conveniently, on vacation. But isn’t it great? people bought ticket to hear Kaufmann, Rachvelishvili and Jaho and, instead, they will have this old, reliable Bobby the gap filler and his lady!
What troupers! The show must go on! Can’t imagine all the machinations house managers and impresarios are going through these days keeping the various opera houses’ lights on. Bravo to all.
I did wonder when booking if I would actually get to see Jonas and Ermonela, whom I’d booked specifically to see. No matter – I also like SeokJong and Roberto, and I’m looking forward to hearing Aleksandra, whom I have not seen at Covent Garden or elsewhere before.
Victoria de Los Angeles sang both Santuzza and Nedda the same evening at Covent Garden in 52 or 53 so Kurzak is doing the same for the first time in 70 years?
Kurzak certainly does not have the right kind of voice for Santuzza – entirely lyric with none of the “mezzoish” qualities of de Los Angeles. Might more suitable for Nedda.
There’s no “right kind of voice” or need for mezzo for Santuzza. It’s just a prejudice. The score states that the role is for soprano. For the first decades after the role was written, Santuzza was sung exclusively by sopranos. The first Santuzza was soprano Gemma Bellincioni, chosen by Mascagni himself. Her signature roles were La Traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor! Another famous Santuzza from the early 20th century was, for example, soprano Emmy Destinn, who sang the role with Enrico Caruso, among others. The custom of Santuzza being sung by a mezzo-soprano probably dates back only to the second half of the 20th century.
I found out that Victoria de Los Angeles sang both Santuzza and Nedda at the Gala at the ROH in 1961. In addition, American soprano Maralin Niska also sang both roles in a Cav/Pag at New York City Opera in 1976, probably in several performances. Finally, Aleksandra Kurzak sang both Santuzza and Nedda in a unique Cav/Pag performance at Arena di Verona on 31 July 2022. This performance was even more remarkable because her husband Roberto Alagna sang also both Turiddu and Canio there. I was there. It was wonderful and very impressive – a really great experience.
Wait, Okie, do you mean 31 July 2021 or some other date? 31 July 2022 hasn’t happened yet at this point in time. I can imagine Alagna and Kurzak must have been brilliant in both operas- would have enjoyed that casting too.
ML – oops, I meant 31 July 2021, of course. Thanks for error allert. Kurzak and Alagna have been brilliant in Cav/Pag in Verona – as they always are when they perform together. I have seen them on stage together many times – there is always a special chemistry and partnership between them.
My thoughts exactly, I myself wondered…except that I paid to hear a star tenor and I am getting an unknown one and Alagna will not be there on the 20th either. I feel I have been cheated, honestly.
I completely understand your disappointment. ROH raised ticket prices to £285 only because of Kaufmann who eventually cancelled everything. The tickets for other opera (Otello) in July 2022 are £60 cheaper (maximum ticket price £225). Frankly, all the hype about Kaufmann is embarrassing.
I like JK in some roles – his rendition of Recondita Armonia (from Tosca) live was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever heard, and his performance in the ROH La Forza del Destino was outstanding. But I think you will be surprised and impressed by Baek. We went to Samson et Dalila where he replaced Nicky Spence, thinking Elina Garanca would be the only star, and we left having witnessed a new star being born in Baek. Garanca was incredible as expected, of course. I haven’t heard Berti, but I think you will enjoy Baek, Akhmetshina and Kurzak.
It was supposed to be a Kaufmann show. It has become a big Kurzak show with some variable pisellini around.
I am glad Alagna is coming. My ticket is for the 20th, but I fear JOnas is not singing at all. So, welcome Roberto, he is as good as JK and far more reliable.
I’m afraid you won’t see Roberto as Canio on 20 July. He has other artistic commitments at that time, but of course anything can happen. I think too, that Kaufmann will cancel his Turiddu altogether and maybe SeokJong Baek will step in for him as he will in the first two Cav shows. Fabio Sartori is scheduled as Canio for the 11/7, 14/7, 17/7 and 20/7 performances. The question is how his health will be after covid.
You seem to be very well informed. I was not, and paid a lot of money to hear my favourite stars. Sadly, I will be hearing some unknown tenors I do not care for. I am terribly disppointed in Herr Kaufmann and so are a lot of people. He is not reliable any more except for some money-making tours.
Baek is a new star worth going to see! We were completely blown away by his Samson in June with Garanca. Akhmetshina, Kurzak and Platanias were also excellent.
Alagna and Kaufmann in one day! Such a treat! I wish I could see them both on the 20th when I have booked!
Yes, it would be very interesting to see Kaufmann and Alagna on the same night. But it’s very unlikely. Roberto Alagna is so far scheduled as Canio only for the first two performances (5/7 and 8/7), the rest should be sung by Fabio Sartori. Kaufmann has so far cancelled his participation as Turiddu in the first two performances, but I’m quite convinced he will cancel the rest too.
Personally, I thought JK as Turiddu and RA as Canio would be a good combination as well as Baek plus RA, but Baek has actually set a high bar- he’s no “mere understudy”!
Although Santuzza is more often sung by mezzo-sopranos, the creator of the role was Gemma Bellincioni — a soprano whose Violetta in TRAVIATA was praised by Verdi.
That’s right. Here’s what Aleksandra Kurzak said about this role several days ago during a conversation at ROH: “I’ve been in love with this role of Santuzza since many years. I saw it for the first time in the famous movie with Obraztsova and Domingo. And it was sung by big mezzo voice. I have never thought in my life that I will one day sing Santuzza. It has happened actually, when I discovered the singer, who created the role. It was Gemma Bellincioni who was the soprano and she created the role with Mascagni himself. I just now found her biography on internet, very interesting. She said herself, that her signature roles were La Traviata and Lucia di Lammermoor. And she was the first Santuzza, chosen by Mascagni himself. When I discovered, that she was Violetta and Lucia, it changed a little bit my way of thinking about the character. Because I said: I can try to show her a bit different way, like of course naive person, very vulnerable, full of love, very young. And it changes a lot. (…) You can see it is really belcanto tessitura like you have in Lucia, everything in the passagio. (…) I do not know actually, when the tradition came from, that it was sung by the mezzo… In the score it’s writtten as well „soprano“. This gave me the courage to do this.”
My original comment got a bit long (haven’t caught up with all the replies yet), so am starting a new one. Well, we went on 11 July and what a treat it was. People around me who had heard Seokjeong Baek sing Samson (I was one) were all abuzz with excitement about this new star they had discovered in Baek. It’s true- for a young singer who initially trained as a baritone and just made his Covent Garden debut two months ago (covering for another tenor!) he has the power, the range, the acting, and he really inhabits the role. Amazing! A fantastic Turiddu.
I was impressed with Kurzak’s performance of both Santuzza and Nedda, considering that the intention of the production was to have two separate sopranos, since Nedda makes a significant non-singing appearance in Cavalliera and Santuzza makes a brief but significant cameo in I Pagliacci (they used an acting double for 11 July for those scenes). I thought her acting was very moving as Santuzza and her singing was excellent as Nedda- the Nedda role possibly suits her voice more (the original cast sopranos have very different voices too). Impressive stamina for 2 major performances giving 100% in very dramatic and tiring roles. I never saw Victoria de los Angeles in the two roles but Kurzak was very good.
Our star of the evening was Roberto Alagna- his acting, characterisation and singing were all powerful and fully in command, and his performance of the showpiece Vesti la giubba aria was up there with the greats for me- Gigi, Caruso, Pavarotti (granted, all on recordings as I’m not old enough to have seen them live in I Pagliacci). He has the charisma and dramatic presence to hold your attention throughout the opera and the power and pathos required for the role. I’ve seen and heard Kaufmann’s recording of Vesti la giubba, and while that’s very good, you can’t beat the experience Alagna has, and I thought JK might have suited Turiddu better than Canio. Also, unless they gave JK’s hair and makeup a significant “make under” to make him look drab and older, it would be a hard sell trying to convince us that Nedda would really cheat on him with Silvio (who gets quite unflattering clothes in this production).
The orchestra played very well under the baton of Antonio Pappano- the Intermezzo didn’t disappoint.
I and the regulars around me would have been pretty happy to pay the same prices for Alagna and Baek if they’d been listed as the original cast. I certainly felt we had wonderful performances from both (well supported by Kurzak, Akhmetshina, Platanias and Zilio).