Jose Cura and a fresh breeze at Herod Atticus
Argentinean tenor sensation Jose Cura brought his commanding voice and vivacious personality to the Herod Atticus Theater on Wednesday night, accompanied by mezzo-soprano Giuseppina Trotta and the Athens State Orchestra, and conducted by Woldemar Nelsson. Part of the Athens Festival events, the concert was one of the season’s most exciting evenings. It was the flamboyant artist’s second appearance in Greece – having interpreted Radames in Verdi’s «Aida» at the Athens Concert Hall last year. A great connoisseur of Greek history, the tenor broke with traditional operatic style, and came to the ancient theater with a bouquet of fresh ideas. Were you looking for the tenor onstage? Look again, for there he was on the upper level, singing to a full house, before slowly making his way down onto the stage once more. Gone were the ubiquitous tuxedos, in their place were layers of linen and cotton – for both Cura and Nelsson. Beginning with arias from Verdi’s «Il Corsaro» and «Il Trovatore,» Cura led his smitten audience all the way to Ettore Panizza’s «Intermezzo Epico,» from the opera «Aurora» (his homeland’s national anthem, rarely performed outside Argentina), to Saint-Saens’s «Samson and Dalila» (Samson being one of the tenor’s signature roles) and ending with Bizet’s familiar «Carmen.» The encores brought Cura on stage again and again, culminating in a powerful rendition of «Nessun Dorma» from Puccini’s «Turandot» – reminiscent of past, great finales by Luciano Pavarotti. Next to Cura, Trotta seemed unable to release the full gamut of her emotions, while a joyful Nelsson led a highly professional Athens State Orchestra with brio. While music critics acknowledge Cura’s tremendous vocal abilities and gifts of interpretation (he is also an accomplished conductor and composer), which secure him a seat in today’s pantheon of opera stars, they would like to see the 40-year-old artist develop his art and skills even further. For the rest of us, Wednesday’s performance came as a welcome reminder of just how powerful song can be. As the music filled the night sky, accompanied by the light evening breeze, Cura demonstrated that his world – for many an impenetrable universe – is as accessible as any other form of musical expression, provided that it comes straight from the soul.
