The Verdi Project: La Forza del Destino

The one where everybody (pretty much) dies.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Bang: Verdi's La Forza del Destino opens with an accidental domestic shooting.
Art by Don Falcone.

Following the premiere of Un Ballo in Maschera, Verdi received a commission from the Imperial Russian Opera in St. Petersburg. For a subject, he came up with Don Alvaro, o La Fuerza del Sino, a Spanish play by the Duke of Rivas. This would premiere in Russia in 1862 as La Forza del Destino ("The Force of Destiny.") . It was a success but performances of the opera in Italy (retitled "Don Alvaro") were met with indifference.

His Last, Bigliest Bow

Donald Trump brings back Luciano Pavarotti.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

This didn't really happen....or did it?
Luciano Pavarotti sings with Donald Trump.

An unexpected gaffe by United States President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon may lead to an unexpected career spotlight for Luciano Pavarotti, the beloved opera tenor who died in 2007.

Today, speaking at the White House in a joint press conference with Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni, Mr. Trump said: "Through the ages your country has been a beacon of artistic and scientific achievement. That continues today."

He then referred to Mr. Pavarotti and his friendship--twice: "From Venice to Florence to Verdi to Pavarotti--friend of mine," President Trump said. "Great friend of mine," he added.

The Mozart Project: Idomeneo, Re di Creta

Sense, sensibility and yes, sea monsters in Mozart's mythic drama.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Image from the 1955 Ray Harryhausen picture It Came From Beneath the Sea.
© 1955 Clover Productions Incorporated.

In the year 1780, when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was 24 years old, he accepted a commission from the Elector of Bavaria to write a new opera for Carnival season the following year. The result was Idomeneo, re di Creta, his thirteenth opera and the earliest of his stage creations to retain a place in the standard repertory of the world's opera houses. Sprawling over three acts, this is a work of exceptional musical ambition and challenge to its performers, as it was created for the formidable orchestra and cast that were at the Elector's disposal.

Memories of Herbert Breslin

Luciano Pavarotti's longtime manager dies at 87. 
by Paul Pelkonen

Herbert Breslin (right) and friend. Photo by Alan Malschick from The King and I
© 2004 Broadway Books, Herbert Breslin and Anne Midgette.

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of opera super-agent Herbert Breslin. Mr. Breslin managed Luciano Pavarotti for 36 years, elevating the Italian tenor into a household name. He died yesterday in Nice, France, of a heart attack. The news was reported by my colleague Anne Midgette in The Washington Post. 

Mr. Breslin was 87. 

I want to take a moment to say a few words for Mr. Breslin, who helped a young writer beginning a career in the world of opera. Through his firm, the Herbert Breslin Agency, I was able to do my first interviews with singers and gain invaluable experience as I started in this business.

It began when the Metropolitan Opera chose to cancel a 1997 run of Verdi's La Forza del Destino. Luciano Pavarotti was supposed to learn the role of Don Alvaro di Vargas, which would add the last major dramatic Verdi tenor role to a resume that included attempts at Don Carlo and Otello, operas that were far too heavy for his voice.

Vittoria!

Congratulations to the New York Giants, winners of Super Bowl XLVI.

We're celebrating with an excerpt from Act II of Puccini's Tosca. Filmed at the Met in 1978, with Luciano Pavarotti as Cavaradossi and Shirley Verrett as Floria Tosca. Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader who spotted when the clip was from.

Hit it, Luciano!

Obituary: Salvatore Licitra, 1968-2011

Salvatore Licitra in La Forza del Destino.
Photo by Marty Sohl © 2006 The Metropolitan Opera.

Tenor Salvatore Licitra, who was severely injured on Aug. 27 while riding his Vespa motorcycle in Ragusa, Sicily, has died. He was 43.

The singer was riding on his scooter when he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and crashed into a brick wall. He was not wearing a helmet. He was was rushed to Garibaldi Hospital and moved into the intensive care unit with serious injuries to his head and chest.

Mr. Licitra lay in a coma for nine days. He never regained consciousness.

Born in Bern, Switzerland, Mr. Licitra fell into opera singing after a brief career as a graphic designer. A student at Carlo Bergonzi's voice academy in Bussetto, Italy, he made his debut there in 1998 in Un Ballo en Maschera. Later, he was hired by Riccardo Muti for a production of La Forza del Destino at La Scala and his rise to fame was complete.

Mr. Licitra rose to fame in New York when he substituted for Luciano Pavarotti in a 2002 performance of Tosca. Mr. Pavarotti had cancelled his appearance two hours before curtain. The charismatic tenor made a strong impression as Mario Cavaradossi, and the press started referring to him as a logical heir to Mr. Pavarotti's crown.


The singer made a specialty of Verdi heroes: Radames in Aida, Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino, and King Gustavo in Un Ballo in Maschera. Armed with a sturdy instrument and dynamic stage presence, the singer also appeared in new productions of Puccini's Il Trittico and Tosca. He was then hired  to sing Turiddu in the traditional pairing of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. 

When another tenor cancelled, Mr. Licitra added the role of Canio in the later opera, singing both tenor roles in the famous pair. Earlier this year, Mr. Licitra was booked to sing the title role in the company's revival of Ernani next February. He pulled out of those performances in July. Marcello Giordani will sing the part, splitting the six performances with fellow tenor Roberto Lo Blasio.

Mr. Licitra is survived by his parents, his brother, and his girlfriend, who was riding on the scooter when it crashed. She was wearing a helmet.

The Big Man's Best (And Worst)

Luciano Pavarotti.
Photo by Judy Kovacs.

Pavarotti on Disc: The Good, The Bad, and the Cheesy.

The impact of Luciano Pavarotti's death is still being felt in the operatic world. It's hard to believe he passed away just over five months ago. Yet with all the scandal and weeping, not enough has been written about Pavarotti the recorded artist, who made some truly fine opera recordings before he died. Here's a quick sampling:

Mascagni: L'Amico Fritz (cond. Gianandra Gavazzeni)
This Covent Garden recording of a rarely performed pastoral comedy by Mascagni features the great tenor in full flower. Worth hearing just for the "Cherry Duet" between the young Pavarotti and Mirella Freni. And at 93 minutes, it's over before you know it.

Verdi: Rigoletto, (cond. Richard Bonynge)
A classic Rigoletto that makes up in singing what it lacks in dramatic spark. (I like the Sinopoli and Giulini recordings better.) But it does have the dream cast of Pav, Sutherland and Sherril Milnes in the title role. As in the theater, Pavarotti makes the most out of "Quest o quella" and "La donna e mobile". Both arias sound better in their dramatic context, anyway.

Puccini: Turandot (cond. Zubin Mehta)
This isn't the best Turandot on the market, but Pavarotti and Sutherland's Beijing showdown (with Montserrat Caballe as Liu) is one of their best recordings. This is a thoroughly satisfying Turandot and the best place to hear the great tenor sing "Nessun Dorma". Once again, dramatic context keeps the big tune from becoming a cliché.


Rossini: Gugliemo Tell (cond. Riccardo Chailly)
Rossini's final opera is criminally neglected today, mostly because no tenor can sing the role of Arnold without having an apoplexy. This is a long, slow opera that is tough on the singers. The duets with Caballe are sublime. His solo arias are even better. This gorgeous recording captures Pavarotti towards the end of his prime period, and offers a showcase for some of the best technical singing that he ever did. Great stuff.

Richard Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier, (cond. Sir Georg Solti)
Just a cameo here, as Pavarotti takes the small role of the Italian Tenor from Richard Strauss' most famous opera out for a spin. This single aria, which embodies everything Strauss hated about Italian tenors, shows the listener everything that was good about Pavarotti's remarkable voice.

There are some recordings out there that are for the libraries of completists, apologists, and record company executives. In other words, avoid these:

Verdi: Otello (cond. Sir Georg Solti)
One can only wonder what motivated Pavarotti to tackle the the single most difficult tenor role in the Italian repertory. (Greed? Hubris? Rivalry with Placido Domingo?) No amount of studio trickery can make Pav into Otello. No wonder he ruined his voice.

Bellini: Norma (cond. Richard Bonynge)
Pavarotti is fine on this recording. The culprit is Sutherland, who was way too old to sing the title role in this opera in the 1980s. Get her earlier recording with Marilyn Horne.

Verdi: Don Carlo (cond. Riccardo Muti)
This is from the infamous attempt Pavarotti made on this grandest of Verdi operas at La Scala. He cracked noticeably on the opening aria, "Io lo vidi" and it was downhill from there. A complete and utter mess with a bad supporting cast. Happily, it is also available on DVD--so you can see the overstuffed Zeffirelli production in all its questionable glory.

Verdi: Il Trovatore
Manrico proved to be Pavarotti's Waterloo on CD. Both recordings, one with Bonynge and Sutherland, and a later one with Zubin Mehta, are to be avoided at all cost. If you want to hear this opera properly sung, get the del Monaco recording, or better yet, one with Franco Corelli or Carlo Bergonzi.