Word: tenore
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Several young singers have been touted as possible successors to the first two tenors, but so far they have had about as much luck as Joan Rivers had in giving Johnny Carson the push. Roberto Alagna, 34, was heavily promoted by EMI as "the tenor of our generation" (a not so subtle dig at the advanced ages of Pavarotti and Domingo), but he had a rocky Met debut three seasons ago and is looking increasingly like an also-ran. Andrea Bocelli, 40, the hugely popular blind Italian tenor, is unlikely to parlay the success of his best-selling CDs into...
Many vocal connoisseurs regard Ben Heppner, 42, as the real tenor of his generation. A beefy, shambling Canadian whom conductor James Levine rightly calls a "phenomenon," Heppner is the first singer in years who has the vocal heft needed for the massive Wagnerian roles that were once owned by Lauritz Melchior. No operatic appearances in 1998 were as eagerly awaited as Heppner's Lohengrin at the Met and Tristan und Isolde at the Seattle Opera, and the critical verdict was passionately positive. Small wonder: the Wagner excerpts included on his latest CD, Ben Heppner Sings German Romantic Opera (RCA Victor...
Wagnerian heldentenors have rarely stirred the hearts of more than a minority of opera buffs, though, which is where Jose Cura and Marcelo Alvarez come in. Alvarez, 36, is a light lyric tenor whose high notes are fresh sounding and secure; Cura, 36, is a weightier lirico-spinto with an impressive touch of baritonal muscle. Alvarez made his Met debut last month in Franco Zeffirelli's bloated new production of La Traviata, in which his engaging singing was overshadowed by the spectacularly vivid Violetta of Patricia Racette. Cura's turn comes with next season's opening night, when he will...
...possible, of course, that the next really big male opera singer may not be a tenor. Ask Joseph Volpe, the Met's general manager, what he is planning to do when Pavarotti and Domingo are no longer available to open the season, and the first name he mentions is that of Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. "At some point," he confides, "we're going to open with a Don Giovanni starring Bryn." No, Terfel can't sing a high C, but Volpe is betting that won't matter. "Bryn's the one who has all of the goods," he says...
...would be a mistake to purchase any of Windham Hill's Christmas '98 releases. Chances are you'll be sick of them even before you get home and start baking cookies. Too vacuous for real listening, this music is designed to neutralize the frantic tenor of the holiday mall--and that's where you'll hear it. Don't waste your money--if you desire Windham Hill, go buy something else. For those wishing to simulate external shopping conditions while picking parcels off the web, a few words of caution...