José Cura has made a reputation as opera’s Triple Threat: singer, conductor, and composer, and he performs the first two feats simultaneously on this new Erato disc. Well, judging from the CD booklet’s photos of his dramatic podium exertions, he must have phenomenal breath control not to sound labored as he sings. But seriously, Cura’s singing the vocal parts to his own taped accompaniment rather than with a live and responsive conductor might explain a certain rhythmic stiffness in some of the arias, however passionate his conducting of the extended purely orchestral sections, which are played with conviction by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Passion is the key word here, for Cura’s goal clearly is to present the verismo style as, according to the CD booklet, a “new, blistering, impulsive, and forceful style, [where] beauty of sound [gives] way to fidelity of text.” For better or worse, he largely succeeds.
Cura’s rich, dark tone sounds more baritone then tenor (a quality underscored by his singing of Tonio’s opening monologue from Pagliacci), but he mitigates its affect with a brusque, declamatory style that clips phrases and short-changes note values (as in “E la solita storia” and “O Lola”). Cura indulges in a number of mannerisms apparently in an attempt to wring every drop of emotion from the music. Thus, “Vesti la giubba” is riddled with gratuitous sobbing and asthmatic gasps. José Carreras imbued this torch song with a similar emotional intensity yet managed to keep his pants on.
This swooning style dominates most of the selections, though the Adriana Lecouvreur arias and “Nel verde maggio” from Loreley are less strung-out. Paradoxically, Cura’s “Amor ti vieta” refuses to take wing. Even Andrea Boccelli, in tentative voice, generates more thrills in this famously soaring tune. That Cura’s voice is beautiful is not in question; however, its use here has you scratching your head and wondering if the whole project isn’t misguided. Wouldn’t a real example of the versimo style include confrontations and conflagrations with other characters, rather than just one man’s tempestuous conducting and lurid singing? At any rate, this well filled disc will give pleasure to anyone who enjoys hearing a big voice put through its paces. The reverberant recording creates a convincing illusion of a real-time event.
