SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW

Giordano, Andrea Chenier: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real de Madrid, Madrid. 28.2.2010 (JMI)


In the last of the nine Chenier performances programmed we had the surprise of tenor Jorge León in the title role. He substituted for Marcelo Álvarez. It was not his first appearance in this capacity: he had already sung to great acclaim on 17th February. It made quite an impact with lots of newspaper articles honouring the ‘birth’ of a new tenor! His presence drew a great influx of opera-lovers to Teatro Real; expectations were more than high.

Jorge de León’s performance as Andrea Chenier was a complete triumph. He is a true spinto tenor – a scarce commodity in today’s opera world. He has a baritonal centre and a true bright high register, with huge amounts of squilla. His is one of those voices that incites enthusiasm among aficionados. I am certain that a career beckons. The question is: how long will it last. These voices are so rare today that it will require large doses of professionalism from his agents and intelligence from him to avoid the spoiling of an otherwise dazzling future. I dare say that his is the most important tenor voice that has emerged since the young Salvatore Licitra a few years back. Obviously, he is not, as yet, a paragon of all the perfections, but he has time ahead to study and improve. His not so much a rough diamond of a voice but one that is only partly cut. If he is careful and not spoiled, he could be a world-class tenor. His singing line is not flawless, but he has musicality aplenty - a splendid instrument. At 33, he has a great future ahead. Let us hope that common sense will hold sway and if so we’ll have a very important tenor for years to come.

Teatro Real was fully sold out. Jorge de León was received in triumph. Fiorenza Cedolins had a very warm reception. In fact she was much better than on February 19th.

José M Irurzun