Learning, Audition, Roberto Alagna…
Hi there! I hope you are well. This week I was practising a lot for an audition that came last minute. I had it on Friday and it went really well, and on Saturday Aki and I went to see Tosca in Dresden, with Roberto Alagna singing Cavaradossi and Aleksandra Kurzak as Tosca.
I believe I saw him for the first time many years ago (around 15) when I was a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London, I think he was singing Trovadore from Verdi. I remember him being really natural on stage and just very quick on his feet and the very noble sound and of course I was so excited to see him on stage.
On Saturday, somehow I was able to contact him and he was very kind to invite me to his dressing room around 45 minutes before the performance. Aki had a busy week and I was preparing and travelling to the audition which took ages because, again D. Bahn is really bad currently and it seems it is getting worse, so we both were a bit tired and we felt it when we were travelling to Dresden. However when we stepped into the Opera House, I completely forgot I was tired and I was more thinking, what to say to Mr. Alagna, would he be nice or busy concentrating for his performance, would he say “ lets quickly take a picture and enjoy the show, ciao”, so Aki and I did not know what to expect but we were a bit nervous. However, we were happily surprised, he was really relaxed and welcoming, he invited us to his dressing room and we had a quick chat for 15 minutes. It was a very relax conversation, from my side sharing my admiration and respect for his long career, I mentioned the first thing I saw of him was Nemorino, and that my teacher at that time Hector Sosa, really liked the way he sang and encouraged me I should listen to Alagna. He shared some of his wisdom with us, more about life and the philosophical side of the act of singing. Some of the things he shared to us were a surprised but most of it, was exactly how we thought he may think about singing and performing. He was really friendly and hopefully we will have some coffee at some point in the coming months to keep talking further about singing. By the way the performance was really good, specially him. He was in another level simply put.
Roberto Alagna is singing since many decades already and I have to say the voice still works really well, it is a mature sound but never a tired one, his musicality, his approach to interpretate his character in a very natural way, makes so much sense, you see the young Caravadossi, and his emotions, not more not less. Now 62 I think, he still is in such a good shape, from all those years ago, he still has a very light presence on stage, I mean in a positive way, he is so flexible and light on his movements that makes him look even younger. His voice just carries like if it was nothing for him. This apparent natural way of singing and acting has nothing of simple. On the contrary, only after mastering yourself you make something incredibly complex sound so easy and look so easy. Alagna understands his voice and body not only like all those years ago, but his ability to keep it and maintain that high level of artistry, one can only admire and respect. He is a man born to sing e punto.
Thank you Roberto Alagna for sharing with us a bit of your time, like I said to you, for you I am one of many singers who want to approach you and you may forget about me, but to me you are a tenor that marked my studies since the beginning and after so many years you are still on top shape and you were so friendly and open to Aki and me, so I can only say thank you and to wish you many more years to come of success and great singing.
I kept doing my exercise routine, reading my Daily Stoic and Tolstoi. Plus continue with Don Greene’s book.
I hope you are well and take care. See you next week.
