Well, not that I ever had any doubts, but Bob was absolutely splendiferous today. Good heavens, his Werther is stunning. The man is perfect in his imperfection. Signore Pavarotti can go jump off the Eiffel Tower for all I care. Bob is king.
Em came online right before Pourqoui Me Reveiller so she was able to listen till the end.
Let me tell you, Roberto and Pourqoui have now entered the ranks of James and Farewell, Good Angel and Jonathan and Close Every Door.
Good grief, I was in quite a state after that. He held that last note for forever and a day. Yeesh. Absolutely fabulous. I was shaking and had to practically calm myself down. I don't care how much those idiotic "critics" (and I use the term loosely) slam him. People love him. During bows, the announcer referred to the audience "grovelling."
I should think so. Mom laughed at that, but I said "Heh, I probably would have fainted long ago." The place went nuts after Pourqoui and I was laughing and gasping and teetering on the verge of tears. Just like with Jane. *sniff*
I found an interesting article from the NY Times. I picked the relevant parts. *grin*
There are truly great qualities to the singing of the popular tenor Roberto Alagna. Yet from the time he was unhelpfully touted by his recording company in the mid-1990's as "the fourth tenor" until today, he has never rid his singing of some frustrating vocal idiosyncrasies. That was true again on Friday night when Massenet's "Werther," in the Metropolitan Opera's dusty 1971 production, returned to the company with Mr. Alagna in the title role. The evening also offered the alluring mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova as Charlotte and an appealing young Canadian conductor, Jacques Lacombe, in his Met debut. But Mr. Alagna was the main draw.
Mr. Alagna, a dashing stage presence, embodied the role.
Through his ardently sung and impetuous portrayal, Mr. Alagna conveyed the sense that Werther's fatal devotion is more about his own obsessions than Charlotte's desires. He gave a boldly physical performance. Not many tenors during the final scene when the despondent Werther dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, could roll off a bed and fall flat onto the floor as Mr. Alagna did.
You must credit this French tenor with a keen understanding of French operatic style. The enunciation of the text and the formation of the vocal sound go hand in hand in the French way. His phrasing was supple and pliant. He captured that slightly nasal vocal quality of the French idiom without turning it into an affectation.
Yet, as on many nights with this proudly self-reliant singer, there were trouble spots in his singing, a result it seemed of technical glitches. Interestingly, he reveled in the full-voiced top notes that would test most tenors. But his mid-range singing was sometimes patchy. His sound would turn leathery; his voice would catch in the throat mid-phrase.
The whole cast received a prolonged ovation, but Mr. Alagna understandably drew the most vociferous bravos. Whatever his technical flaws, he excites audiences and is the real thing: a stylish French tenor.
WELL DUH!!!
At least there is one person who has realized that audiences aren't solely impressed by technical ability. There's another essential ingredient. It's called passion.
Bob practically rips your heart out of your chest. Who cares if his mid-range singing is "patchy." His voice is like no other and I would take him over someone who had all the technical training the world can offer.
So there.
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