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Rassegna Stampa
TITOLO: VITTORIO GRIGOLO: ‘THE ITALIAN TENOR’ DEBUT RELEASE ON SONY CLASSICAL
Testata: | Autore: Sony Classical | Del: 29-Giugno-2010
Sony Classical proudly announces the release of the debut recording on the label by the highly-acclaimed young tenor Vittorio Grigolo. Acknowledged by critics and public alike as the finest exponent of the Italian tenor tradition in a generation, this album is one of the most eagerly-awaited releases of 2010.
Vittorio Grigolo says that his first operatic recital disc, ‘The Italian Tenor’, has been a project of great importance for him. He has purposely waited until he felt the conditions were perfect and he had something unique to communicate in this repertoire. He has chosen a programme of arias representing ‘the culture I come from. It's like giving my card to someone who doesn't know me - the voice of the Italian tenor, with a communication that comes in a natural way, like opening a window on a sunny day!"
Vittorio Grigolo was born in Arezzo, Tuscany and grew up in Rome. A soloist in the celebrated Sistine Chapel Choir as a child, he appeared at the Rome Opera as the Pastorello in ‘Tosca’ opposite the great Luciano Pavarotti when only 13 years old. He has since gone on to conquer the world's major opera houses and festivals, collaborating with outstanding singers and today’s greatest conductors including Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, Riccardo Chailly, Lorin Maazel and Daniel Oren. His natural charisma and outstanding dramatic abilities complement a voice that possesses all the unique attributes of the Italian tenor - beautiful tone, effortless production and stylish phrasing - qualities which are fully displayed on this album.
The release presents arias from three giants of the lyric stage - Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini and combines famous arias with lesser-known discoveries.
Donizetti's ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ (L'Elisir d'Amore) has been a litmus test of the Italian tenor since the days of Enrico Caruso, whose famous performance of the aria paved the way for the opera's return to the repertoire after years of neglect. Equally beautiful is ‘Spirto gentil’ (La Favorita) in which the lead character laments the loss of his love forever.
The disc presents Vittorio as five Verdi characters. His selection begins with ‘Quando le sere al placido’ from Luisa Miller and continues with ‘Ella mi fu rapita’ and ‘Possente amore’ from Rigoletto. Verdi’s early opera Il Corsaro is rarely performed on stage today, but the young tenor triumphed in the title role at the Zürich Opernhaus earlier this year. The arias ‘Tutto parea sorridere’ and ‘Si de’ Corsari il fulmine’ give him ample opportunity to demonstrate his lyric and dramatic gifts, as does the one chosen aria from Un Ballo in Maschera, the introspective‘Forse le soglia attinse....ma se m'e forza perderti’. Following the cavatina ‘Ah si ben mio coll’essere’, Vittorio makes a rare venture into the spinto tenor repertoire with ‘Di quella pira’ (Il Trovatore).
The Puccini selection features a seldom heard aria from the composer's first opera, Le Villi, ‘Ecco la casa...torna ai felici di’. Vittorio was drawn to the unusually dark, almost Wagnerian colours of the piece. ‘Donna non vidi mai’ (Manon Lescaut), sung at the beginning of the opera as des Grieux falls in love with the young Manon, provides a clear contrast to the despair of Cavaradossi in ‘E lucevan le stelle’ (Tosca) as the painter awaits his execution. The aria ‘Firenze è come un albero fiorito’ from Puccini's only comic opera, Gianni Schicchi, foreshadows the melody of the celebrated ‘O mio babbino caro’ in its central section. Of course, no survey of the Italian tenor repertoire would be complete without the best-loved aria of them all - ‘Che gelida manina’ (La Bohème).
The album was recorded in the Teatro, Regio di Parma, a venue particularly associated with Verdi and in collaboration with the resident orchestra and conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi, whom Vittorio particularly admires and shares a close musical connection with. He also cites Placido Domingo for special mention on this project, having offered guidance and unstinting support throughout Vittorio’s career.
Vittorio Grigolo: ‘The Italian Tenor’ is released on CD and digitally by Sony Classical on September 20th. It will also be available on deluxe limited edition digipak format.
Download allegato: 95820THE_ITALIAN_TENOR_Press_Release.doc
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