Tenor Evaluation

As I look forward to still another tenor (Beczala) tomorrow night, I
think back to these few weeks and the truly thrilling experience that
each tenor has presented to me, plus thinking of last season as
well.Here is a brief evaluation,and i loved them ALL!!!!

1. Villazon.Fabulous musician,artist,beautiful line, the "package' is
so affecting;not a big big voice,with some ring on top, but more like a
"chiaroscuro Kraus" but a bigger tone.And of course he has been adopted
by anyone who knows him.

2.Vargas.Romeo last season..a model of taste,gorgeous tone, superb
musicianship, good ring on top,but a softer grained sound up
there..still, a wonderful tenor.

3.Licitra.I liked him a lot last season in Aida and
Forza...Tasteful,big voice with a lot of ring on top and a fine
quality..no Richard Tucker (who is?) but very satisfying in dramatic
parts..at least better than the radameses of late.

4.Botha..BRAVO all the way..Lyric but BIG voice and can satisify
(Aida,Don Carlo) with large voice but ability to shade.....Wagnerian as
well as Verdian.

5.Kaufmann- Mozart,verdi,Wagner..he does it all.This is a great
guy....Who else sings Parsifal and Tamino? Top top of the line tenor.

6. Florez- What more can be said..Amazing gility, beautiful style,
decent size...he does not do Huguenots, so in what he does,he is a
delight..world-class.

7. Giordani- The present-day "Signor Squillo."LORD...Those top notes
hurt your ears (Thank God)...Superb brilliant voice all through and
more exciting on the top notes than anyone in recent memory.

8. Fraccaro-Not an especially beautiful voice..but MAN, what a
brilliant top..and well-produced.Did a fine "E lucevan' with some nice
piano singing. Quite serviceable,if not of star quality.

9. Calleja..HUGE (sounds miked) voice...loses the bleat in person and
a tasteful singer with a beautiful honeyed voice..Ability to diminuendo
a high B..but in the one Rigoletto i saw, the very top often lacked the
power of the rest of the voice and sometimes the "forte" notes sounded
"mezzo-forte."The voice is so big that there is a contrast from middle
to top...I hope it gets better up there..but loved that voice.

If Lawrence Brownlee is anything like the Met audition i heard..we
can add him..and i know Matthew Polenzani is a fine tenor..will hear
his David.

Hey not bad.....Look, I saw
Baum,Ortica,Gari,Nicoloff,Zambruno,Nuottio,Parley,Feiersinger so even
if Mike Richter sang Arnoldo..it would be an improvement .

Charlie

Charlie Handlemann writes:

> 1. Villazon..And of course he has been adopted
> by anyone who knows him.>

Are his parents cool with that?

> 3.Licitra..at least better than the radameses of late. >

Shouldn't that be 'Radamesi' ?


> 4.Botha..Wagnerian as well as Verdian.>

Do you think there are some Logengrini in his future?


> 5.Kaufmann- Mozart,verdi,Wagner..he does it all.>

Does he also do Verdi?


> 6. Florez- What more can be said..Amazing gility>

"Gility" is something that hasn't been said before.


> 7. Giordani- The present-day "Signor Squillo."LORD...>

Yes, my son?

>Hey not bad.....Look, I saw Baum..>

Really? You saw Baum? How was he? Did you ever see Mrs Baum?