Customer Reviews

Salvatore Licitra - The Debut

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Without a doubt Licitra has a beautiful, velvety instrument that is obviously comfortable and well suited for Puccini and Verdi roles. He has the baritone quality that so many people want in their tenors today and his interpretations are well-executed and extremely convincing. However, the question is not, is he a good singer? The question is, is he "the tenor of tomorrow?" The answer is no. What's missing? The brilliance in his voice is missing. If you were to listen to the arias from Licitra's CD and compare them to Pavarotti or Corelli or Domingo you would find that the intensity falls short. The high notes are stuck in his throat and therefore don't have the open throated intensity of Pavarotti or Corelli. Also, the vibrato seems out of control and inconsistent.

If you are considering buying this cd to see what the hype is all about, go ahead. It isn't bad by any means and it is always nice to experience new interpretations of great arias. If you are looking for great recordings of these arias seek out Domingo, Pavarotti, Corelli, Gedda, Del Monaco, Bjoerling, and if you can find him Carlo Cossutta.
If you are looking for tenors peforming today find Frank Lopardo, Kim Begley, Gregory Kunde, or even Roberto Alagna.

Licitra is young, especially as far as spinto tenors are concerned, but I do not anticipate that his voice or career will develop into what they have been hyped up to be.

I was really excited to listen to this new tenor, and I have sincerely mixed feelings about his abilities. I shall say to start that he seems to be flawed in vocal production just a little. He has a bit of a warble come in on the bottom of his voice when he tries to get that extra dynamic level. He is uncomfortable in his Passagio and his notes between that delicate switch can be far to covered and unhealthy sounding. The very top is very very good, and very very big. It is a sincere improvment over the top notes of Watson or Bocelli or any of the popera fodder.
I agree with the other reviewers that he is at his very best in the Verdi. The Celeste Aida is a fine track with some real trickery in his final B flat. The rest, expecially the Ballo and the Forza, just made me miss the Jose Carreras interpretation. I listened to my 1976 Carreras Ballo after hearing Licitra and there is no comparison. Licitra seems uneven in his registers when compared. The Di Quella Pira is exiting as it always in. I was exprecially impressed with the aria from Macbeth which was done very well.
The Puccini section was a mixed bag. I did not enjoy the transposed and wobbly Nessun Dorma nor did I understand the reason for the transposition, (One usually reserved for aging legends like Domingo or Carreras and vocal newbie crossover stars like Russel Watson.) Licitra could have certainly done it with the B natural. The recondita Armonia and the Donna non vidi mai both were forced and wobbbly. Chella Mi Creda was on the other hhand fabulous and licitra seems well suited to the role of Nick Johnson.
Overall Licitra cannot compare to any of the three tenors in their primes. The recordings of Carreras and Domingo on the mid-period Verdi and Pavarotti's Pucinni are all superior.
Nevertheless buy this CD because Salvatore is new and his interpretations are authentic. He is new and it is exciting to hear a new voice. The voice is enjoyable despite some flaws and it is nice to see new talent. He certainly belongs on stage singing these roles which is more than I can say for some of the other tenors floating around recording this stuff.

Folks, those of you who don't like Licitra's singing, consider what's going on in the recording world with Watsons, Bocellis, Amantes, et al "bringing opera to the masses". Licitra's powerful, highly emotional delivery is really like a breath of fresh air. He possesses a solid technique, good insight of the characters, and a big, robust voice. Those of you looking for a lyric tenor would probably be disappointed, but those who enjoy dramatic tenor voice would definitely enjoy it. In fact, I am certain that those who give this album less than 4 stars are the same people who were outraged at Jose Cura's debut CD of Puccini arias a few years ago. They've even called him a baritone, obviously having no idea of how a high baritone should sound.
Stepping in for a great Luciano Pavarotti at the time when the audience wanted no substitute was a brave and gutsy thing to do. What helped, in my opinion, was how much the voice of Licitra differs from the voice of Pavarotti. To this day, Pavarotti's sound is bright and silvery, gorgeous high register, suited perfectly for high-flying lyric parts, such as Bellini, Donizetti, or early Verdi operas. In stark difference to the "King of High C's", Licitra's voice with its dark timbre and masculine sound is more "heroic" so to speak, perfect for the roles of Manrico or Cavaradossi. (Btw, unlike in Muti's La Scala recording of "Il Trovatore", you WILL find a high C in "Di quella pira" on this CD). He brings a great emotional depth to "Addio fiorito asil" and "O Inferno!", thereby making Pinkerton and Gabriel real and believable figures. If hard-pressed to draw comparisons, I would compare this newcomer to the great Caruso. There's a great deal of similarities in their dark, baritonal, but unmistakably Italian sounds, bursting with flavour and thirst for life.

Undoubtedly everybody knows the story by now. In May 2002 a flu-ridden Luciano Pavarotti cancelled the Met's Closing Night Gala performance of 'Tosca', and Salvatore Licitra, a tenor already well-known in Europe for his work at La Scala, flew in from Italy to save the day. I was there, and considering the terrible pressure Licitra was under and lack of proper rehearsal, he did a excellent job. Unsurprisingly, he became an overnight sensation. Since then, he returned to New York for an extremely well-received concert performance (which I regret not attending) of 'La Forza del Destino'. But does he really deserve to be called 'Pavarotti's sucessor' or to be yet another tenor tagged with the meaningless 'Fourth Tenor' label?

Actually, Licitra DOES often sound uncannily like Pavarotti, although the tone is somewhat darker and the high notes don't come with as much effortless ease. Still, his is a beautiful and exciting, often glorious voice. The bad news is that Licitra seems a bit stiff and unimaginative in Puccini - he needs not only more sweetness, delicacy and charm, but also specificity of character as opposed to generalized 'tenoring'. Individually, these arias often come off very well, but together, they're just one big musical clump.

On the other hand, perhaps more importantly, Licitra has potential for genuine greatness in Verdi. The best tracks on the disc, alone worth the price, are the two selections from 'Un Ballo in Maschera' - not much of a surprise since this was also one of Pavarotti's greatest roles. Here Licitra is at his warmest, most passionate and most immersed in character. He even easily manages the octave and a half downward leap in both verses of 'Di tu se fedele', which many tenors avoid. I am also impressed that, again unlike most tenors, Licitra attempts to sing the final phrase of 'Celeste Aida' piano as Verdi wrote it. We also get an a splendidly lyric, deeply-felt Alvaro and a Gabriele with the right mix of compassion and desperation. And on the basis of his 'Ah, la paterna mano', he would be luxury casting as Macduff in any opera house. His 'Ah si, ben mio' could have used a bit more soft singing but is firm and rich. And yes, Licitra sings the high C famously denied him by the tyrannical Riccardo Muti in this 'Di quella pira', dispelling rumors that he was unable to do so. More importantly, he gives the cabaletta a sense of real fear and urgency. He may very well be the tenor of the new generation most qualified to sing the heavier Verdi repertory in the world's largest houses. For all their considerable gifts, I think that both Roberto Alagna and Ramon Vargas should proceed into this repertory very slowly and carefully, limiting their Verdian work to recordings and small theaters.

The main problem with this disc is Sony's 'house conductor' Carlo Rizzi. For once, he does not completely ruin the efforts of his singer's solo album, as he did with Olga Borodina (on Phillips) and Jane Eaglen, but he doesn't help much either. To those reviewers who have complained about Licitra's lack of musicianship, I would really give him the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear him under a better conductor. Certainly Rizzi is no James Levine, who conducted Licitra's Met debut. It is likely a testimony to Licitra's talent that he not only survived working with Rizzi here but by and large triumphs. As usual, Rizzi's conducting is stiff and mechanical, and I suspect that the Puccini arias sounding the same is more his fault than Licitra's. More to the point, if the interviews Rizzi has done are to be believed, his heart isn't in this material - he only does the standard Italian repertory because that's where most of the conducting work is.

The other problem here is that one gets the feeling the whole package was slapped together in a hurry - CDs usually take almost a year between recording and release, and this was recorded in March 2002 and released less than 5 months later. I can forgive the short length of the disc (51 minutes) largely because it is available at budget price, but there should have been more music. Indeed, why didn't they record the 'Che gelida manina' that Robert Levine mentioned? Also I note that the pauses between the selections are a bit too short. I suspect that if Sony had not been trying to capitalize on Licitra's sudden fame, more care would have been taken in the presentation and perhaps some additional selections would have been recorded.

Soprano Mary Plazas, a regular at the English National Opera who has made several English language opera recordings for Chandos, is an excellent Oscar but a bit less ideally cast as Leonora, while tenor Edgaras Montividas, a member of Covent Garden's young artist program, is a somewhat rough-voiced Ruiz. The men of the Covent Garden chorus make fine contributions to the scenes from 'Ballo' and 'Trovatore', although I wonder about the absence of the women from 'Nessun dorma'.

The booklet contains full texts and beautiful, poetic translations, a puffy biography of Licitra and photos of both the tenor and the conductor.

For now, the beauty and thrill of Licitra's voice will carry him far, but in the end what he most needs to do in order to be a genuinely great tenor is to become more INTERESTING - develop an individual style, use more variety of dynamics and mood, and display greater musical and dramatic imagination. Since at the Met and other prestigious theaters (and with luck on records as well), he will apparently working with more talented and singer-friendly conductors than Rizzi and Muti, I hope he will be able to do so. Licitra may not quite be at the top yet, but he is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

I'm sorry, but those of you swooning over Licitra simply cannot have heard recordings from the true greats. If your idea of the pinnacle of operatic tenors begins and ends with Bocelli, may I introduce you to the likes of Franco Corelli, Mario Del Monaco, Jussi Bjoerling, Luciano Pavarotti (though not my favorite, still heads and shoulders above what's out there now), and Giuseppe DiStefano. These men were at the top of their profession when their profession was filled with talent, unlike today where any hack with more than one useful octave and a decent tone are considered "star material". It's a very sad commentary to the level of talent today that this man is considered a star.

Untrained, flat singing. Crap! Anyone who thinks this man can sing better than Luciano Pavarotti needs hearing aids and needs to go back and listen to tenors starting with Caruso and all the great tenors who came after him
As a voice teacher, conductor and tenor I can tell you that he CAN NOT SING!!!!

I can't help it. Licitra is, to me, simply one of the most beautiful tenor voices out there, and that, in the first place, makes me impossible to just discard his CD. This doesn't mean that he is the best. It doesn't even mean that he is good, but -what an awesome vocal material! This is the voice of a true Italian tenor apt (at least for natural conditions) for the lirico-spinto repertoire.

Now, to his singing. While in this recording he still seems to have points to work about, it's important to have in mind that we are talking about a young artist, whose best things are to come. In fact, this recital CD was recorded some time ago, and according to the not-so many things I have been able to hear from him recently, he has improved since, as one should expect from a young artist with talent.

This recital CD, besides the wonderful voice, offers interesting stuff: very nice celeste aida (all and diminuendo on the high B flat -alla Bergonzi), very enjoyable renditions from Un Ballo in Maschera (secure from the bottom of the register, and vocal capabilities that make him ideal for the role of Riccardo), a very solid "Ch'ella mi creda", beautiful "e lucevan le stelle"... and more.
Is the technique really great? perhaps not yet at the time of this CD, and some flaws can be listed, specially a passaggio which is perhaps not always as consistent as one would like, but good enough as to allow him show us the richness of his voice, and to allow him to express what he wants. But, as said before, Licitra has time to mature and to get even better.

So.. is the hype justified? my answer would be: who cares! hype is hype, nothing else. The companies must try to sell CDs, theaters must try to sell presentations out, etc. I only can tell that we have here a good tenor. One of the best around in his repertoire. A historic one? perhaps not yet in this cd, but as time goes on and he continues to mature as an artist.. who knows! it's perfectly possible.

Like so many others I was drawn to listen to this CD after reading about the "Pavarotti debacle" at the Met. After hearing this "Debut" I can only express my deepest "Disappointment." True, Licitra has a basically dark, not unattractive tone and a sense of authentic Italian "slancio." What he lacks is a proper sense of line, comfortable control of dynamics, and - above all! - elegance. It is all too tight, coarse, and crude. Compare Licitra's "La parterna mano" to Bergonzi's and note the latter's superior line. Björling's "Donna non vidi mai" displays the elegance Lictra lacks. Even the uneven and wayward Di Stefano has more bounce and joy than Lictra does in "Di tu se fidele" not to mention real heart-felt pianissimi in "E lucevan le stelle." By the time I came to Lictra's ham-fisted approach to "Celeste Aïda" I was ready to stop this disc and reach for the Björling recital on Naxos where half the price delivers twice the voice and three times the musicianship.

The man has a lovely voice, of that there is no question. Another reviewer mentioned that he's got a perfect voice for Verdi and Puccini. Verdi, yes. Puccini? Not really. There are other great works this voice should be singing, but not Puccini. Unfortunately, as all young singers are, he will be forced into singing material not quite suitable simply because it's the most popular. Only Cecilia Bartoli seems to have escaped that fate lately. The second half of the album is quite enjoyable, and I look forward to other work in the future.

I am hardly an expert, but I have mixed reactions to this CD. First, I think that Licitra's voice has a nice smooth sound to it. But it is also overmatched by some of the music.

I always love hearing tenors take a shot at Verdi's "Di quella pira" from "Il Trovatore." Once, in a moment of madness, I taped 10-15 tenors, back to back, singing this. What a range of singers! Caruso, Tucker, Corelli, and so on, and so on. Some great, some not so great, some poor. But you can really divide up the singers by listening to one after the other (ad nauseam). Truthfully, Licitra can't handle this work, compared with the greatest of those luminaries. His light voice is overwhelmed at the end by the orchestra and chorus. While his technique seems okay, he just doesn't have the voice to make this memorable. A Franco Corelli or Richard Tucker or Mario del Monaco just soars over the orchestra and chorus.

I thought he did much better in "Nessun Dorma" and the two Tosca arias, "E Lucevan le stella" and "Recondita armonia," and others. To me, his voice seemed to fit those more compellingly.

Again, keep in mind that I am not an expert, but his "Celeste Aida" featured (is this the right term?) scooping as he went from "celeste" to "Aida." I have a clear memory of listening to Richard Tucker singing this (I can't get my hands on the tape right now) where he went from one note to the other without a scoop. Same with "forma divina," if I understand aright.

All in all, "Debut" is a nice work, a promising start to a career, but we all ought to hold off on any comparisons with the greats until Licitra has a chance to grow and earn such accolades.