Roberto Alagna

Roberto Alagna's career reads like a novel. Born to Sicilian parents in a suburb of Paris, everyone in his family sang, but he (they told him) didn't have the most beautiful voice; he was asked to keep quiet when his uncle sang with his sunny timbre. But he felt called to sing. He honed his vocal technique by listening to recordings of the great tenors of the past and following the advice of an old master, Rafael Ruiz. For years, he sang in cabarets in the evenings, accompanying himself on the guitar. But his true passion was opera, and his idol was Pavarotti. So, when the Tenorissimo came to Paris to sign autographs at a department store, young Alagna mingled with the crowd, managed to approach him, and spoke a few words. They must have been the right ones, because the Maestro invited him to audition. He went, and was invited to the finals of the Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia. Which he won. It was 1988, and he was 24 years old. At that time, Alagna's voice was bright, radiant. It was the voice of a dreamy, lyrical Italian tenor. Glyndebourne wanted him as Alfredo in La Traviata. Then came Monte Carlo, and very soon La Scala with Riccardo Muti, in the role of an Alfredo with a rare fervor. This was followed by the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, again with Muti, and Rodolfo from La Bohème. In just a few years, doors opened for him to the greatest international stages, from New York to Vienna and London; the greatest conductors considered it an honor to work with him; he received applause everywhere. Another success: taking on the role of Romeo in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet in 1994. The opera prodigy delivered a vocal performance with unprecedented sensitivity and diction. People searched for his predecessors: Vanzo? Thill? No: only he alone had infused French singing with such sublimity and poetry. He rightly entered the history of opera, and in 1995, he received the highest British stage award, the Laurence Olivier Award, for this portrayal. Celebrated for his Italian repertoire, he became unique and irreplaceable for the French repertoire. His portrayals of Don Carlos in French in London, then in Paris in 1996, of Des Grieux, Werther, Faust, Don José, and even Edgardo from Lucia di Lammermoor are milestones of their time. From 2000 onwards, his voice became more expansive and deeper. He added the master roles of Italian opera to his repertoire – Manrico, Canio, Radames, and even excerpts from Otello. With enthusiasm, he continued his exploration of French roles, helping forgotten operas regain their honor and dignity: Lalo's Fiesque in 2006, Massenet's Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame in 2007, and Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac in 2005, to which he lent an almost youthful passion. This curiosity attracted the attention of modern composers: in 2007, Vladimir Cosma wrote the role of Marius for him in Marius et Fanny in Marseille, where he sang alongside his wife Angela Georghiu, and his brother David wrote Le Dernier Jour d’un Condamné for him in July of the same year. Few French opera singers forge such new paths! Roberto Alagna's discography thus reflects the breadth of his musical curiosity. With an exclusive contract with EMI from 1993, he recorded the pillars of the French (Manon, Werther, Don Carlos, Carmen) and Italian repertoires (La Bohème, La Rondine, Tosca, Il Trovatore, Verdi's Requiem). For other labels, he recorded L'Elisir d'amore, Rigoletto, and La Traviata. He put together surprising concerts dedicated to Berlioz or rare arias from the French repertoire. In 2004, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. His first album with DG, Roberto Alagna chante Luis Mariano, which earned him double platinum, brought him fame beyond the confines of opera. In this discography, DVDs hold an important place. Roberto Alagna, striving for authentic expression on stage, allows his entire dramatic range to unfold in quite diverse roles: a moving Nemorino (L'elisir d'amore, Decca), an almost fragile Radames (Aida, Decca), an enthusiastic Cyrano (DG). He even takes an interest in directing techniques, as in I Pagliacci (DG). Director Benoît Jacquot asked him to portray Mario in the cinematic version of Tosca (2001), an important role for singer-actors. Celebrated by a large audience, Roberto Alagna appears on television screens, where he performs alongside variety singers, participates in benefit concerts (Michael Jackson & Friends), or extraordinary events – in 2002 and 2003, he sang for the Pope in Rome. He himself admits that the most moving moment for him was his interpretation of the Marseillaise on July 14, 2005, on the Champs-Elysées, opposite the official tribune. Although his recordings and interpretations have earned him the highest musical and official honors (in 2008, he was knighted into the Legion of Honor), Roberto Alagna is not an artist who rests on his laurels. His calendar for the coming years includes taking on major roles – Andrea Chénier, Cavalleria Rusticana, Le Cid – an album of Sicilian songs, and a tour in autumn 2008. It is highly probable that he will weave in unpredictable ideas and bold acts that have made his artistic career an unparalleled adventure since his debut. 12/2008