JOSÉ CURA, “OTELLO“ -- Debut at age 34. 1997

JOSÉ CURA debuted in “OTELLO“ at age 34 at the Teatro Regio di Torino in Turin in 1997 Telecast Live on Italian Television JOSÉ CURA, at age 34, debuted in Otello in 1997 Teatro Regio di Torino Conducted by Claudio Abbado JOSÉ CURA : “A NEW OTELLO“ IS BORN!!!“ LA NAZIONE RAN THE HEADLINE “JOSÉ CURA: A NEW OTELLO IS BORN!“ With a growing international reputation and increased critical interest, José Cura made a pivotal career decision in 1997: at Turin’s Teatro Regio, at age 34, Cura debuted in Verdi’s Otello, telecast live on Italian television. Under the baton of Claudio Abbado, Cura offered a bold, brash, brilliant Moor, carefully pieced together through literary and historical study, musical exploration and psychological analysis—all hallmarks of the painstaking preparation José Cura continues to bring to the role development. Audience and critics alike were riveted by his unconventional but compelling characterization; La Nazione ran the headline “José Cura: a new Otello is born!” Opera houses around the world agreed, offering Cura the opportunity to take his Moor to London, Washington, Madrid, Trieste, Munich, Buenos Aires, Nice, Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Warsaw, Tokyo, and Florence. His presence in this role is an invitation to the extraordinary, making him one of the most eagerly sought-after Otello of his generation. Venue: Teatro Regio Torino in Torino, Italy. Date: 8th and 11th, May, 1997 Otello: JOSÉ CURA, Jago: Ruggero Raimondi, Desdemona, Barbara Frittoli Cassio: Vicente Ombuena Emilia: Serena Pasqualini Roderigo: Alessandro Cosentino Lodovico: Giacomo Prestia Montano: José Fardilha Un Araldo: Giovanni Mele Conducted by Claudio Abbado Directed by Ermanno Olmi Scene: Lucio Fanti Assistente alla regia: Piergiorgio Gay Studi musicali: Ronald Schneider Berliner Philharmoniker Coro Filarmonico Slovacco di Bratislava (Jan Rozehnal) Coro del Teatro Regio di Torino (Bruno Casoni) Südtiroler Kindercher (Margherita Brugger) La Nazione: JOSÉ CURA : “A NEW OTELLO“ IS BORN!!!“ THIS STALWART ARGENTINIAN TENOR WAS AS LAST A “REAL OTELLO“ This stalwart Argentinian tenor, with an impeccable accent, with a dark, suave vocal timber, also possesses a musical discipline without a doubt rare among his colleagues, was as last a “real Otello:” he recalls with intelligence the best of earlier singers but with a communication ability and personality that easily enables one to predict a long and great career for him. OperaWeb [excerpt] --- This Otello was certainly intended to represents the peak of the current Turin season. The possibility of listening to the great Berliner Philharmoniker, undoubtedly the best orchestra in the world, conducted by Claudio Abbado, in an opera performance in our country represents an authentic “event,“ and we immediately say that the expectations were not only met but even exceeded by the performance of the Berliners. And certainly not to be overlooked were José Cura’s Otello, Barbara Frittoli’s Desdemona and Ruggero Raimondi’s Iago. All were encased in the poetic directional vision of Ermanno Olmi and with the participation of the excellent Coro del Regio, flanked by two other choirs. The director’s vision of the tragedy of jealousy was in perfect agreement with Abbado and with the interpretation of Cura, very intimate and introspective, slipping with wordless despair and desolate inevitability towards the final tragedy.