The French Roberto Alagna returns to the Teatro Colón, ten years after his debut: “How nice to be back! I have good memories of Buenos Aires “

“The first time I arrived in Argentina, I had a toothache that I can’t explain (laughs). I was dying of pain. I remember it because I had suffered from it on the plane. It was a martyrdom. I spent three or four days in this terrible pain. Even during the performance, but the amazing thing is that when I started singing I forgot about the pain.

After the show, the pain is back and stronger (laughs). It was torture, but I remember the theater, the very generous and kind people. It was fantastic. We toured Buenos Aires a bit, saw a private tango show, just for us. I have good memories, “she says. Roberto Alagna from Parisbefore appearing on the stage of the Teatro Colón ten years after its debut.

The French tenor apologizes by saying that his Spanish is not very good because he has remained a long time without speaking it, but the truth is that his Castilian is impeccable. He has just returned to Paris via Poland, where he left his little daughter with his grandparents, the result of his latest marriage to the Polish singer Aleksandra Kurzak.

Despite the few hours of rest, Alagna’s voice sounds very fresh and happy on the other end of the phone, and as willing to talk as he is ready to take his next plane that will take him to Buenos Aires for his presentation this Tuesday (14 June) on the stage of the Teatro Colón.

With a refugee and her daughter at home

What is your current professional and personal life like?

-Fantastic. Now I am a mature man and I am fortunate to have a little girl who gives me incredible joy. But I want to take care of her because I didn’t have much time with my first daughter, I was very young and worked a lot. Now I work but always a little less than before. I like staying at home, going to school with my daughter, taking care of her.

It is not easy at the moment because with the war in Ukraine many Ukrainians have taken refuge in Poland. At home we receive a woman with her child. It is a very difficult situation, it is not known whether Putin will attack Poland. Everyone is afraid. And so do I.

My wife is now in Dresden for a concert, I am in Paris and my daughter is in Poland with her grandparents. It’s not easy. Right now I prefer to be with my daughter.

However, this year has a very busy agenda …

-Yes as always…

As always, but not so much because things are not as usual after Covid, the lockdown and the situation in Ukraine. I guess something must have changed in your way of thinking about your career, right?

-Yes you are right. I have changed a lot. Now I understand what normal life is. Before I was afraid of it because I was very used to always being with a function. I started very young with opera, I was 20 years old. I have been in the opera for 39 years now. Before that, he sang in cabarets and at 17 he was a pro.

I’ve spent my whole life singing and always doing a show. But now that I enjoyed being at home, living like everyone else, I’m not afraid to stay home in peace.

You just mentioned your experience with popular music in cabaret since you were young, what things have brought to the world of poetry from all that experience?

It’s the same. Except that the cabaret makes you understand the communion that exists with the public because we are very close. You also need to have a graceful face and not put a lot of effort.

It has acquired naturalness, spontaneity, in that world …

-Yes, and it also gave me the opportunity to improvise, to feel the sudden emotion. Is fantastic. And look for the simplicity of voice, emotion, energy. Cabaret gives you all this. And, later, you pass all this to the world of opera. He helped me a lot. I have always liked to give to the public, to be generous and sincere, without playing tricks. I really like the simplicity and truth of the voice.

About “technique”

Sometimes the technique is greatly overused in the text. It reminds me of a phrase from an Argentine singer, “the technique should only be used on bad days”.

(laughs) And let me add one thing: technique is like makeup. Every day you think you’re a little bit older and you put on makeup so it doesn’t show. This is the technique. But the technique cannot save you from everything. And there is also something mental. Thank God I’m in good health, because you can be very well but after five minutes something happens to you and you don’t know what to do. We are human. It is a very difficult job.

Carrying the tool on their body makes them very vulnerable.

-Yup. When you are nervous, little asleep, tired, afraid or stressed, everything suffers in the voice. You have to control everything. But sometimes you can’t. I always say: when everything goes well in a performance, it’s a miracle. Something can happen that you cannot control and it ruins everything.

At the Scala in Milan

His experience at La Scala in Milan a few years ago, when he left the stage after the audience boos, testifies to what he has just said. On the other hand, beyond that anecdote, it is a great lesson that realizes that the careers of great artists are made up of both successes and failures. How do you think about that episode, especially after a few months of singing there again?

-It happened to everyone. All the greats have had that kind of experience at La Scala or in another theater. It happened to Caruso in Naples, his city.

But there was no internet or social media.

-Of course. I think it’s a bit violent. Today we are all fighting against violence, what they did that night is part of the violence. The only difference is that I was very ill at the time, I had a health problem and my doctor was with me. Everyone knew. That’s why he was unfair. After so many years we still talk about it.

I had the courage not to accept violence and to withdraw. Despite this, after the episode, they always called me. Also, many times at La Scala. And now I’ll be back next year with Fedora. We will see what happens. This is our profession: there are ups and downs. But this also gives you a life lesson. An artist to whom nothing happens is not an artist.

Not only artists, but also humans in general.

Of course, life is like that. Hopefully, you learn nothing from life.

Is there a certain difficulty in accepting the vulnerabilities of artists?

-It’s true. We are human and it is a blessing when all is well. When you are in front of an audience singing very difficult music, no one can help you. You’re alone. That’s why I have a lot of respect for all my colleagues. It is very difficult, we have no amplification, we work in the same way as two centuries ago.

The program

How will the program you present at the concert be?

-It will be a very eclectic and very difficult program. In the first part I will sing arias from operas, but not only famous ones. I don’t like it when a concert is done only with hits to win easy applause. I’ll start with a very delicious French aria, it was very famous at the time and all the great tenors sang it, it is of the opera Le Roi d’Ys by Edouard Lalo.

Then a very dramatic air from the youthby Jacques Halévy, and also an aria from Cherubini’s opera, Les Abencerages: Suspendez à ces murs …, a slightly older work. And, then, a curiosity that I love to do: opera clowns I will sing the prologue, the aria by Arlecchino and also by Canio.

The three men in a single interpreter. The second part will be lighter: Neapolitan song, French melodies and, later, almost all in Spanish. It’s a little surprise and I’m not going to say what it is for now.

How do you get into the character of an opera, with all the drama and load, in a few minutes?

-You have to be honest with yourself in the situation and this will happen to the public. If you want to play a character, it won’t work. when I sing Juve I am the character; I am Roberto in that situation with my daughter, with that problem. This is very easy because it is I who live the drama or the happy situation that is happening.

Same in the popular song. If you are not natural and you do not hear the music, or you sing it in the wrong style, it will not work. You have to be very honest with the music and with yourself.

Matter of “feeling”

What conditions must an accompanying pianist have?

-It is very important to have it sensation. I don’t know the pianist Irina Dichkovskaia who will perform with me, she was proposed by the Theater. I think you are a bit afraid of pop music, I guess you are a concert pianist, and to make songs like the Neapolitan ones you need to have the sensationlike in jazz.

But I think that, being Russian, she certainly has a Sicilian or Latin soul, and she will be able to hear popular music. I am very calm.

He likes to take risks and is flexible enough because singers generally perform with accompanying pianists.

Yes, I love meeting new people. I have many pianists to work with, but the theater offered me a pianist here. I don’t know her but I’m sure she’ll be fine. You have to feel a communion with the music and when you are with a pianist it is the same. It is an exchange, like a duet or an act of love. You must have an alchemy between the two. We’ll have fun.

You are an anti divo …

– I’m always the same. Very natural. When I was very young I realized that you played a character – that of the tenor or the baritone – the roles were more severe. And all of that made me very tired because it takes a lot of energy to play that character in everyday life. All that energy is best used on stage. So I thought it best to be yourself. It’s easier.

FILE

Roberto Alagnatenor

Irina Dychkovskayapiano

Tuesday 14 June, at 8pm, at the Colón Theater.