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Turandot Highlights, Volksoper Wien Eva Urbanova, Turandot |
Turandot - Vienna (November 2006).
"Just when you think they don’t make
’em like they used to, along comes Roy Cornelius Smith as Calaf to
send you back to the Golden Age for comparisons: Giovanni Martinelli’s
ringing, trumpet-like high notes, the heroic beauty of Aurelano
Pertile, the baritonal timbre of Mario Del Monaco, the perfect
musicianship of Enrico Caruso. His voice is huge, dusky and
Italianate, his phrasing and use of dynamics generous and elegant, his
stage presence endearing. “Nessun dorma,” sung sweetly, passionately
and thrillingly, stopping the show cold (there is no cadence to the
aria in the original score, but the explosive ovation and accompanying
“Bravos!” were so deafening and prolonged, Hager had no choice but to
put down the baton)...While the audience voiced its universal approval
of Barbe and Doucet’s well-executed concept (how strange to attend an
opera premiere in Vienna and not hear one “Boo!”), it reserved its
loudest roar for Smith. Triumphs like this are one in a million."
Musical America
"Let’s begin with the high point of the evening, and his name is Calaf. The American tenor Roy Cornelius Smith is ideally cast for a house like Volksoper with his baritonal timbre and fantastic high notes. He sang the crowning climax of “Nessun dorma” so radiantly and perfect that the audience couldn’t restrain itself from immediate rejoicing (the singer, however, remained in character and did not take a bow). One shouldn’t compare him with Pavarotti, that can only be done by listening to recordings. We are happy to have heard such a Calaf live." Der Neue Merker
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