"La vita e inferno all'infelice" was the first phrase out of Salvatore
Licitra's mouth tonight as "the new tenor sensation" made his US recital
debut in Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall.
Initially too impressed with the size and quality of the 34-year-old
Italian's voice, I didn't pay attention to the text, but in just a few
minutes, the full meaning of "Life is hell for the unhappy" hit home
with full force.
Ready to luxuriate in the fabulous voice - a true tenor, at last! - I
experienced a sudden plunge from heaven to the other place as the aria
from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino" crumbled. Moving from note to note
with effort, legato being out of the question, Licitra went flat and
pretty much stayed flat for an unending 30 seconds or so.
It must have been a matter of nerves because such blatant error did not
come our way again. Licitra sang better and better as the two-hour program
progressed (except for a single, sloppy encore, of "Torna a Sorrento")
- and yet, problems of technique and musicality persisted.
It's difficult to find fault when encountering such a glorious voice -
strong, well-projected, trumpet-edged and yet lyrical, free of affectation
- and the packed hall, which gave Licitra a hero's welcome even before
singing a note, acknowledged him all evening long.
The two great tenor arias from "Tosca," "Addio, fiorito asil" from "Madama
Butterfly" and the program-closing aria from "Un Ballo in Maschera" all
went well, the quality of voice masking mostly wooden phrasing and audible
preparation to hit high notes. Licitra approached "Di quella pira"
nervously and fairly botched the big showcase ending.
On the other hand, the least showy aria on the program, "Ch'ella mi creda
libero e lontano," from "La Fanciulla del West," was far and away the
best of the lot.
Apparently, Licitra is not yet possess the impossible but unavoidably
needed ability to approach big, climactic high notes without showing the
effort. The process of getting ready impairs even what otherwise could
be "easy" to sing. In that rare Puccini tenor aria without climax, Licitra
was more confident and sang better than in any other selection.
The quality of the voice needs acknowledgment repeatedly. It's not a
"high baritone," but a true tenor, and yet he handles notes in the lower
range equally well - the problem is getting from one to the other.
Another, rather strange, problem in need of attention and training is
the often unclear diction. Mind you, this is a native Italian tenor,
singing Italian arias, so how bad could that be? Think of Joan Sutherland
singing in English. Ignoring the words, indeed the text, Licitra
concentrates on the music, instead of bringing out text and music together.
At 34, with the kind of gift he has, all this should be easy to handle.
The danger is that he is becoming so famous so fast that the business
of improvement may get short shrift. For any devoted fan of tenors, that
would mean the unhappy hell of disappointment.
Cal Performances has done it again - not only did it present an important
debut, but Robert Cole's organization included the full San Francisco
Opera Orchestra in the deal, bringing David Agler back to the Bay Area
to conduct.
A good portion of the concert consisted of operatic orchestral selections.
At first, the orchestra did not adjust well to Zellerbach's bright, loud
acoustics, but by the second half's Prelude to Act III from "Madama
Butterfly," all went well.
I hope Licitra listened to principal cellist Thalia Moore - in her "E
lucevan le stelle" obbligato, she presented the clear, clean, connected,
articulated, moving sound with which the Gift in the tenor's throat must
be manifested.
Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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