"Tenor heart-throb!" trumpeted The Times of London -- somewhat anachronistic phrasing, perhaps, but what else, sadly, do you expect from opera reviewers? Besides, Jose Cura, 40, is exactly that.
In the days when opera was big-time it was the tenors who commanded the largest fees, and as the embodiment of the archetypal young lover frequently had an adoring following to boot. Jose Cura is a contemporary example of this phenomenon, albeit on a lesser scale following the reduced modern status of the art form.
But he is more than this. He has, for example, moved into conducting, and in unusual places -- Poland and Sweden. In addition he has founded his own record label, Cuibar. He is the embodiment of an informal "from the heart" style, both as a conductor and as a singer. His appearance at the open-air Swedish festival of Dalhalla, in heavy rain and with a cold, has entered operatic folk memory.
He has in addition made 11 CDs on established labels (Erato, Warner Classics), both of opera and of Latin love songs.
His visit to Taipei next week is for two concerts. One is a solo recital on Wednesday, Oct. 16, the other a celebrity concert with the National Symphony Orchestra on Friday, October 18. Both events begin at 7.30pm.
For his solo recital, Cura has come up with a program of 21 items in four languages. First are three spirituals (in English), followed by a selection of early 20th century art songs (in French or Italian) by Faure, Duparc and Respighi. After the interval the program is entirely of songs in his native Spanish (he was born in Argentina). One of them he appears to have written himself.
Next Friday's concert consists of items from Italian opera. For these he will be joined by a Taiwanese soprano whose identity has yet to be announced.
The program begins with Verdi (Il Corsaro, Ernani and Don Carlo) and then moves to Puccini (Le Villi, Madama Butterfly). The first half ends with the 17-minute-long duet Viene la sera which concludes the first act of Butterfly and is the finest love duet Puccini ever wrote.
The second half opens with four items from Leoncavallo I Pagliacci (The Clowns). This is one of the operas in which Jose Cura made his name and which he sang in Vienna earlier this year. The event concludes with three extracts from Giordano Andrea Chenier, an opera about a poet put to death during the French Revolution.
The National Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by the Charles Peebles, well known in British opera circles and visiting conductor with, among other groups, the London Sinfonietta and London Mozart Players.
There are currently tickets at most prices available for Wednesday's recital, but only mid-priced ones (at around NT$1,500) for Friday's celebrity concert. More information can be obtained by calling (02) 2343-1647.
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