In October last year the gifted Argentinian tenor José Cura memerized audiences at Teatru Manoel not only with his singing but with his very presence and performance. The programme was Argentinian music including his own song cycle which he set to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. There are no two ways about it. He is a towering presence and larger than life and not only because he has a huge stage presence but also because of his many gifts.  Apart from being a world-renowned tenor he is also a composer, conductor, stage designer and director. He will he be designing and directing Tosca early next month but he will also be singing the leading role of Cavaradossi. Isn't that a lot to handle I asked him? "Challenging is an amazing condition for work to be done with passion," he replies, passion being his mot de passe.  Are there any roles you haven't sung and which you would like to sing? "I am very lucky because in my 40 years of stage life I have already sung all those roles I dreamt about. Now my "stage dreams", to say it in a Freudian way, are more connected to pieces I want to produce, including my own music. A dream come true would be to stage my "neo-baroque" comic opera at the Manoel, for example, which enjoys the kind of ambience where my piece could easily be performed without any stage adaptations."

 If you could give one reason for someone to come and see their first Tosca what would it be? "Depends on where it is produced. In our case in particular, to the fact of coming to enjoy one of the most famous masterpieces of all time, you have to add the emotional factor - we are producing an opera at the Manoel for the first time after the pandemic, not to mention that this piece is one of those that needs a lot of creativity to be produced on a stage that is primarily created for smaller productions."

When did he first perform in an opera? What is his first memory? "My first performance in an opera was in 1984. It was Massenet's Manon and my role was one of the minor characters. I was 21 years old."

 Will opera still be performed in say, 100 years' time or will it be dead by then? "I would be more worried about having or not a healthy Planet in 100 years;  more than the flowers that we will or will not be putting in a flower pot, we should all be very concerned about whether we have a flower pot at all... Anyhow, if there's still a World,  by then, I hope it is one in which the great achievements of human kind are not forgotten, classical art among them."

Opera lovers are waiting to see how you are going to deal with the limited space in the orchestra pit of the Manoel Theatre. (You can be certain he has many weapons in his armoury, I said to myself.)  This has prevented the staging of big operas and the use of a full symphonic orchestra. Can you give us an indication of how you intend getting around this limitation in our national theatre? "There are not many ways out of this limitation which is not a defect of the house, but results from the stage being used for performances for which it was not originally conceived.  When Malta eventually builds (or rebuilds) the multicultural stage that the country needs, these adaptations will not be necessary anymore, and the beautiful Manoel could be solely dedicated to what is, after all, its original nature. Until then, and the size of its pit being among the most evident handicaps when having to fit the kind of orchestra operas like Tosca need, we have figured out a solution, always keeping in mind that this solution, one hopes, is temporary and will not have to be used forever. My solution is to put the orchestra on the stage, behind a curtain, and the action in front, using the pit space levelled to the height of the stage."

Maestro Cura was highly praised for the concert version of Tosca in Hanover in 2014 which was held outdoors. Will the Tosca he will be directing next month at our national theatre be anything like it? "I understand your question due to the same positioning of the orchestra, but while in Hanover I had devised a semi-staged version, with the musicians in sight, for Malta we have devised a solution that will allow for a fully staged version, always within the limitations a small stage inevitably brings with it. For example, we cannot do a real "procession" during the Te Deum, simply because there is nowhere to go..."

 When you get back home after rehearsing or performing do you listen to music and if so what kind of music? "When I am off duty, silence is my favourite after hours music.  Yesterday I left my apartment at 08:00 and was back by 22:00 after a long working day with the different production departments. Imagine arriving home and listening to even more music!"

 Are any of your children going to follow in your footsteps? "My eldest son, Ben Cura, is a professional actor and a very good music film composer too. Since he is a public person, I feel comfortable mentioning his name. My other children are not in show business."

You have sung your way through several performances of Cavaradossi. What do you find so appealing about this character? "Standing for my ideals against all odds has been a strong trait of my personality since my primary school days... and that is Cavaradossi at his best."

 

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) and 'Tosca'

The main themes in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca are centred on authoritarianism, lust and abuse of power. It showcases human emotion at its rawest and most vulnerable. Puccini was the natural heir to Giuseppe Verdi at the top of the Italian opera composers' league. Puccini's family had always been involved in church music but after he saw a performance of Verdi's Aïda Puccini found the call of the opera too great to ignore.

In all Puccini composed 12 operas with Turandot his final one. He died with just a small part of this work still unwritten. This was completed by another composer, but at its premiere the conductor Arturo Toscanini stopped the orchestra playing exactly at the point where Puccini stopped composing. He turned to the audience and said: "Here death triumphed over art." With Puccini's death and the premiere of Turandot, the Italian operatic composing tradition was snuffed out.

Teatru Manoel and Valletta Cultural Agency present Tosca by Giacomo Puccini.

Directed by and featuring José Cura. Costumes designed by Silvia Collazuol.

Mario De Rose will conduct the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

Performances on Sunday, 5 March,  Wednesday, 8 March, Friday 10 March, Sunday 12 March at 7.30pm

Ticket:   https://www.teatrumanoel.com.mt/