Search - José Cura :: Artist Portrait Jose Cura

Primo Tenore

James A. Holland | Las Vegas, NV USA | 11/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the Domingo/Pavarotti era has come to a close, we find that a new generation of tenors awaits their time.

Jose Cura is without a doubt one of the greatest tenors of the new era!



Now I realize this statement will raise quite a few eyebrows, as I know that many, many tenor lovers, particularily those who have a deeply rooted affection for the lyric tenor voices of Pavarotti, Alvarez or Gigli, do not think Mr. Cura's dark and muscular tenor worthy of consideration.



Let it be known that, to date, Mr. Cura IS the foremost operatic tenor of the world.

He has more CD's on the market than any of his contemporaries (Alagna, Licitra, Alvarez), and a wider international appeal.

In fact, I was introduced to the Cura voice in a record store in southern Germany. I was looking for a Bocelli CD and the store clerk advised me to check out this Jose Cura. I bought the Verismo CD and upon hering it, I was convinced that this man would be the successor to the aging Domingo.



Anyhow, this CD is a great sampling of most of Mr. Cura's current CD releases.

His reading of Puccini's "E Lucevan Le Stelle" and " Nessun Dorma" are inspirational. His take on Verdi's "Nun Mi Tema" form "Otello" showcase why Mr. Cura has become the most sought after "Otello" of the post-Domingo era.



The only reason I did not give this CD a 5 star rating, is because of the inclusion of a few tracks from Cura's "Anhelo" which was supposed to be collection of Argentinian "folk" songs. However, the end result sounded more like a Spanish version of German Lieder...which is to say boring beyond imagination.



I would have much preferred to have a few songs from the exquisite "Bolero" CD included. For some reason not one track of what I consider Mr. Cura's finest CD was included in this compilation.



Overall this is a fine compilation of a PRIMO TENORE.

"

Bravo, Cura!

M. Allman | Chapel Hill, NC USA | 10/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps MAYBE, Placido Domingo, there isn't a better tenor singing today than Jose Cura. I've even tried to prove myself wrong by listening to an abundance of others. Voices like his just don't come around very often.

I first heard him singing two songs with Sarah Brighman on her "Time to Say Goodbye" CD. By thirsting for THAT voice, I bought lots more of his CD's, DVD's and VHS tapes, and was introduced to the world of opera, and the versatility of this phenomenally gifted man.

This CD is a wonderful sampling of several of his CD's: Puccini Arias (my personal favorite), Verdi Arias, Verismo, Samson & Dalila and Anhelo (a close second). The reasons I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5, even though I want to, are as follows.

First, there are no selections on the CD from Manon Lescaut (on Puccini Arias), which are just wonderful. The emotion of his performance of those songs is gut wrenching, and I was moved to tears when I first heard them.

Secondly, his artistic talents are widespread; not only can he sing, but also, he can conduct and compose music as well. The songs selected from Anhelo for this CD are beautiful. But his composition skills could have also been showcased if included were Sonetos de Amor y Muerte, which consists of two poems by Pablo Neruda, put to music composed by Maestro Cura. It's just beautiful, particularly the second one. (I read on his website that a future project includes more music composed for Neruda's poems and I, for one, can't wait.)

This CD would be a great addition to anyone's music library, but don't stop there. He's got an abundance of great music...Boleros, Aurora, Song of Love, Dvorak...the list goes on."

Awesome!!

Aldrich Zetina Esquivel | Qro, México | 08/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is one of the gratest CD's of a tenor that I have ever brought, the selection of the songs was very intelligent and the voice of Jose Cura is impressive, I really recomend this item!! You'll be pleased with it!"