To grasp the full meaning of Alfredo Kraus’s
artistry, it may be a good idea to relate a small but significant episode.
Several years ago, in November 2005, as part of the research for a novel,
which I was then writing, I interviewed Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez.
One of the things I asked him was whether there was a singer that he
looked up to as his role model. He replied without hesitation: “Alfredo
Kraus. I look up to him.”! I was surprised. Somehow, I had expected
him to say Luciano Pavarotti, perhaps because of the easy high notes.
However, for Flórez, it was really the only logical singer to
name. If one observes in detail Flórez’s vocal technique,
beauty of tone and refined phrasing and then, listens to Kraus it becomes
obvious why he had to be Flórez’s role model.
Alfredo Kraus (1927-1999) was the
tenore di grazia of his generation.
He sang with grace and elegance, possessed easy high notes but also
made anything he sang sound truly beautiful, which is what
bel canto
is all about. Kraus boasted a masterly vocal technique but, perhaps
most importantly, his knowledge of his own abilities and limitations
never led him to overextend himself. In a perfectly managed career,
he achieved an unusual degree of consistency and longevity. For example,
at seventy, he was still capable of singing a high C and a high C sharp.
The admirable top extension of his voice was one of his most famous
assets but his refined phrasing, the warmth of his tone, his beautifully
balanced
legato line, as well as his undeniably elegant style,
were all equally admired, particularly at a time when most tenors had
neglected these artistic qualities. Naturally, he is not unique in terms
of the easy, spectacular high notes - in that sense, he was probably
eclipsed by the flamboyant Luciano Pavarotti - but no other tenor of
his generation was capable of expressing such a degree of delicate,
well-judged sentiment. His performances had a grace that would forever
remain in one’s mind.
Kraus excelled particularly in the
bel canto repertoire of the
first half of the 19
th Century - Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini.
This was what best suited his voice but he proved his versatility and
sang many other roles from 1961/62 onwards. His Mozart, for example,
was certainly one of the most beautiful I have ever heard and his celebrated
portrait of the title character in Massenet’s
Werther became
a legend. It was not the only one. In 1958, he appeared with Maria Callas
in Verdi’s
La Traviata, in Portugal’s capital city.
The impact of Callas and Kraus was so great that this particular production
passed into the realms of history as the “Lisbon Traviata”.
Then, in 1959, he sang for the first time the role of Arturo from Bellini’s
I puritani. Like
Werther years later, he made it his own
becoming his signature.
Interestingly enough when he began studying music as a teenager, he
had no intention of becoming a singer. Luckily for audiences then and
listeners today, his family and friends encouraged him to do so. He
was perhaps the only tenor that understood the true meaning of
bel
canto in the fifties and sixties. So, this CD featuring many arias
and songs from the peak of Kraus’s powers (1958-1962) is very
welcome indeed.
The Young Alfredo Kraus, as this recording is adequately named,
begins with a lovely rendition of
Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön
from Mozart’s
Die Zauberflöte. This is followed by
the equally engaging performance of
Se il mio nome from Rossini’s
Il barbiere di Siviglia. Then we have a succession of arias from
some of Donizetti’s most celebrated operas:
L’elisir
d’amore,
Lucia di Lammermoor,
La favorita and
Don Pasquale; each delivered with impeccable vocal technique,
elegant phrasing and easy high notes. This is followed by Bellini’s
A te, o cara from
I puritani - my favourite in this collection.
This requires delicate sentiment, elegance, easy high notes and very
elegant phrasing. Kraus’s rendition is very near perfection! It
is beautiful, moving and warm. I was close to tears by the time he had
finished.
After these first nine tracks of almost unsurpassable beauty we are
treated to a slightly more diverse repertoire: from Meyerbeer to Gounod,
Verdi, Bizet and even Cilea. Each aria is sung with the same vocal quality
that he demonstrated in Mozart and the
bel canto pieces. Of the
second half of the programme, I particularly enjoyed
Mi par d’udir
ancora from Bizet’s
Les pêcheurs de perles (here
sung in Italian) and a selection of arias from
Rigoletto, including
the inevitable
La donna è mobile, which is extremely well
sung. We end with three well known songs from Leoncavallo, Ponce and
Serrano; all charmingly delivered.
The recorded sound of
The Young Alfredo Kraus is of excellent
quality throughout, clear and properly cleaned of all the static. Tonzauber,
in Vienna, did an exemplary job. The booklet contains some interesting
notes about Kraus, his life and career, both in German and English.
There are no texts of the sung pieces.
I enjoyed this CD immensely.
The young Alfredo Kraus should please
anybody who loves exceptionally good, gorgeous singing. If you have
never heard Alfredo Kraus sing, you are missing something and this recording
is just perfect. If you have, then, it really does not matter. This
is still a wonderful addition to any collection, to be cherished and
listened to over and over again.
Margarida Mota-Bull
(Margarida writes more than just reviews - check it online at
www.flowingprose.com)
Full Track-Listing
Vincenzo BELLINI (1801-1835) A te, o cara(from
I Puritani), recorded in 1958
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret
Georges BIZET (1838-1875) Je crois entendre encore(from
Les Pêcheurs de Perles), recorded in 1958; sung in Italian,
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret
Francesco CILEA (1866-1950) È la solita storia 'Lamento
di Federico' (from
L'Arlesiana)
recorded in 1962, Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid/Mario Cordone
Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848) Una furtiva lagrima (from
L'elisir d'amore), recorded in 1958, Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José
Luis Lloret;
Una vergine, un'angel di Dio, Spirto gentil ne'
sogni miei (from
La Favorita), recorded in 1958, Orquesta
de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret;
Com'é gentil
…Tornami a dir, Povero Ernesto ... cercherò lontano terra
(from
Don Pasquale), recorded in 1958, Orquesta de Camera de
Madrid/José Luis Lloret;
Fra poco a me ricovero ...Tu che
a Dio spiegasti l'ali (from
Lucia di Lammermoor), recorded
in 1962, Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid/Mario Cordone
Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893) Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre
… Salut! Demeure chaste et pure (from
Faust), recorded
in 1958 (sung in Italian), Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid/Mario Cordone
Ruggiero LEONCAVALLO (1857-1919) Mattinata - L'aurora di bianco
vestita, recorded in 1958
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/Enrique Estela
Giacomo MEYERBEER (1791-1864) Plus blanche que la blanche
hermine (from
Les Huguenots),
Mi batte il cor …
O paradiso (from
L'Africana), recorded in 1958; (sung in
Italian), Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd
schön (from
Die Zauberflöte), recorded in 1958,
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/Mario Cordone
Manuel PONCE (1882-1948) Estrellita, recorded in 1958,
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret
Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868) Se il mio nome (from
Il
Barbiere di Siviglia), recorded in 1958,
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret
José SERRANO (1873-1941) Te quiero morena (from
El Trust de los Tenorios), recorded in 1958,
Orquesta de Camera de Madrid/José Luis Lloret
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901) Questa o quella, La donna è
mobile (from
Rigoletto), recorded in 1958, Orquesta de Camera
de Madrid/José Luis Lloret;
Ella mi fu rapita! (from
Rigoletto),
recorded in 1962, Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid/Mario Cordone
