|
Reiner Torheit
|
 |
« on: 06:05:40, 22-01-2008 » |
|
In the middle of a grim "jubilee concert" last night (to mark the 80th birthday of veteran Bolshoi bass Alexander Vedernikov), a star guest appeared... and what a star he was, too  Alexander Gurets is a young(-ish) tenor at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv, and one of Vedernikov's former pupils. He looked to be around mid-30s... handsome, slim, tall, with neatly-cropped black curly hair... you could cast him credibly in almost any of the main lirico-spinto roles. And then he sang... and a world-class voice filled the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. He only did one number (it was one of those "This Is Your Life" concerts where a host of guests do just one), Turiddu's aria from CAV. What would you like? Ringing sonority? Perfect Italian diction? Effortless open top notes? Stylistic and self-assured? Unmannered, committed performance? Take your pick - this guy has the lot and more besides. It was like watching early Carreras recordings, and yes - he IS that good. And what other tenor, when given a huge bouquet of red roses by a beautiful girl from the audience, would fall to his knees in front of his former mentor and present them to him instead? A tenor to watch for, undoubtedly. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
|
|
|
|
Don Basilio
|
|
« Reply #1 on: 11:12:27, 22-01-2008 » |
|
No chance of popping a snippet on Youtube?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
|
|
|
|
Reiner Torheit
|
|
« Reply #2 on: 11:34:50, 22-01-2008 » |
|
I've found one! A duet from Norma, in a pirated "made on a hidden mike in the audience" clip. The soprano is Chenska, who is the "top girl" in Kiev. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UsP9OGuur8His surname has been transliterated at "Hurets" (which it should be, in Ukrainian), but it's the same guy (as it's a recording from his theatre in Kiev). The clip hasn't been picked to show the tenor, but the soprano - so it's not the most "telling" extract one might have found. He sang a LOT better than this yesterday, and the higher tessitura of CAV suits him a lot better. While I was looking around for a clip, I also discovered that he'd gone on as the understudy as Radames in a Mariinsky Theatre AIDA in 2003 - the review (which called him "sensational") mentioned that he'd been flown in specially, and was not the scheduled understudy. |
|
|
|
« Last Edit: 11:40:24, 22-01-2008 by Reiner Torheit »
|
Logged
|
"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
|
|
|
|
Reiner Torheit
|
|
« Reply #3 on: 11:54:30, 22-01-2008 » |
|
The review of Guret's AIDA in the Mariinsky reads as follows:
В партии Радамеса был заявлен малознакомый петербургской публике Александр Гурец, солист Национальной оперы Украины, и его выступление стало настоящей сенсацией! Честно признаемся, что слышать тенора подобного уровня в стенах Мариинского театра не доводилось несколько последних лет. Хорошо сфокусированный, полётный звук, богатый сочный тембр голоса на всём диапазоне (напоминающий тембр Паваротти), прекрасная техника бельканто, артистическая свобода - вот основные качества, покорившие петербургскую публику. И если после первой блестяще исполненной арии ("Celeste Aida"; "Милая Аида"), последнюю ноту которой певец эффектно сфилировал на пианиссимо, зал "всего лишь" взорвался аплодисментами, то после третьего действия театр утонул в продолжительных овациях и криках "браво". На мгновение показалось, что мы находимся не в "северной Венеции", как часто любят называть бывший Ленинград, а в самой настоящей, южной, - настолько по-южному неистовствовала благодарная публика.
An almost-unknown soloist to Peterburg audiences was announced as Radames - Alexander Gurets, a soloist of the Ukrainian National Opera, and his performance caused a sensation! Being completely objective, we haven't heard a tenor of this calibre on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre for several years. His beautifully focussed and projected sound, and rich juicy timbre of his voice across the complete range (reminiscent of the Pavarotti timbre), perfect Bel-Canto technique, and unstilted prescence - this was the main impression that the Petersburg public took home. After the first aria (Celeste Aida), he took the final note with a stunning pianissimo which occasioned thunderous applause - which had already moved on into cries of "bravo!" by Act III. Overall it seemed that we weren't in the "Northern Venice" - as people often like to call Leningrad - but in the real Southern one - such was the "southern" torrent of applause of an enraptured public.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
|
|
|
|
Ruth Elleson
|
|
« Reply #4 on: 14:40:26, 22-01-2008 » |
|
I've done some cursory Googling and found his name is often transliterated as Oleksandr Hurets, so worth a search under this, too.
(I don't know a lot about Ukrainian pronunciation, but I do remember Elena Prokina (as she's always called in English) explaining at a Nation's Favourite Prom a few years ago that her name was pronounced Olena.)
Sounds like one to watch, certainly. I wonder if any of the major houses have their eye on him? And if not, I wonder why not...
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Oft hat ein Seufzer, deiner Harf' entflossen,
Ein süßer, heiliger Akkord von dir
Den Himmel beßrer Zeiten mir erschlossen,
Du holde Kunst, ich danke dir dafür!
|
|
|
|
trained-pianist
|
|
« Reply #5 on: 15:29:30, 22-01-2008 » |
|
It is interesting news, Reiner Torheit.
How old is this singer? I hope to see him on best stages of the world.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Reiner Torheit
|
|
« Reply #6 on: 15:37:19, 22-01-2008 » |
|
Hi t-p I don't have any biographical material on him at all. I would say from his appearance that he's maybe mid/late-30's in age? The whole question about Ukrainian names and transliteration is loaded with "political" overtones currently, with Ukraine establishing its cultural identity as an independent nation. "Oleksandr" is really wrong, I would say - because his name begins with the letter "A-" in any alphabet you care to choose |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
|
|
|
|
trained-pianist
|
|
« Reply #7 on: 15:47:16, 22-01-2008 » |
|
I don't know Ukranian languge, though I can understand some since it is close to Russian.
Whatever they want to call themselves is fine with me.
Do you think that mid 30 is too late for a good career? Or is it good age for singer? I don't know.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Reiner Torheit
|
|
« Reply #8 on: 15:52:20, 22-01-2008 » |
|
I think mid-30's is just right for a tenor's international career to begin. Except for those with light tenor voices suitable for choirs, there is not much they can do professionally before about 28 anyhow  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
|
|
|
|
Ron Dough
|
|
« Reply #9 on: 15:59:59, 22-01-2008 » |
|
Absolutely: male voices take a time to mature properly, and can be seriously damaged if not allowed to develop at their own pace. The world is littered with tenors who were pushed into big roles too young and sang themselves out. Good tenors are so hard to come by that several who have left it even later before starting seriously have gone on to make excellent careers.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
