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Saturday, January 28, 2017

La Traviata, San Francisco Opera, Fall 2017

San Francisco Opera's recent season announcement has an intriguing cast for the fall, 2017, production of La Traviata: three singers making their SFO debuts. A little research suggests that they may have struck pure gold.

The Romanian soprano Aurelia Florian is not only making her SFO debut, it's her United States debut. Here's what you need to know about her: she can sing, and she's gorgeous. Note the evidence:

Courtesy SF Opera


Here's the Brazilian tenor Atalla Ayan singing "Che gelida manina." Note the uncredited, but familiar-looking, conductor with the baton in his left hand.


Not subtle - he's no Gigli in this role - but it's a healthy-sounding voice.

Here's Polish baritone Artur Rucinski, in "Per me giunto" from Don Carlo, piano only. He looks a little like Mariuz Kwiecien, but this is a genuine Verdi sound:


Speaking of Don Carlo, here he is with Piotr Beczala:


5 comments:

  1. Thanks for this, Artur Rucinski sounds like the real deal from the clips!

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  2. Have heard Rucinski as Onegin and Sharpless. He *is* the real deal, and a compelling stage presence to boot. His career has been mostly Europe-centered, but I'm hoping he'll be a more regular figure on these shores in coming seasons. Looking forward to assessing Ayan when he sings Alfredo (and Christian in Cyrano) at the Met later in the season.

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  3. Ruciński is a true Verdi voice, and he's also an amazing actor. Seen videos of his Onegin and (recent) Enrico, both very good, but he especially blew me away as Francesco in I masnadieri. This is something of a signature role for him, at first he looks like a really over-the-top villain, but he has an epic breakdown / mad scene towards the end, rather rare for a baritone.

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  4. I'm looking forward to seeing him again - he had to cancel his scheduled appearance here in Roberto Devereux owing to a bicycle accident.

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