The third and final concert of this small cycle entitled “Christmas Ambassadors” ended, after the actions of Ainhoa Arteta, Ismaël Jordi and now Juan Jesus Rodriguez. The title comes from the Hall of Ambassadors, … perhaps the most beautiful and surprising of the Alcázar, even if we already know that the plastic beauty does not perhaps coincide with the acoustic beauty: here Rodríguez’s voice filled everything, but the piano however – we have already noticed it in Jordi – was a little more murky, especially when it seemed to us that Gifford was generous with the pedal.
This time we were struck by the fact that after the previous ones were sold out, and with tickets by invitation (free), of the 170 places reserved for this cycle, 30 places remained free: it was to hear one of the most important Verdi baritones in the world.
We had not seen the singer from Cartaya (Huelva) since he expressed his feeling of no longer being present at the Teatro de la Maestranza. And we already know that here The one that moves does not appear in the photo. Damage. We didn’t miss it: hearing him in concert ‘O Carlo ascolta’ from ‘Don Carlo’ or ‘Eri tu che macchiavi’ from ‘Un ballo in maschera’, both by Verdi, was not only an indescribable pleasure, but aroused the desire to hear him in one of these great roles at 56, when We think this is a peak moment, full of interpretive maturity and with a record that overflows with strength throughout.. Here, we still prefer long names with many consonants in a row, a sign of great value, apparently.
The recital began with great strength with three beautiful examples of Neapolitan songas if he wanted with such an expressive level to reclaim a genre that is sometimes vilified or, at the very least, relegated to the background after a recital. ‘Parlami d’amore Mariù’ by Bixio It was the first song to rise with a splendid and exultant intonation, with long notes that accelerated the phrasing and an expression that magnified the genre, as if his life depended on the loves of Mariù.
And what about ‘L’ultima canzone’ (Tosti)which we also heard recently from the tenor Anduaga. Already from the introduction this violent change in minor mode gave the impression that the song was breaking up like the lost love of the young man who sees his beloved get married the next day. You have to know how to express it without falling into anger. EITHER “Non ti scordar di me” (Ernesto de Curtis). How can we forget the passion of lost love that he also wanted to preserve in this song by Curtis, the one that consecrated Mario Lanza. Here Rodríguez took her from initial delicacy to the climax of despair. New high final notes to endorse another lost love.
Juan Jesús Rodríguez (baritone)
For us the main course was of course Verdi, although the warm-up was not bad at all. In an opera we imagine that the singer shapes it to get into his character during the different interventions; But during a recital, he only has a moment to pause before getting into the role: “Son io mio Carlo… Per me giunto… O Carlo ascolta” (“Don Carlo”)For example. Each of the three stages involves discovering a different aspect of the character and representing it vocally. Verdi’s baritone manages to remove the different layers to get rid of any mask, and this is the reason why he is at the top of his rope and his musical expression.
The best known model is perhaps the “Corgiani” from “Rigoletto”, but “Alzati… Eri tu che macchiavi” (“A masked ball”) He knows how to focus Renato’s thoughts in which he ends up diverting his wife’s supposed guilt towards Riccardo, a meditative moment preceded by a solitary cello (a Verdian scene reminiscent of that of King Felipe from “Don Carlo”). And it seems to us – this is only an impression – that there is something of a Neapolitan song in “Eri tu che macchiavi” (we know of a first competition of Neapolitan songs organized in 1830, which indicates that they belonged to their previous folklore). Renato has changed his objective, and from now on it will be the king he kills because of false suspicion. One senses in the arias of both operas as if they were staged, such was the absorption of the character by Cartaya’s baritone. Emotion, immersion, expression.
The second part was devoted to Spanish poetry, with “The joyful songs of the young” (“La del Soto del Parral”) by Soutullo and Vert, “Fight the faith for the triumph” by “Luisa Fernanda” and “Love, life of my life” (“Maravilla”),these last two Moreno Torroba. As if the loves of the zarzuela did not need tension with the tension of the opera, these romances allowed us to admire a more melodic, supple, relaxed voice and in the last of them, a masterful “crescendo” which led to a moving denouement.
Due to this embarrassment, we may associate the singer with his overflowing roles and hence it may also be difficult for the audience to sing along. “White Christmas” (Irving Berlin) with the baritone during the chorus part. But we were helped by the smile that the singer had not lost throughout the concert… between singing and air, and vice versa.
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