Salvatore Licitra

Salvatore Licitra

LEND ME A TENOR!
The Dramatic Rise of Salvatore Licitra
It's a familiar story in classical music: An established veteran bows out of a performance at the last moment; a young greenhorn fills in, triumphs, and, as a result, kick-starts his career. It happened famously to Leonard Bernstein, and now it's happened to Salvatore Licitra. The Italian tenor was the talk of the opera world in May 2002 when he stepped in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera, at what was rumored to be the legend's farewell performance. Licitra wasn't due to perform in the famous New York hall for two more years, but on very short notice, he hopped a ride on the Concorde, sang his heart out for the disgruntled crowd (many attendees had paid a hefty premium, expecting to hear Pavarotti's swan song), and won them over. As luck would have it, his solo debut CD on Sony -- which features arias by Puccini and Verdi, some of which he sang that night -- was near release and appeared in record stores shortly thereafter. (It followed a well-received live recording of Il Trovatore with Riccardo Muti that came out in January 2002.) Back in New York to perform in the September 11th first anniversary commemoration, Licitra spoke with Barnes & Noble.com's EJ Johnson about the dramatic path his career has taken.

Barnes & Noble.com: Let me begin by asking you about your performance in Verdi's Requiem on the 9/11 anniversary, which was broadcast on PBS. What was that experience like?

Salvatore Licitra: The September 11th anniversary was very significant for me, and I sang with great pleasure on that very important commemoration. However, I don't know why, but maybe God didn't want anybody to sing that day. There was a lot of wind [the performance took place outdoors], and it was not possible to sing directly. We also had only one true rehearsal before the television broadcast. For me, in my opinion, there were some mistakes, but the central point was not the music -- not to perform it perfectly. The most important thing was to remember September 11th and all the people who lost their lives in that tragedy. I like to think that music can act like a prayer, and I hope that in this way music can have the power to change wrong.

B&N.com: On a happier topic, I must ask you about your sensational Metropolitan Opera debut last spring, when you stepped in for Pavarotti to sing Cavaradossi in Tosca. How did that come about?

SL: Yes, that was another opportunity for me, and a much more joyous one. It was very strange, and sometimes I think about that event and how in such a short time my career has become so important and so international. The Metropolitan was waiting for me to debut in the '04 season, but then there was this accident and Pavarotti fell ill. My manager phoned me in Milan, and I knew right away what a great opportunity this would be, and I chose to come to New York on very short notice; I didn't even think about all the trouble involved in singing in such an important theater. But I did it with such happiness and such joy, because it's like a dream -- every singer in the world dreams of coming to New York to sing.

B&N.com: It must have been very exciting to be received so well.

SL: Yes! It was incredible. I didn't think too much about how it was going during the performance, but when I finished singing, I realized what had happened, because the public gave me a long standing ovation. And this was very, very strange for me, because, you know, that was supposed to be the last performance of Pavarotti, and the people there were all his fans. It was like magic, that night, that all the people who came to the Met to listen to Pavarotti would greet me so enthusiastically -- such a nice welcome! You can imagine my surprise.

B&N.com: And the press was very complimentary, too.

SL: Oh! Of course! I really have the best job in the world, you know, because of the great opportunity: I can express my passion through my voice and give people so much pleasure. I was so happy to do this incredible performance.

B&N.com: Speaking of Pavarotti, your voice is quite different than his -- darker, more robust. But he must still be a natural role model for you.

SL: Yes. Some people say to me that I am a new Pavarotti, but really, this is not so true. Because while I don't know Pavarotti -- I've never met him -- I know his career, and when he was beginning, he started with roles not like mine -- La Figlia del reggimento, Rigoletto. And after he built his great career, after a long time, he began to sing another kind of opera, roles like mine -- Un Ballo in maschera, La Forza del destino, Trovatore -- all roles very, very heavy. And this is the difference between Pavarotti and me.

B&N.com: Regarding your new solo CD, let me ask you about the final track in particular, "Di quella pira" from Trovatore. On the CD, you sing the traditional high C at the end of the cabaletta, but on your recording of the complete opera with Riccardo Muti, you sing the lower note that is in the score. Can you tell me about that?

SL: OK. This is an old question. Maestro Muti, I respect him very, very much, because for the opening of the 2000 season at La Scala, he wanted to give the world a Trovatore from Verdi, because the high C note is not from Verdi; it is not written. And he explained to everybody and to me, too, the reasons for his -- how do you say it? -- philological reading. I totally respect this point, but I also think that it's right to do the high C. You have to change the harmony to do it, which is not so good, but it is also traditional, and so in my opinion it is good to do it and not to do it.

B&N.com: How did the audience at La Scala react?

SL: Yes, at La Scala it is not possible [to sing the high note], because of the philological tradition there; we must do it without. But in the Arena di Verona, I do the high C; I do it in Porto Gallo, and I do it other countries. And when I will sing Trovatore maybe here in America -- I don't know. I'll leave this question to the director. He has the power to choose.

B&N.com: How did you discover that you have a voice?

SL: I found my voice when I was 18. One day during a holiday with my parents in Sicily, I was outside, and I began to sing a song that I heard on the radio. And my mother was listening, and when I came back home, she asked me, "Did you hear that crazy man who was singing in the street?" And I explained to her, "It was me, mommy! [laughs] Are you happy to have a crazy son?" And she told me that rather than becoming a doctor or a psychologist, maybe I should search for a teacher for my voice. And I chose that second way. It's a long way, because I studied around ten years.

B&N.com: Well, I understand one of your teachers was the great tenor Carlo Bergonzi. How would you say he influenced you?

SL: Bergonzi is a very important person for me. He had a great career and he's a great singer, and the best advice he told me was that I must follow my voice and never try to sing like someone else. And with this in mind, I went on step by step, and in a very, very short time, what an incredible career I have! I feel like a Ferrari, you know? [laughs] All my life, my dream has been to drive a Ferrari, and I became the Ferrari!

B&N.com: So you don't have a real one?

SL: No, not yet! I am not a rich man, and I pay many, many taxes. [laughs] I would like to buy a Ferrari maybe one day, but first, I want to have a family; I want to marry and to have a son. These are the most important things in life -- not a Ferrari or, I don't know, a Rolex. But maybe one day.

September, 2002 EJ Johnson