marcelo alvarez & salvatore licitra - duetto (2002)

The Italian Salvatore Licitra and the Argentinian Marcelo Alvarez are, arguably the two most exciting, promising (they're in their 30s), big-voiced, bread-and-butter (or steak-and-potatoes) "Italian" tenors around. They have proved themselves on the stages of the great opera houses of the world and on recordings. This CD is designed to present them to a wider audience--it is clearly meant to appeal to Three Tenors and Andrea Bocelli fans. And, in fact, it succeeds. These guys have glorious voices: Licitra's is darker and somewhat heavier than Alvarez's, but the latter's shine is irresistible; one might compare them to Domingo and Pavarotti, respectively, to make that point. Neither has any problem throughout his entire range; each has big, secure top notes, and there's an innate musical intelligence at work at all times. Opera fans will relish the fantastic singing--listening to them trade high B naturals in the CD's third song, "Odissea," is thrilling--but will probably be disappointed by the music. It's soupily arranged, sentimental background drivel with catchy melodies (parts of "Salut demeure" from Gounod's Faust show up in something called "Son gli occhi tuoi," complete with a stellar high C from Alvarez), and even the gorgeous duet from Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles (one of two "classical" pieces on the CD, if one doesn't count an instrumental piece by Bach to which trite lyrics have been added) has been re-arranged to include a tinny chorus, when singing it as written would have been a magnificent treat. Their voices are bathed in a phony-pop glow which will please the Bocelli market while continuing to horrify purists. Yet it is impossible not to be bowled over by the singing--a few off-pitch-at-low-volume moments and a mess of a "Je crois entendre encore" aside. In short, two high-power, world-class operatic tenors in their prime, singing, for the most part, music in which the treacle level is obnoxiously--even dangerously--high.



T r a c k L i s t i n g s

1. Oltre La Tempesta
2. Siempre Adorarla
3. Odissea
4. Il Volo
5. Fantasma D'Amore
6. Dovunque Sarai
7. Solo Amore
8. Maria
9. Son Gli Occhi Tuoi
10. Je Crois Entendre Encore
11. Mia Per Sempre
12. Viaggio
13. Vita Mia
14. Au Fond Du Temple Saint
15. Beyond The Storm (Oltre La Tempesta)
16. Lamento Di Federico (live)
17. E Lucevan Le Stelle (live)



marcelo alvarez & salvatore licitra - duetto (2002)

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