Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong..."
- "Piano," D. H Lawrence, The Complete Poems of D. H. Lawrence, 1964
This season at The Metropolitan Opera, New York, a young and passionate Italian tenor from Abruzza, Italy, debuted on stage as Rodolfo in La Boheme, Puccini's lyrical bittersweet tale of love and broken dreams among the artists and bohemians of Paris. This performance was one of the highlights of my visit to New York. Seated in Parterre level box seats, in direct view of the stage and in full sweep of the range of magnificent voices that performed Puccini's work, what I remember in particular was a moment I leaned so far forward in my seat I felt as though I was falling into the tenor's opening aria of dreams of love sung to the shy and innocent Mimi (Maija Kovalevska). My awareness dissolved in the texture and resonance of a voice so spectacular and powerful that it held the opera house like a sudden bath of sunlight from a broken sky. Much has been said about this stunning new tenor, the heir apparent of the stage presence and voice of the great Placido Domingo, but truly, nothing captures the transformational energy and brute power of the effortless talent of Vittorio Grigolo.
I sat back in my seat as the curtain fell on Act I, and found myself thinking about the degree to which talent exists amongst us in bits and sprinkles, and then, there are The Greats. Where an individual vein of precious metal is wide and deep and nothing can diminish the blinding pulse of light. Are these men and women of extraordinary ability just the particularly bright stars among us? Are they driven or enlightened by their gifts? Do we honor them enough when we stand in appreciation of their magnificence, yet often with little appreciation for their struggle to bring it forth? I have long believed extraordinary gifts require extraordinary people to express them and true grit to live the lives such talent demands.
Bravo, Signor Grigolo, young maestro of the voice. It was the privilege of a lifetime to sit in the hushed dark as you lifted a thousand people with your lyrical passion and poignancy. I salute you, I salute your talent, and most especially, I acknowledge the discipline and work you have embraced to bring it forth. Read More