When an ailing Luciano Pavarotti failed to deliver what was widely assumed to be his swan song at the Metropolitan Opera on May 11, the unmistakable sound of an era ending could be heard.
It didn't matter that Pavarotti would sing again, somewhere. (He just announced he'll retire in 2005 upon turning 70.) So much was - perhaps unjustifiably - riding on that gala Met performance that his no-show sparked a lot of carrying on about his vocal obsolescence.
Maybe the real message of that whole, sorry incident is that it's time for the next generation of opera stars to take center stage. Driving home that point is a recent pile of recordings.
Sure to be a hot seller is the first operatic recital disc by the young Italian who stepped in for Pavarotti on that Saturday in May and won over the crowd.
Salvatore Licitra: The Debut (Sony Classical SK 89923), devoted to arias by Verdi and Puccini, documents his impressive gifts - a beefy tone with a ping at the top and remarkable solidity at the bottom; an ability to file that tone down to a sensitive shade; alert phrasing. At his best, he suggests something of Pavarotti's prime-time potency.
On the down side, Licitra pushes too hard at times, leading to some inelegant, inconsistently supported sounds. And his expressive variety is limited.
Still, it's a take-notice disc, helped along by the supportive conductor Carlo Rizzi and London Symphony Orchestra. And it's fun to hear the tenor get a chance to nail the interpolated high note at the end of Di quella pira that was denied him by purist conductor Ricardo Muti on Sony's recent recording of Verdi's Il trovatore.
If we have to wait a little longer for Licitra to reveal his ultimate promise, we can savor another remarkable tenor in full bloom right now. Roberto Alagna: Bel Canto (EMI Classics 57302) finds the French/Sicilian singer more persuasive than ever in arias by Donizetti and Bellini, ably backed by conductor Evelino Pido and the London Philharmonic.
Whether caressing a line or infusing it with intense fire, Alagna makes unfailingly stylish interpretive choices (well, almost - Una furtiva lagrima gets some odd embellishments). Not since Pavarotti's early days has this repertoire been sung with such tonal splendor and ardent expression, not to mention knock-out top notes, including the famous nine high Cs of Ah, mes amis.
Alagna's wife, who chimes in on some of that disc, can be enjoyed on her own in Angela Gheorghiu Live From Covent Garden (EMI Classics 57264). The Romanian soprano has the worst reputation in the business today for prima donna-itis, but she sure can sing.
Her timbre and flair for heating a phrase, not to mention physical glamour, can bring Maria Callas to mind. Gheorghiu's program includes a gorgeous O mio babbino caro (with an eternal last note), a very convincing Casta diva, endearing encores, and (to pad out the disc) a lot of tedious applause.
Bel Sogno: Cristina Gallardo-Domas (Teldec 8573-86440) presents the Chilean soprano at home in the Italian repertoire, from Donizetti to Puccini. Gallardo-Domas doesn't boast a particularly distinctive sound, and her tone can turn edgy at the top, but this emotive, thoughtful musician reveals considerable potential.
Speaking of Italian repertoire, the big news on the opera scene - before Licitra's splash - was the Met debut of a young, handsome Peruvian tenor in The Barber of Seville. You can hear what the fuss was all about from Juan Diego Florez: Rossini Arias (Decca 289 470 024).
With fully collaborative partnering from conductor Riccardo Chailly, Florez steps into this tricky music with a bright, focused (if somewhat nasal) sound and fearless technique. It seems churlish to wish for a little more warmth and variety of tone coloring. But the character and style in his singing - not to mention brilliant pyrotechnics - give ample evidence of remarkable talent.
Yet another promising tenor making waves is an Argentine with an attractive, lyrical voice. It comes through vibrantly on Marcelo Alvarez: French Arias (Sony Classical SK 89650), which covers some of the same ground as Alagna's new disc.
Alvarez has those nine high Cs for Ah, mes amis and plenty of suavity for the rest of the attractive program. His voice is not quite as robust or evenly produced as Alagna's, but is backed by keen appreciation for the shape of a melodic line, the nuances of a text.
For a mega-dose of French magic, the must-have release is Susan Graham: French Operetta Arias (Erato 0927-42106). The disc wins points right away for not including a single item by Offenbach (but loses some for making it a chore to find out whose music is included).
The American mezzo-soprano brings to this valuable collection of tuneful, charming, not widely known repertoire a ravishing, burgundy-colored voice and beguiling personality. Among the highlights: Moises Simons' snazzy C'est ca la vie and the beguiling trio O mon bel inconnu from Reynaldo Hahn's operetta of that name (Graham overdubs all three parts). Yves Abel conducts dynamically.
A sampling from another major mezzo star of today can be found on Vesselina Kasarova: Love Entranced - French Opera Arias (BMG 74321-67667). The Russian singer burrows into a thoughtful sampling of arias (many off the beaten path) by Berlioz, Meyerbeer, Lalo and others with a distinctive vibrato that gives her ripe voice a very expressive edge. A few strident high notes aside, the vocalism makes an exciting, involving effect.
For a much earlier taste of French opera, there's a lot to savor on Patricia Petibon: Airs Baroques Francais (Virgin Veritas 5-45481). The silvery-toned soprano offers vibrant, imaginative performances of arias by Rameau, Lully and more.
Speaking of silvery tones, they don't come any more exquisite than those encountered on Barbara Bonney: While I Dream (Decca 289 470 289). The American soprano's superbly controlled lyric instrument is married to an inquisitive, imaginative, incisive intellect.
Bonney dares to sing Schumann's Dichterliebe, usually reserved for male voices, and makes it very touching. Her performance of Liszt songs is no less inspired. Antonio Pappano is the eloquent pianist.
Moving deep into the female vocal range, there's the one and only Ewa Podles, whose latest disc, Russian Arias (Delos DE 3298) is a stunner.
The Polish contralto's voice, surely one of the richest to emerge since Marian Anderson, envelops you like a down comforter on an arctic night and treats you to a delectable array of tone colors. The meaty program includes Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death and excerpts from such rarities (in the West) as Tchaikovsky's cantata Moscow and Shchedrin's Not for Love Alone.
What Podles is to the contralto range, David Daniels is to the countertenor. His is an unusually beautiful - I'm tempted to say voluptuous - example of this unusual vocal type, and it is heard to brilliant effect in Vivaldi: Stabat Mater, Nisi Dominus (Virgin Veritas 45474).
Daniels weaves through the curvy lines of these sacred pieces with exceptional breath control, tonal nuances and vivid phrasing. Religious music can't sound more seductive than this.
Thomas Quasthoff: German Opera Arias (Deutsche Grammophon 289 471 493) reaffirms the German baritone's vocal artistry. Significantly, less mention is being made these days of his handicap - the effects of having been born to a mother who took Thalidomide - as more listeners focus on the warmth of the voice, the communicative phrasing.
This disc, beautifully supported by conductor Christian Thielmann, finds the captivating singer bringing character and conviction to arias by Zimmermann, Weber, Wagner (a poetic Evening Star) and Strauss.
More Wagner and another remarkable baritone can be found on Bryn Terfel: Wagner (Deutsche Grammophon 289 471 348) which provides an opportunity for the Welshman to stretch into repertoire he may not necessarily have been born to sing.
The voice often sounds like it's working very hard not to get swallowed up by the music (or the Berlin Philharmonic, stylishly led by Claudio Abbado). But, at his best, Terfel uses his velvety tones and concern for words to compelling effect.
Finally, a reminder of the mature generation and some astonishing Wagnerian singing - Placido Domingo: Scenes from 'The Ring' (EMI Classics 57242).
How does the 60-something Spanish tenor do it? It's as if he had found a whole new voice tucked behind the one he has used so powerfully for so long.
Solidly complemented by conductor Antonio Pappano and three supporting singers, Domingo excels in extended excerpts from Siegfried and Gotterdammerung. He offers a level of tonal beauty and sheer excitement that Wagner fans haven't heard from a tenor since Wotan knows when.
For all of the hot young talent beginning to crowd the spotlight, it's obvious that Domingo won't be losing his grip on the tenor throne anytime soon.