A story about first time I saw José Cura live, but also about changes from just websites to blogs. (Photo: historic photo of my website)
José Cura
It began in 1997 when I first saw José Cura live onstage. Of course it really started earlier with the first time I heard the name José Cura... But I do not remember that. I remember 1997, October 13th in Vienna and I got a ticket to hear my favorite mezzo (Agnes Baltsa) as Fedora and the 4th tenor as José Cura was often called then as Loris in Giordano's opera FEDORA. Why was I in Austria, in Vienna at that time, what other opera did I probably see before deciding to buy a ticket. And then I made the mistake I have vowed never to do again, I chose the cheap ticket for 300 Austrian Schilling instead of the expensive one.
So my first time with José Cura live was in a restricted view seat. And it was RESTRICTED, almost after if José Cura was there or not. Act 1, no Loris = José Cura, no view, except those three times I could hang out of the box and get a climpse of Agnes Baltsa in her red dress as Fedora. Act 2 with the party in Fedora's house in Paris, I saw very little except when Agnes Baltsa and José Cura was together then I could see them (when I tried to put my head far out of the box). But hardly any of the party business where I sat. Act 3 finally lucky I got to see "all" of it.
I did not find that José Cura was so great then. But then I saw him again a year later in the same role also with Agnes Baltsa as Fedora, I had a better seat, and I found him improved. So Josep Carreras (José Carreras) was almost history for me and José Cura was my next tenor to follow. I do not love him as an opera singer all time, but I find him exciting and interesting to follow. Other tenors might be great more often but often they are boring to follow. If I compare tenor Carreras nowadays or today's Cura, Cura wins without doubt. But when I compare Carreras from the 1980s, 1990s and Cura today, it is harder.
José Cura vs. Josep Carreras
1996 was the best year for me with a wonderful Samson et Dalila with Josep Carreras and Agnes Baltsa in great form in Zurich. In 1998 I got to compare Carreras/Cura as Loris in Zurich/Vienna with Agnes Baltsa as Fedora. And they were both great. In 2000, in Zurich I got to compare Jose Cura as Samson to 1996 Carreras as they both sang with Agnes Baltsa. And I loved them both.
Memories, website, blogs
Before year 2000 I was already on net with my OperaDuets homepage on Yahoo!Geocities. Which seem to just has expired. I call myself operaduets because I love opera as in the acting and interacting and when singing duets it is really the best pluss at that time I had 2 opera singers that were my favorites Agnes Baltsa and Josep Carreras, and I loved (first I didn't) the Opera Duets CD from Sony Classics when Baltsa/Carreras sang opera duets from Werther, Cavalleria Rusticana, Trovatore, Carmen and La Traviata with Placido Domingo as conductor. So OPERADUETS
And then Geocities was no longer my site, I chose Homestead to put my fansite and my travel reviews of opera.... And then after a while I started to pay for using Homestead, I needed the more professional homestead, when my pages and sites grew. And now I have three website I own. First was www.operaduets.com, then www.operaduetstravel.com and latest www.operaduetsphotos.com. Then I have my fansites for Agnes Baltsa, Josep Carreras & José Cura.
And I love Verdi's opera Stiffelio, so I made one about Stiffelio/Aroldo. I love more tenors than I can follow so I made 4tenors.
And now I am blogging...
Today and forward
So now where am I. At home, getting ready to go to Barcelona to see José Cura as Andrea Chenier and to Vienna to see Agnes Baltsa as Klytämnestra in Strauss' ELEKTRA.
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