0:00:12 > 0:00:16My name is Rolando Villazon. I'm an opera singer,
0:00:16 > 0:00:17and I'm a tenor.
0:00:17 > 0:00:23HE SINGS LA DONNA E MOBILE FROM VERDI'S RIGOLETTO
0:00:23 > 0:00:26'Being a tenor can provide the ultimate in job satisfaction.'
0:00:26 > 0:00:29You get to sing some of the most beautiful music ever written,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32in the world's greatest opera houses.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Some people see the tenor's voice as the most captivating and demanding,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41but believe me, it takes dedication and a lot of hard work.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52This is the empty stage of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Huge, isn't it?
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Walking onto it with the lights shining on you, knowing that you
0:00:57 > 0:01:01have to give absolutely your best is a daunting prospect.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Most of the greatest tenors in history have performed here.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08They have all received deafening applause
0:01:08 > 0:01:10from the audience out there.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19The tenor voice can move audiences and fill opera houses,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and the great ones have become global superstars
0:01:22 > 0:01:25way beyond the confines of the theatre.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28In this programme, I want to explore
0:01:28 > 0:01:30the phenomenon of the tenor in all its facets.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34I'll be looking back at some of the legendary voices of the past,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39as well as at some of the amazing singers performing today.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43From Caruso, Wunderlich and Pavarotti,
0:01:43 > 0:01:48to Domingo, Florez, and Kaufmann.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54But what is it that made them stand out from ordinary singers?
0:01:54 > 0:01:58What is it that gave these extraordinary tenors
0:01:58 > 0:02:00that star quality?
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Let's start with the basics.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13At the two extremes of the singing voice, we have the bass,
0:02:13 > 0:02:19all the way down there, and then up, we have the soprano.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21This is the highest note of the soprano,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23this is the lowest note of the bass.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26In between, we have baritones, altos and tenors.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29So, what it the range of the tenor?
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Here I go. Starting with that C.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35HE SINGS A SCALE
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And that was the famous high C.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49In order to sing those high notes,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53the tenor needs to be in total control of his instrument.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56The high C, for most of us, is our highest note.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The image of any tenor is more often than not
0:03:05 > 0:03:07associated with the quality of his high notes.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11For better or for worse, it's almost like a measure of his greatness.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Tenor has to come and deliver the good top high note,
0:03:19 > 0:03:20then everybody's going crazy.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31Our high notes, if they're bad, are possibly screechy and possibly
0:03:31 > 0:03:35unattractive, but a tenor's high notes if they're bad
0:03:35 > 0:03:38are usually cracking or non-existent.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I mean, the pressure, they have to sing under pressure
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and they have to perform under pressure all the time.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Without high notes, it's very difficult to be a tenor.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Many people even don't care about the rest, they just want that note,
0:03:59 > 0:04:05and if that note doesn't come right, they could even boo you,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07even though the rest was beautiful.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10You need to have good nerves
0:04:10 > 0:04:13to be able to sustain a career made of pressure.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19One opera that really piles on the pressure for any tenor
0:04:19 > 0:04:22is Donizetti's comic masterpiece La Fille du Regiment,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25The Daughter of the Regiment.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32If you don't have those high notes secure,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34you will be crazy to sing that opera.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37You will be really, you know,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39committing psychological suicide.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49This aria, Ah! Mes Amis,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54sung by the character Tonio, is known for its many high notes.
0:05:01 > 0:05:07Ah! Mes Amis is an aria that requires very bright, very shiny,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09very luminous high notes.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Where do you put that note? You don't know.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20In a piano, you know where the notes are.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22In the voice,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26it's somewhere there, but there's a space for that high note
0:05:26 > 0:05:29where it comes shiny, loud, bright.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40You have to put it in that position, and a little higher is wrong,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43a little lower is wrong, a little to the side is wrong.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45So, there's a lot of control going on,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48but you have to sound and look like you're having fun.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57But let me tell you, it can't all be fun,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01because this part of the aria has an incredible nine top Cs.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Tonio is from Tyrol. That music is a yodel.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23So it's supposed to be...
0:06:28 > 0:06:30This is music from his country.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Nowadays we have turned it into a...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Laser beams, which people like.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I don't think they will like any more... HE YODELS
0:06:53 > 0:06:54They would, "Come on, man, sing!"
0:07:10 > 0:07:12APPLAUSE
0:07:12 > 0:07:16That shows what amazing things the human voice can do.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20But to be able to sing with this power and control, we need to use
0:07:20 > 0:07:23more than just our vocal chords. All singing voices have different
0:07:23 > 0:07:27zones, and it is the job of the professional opera singer
0:07:27 > 0:07:31to make the transition from one zone to the other seamless
0:07:31 > 0:07:34so that we keep the same colour of voice from bottom to top.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Let me demonstrate.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41In the tenor voice, there are three recognisable zones, the low zone...
0:07:44 > 0:07:49There I am mostly using my chest resonance. The middle zone...
0:07:53 > 0:07:57I am using a combination of head resonance and chest resonance.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And then we go to the famous passaggio.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04200 years ago, tenors used to sing his high notes with falsetto.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Today we use our full voice, we bring the chest voice
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and we help it with the resonance of the head voice.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30The passaggio is an Italian term used to describe the notes
0:08:30 > 0:08:34which act as a bridge between the chest voice and the head voice.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Much of a tenor's training is to make this transition
0:08:37 > 0:08:40as smooth as possible.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44This famous aria by Donizetti presents a challenge for any tenor.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It starts on an F, the beginning of the passaggio.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11And then it moves up, where I use my head resonance.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19The full-throated tenor voice as we know it today
0:10:19 > 0:10:22is a relatively modern phenomenon,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25synonymous with the hero or the great lover.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It didn't quite start that way.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29To trace the evolution of the tenor voice,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33we need to go back all the way to the 18th century.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's an interesting period for the tenor voice.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43In opera, one has to say that the tenor voice is relatively unimportant.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45The tenor often has a more subsidiary role,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47often the baddie is the tenor
0:10:47 > 0:10:50not the romantic lover, as one might expect in modern opera.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'In this aria by Handel, you can hear that
0:11:20 > 0:11:23'he has written music that sits quite low in the voice,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'and the colours are darker than what we're used to.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30'This was a typical use of the tenor in operas of the period.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:53The heroic male singers of the time were castratos, men who had been
0:11:53 > 0:11:58castrated before puberty to preserve the purity of their high notes.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06These castrato singers had tremendous power.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10They were, in a sense, singing the tenor type of role one octave higher,
0:12:10 > 0:12:15and this is quite interesting, so these male voices had all
0:12:15 > 0:12:19the thrill of the high notes of the soprano but the physique of a man.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23It was capable of singing very florid, virtuosic music
0:12:23 > 0:12:27and, of course, these singers were the great superstars of their day.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33HE SINGS FALSETTO
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Well, there are no castrati that we know of singing nowadays,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44but the closest we get to what they might have sounded like
0:12:44 > 0:12:48is when a man sings falsetto, known as a countertenor.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Listen to the extraordinary voice of Christophe Dumaux
0:12:52 > 0:12:55in this production of Handel's opera Giulio Cesare.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19But after Handel, composers such as Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini
0:13:19 > 0:13:23did begin to incorporate high notes for tenors in their operas.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27To tackle these, the tenors would use a falsetto voice.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33When was the modern tenor born?
0:13:33 > 0:13:37When was that moment when he started to use all the parts of his body
0:13:37 > 0:13:40to sing the way we tenors sing today?
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Well, the origins of it are a little bit mysterious,
0:13:44 > 0:13:49but in the early 1830s, you get Gilbert-Louis Duprez,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52the great French tenor, coming to Italy,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53studying with Donizetti and so on,
0:13:53 > 0:13:58and he discovers that he can extend this chest sound
0:13:58 > 0:14:01much higher than was previously done.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05We mark it with his performance in 1837 of William Tell in Paris.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10The performance was a sensation, as the tenor Roberto Alagna explains.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Obviously there were no recordings at the time,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57but from this performance by Chris Merritt,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01you get an idea of just how startling it must have been.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06# Oggi fatal...
0:15:06 > 0:15:13# Oggi fatal...
0:15:16 > 0:15:19# Oggi fatal...
0:15:19 > 0:15:27# Fatal cosi!
0:15:29 > 0:15:35# Oggi fatal...
0:15:35 > 0:15:42# Cosi!
0:15:49 > 0:15:50Bravo!
0:15:50 > 0:15:55In 1837, nobody had heard a tenor ever sing like this before,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59but not everyone was convinced.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Rossini hated it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04He thought it was like a capon having his throat cut.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09But certainly after the late 1830s, once tenors had sung up there,
0:16:09 > 0:16:14there was no going back because it was such a sexy thing, that they all had to do it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Tenors enjoy, I would say, the greatest success. There's a reason why when you go to restaurants
0:16:26 > 0:16:31nobody ever plays a soprano voice, they don't play lower voices either. They play the tenor voice.
0:16:31 > 0:16:37# Libiamo, libiamo ne'lieti calici
0:16:37 > 0:16:41# Che la belleza infiora
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Does repertoire play a role here?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Does the music written for the tenor voice
0:16:55 > 0:16:59make that voice stand out from the other voices?
0:16:59 > 0:17:04It certainly does. Tenors have the most fantastic tunes.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I mean 200 years ago, people would come to the opera,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11listen to the tunes and have a cup of tea during the boring bits.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14People would leave the opera house humming, whistling the tunes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18The tenors had all the best tunes because they had the best roles.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44So, tenors were now the heroes but the roles on offer suited some voices better than others
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and three main types of tenor voice emerged.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57The first is the lyric tenor.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03As the name suggests it describes a clean, elegant and beautiful sound.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06This is the impreccable Fritz Wunderlich, singing Mozart.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10# Ich fuhl' es
0:18:10 > 0:18:18# Wie dies Gotterbild mein Herz... #
0:18:18 > 0:18:25Wunderlich was one of the great lyric tenors and by that I mean that his voice had a charm,
0:18:25 > 0:18:31a sweetness, a masculinity, that was completely natural and unforced.
0:18:31 > 0:18:39He sang so beautifully and so well that there was no separation between the charm of the man
0:18:39 > 0:18:44and the charm of the singing, the personality was allied to the voice, nothing got in the way.
0:18:44 > 0:18:51# O, wenn ich sie nur finden konnte!
0:18:52 > 0:18:58# O, wenn sie doch schon vor mir stande!
0:19:00 > 0:19:05A great Mozart tenor, or a great lyric tenor if you like, will always have beauty of line.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Imagine if you were to press all the toothpaste out of a toothpaste tube
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and it just went on coming out and it never stopped.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Or you were icing a cake and you pressed the icing thing down onto the cake.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24A singer must think of their voice like that, not like little chipolatas.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29And the greatest lyric singers have this flow of sound.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32The notes are joined together in the most elegant and beautiful way.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39# Un'aura amorosa
0:19:40 > 0:19:45# Del nostro tesoro
0:19:47 > 0:19:52# Un dolce ristoro
0:19:53 > 0:19:58# Al cor porgera
0:20:21 > 0:20:26The timeless story of Romeo and Juliet, as set here by the French
0:20:26 > 0:20:31composer Charles Gounod, is a lovely example of the lyric tenor's art.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37In the aria, Ah, Leve-toi Soleil, Romeo is waiting impatiently for the sun to rise
0:20:37 > 0:20:40so that he can see his beloved again.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15# Ah, leve-toi, soleil!
0:21:17 > 0:21:21# Fais palir les etoiles
0:21:24 > 0:21:29# Qui, dans l'azur sans voiles
0:21:31 > 0:21:37# Brillent aux firmament... #
0:22:10 > 0:22:15# Astre pur et charmant! #
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Bravo!
0:22:41 > 0:22:43APPLAUSE
0:22:43 > 0:22:45The voice is really, in a sense, like a horse.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50You have certain types of horse race and you need certain horses for those races.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59A horse that is huge and has the strength and stamina to jump
0:22:59 > 0:23:03the puissance, well that has a tenor equivalent - the dramatic tenor.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08# Empi, spegnetela
0:23:08 > 0:23:11# O ch'io fra poco
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# Col sangue vostro
0:23:14 > 0:23:17# La spegnero! #
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Franco Corelli is one of the 20th century's great dramatic tenors.
0:23:21 > 0:23:28As you can hear, his voice is big and powerful, a rich sound suited for Verdi's great hero, Manrico.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33# Madre infelice
0:23:33 > 0:23:36# Corro a salvarti
0:23:36 > 0:23:42# O teco almeno
0:23:42 > 0:23:44# Corro a morir! #
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The part really calls for some steel in the voice, and it's traditional
0:23:49 > 0:23:53to refer to this category of tenor as a spinto.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Now the word spinto is just the Italian word for pushed.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02There is a power, an athleticism in the voice.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04# Madre infelice
0:24:06 > 0:24:10# Corro a salvarti... #
0:24:10 > 0:24:16You sense the risk, you can't hide. It's not all done with smoke and mirrors, you've got to do it
0:24:16 > 0:24:20then and there, and the public are there to see if you bring it off.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Of course if you do, it's just thrilling.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38The German equivalent of the dramatic tenor is the Heldon, or heroic tenor.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42During the 19th Century, the size of the opera orchestra had been growing.
0:24:42 > 0:24:49Verdi's numbered around 60 players, but Wagner in his epic music dramas was using around 100.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01These vast orchestral forces needed a new breed of tenor to ride this wave of sound.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23But it wasn't just about volume, it was also a matter of sheer stamina.
0:25:23 > 0:25:30Wagner's Siegfried lasts for four and a half hours, and the tenor is on stage for most of it.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36It would be impossible to perform this or any of the roles we've seen
0:25:36 > 0:25:43without a rock-solid technique, and one extraordinary singer shines out for his immaculate skill...
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Luciano Pavarotti.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47And now, the lion.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53We go on the stage every night with the same feeling.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57We are afraid, and if somebody tell you this,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01that he is not afraid, it means he is a liar.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06Luciano Pavarotti was a global sensation and not without reason.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11His voice was a ray of sunlight. He had an immaculate technique.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Here we are, ready to go.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19When he performed, you could see his eyes looking inside of himself and exploring every part of his
0:26:19 > 0:26:24instrument that needed to be under control in order to sing perfectly.
0:26:24 > 0:26:31# E te, beltade ignota!
0:26:34 > 0:26:39# Cinta de chiome e bionde
0:26:40 > 0:26:46# Tu azzuro hai l'occhio
0:26:49 > 0:26:54# Tosca ha l'occhio nero... #
0:26:54 > 0:26:58I've always said that Luciano was the example of the greatest technique,
0:26:58 > 0:27:03of anyone I've always known or heardand again, it was just completely natural.
0:27:03 > 0:27:09He may have worked like crazy to find it but he gave the impression easy and natural.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13# La costanza tiranna del core
0:27:13 > 0:27:17# Detestiamo qual morbo crudele
0:27:19 > 0:27:22# Sol chi vuole si serbi fedele
0:27:22 > 0:27:27# Non v'e ha amor se non v'e liberta... #
0:27:27 > 0:27:33I always say technique in singing is a very personal thing, it's what you make
0:27:33 > 0:27:38of your technique, it's what you make of the way you sing.
0:27:38 > 0:27:44And Pavarotti, well, understood very well how to sing with his voice.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49# Ed il mio bacio sciogliera... #
0:27:50 > 0:27:53He used a certain technique in the passaggio.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55He did the piano in a certain way.
0:27:55 > 0:28:01# ..Che ti fa mia! #
0:28:03 > 0:28:08He for example, breathed on his vowel A.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11He opened it very much...
0:28:11 > 0:28:14"Aaaaa", it was a way of freeing himself.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19# Dilegua, o notte!
0:28:19 > 0:28:24# Tramontate, stelle!
0:28:24 > 0:28:31# Tramontate, stelle!
0:28:31 > 0:28:36# All'alba vincero! #
0:28:36 > 0:28:39His voice was, "Aaaah!" Pure sun.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43# Vincero!
0:28:45 > 0:28:51# Vincero! #
0:29:07 > 0:29:14Pavarotti's spellbinding stage presence was conveyed by the sheer communicative power of his voice,
0:29:14 > 0:29:19but these days, the pressures on a singer's ability to act are bigger than ever.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22We're under an almost cinematic scrutiny.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Many operas even make it to the big screen today.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37There is a myth that pacing and expression is all done for you by the composer.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42I think this is to way under-estimate the importance of the artist,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44the importance of the interpreter,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49and the extraordinary range of expression available
0:29:49 > 0:29:52within what is notated on the page.
0:29:52 > 0:29:58It's a world of expression that is vivid, powerful, intense,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02and plunges profundities that the spoken word can't go near.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09The opera repertoire places huge demands on the tenor.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14He has to explore a vast range of human emotion in a myriad of roles.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19From jilted lovers to princes to angst ridden poets,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22and everything in between.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Opera was invented because the spoken word was inadequate.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31But with that sung word comes a whole new form of theatre.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35The singing voice is like the mask in an Ancient Greek theatre,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38it's an additional level.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45For a tenor, one of the most interesting acting roles
0:30:45 > 0:30:49is in Bizet's opera Carmen, that of Don Jose.
0:30:49 > 0:30:56Here you have a respectable soldier who's bewitched by the sensual gypsy, Carmen.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59The part of Don Jose is an emotional roller coaster
0:30:59 > 0:31:01and tests your acting skills to the limit.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04In this Royal Opera House production
0:31:04 > 0:31:08he is played by my great colleague Jonas Kaufmann.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12I always admire the French way of doing an opera.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15They were much more driven by expressing the emotions,
0:31:15 > 0:31:20the development of a character in different steps.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21So in Carmen,
0:31:21 > 0:31:28for instance, the Don Jose starts as a very smooth, handsome guy
0:31:28 > 0:31:29who feels quite secure.
0:31:30 > 0:31:35You can hear that in the duet with his girlfriend Michaela,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38that he's typical lyrical tenor with smooth phrases.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53And then as soon as he gets really involved with Carmen,
0:31:53 > 0:31:54the emotions change.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56He's not calm any more.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58You already hear a different tenor.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03He is a little bit stronger, a little bit heavier, shows emotions easier.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21And then you go to the third act, where he's jealous
0:32:21 > 0:32:27and the jealousy makes him really be even more aggressive,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and then you have the final scene
0:32:29 > 0:32:32where he really, really sings the hell out of it.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48If a character has a development, it's much more interesting as
0:32:48 > 0:32:49an actor to interpret,
0:32:49 > 0:32:54than one that ends the same as it started.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01In Carmen, Bizet wrote an aria for Don Jose that highlights
0:33:01 > 0:33:05the acting skills a tenor needs to inhabit a character.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Don Jose had been sent to prison because of his love for Carmen.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12On his release the first thing he does is to find her
0:33:12 > 0:33:19and declare his love, with this aria, known as the Flower Song.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23When you look at this Flower Song from Jose,
0:33:23 > 0:33:27I think it is not typical for a man
0:33:27 > 0:33:32to describe so specifically his emotions.
0:33:38 > 0:33:45For him this relationship with Carmen is his first moment where he feels real passion.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53And so that makes him start to tell about his emotions.
0:33:55 > 0:34:01Knowing this background, there's an enormous influence in how to interpret this aria.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03It makes it not easier,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07because it means that you start very softly,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10that you have to first get used to that fact
0:34:10 > 0:34:13that you're actually talking to a woman about your emotions.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52And then he's growing and growing
0:34:52 > 0:34:56and then he starts to tell how he feels, how he felt when she gave him the flower,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00that the flower was with him all the time in prison.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04That every time he took it out, the smell of the flower made him crazy.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30And he realises that he really has to go for it and he tells her,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32"I love you",
0:35:32 > 0:35:36which is extremely hard for him to say, I'm sure.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41So obviously, what you have to avoid is to be too loud at the end,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44because that's what Carmen squeezes out.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47That's all she wanted.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24In this opera there are so many emotions involved.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28You tend to lose a little bit
0:36:28 > 0:36:31self control, which is good.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34You have to, because otherwise it's not credible
0:36:34 > 0:36:38if you only fake the whole thing, you lose the interest for the audience.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:36:48 > 0:36:53To become a great tenor, you need a combination of everything we've seen.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56A voice, obviously, but with a good technique,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00acting skills, musicality, and never-ending hard work.
0:37:06 > 0:37:13For me, the artist that possesses all these elements to the greatest degree is Placido Domingo.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18He has sung more roles than anybody else, and his artistry is unsurpassed.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57You are very much aware that you are working with a god!
0:37:57 > 0:37:59The stage presence is quite extraordinary.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02I remember one night forgetting to bring the orchestra in
0:38:02 > 0:38:05for an aria because I couldn't take my eyes off him.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11# Parigi, o cara
0:38:11 > 0:38:16# Noi lasceremo
0:38:16 > 0:38:21# La vita uniti
0:38:21 > 0:38:25# Trascorreremo... #
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Placido Domingo has sung over 130 roles
0:38:29 > 0:38:34in almost 3,500 performances.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38From the Italian repertoire of Verdi and Puccini...
0:38:42 > 0:38:44..to Mozart and Wagner.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48# ..Sange suss ertont
0:38:48 > 0:38:51# Holde Dufte haucht er aus
0:38:51 > 0:38:56# Seinem warmen Blut entbluhen wonnige Blumen
0:38:56 > 0:38:59# Keim und Spross entspriesst seiner Kraft. #
0:38:59 > 0:39:04He breaks all the rules of typecasting tenors.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08When I started doing big mixed roles, people were telling me all the time
0:39:08 > 0:39:13"It's impossible, you can't do it, you'll ruin your voice, it's wrong what you're doing."
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Thank God there was Placido, we'd say, "You see, Domingo did it,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18"he's still there, he's still singing,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21"and he's still in good shape. What do you want?!"
0:39:25 > 0:39:30It's hard to pick any one role from this great array that really shines for Domingo.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33However, there's no doubt that his portrayal as Otello
0:39:33 > 0:39:37in Verdi's opera is a highlight of this amazing career.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45I have to say something, that it is amazing.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48Yes, perhaps Otello is one of the most difficult operas
0:39:48 > 0:39:50in the whole repertoire to sing.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55But I have to say that there were many occasions
0:39:55 > 0:40:00which I was so involved in the characters,
0:40:00 > 0:40:05so involved in the acting,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08that I forgot about the difficulty of the role singing.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26Many people have told me, many other singers have said, it's one of the most remarkable things about Placido,
0:40:26 > 0:40:30is the that when you stand next to him, you don't think it's a very big voice.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34It doesn't sound much next to him, but he has what I call blade.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38The voice travels like an Exocet, you know, like Halley's Comet.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42It goes into the auditorium, and that's a great gift, a great skill.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59In this scene, Iago has sown the first seeds of jealousy in Otello's heart.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02See how Domingo totally inhabits Otello's character.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23He is a most musical Otello you can imagine.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26He is wonderful musician.
0:41:26 > 0:41:27I love working with him,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30because he's the most precise musician as I am,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32and that makes life so easy,
0:41:32 > 0:41:38and the personification of Otello is really wonderful.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Domingo's artistry is his innate ability to fuse the text,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03the music and the acting into a complete performance.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06This is what makes him great.
0:42:56 > 0:43:02Throughout his long career, Placido Domingo has taken on new roles and challenges every year.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04These days, he's an established conductor,
0:43:04 > 0:43:07he encourages young musicians,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10and is a champion of broadening the repertoire.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23# Dame verguenza lo que he llorado
0:43:23 > 0:43:25# Solo en mi alcoba
0:43:25 > 0:43:28# Sabiendo lo mala
0:43:28 > 0:43:34# Que es esa loba... #
0:43:34 > 0:43:37It was a particular pleasure of mine to be able to collaborate with him
0:43:37 > 0:43:42on an album of zarzuela music, Spanish folk opera.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13# Y eso ya lo tenemos! #
0:44:17 > 0:44:22Today we tenors sing not only for the few who can get to the opera house.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26This extraordinary music we are lucky enough to perform
0:44:26 > 0:44:28now reaches a far broader audience.
0:44:28 > 0:44:34We have added to our repertoire folk songs, popular hits, modern music.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38The tenor is now an established part of the entertainment world.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40But how did we get here?
0:44:41 > 0:44:45The wonderful Jose Carreras is a tenor with a legendary voice,
0:44:45 > 0:44:47and a glittering career
0:44:47 > 0:44:51covering a vast breadth of the opera repertoire.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54When he recorded the musical West Side Story under the direction
0:44:54 > 0:44:58of its composer Leonard Bernstein in 1984,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01many people thought it was a bold move.
0:45:01 > 0:45:06But the recording was a mainstream success and it captured the public imagination.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16# Maria, Maria
0:45:16 > 0:45:20# Say it loud and there's music playing
0:45:23 > 0:45:26# Say it soft and it's almost like praying... #
0:45:26 > 0:45:29But wasn't so unusual. It was just another step
0:45:29 > 0:45:32in a revolution that started at the beginning of the century
0:45:32 > 0:45:34in the earliest days of recording.
0:45:34 > 0:45:39And the tenor voice was to play a pivotal role.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41# Maria... #
0:45:44 > 0:45:49The walls of this part of Covent Garden are covered with the pictures
0:45:49 > 0:45:52of some of the most important opera singers of the past.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Once of the greatest tenors of all time -
0:45:54 > 0:45:59and certainly one of the loudest - is this man, Francesco Tamagno.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Verdi knew him and in fact Verdi wrote Othello for him,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07and we're about to listen to one of the first recordings
0:46:07 > 0:46:08ever made by an opera singer.
0:46:08 > 0:46:121903. And here it is, Tamagno's voice.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21MUSIC:
0:46:37 > 0:46:40This was probably not the darkest voice
0:46:40 > 0:46:43we have ever heard in this role.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49But his ringing sound was superb
0:46:49 > 0:46:53and I'm sure that's what made this voice so loud, so present.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02How they must have marvelled at hearing just the different styles of vocal.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Because you've got to remember the amount
0:47:05 > 0:47:08of the population that were going to see an opera in the opera house
0:47:08 > 0:47:11was probably 0.02% at the most,
0:47:11 > 0:47:14so just hearing those voices must have been like an alien experience.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23The earliest recordings were on wax cylinders,
0:47:23 > 0:47:26and it was this technology that was to transform the status
0:47:26 > 0:47:29of the operatic tenor.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32I have the impression there were a lot of tenor recordings.
0:47:32 > 0:47:33Is there a reason?
0:47:33 > 0:47:37The range of frequencies that these machines can capture
0:47:37 > 0:47:41sits quite well in that area.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- Right.- The harmonics, the overtones that give you that quality
0:47:45 > 0:47:47and the emotion of the piece
0:47:47 > 0:47:50sit well within the boundaries that this can record.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53If you, for example, record a soprano,
0:47:53 > 0:47:58those things disappear above the range that this can cope with.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02And I suppose this obviously had an amazing effect on the celebrity
0:48:02 > 0:48:04of the opera singers that did record?
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Before this point the only way that you could
0:48:07 > 0:48:10make more money out of your work was to perform more,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13and there's a limited amount of times that you can perform a week.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22The one tenor to really break out from the opera stage was undoubtedly
0:48:22 > 0:48:25the great Enrico Caruso, whose fame spread,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28thanks mainly to his numerous recordings
0:48:28 > 0:48:32which made him a household name, and the first operatic superstar.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36Caruso recorded time and time again.
0:48:36 > 0:48:44By 1914, Caruso's royalties had added up to 1.8 million.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Wow! Can I have a go?
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Certainly.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50These phonographs had a dual function.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52Not only did they play the music,
0:48:52 > 0:48:56but by swopping the horn they could record it as well.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03And we should be ready to record you. Right.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29The technology was simple but revolutionary.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30All sound is vibration.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33The vibrations my voice makes in the air
0:49:33 > 0:49:37are converted through a needle which etches a groove onto a wax cylinder.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41The louder I sing, the wider the groove.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45The softer I sing, the thinner the groove.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49When played back the original vibrations of my voice are reproduced.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53SINGING PLAYS BACK
0:50:05 > 0:50:07I'm overwhelmed.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11There is something melancholic, something nostalgic in the voice.
0:50:11 > 0:50:16There is a dark sound in it, there is a special pathos in the music.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Probably because suddenly it sounds like an old recording.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40Woah! This is great!
0:50:40 > 0:50:44I can certainly recognise my voice there,
0:50:44 > 0:50:48and yet it's not the same sound that people hear when they
0:50:48 > 0:50:53hear me live, therefore we don't know exactly how Caruso sounded.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58But thanks to his recordings, we know the kind of passionate performer he was,
0:50:58 > 0:51:00his extraordinary musicality,
0:51:00 > 0:51:05we can hear that beautiful, gorgeous dark sound.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10He must have been an amazing, amazing live performer!
0:51:13 > 0:51:16MUSIC:
0:51:41 > 0:51:45The gramophone was also a way of marketing a singer,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48and it's not by chance that Caruso was the first big recording star.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52The tenor voice is dramatic, it's romantic, it's lush,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55it has everything that can turn people's heads with music.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59Caruso became the first real superstar of the recorded world.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07The fact is that those tenor arias and songs
0:52:07 > 0:52:10were probably closest to what we call pop music now.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13The format, they were three or four minute songs.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17And I think that's how opera crossed over to a more mainstream public.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20The Great Caruso became the image of the modern tenor for everyone -
0:52:20 > 0:52:22strong, virile and romantic.
0:52:22 > 0:52:27And his powerful voice upped the ante just as Gilbert Duprez had done
0:52:27 > 0:52:29almost a century before.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42However it wasn't long before a much more powerful medium
0:52:42 > 0:52:45appeared on the horizon - the movies.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48And a young tenor was to continue what Caruso had started.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50He had the looks, he had the voice,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54and Hollywood had a hot new property - Mario Lanza.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59MUSIC:
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Mario Lanza started training as a singer,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19but once signed by Hollywood his operatic career was over.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21His movie debut, The Midnight Kiss,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24made a hit out of Verdi's Celeste Aida
0:53:24 > 0:53:26and he became an overnight sensation.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38The illustrious conductor Toscanini
0:53:38 > 0:53:42called Mario Lanza the greatest voice of the 20th century.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Some praise for a film star!
0:53:45 > 0:53:49But who better to play that undisputed legend of the opera world?
0:53:53 > 0:53:58'The colourful life and times of the fabulous Caruso spring to life,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02'sparkling with the songs you've never forgotten.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06'Spangled with the whips and brilliance of a wonderful era.'
0:54:06 > 0:54:11The film The Great Caruso was another huge success for Lanza.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Here was a great tenor playing another great tenor,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18and Lanza's portrayal cemented this ideal.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21MUSIC:
0:54:25 > 0:54:30More than that, he inspired the next generation of opera singers.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35Jose Carreras said, "If I'm an opera singer, it's thanks to Mario Lanza."
0:54:35 > 0:54:38- But it wasn't only him.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42When you became a tenor, did you study other great tenors?
0:54:42 > 0:54:44I grew up with Mario Lanza.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48I mean, my inspiration came from the recordings of Caruso,
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and the Great Caruso, the film that he did.
0:54:51 > 0:54:57Because when you hear it on the recordings and on the film,
0:54:57 > 0:55:01it was such a powerful and the most incredible beautiful voice.
0:55:01 > 0:55:02And I love his voice.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Mario Lanza was the first classical music artist
0:55:08 > 0:55:10to sell over 2 million copies of a song.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12A record none had achieved before.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19But it wasn't with an opera aria, it was a musical number, Be My Love.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25# Be my love
0:55:25 > 0:55:31# For no-one else can end this yearning... #
0:55:33 > 0:55:37The operatic tenor had crossed over into popular entertainment,
0:55:37 > 0:55:39and these days it's not unusual
0:55:39 > 0:55:42for a great tenor to be heard singing this sort of repertoire.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45# Just fill my arms
0:55:47 > 0:55:50# The way you've filled my dreams
0:55:51 > 0:55:54# The dreams that you inspire
0:55:56 > 0:56:00# With every sweet desire... #
0:56:03 > 0:56:08I mean, a lot of people say that opera especially can't withstand the dilution of repertoire
0:56:08 > 0:56:11coming from films or shows, but these voices are great voices
0:56:11 > 0:56:14and there's no reason why they shouldn't sing the songs
0:56:14 > 0:56:17that they sing in the shower or bath anyway. why shouldn't they sing on record?
0:56:17 > 0:56:19# Walk on
0:56:19 > 0:56:22# With hope in your heart
0:56:22 > 0:56:27# And you'll never walk alone... #
0:56:30 > 0:56:34When Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras
0:56:34 > 0:56:37came together to form the Three Tenors,
0:56:37 > 0:56:39their album was a phenomenal success.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42A mixture of opera, Spanish and Italian song,
0:56:42 > 0:56:44and favourites from the musicals.
0:56:44 > 0:56:51# You'll never walk alone. #
0:57:01 > 0:57:05More than anything, it showed that a great tenor could sing to anyone,
0:57:05 > 0:57:08and it cemented the voice as part of mainstream popular culture.
0:57:11 > 0:57:12So, what makes a great tenor?
0:57:12 > 0:57:17None of the artists we have seen would have achieved stardom
0:57:17 > 0:57:20without one extra ingredient - charisma.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23Or as the Greeks define it, "a gift from the gods".
0:57:23 > 0:57:29To have a gift and not share it with the world is not good for the world.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33Opera requires a combination of many aspects of human talent
0:57:33 > 0:57:37and that is why it is such a fulfilling art form.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10I just love it!