Jose Cura - Anhelo: Argentinian songs (1998)

1. Preludio a los Sonetos de Amor y Muerte
2. La rosa y el sauce
3. Se equivoco la paloma
4. El unico camino
5. Elegia para un gorrion
6. Campanilla, adonde vas?
7. Riqueza
8. Soneto 4
9. Anhelo
10. Caminito
11. Nocturno
12. Milonga
13. Cancion del arbol del olvido
14. Alfonsina y el mar
15. Cancion del carretero
16. Cancion de Perico
17. Adios Nonino
18. Desde el fondo de ti
19. Postal de guerra
20. Sonetos de Amor y Muerte

Total playing time is 62'08.

So often, operatic crossover discs seem to be devised according to marketing surveys, with the star swooping into the recording studio between engagements with minimum thought or care. Jose Cura's first crossover disc, Anhelo, is quite the exception. The tenor not only sings but has orchestrated and conducted several numbers as well, which is only the most tangible evidence of the thought and feeling he's put into this. The emphasis is on ballads–which is only fitting for an album whose title means intense, suffocating desire–though there are also folk-like songs and instrumental cuts, one of which Cura composed himself in a neo-Puccinian style. Some of the songs have orchestrations, but the instrumentation is mostly spare: often acoustic guitar or piano and, in one cut, only solo voice. Cura may not have the most flexible instrument, yet he scales it down extremely well here. Clearly, this disc didn't just arise out of a career strategy but as a sincere desire to communicate. And it does.

In this exquisite CD of Argentine music, you will not hear Jose Cura sing with the full power of his magnificent operatic voice, but rather with a gentle beauty that is captivating. He shows us his heart in these songs, and what he is capable of doing artistically as well as his commitment to excellence, beyond his career as an international opera superstar. The repertoire consists of music by 20th and 21st century composers: Cura himself (2 tracks), Carlos Guastavino (8), Carlos Lopez Buchardo (2), and Julian Aguirre, Alberto Muzzio, Jorge Cardozo, Alberto Ginastera, Ariel Ramirez, Astor Piazzolla, Hilda Herrera, and Maria Elena Walsh each contributing one selection apiece.

The arrangements (by Cura) and musicianship are superb, featuring the brilliant talents of Eduardo Delgado (piano) and Ernesto Bitetti (guitar). Cura also conducts, and also had a hand in the design of the booklet insert, which has terrific liner notes, recording info, and lyrics in Spanish, English and French. There are also lots of photographs, and one of Cura as a toddler at the piano that is priceless.

There are 4 instrumentals on the CD, and the transcription of Piazzolla's "Adios Nonino" for piano quintet is stupendous, and another big favorite is Ginastera's "Cancion del arbol del olvido." There is nostalgia, sweet simplicity, and a purity to this album that may not appeal to those who like their music always on full throttle, but it is rich with a depth of soul and emotion, and is a rare encounter in this age of sound overkill.

Musical wonderman José Cura conducts himself in this splendid collections of art songs from his native Argentina. Wrapping his big, rich, meltingly warm barti-tenor voice around each ballad of heartache and romantic longing, Cura beautifully conveys the emotion at the heart of the song; it's meaning comes clear even for us listeners who aren't up on our Spanish. Especially impressive are his top notes, which he deploys either forcefully or very soft and intimate, like a lover's whisper in one's ear. Superb support from Ernesto Bitetti and Eduardo Delgado on guitar and piano contribute to the aura of closeness surrounding this disc. Simply put, ANHELO is a beautiful album and one which deserves a place any serious music lover's collection.


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