Alagna sings Wagner - yes, really

Check it out above! Roberto Alagna hits the big screen on 9 November in a new film by Jean-Louis Guillermou. Celles qui aimaient Wagner blends contemporary and historical narrative to recount episodes from Richard Wagner's life story through the eyes of a modern day fan.

Roberto plays the celebrated Josef Tichatschek, principal tenor at the Dresden court opera during Wagner's conductorship, and creator of the title roles of Rienzi and Tannhäuser. 

Tichatschek was renowned for his naturally beautiful voice, superb musicianship and expert sight-reading - all of which were fatally undermined by his dreadfully wooden acting. Wagner considered Tichatschek's  lack of dramatic insight so devastating that he privately blamed the tenor's performance for the initial failure of Tannhäuser in Dresden. 

But the two men remained friends, and Tichatschek proved a faithful supporter to Wagner through all his trials. By the time Wagner met his great patron King Ludwig of Bavaria, Tichatschek was 60. Despite his advanced years,  the composer insisted his old chum should take the title role  in the royal command performance of Lohengrin. King Ludwig dismissed him the aging tenor as too old to be convincing, an episode covered in the movie and seen in the clip above.

Roberto is evidently so eternally youthful that no cosmetics on earth could make him look 60. But his acting is better than you might expect. He's certainly more convincing than 50-ish TV host Stéphane Bern is as the teenage King Ludwig. As for the singing,  if Robert Dean Smith can tackle Tristan, why not Roberto the heldentenor?

More video and photos below.

 

Comments

[Manou]

Let's hope Roberto gets a a Tichatschek.....er a big fat cheque.

[Lili]

I can't believe Roberto is 50, he still looks so young!

[Art Life and Stilettos]

I want to like this, but I wonder if it's slipping into "so bad it's good" territory? Something isn't convincing me. Where will this be playing?

[Manou]

Alagna sings Gounod - here

http://www.pluzz.fr/faust.html

whole performance of Faust at the Paris Opera.

[Diane]

Sans blague! With Stéphane Bern as a superannuated Ludwig, this has all the makings of a real turkey. Roberto, on the other hand, seems to be a surprisingly natural screen actor - not always the case with opera singers (think Pavarotti in the cringe-inducing "Yes, Giorgio"). I'll reserve my judgement on Roberto's Wagnerian skillz until I've seen the film ...

[Brainpack]

Yes, I agree, Robert Alagna is a natural acting talent...but oh BITTE BITTE PLEASE PLEASE don't sing Wagner yet, at least not before he has improved his German. At least this "cringe-inducing" clip doesn't endorse Alagna singing Tannhauser any time soon!

[Hugh Kerr]

looks almost as bad as it sounds!