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Interview: Superstar bass Ferruccio Furlanetto on Covent Garden's Boccanegra

'In the end, Verdi gives Fiesco an incredible opportunity for redemption'

In the big interview Ferruccio Furlanetto speaks about one of his signature roles, but also about favorite parts, modern direction, attitude towards Russian repertoire and further plans.

'When it comes to the big Verdi roles for bass, you're often a typical, stubborn old guy. Think about Silva in Ernani, for instance: he's talking about revenge from the very beginning, and he never changes because he finishes with the triumph of his revenge. Then you have the high priests and the kings – it's always in that sort of direction. Fiesco starts like Silva, with rage and hatred, partly because of the difference in social classes, and he goes on like that. But in the end, Verdi gives him an incredible opportunity for redemption. This change of character is amazing. Fiesco suddenly has the courage to admit all the mistakes he's made in his life up to the moment he realises that not only was Boccanegra not guilty of the death of his daughter, but also that he has found his niece. There is this magnificent duet for Fiesco and Boccanegra in which there is a triumph of this redemption for both of them.'

MusicalCritisism.com by Dominic McHugh 28 June 2010

Interview: Performing voice: Ferruccio Furlanetto

'An Italian bass who made his name singing Mozart, today Furlanetto exels as Philip II, Boris Godunov and Don Quichotte, the "romantic essence of excellence"'

'“For me, Cesare Siepi had the most beautiful voice there has ever been, the most Latin, the most beautiful colour, so I wanted to follow same path as him. He was an extraordinary Figaro, the best Giovanni, so I worked and worked in prepareation for these roles. In 1977, the Teatro di Treviso held a competition whose main prize was to debute in a role. That year the opera chosen was Don Giovanni, and I won the role of Giovanni. I was very fortunate, as at that time it was uheard of for a singer of 25 to sing the Don – it was a role you only sung once you had arrived."

"You need to reach the stage where you say no to any roles that won’t help your vocal and artistic development. ...Five years of being a lion is no good to anyone."

"Von Karajan had such artistic charisma, a correctness with regard to the Italian text. He spoke it well, and had a great understanding of all the double, triple and quadruple senses that you can find in Da Ponte’s text. Later, when I jumped into his Don Carlo as a last minute replacement, he received me in his studio and said, “Sing the aria the way you did it that first time at the audition, and I’ll accompany you.” Believe me these days there are very few conductors who would say that. They’ll tell you, “Follow me, be alert, watch me,” but not, “Don’t worry, I’ll accompany you.”

“Ponnelle drew actor out of me, taught me to live the roles through music and words, beneath my skin. If I have to feel joy, death, suffering it’s important that I do feel them. The word is fundamental. Even if the libretto isn’t at the level of Da Ponte, the word is the only venicle for arriving at the heart of the matter.”'

Opera Now March/April 2010 by Marc Glanville

Ferruccio Furlanetto: February in St.Petersburg

'Famous Italian bass participate in Mariinsky theater progect Artist of the mounth with three different programms: Recital of Rachmaninov and Mussorgsky, Verdi Requiem and concert version of Don Quichotte Massenet '

St.Petersburg Music and Art magazine N2 2010 by Ekaterina Belyaeva in Russian

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St.Petersburg Music and Art Magazine

Furlanetto: „Mozart auf und ab war pure Medizin“

'Er ist eine der großen Bass-Stimmen unserer Zeit. Ferruccio Furlanetto wirkt am 16., 18. und 20. Jänner an der Wiener Volksoper an der Seite von Marjana Lipovsek in einer konzertanten Version des Musicals „South Pacific“ mit. Im Sommer ist er wieder bei den Salzburger Festspielen.'

'OÖN: Es heißt, der Emile de Becque in „South Pacific“ sei eine Ihrer Traumrollen?

Furlanetto (lacht): Geschickte Publicity-Arbeit. Nein, es ist so: Dieses Musical wurde einst für den großen Ezio Pinza maßgeschneidert. Er spielte es 1949 bis 1954 am Broadway in 1925 En-suite-Vorstellungen. Danach wurde es dort nie mehr aufgeführt, erst wieder in den heutigen Tagen. Deswegen klopfte man bei mir an, und in Hinblick auf Ezio Pinza fand ich das sehr schmeichelhaft. Auch sollte Scarlett Johansson meine Partnerin sein. Weil der Sponsor auf fünf Monaten beharrte, zerschlug es sich. Als mich jetzt die Volksoper wegen der konzertanten Variante kontaktierte, fand ich das „very charming“. Es macht mir großen Spaß. '

OONachrichten 12. Januar 2010 by Von Ludwig Heinrich

Ferruccio Furlanetto: "Die Musical-Welt ist eine andere"

'Ferruccio Furlanetto, regierender König der italienischen Bässe, wird ab 16. Jänner an der Wiener Volksoper die Hauptrolle in dem Musical "South Pacific" von Richard Rodgers singen.'

'"Wiener Zeitung": Haben Sie jemals zuvor in einem Musical gesungen?

Ferruccio Furlanetto: Nein, noch nie. Ich habe als Jugendlicher, zwischen 16 und 20, in einer Popgruppe Gitarre gespielt und natürlich Pop gesungen. Aber Musical noch nie. Bei der Volksopern-Gala "50 Jahre Musical in Wien" wurde ich gebeten, "Ol’ man river" zu singen. Und ich habe natürlich gerne akzeptiert. Das hat Spaß gemacht.

Wie kamen Sie zu der Rolle in "South Pacific"?

Das ist eine lustige Geschichte: "South Pacific" wurde Ende der 1940er Jahre komponiert: 1949, in meinem Geburtsjahr. Die Hauptrolle wurde für Ezio Pinza geschrieben, der damals am Ende seiner Karriere war und in Amerika lebte. Es war ein sensationeller Erfolg! Sie haben es danach nie wieder am Broadway gebracht. Vor drei Jahren wurde ich gefragt, ob ich es am Broadway singen will, 60 Jahre nach der Uraufführung. Und ich sagte: Natürlich! Es ist eine wundervolle Musik, aber vor allem wurde die Partie für einen Opernbass geschrieben. Das einzige Problem war: Die Musical-Welt ist eine ganz andere als die Opernwelt.'

Wiener Zeitung 2. Januar 2010 by Von Markus Hennerfeind

Ferruccio Furlanetto hits his prime

'The great Ferruccio Furlanetto is now 60 – and at the top of his game"'

'“Ferruccio Furlanetto is still buzzing. "What a sensational night," he says, of the opening performance of The Barber of Seville at the Royal Opera House on Saturday. "The atmosphere is still electric here."

"The key to having a long career like mine is the right technique and the right repertoire. You should use your voice as nature intended it to be used. When you are young, it is easy to be caught by the glamour of doing something out of the ordinary. But it can kill your instrument. We are working with human flesh: even if you have a good technique, you can hurt yourself."'

The Guardian 9 July 2009 by Martin Kettle

Verdi Writ Large: Ferruccio Furlanetto and Philip II [Verdi's Don Carlo: The Royal Opera 6 June-3 July 2008]

'Mansel Stimpson talks to the Italian bass who crowns his recent London appearances with the role of Philip II in Verdi’s epic opera… '

'“I regard singing as a profession to which it is a privilege to belong and it’s wonderful to become these remarkable characters, but the privilege should end the moment that I leave the theatre. After that what I love is to live a normal life catering for my hobbies and interests outside both music and theatre. Golf, for instance, is a game that I have been playing for something like thirty years and I regard it as a fantastic safety valve. Provided that you have no major worries, five hours on a golf course can really clean up your brain."

"My debut was at a small theatre in the province of Vicenza singing Sparafucile in Rigoletto: three days of rehearsal and on. Boheme soon followed, but in the oddest way because Trieste hired me for a buffo role in Adriana Lecouvreur which had to be changed when Caballe cancelled. When Boheme was substituted, I was offered the role of Colline which I didn’t know. But I learnt it in just seven-and-a-half hours and was found acceptable. Sometimes under certain circumstances you discover that you can do things that you didn’t dream would be possible."

"As for Russian music, every bass who favours important dramatic roles has to end up in the Russian repertoire. That can coincide with greater maturity, with the moment when you reach forty-five or whatever and feel that it is no longer appropriate to play younger roles that require you to jump around like a kid. But it wasn’t really roles like Boris that attracted me to Russian works."'

The Classical Source June 2008 by Mansel Stimpson

The Genuine Article

'Examples of great Italian singing are getting harder to come by - all the more reason to be grateful for Ferruccio Furlanetto, who this month returns to the Met in Ernani. STEPHEN HASTINGS profile of Ferruccio Furlanetto published in Opera News. '

'“Furlanetto's ability to dominate the stage has grown steadily over the decades, along with the organic, unforced development of a voice that is now one of the most imposing of our era. ... Few basses have succeeded in bringing such an ample range of psychologically challenging characters to life over a thirty-year career span. (His repertory includes about fifty operas.)"

"Furlanetto bares himself emotionally every time he sets foot onstage, as the close-ups in his video recordings reveal.

"'His three favorite roles today are Filippo, Don Quichotte and Boris Godunov, and while he regrettably has few opportunities to sing the Massenet work, his tsar has been widely heard and justly praised. No other recent singer has brought such deep humanity to the role, and in no other music does Furlanetto's voice sound so outstandingly beautiful. The Russian language seems to bring out its noblest colors and favor the silkiest legato.

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