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"One of the Brightest Stars in the Tenor-Heavens” |
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Page 4 of 6
 "The Hawaiian on the Danube"
Any consideration of the tenor's considerable international achievements must begin with a review of his activities in the theater which he has long called "home." In 1992 Ikaia-Purdy began his association with the legendary Vienna State Opera auspiciously: as Alfredo in TRAVIATA, with Guadagno in the pit, and the great Piero Cappucilli as his father. In the ensuing sixteen seasons, his Vienna  repertoire has come to include the leading tenor roles in: GUILLAUME TELL; BOHÈME; ELISIR; ROSENKAVALIER; HOFFMANN; BUTTERFLY; MANON; MACBETH; TOSCA; MEFISTOFELE; LUCIA; BALLO; JÉRUSALEM; DON CARLO (it.); DON CARLOS (fr.); BOCCANEGRA; FAVORITE; NABUCCO; and STIFFELIO among others.
As of this date, he has sung more than 230 performances in Vienna - sharing the stage with the very finest of this generation's lyric artists; among them: Marton; Kabaivanska; Dessay; Gruberova; Rost; Coelho; Malfitano; Gauci; Frittoli; I. Raimondi; Isokoski; Guleghina; Crider; Gheorghiu; Vaness; Kirschlager; W. Maier; Zajick; Urmana; Nucci; Bruson; Hampson; Fondary; Michaels-Moore; Hvorostovsky; Milnes; Tichy; Pons; Ghiaurov; R. Raimondi; Morris; Scanduzzi; Furlanetto; Pertusi; Rydl; and Ramey; and performing under the baton of maestros such as Mehta; Muti; C. Kleiber; Guadagno; de Billy; Luisi; Viotti; Palumbo; Chaslin; Stein; Hager; and Sutej.
During his many seasons in the legendary "House on the Ring," Ikaia-Purdy has become one of Vienna's most respected, and - in a voice-category where it is  remarkably rare - most dependable tenor stars. His beautiful voice, spot-on musicianship, theatrical instinct, and - perhaps most importantly - his typically Hawaiian perpetually "even-keeled" temperament, have enabled critically successful, often last minute (and at times, mid-performance!) rescues of operas such as BOHÈME, FAVORITE, BALLO, LUCIA, DON CARLO (Ital.) and DON CARLOS (Fr.) A now famous example was his dramatic save of TOSCA for ailing colleague Luciano Pavarotti - rightly earning him thunderous ovations. So too, amid performances of JÉRUSALEM, he took on the brutally difficult role of Arnold in TELL, performing the public dress rehearsal - hence earning the tenor public acclaim, and the profoundest respect of his opera house colleagues.
Ikaia-Purdy, one learns, is truly one of opera's "good souls," and for this among so many reasons, he has earned the genuine affection and respect of those with whom he has had the pleasure to work. Indeed, "respect" is a word often heard from stage partners and opera house staff when Ikaia-Purdy comes under discussion - respect for his success in an exceptionally wide repertoire; respect for his unfailing technical acumen; respect for his unfailingly modesty and even temperament; respect for his tireless - and manifestly fruitful - efforts to continually improve his performance skills, to rethink and revise his stage characterizations; and, finally, respect for the intelligence, care and patience with which he has managed to build his active operatic, concert and recital repertoire. For although famously affable, he long ago learned the value of saying a definite "no" to offers of repertoire - however financially attractive - which he feels would compromise his vocal health or jeopardize the quality of preexisting engagements.
In view of his many years of faithfulness to his "home theater" and the profound respect he feels for the State Opera's management team, as well as his on- and off-stage colleagues there, he is proud to have been referred to as "Vienna's house tenor" - and he smiles to read of "the Hawaiian on the Danube."
He returns to the theater later this season for TOSCA, and next season he will join Leo Nucci and Sondra Radvanovsky in his first Vienna performances as Arrigo in VESPRI.
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