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"One of the Brightest Stars in the Tenor-Heavens” |
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Page 2 of 6
A Verdian Voice Rooted in Bel Canto Tradition
 When, under the auspices of Carlo Bergonzi, Ikaia-Purdy made his European debut in the title role of Verdi's rarely seen "IL CORSARO," Il Corriere della Sera titled its laudatory review: "Dall'ukulele a Verdi" - "from the ukulele to Verdi." And while Ikaia-Purdy modestly claims no skill on the ukulele, the review's poetic title is not inapt; for, Ikaia-Purdy's "warm," typically Hawaiian voice is a natural fit for the works of Verdi.
Fortunately this gift of Nature is fortified by the educational and experiential Nurture of the true artist, revealed both in the technical refinement of his tenor voice and, in his musicianly attention to the rhythmic architecture of Verdian - and indeed, all operatic - literature. It follows that Ikaia-Purdy is recognized as a leading specialist in the bel canto operas of Verdi's early period. Highlights from radio broadcasts of STIFFELIO, I DUE FOSCARI and CORSARO featuring the tenor in triumphant form, can be heard on Koch-Schwann's "Verdi in Ludwigsburg" CD. To date Ikaia-Purdy has performed fourteen of Verdi's operas - and, most particularly, those of Verdi's early period. (The number reaches sixteen, exclusive of the REQUIEM, if one includes earlier American performances!)
Like his teacher and paradigm Carlo Bergonzi, Ikaia-Purdy has undertaken a thorough study and regular performance of the bel canto operas of Verdi's great Italian predecessors, convinced that this alone provides the foundation upon which a Verdian singer must build his career. Critical success in roles such as Edgardo (LUCIA) Tebaldo (I CAPULETTI e I MONTECCHI,) Arnold (TELL) and Nemorino (ELISIR), as well in the song literature of the bel canto masters, exemplify his disciplined vocal approach, and account for the tenor's reputation as a singer of rare artistic refinement - preferring, against the trend, beauty of tone and melodic line over volume for its own sake. Thus he was quite pleased by the New Yorker magazine's qualified praise for "the Turiddu of Keith Ikaia-Purdy, a beautifully schooled Hawaiian tenor whose only fault was a purity of line that may have been a shade too elegant for the brute he was playing." Such "erring on the side of good taste and musical purity" explains as well his penchant for French operatic literature.
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