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“THE VIEW FROM THE STAGE”: the Tenor speaks … |
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Page 4 of 7
... Modest Beginnings...
He officially began his "new career as a tenor" by amassing experience under Maestro Olla's baton, singing with Andrea Fulton's Bracebridge Dinner ensemble, and as a regular soloist with Irene Dalis' ground breaking Opera San Jose. To his "great surprise" the tenor's career sky-rocketed when he won the National Bel Canto Competition and took a Gold Medal in the Concorso Voce Verdiane in Busseto, Italy. More treasured than the financial prizes were two extended periods of scholarship study with Carlo Bergonzi, who became with Maestros Olla and Gregg, the third and final pillar of support upon which Ikaia-Purdy has built his career. To this day, the training in style and musicianship he received as a student of this legendary Verdian tenor inform his career decisions, singing style and vocal method:
 "Bergonzi taught by example. These days his recordings are like voice lessons and coachings for me, which I can take with me wherever I go. The style and charm are all there. When I left him, he told me - ‘Listen to my recordings - its all there'. It is. Young singers arrogant enough not to just shut up and listen to the recordings of masters like Bergonzi - or Caruso, Domingo, Tucker, Pertile, Gigli and those guys - are crazy to be cutting themselves off from such an amazing resource. And how could a tenor be so stupid as to approach a French role without studying Thill, Vezzani, Vanzo and Simoneau. Where better to learn the style - You talk about a brain-trust!"
... Repertoire & survival
Ikaia-Purdy is devoted, even dogmatic in his adherence to the master's advice or cautions respecting roles and repertoire For example, Bergonzi insisted that as Ikaia-Purdy added more dramatic roles to his repertoire that he must do so only if during the same periods he could schedule performances of more lyrical roles such as Nemorino, Edgardo or the Duke of Mantua; interspersing such more lyrical roles would keep his voice lithe, youthful and true. So, contrary to "modern casting wisdom," and true to Bergonzi's wisdom, Ikaia-Purdy has managed to maintain just such a balanced performance schedule. And whenever this Bergonzi-inspired mix of repertoire has not been possible to maintain, however tempting the offer, Ikaia-Purdy has refused to take on heavier repertoire.
"After CARLO, Wiesbaden wanted FORZA. They even announced I would do it in the press. I love FORZA. Alvaro's aria - which is quite lyric -brought me a lot of success in competitions; but the last act duet was still way too dramatic for me. (Only a foolish singer takes on a role just because he can sing the arias!) Anyway, there was no way I was taking FORZA on until I had done a lot more RIGOLETTO- s and BALLO-s. Lucky for me they didn't fire me. Instead they changed the opera to RIGOLETTO. Then, in Vienna I was asked to add either TELL or ERNANI. Both are extremely difficult and very different roles. I went with TELL, which is much higher, though friends thought I
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