# TENOR TOURNAMENT (Bonus Matchup): Fabiano vs Beczala



## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Michael Fabiano, USA, 1984-






Piotr Beczala, Poland, 1966-






'Che gelida manina' from Puccini's _La Boheme_.

Who's singing did you prefer and why?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Now you are entering "my" territory! And "Che gelida manina" was my very first tenor aria as performed exquisitely by Richard Tucker.
These two tenors were no match for Tucker (or Shicoff, my favorite, or many others) but I happen to prefer Beczala's voice over Fabiano's.

However, I had to close my eyes because the staging of Beczala and Netrebko was horrible to watch. She was stealing the scene from him with her overacting and phony expressions.
On the other hand, just the opposite was true in the Fabiano staging where his acting was completely insincere.
Beczala by default.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I've listened without watching, then listened while watching. I won't comment on the acting. Fabiano phrases nicely, uses portamento with intelligence and taste, plays a bit with dynamics, and understands how to make rhythm respond to words and feelings and so escape its metrical straightjacket. I'm a pushover for musicality, spontaneity and individuality. Beczala does no more than the expected and is not interesting in any way. Neither is a perfect vocalist, but Beczala is effortful, pushes and spreads the tone; Fabiano keeps it clean. Neither manages a decent high C, but that's all right. Are they outlawing transposition of arias now? Is that heresy?

Beczala may have the stronger native instrument, but he doesn't sing easily enough to give me pleasure. If I were Mimi I'd go for Fabio. I mean Fabiano. Netrebko appears to agree.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I much preferred Fabiano, both as a singer and an actor. Not only was his the more musical performance but it had a touching sincerity. His Rodolfo drew me into his story and I felt I wanted to know more about him. 

Beczala, on the other hand, was just rather ordinary, his phrasing much more square. 

I know we're not discussing the staging, but I much preferred the traditional staging of the first one, which I've seen on TV. The second one looked very ugly and what I saw of Netrebko's Mimi didn't convince me that she was the shy, simple Mimi Puccini depicted.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I much preferred Fabiano, both as a singer and an actor. Not only was his the more musical performance but it had a touching sincerity. His Rodolfo drew me into his story and I felt I wanted to know more about him.
> 
> Beczala, on the other hand, was just rather ordinary, his phrasing much more square.
> 
> I know we're not discussing the staging, but I much preferred the traditional staging of the first one, which I've seen on TV. The second one looked very ugly and what I saw of Netrebko's Mimi didn't convince me that she was the shy, simple Mimi Puccini depicted.


The idea of having Mimi resisting Rodolfo at first and hiding her feelings is interesting, but Netrebko does seem to turn her into a different, not very pleasant person. No doubt this was a "concept" the director thought might be interesting to impose on the opera. And what's with Beczala's glasses? Maybe Rodolfo can't write poetry without them, but does he need them to see Mimi's tiny frozen hand?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Frankly, of the 4 of them I found Car's performance the most appealing and sincere. That isn't saying much as she has nothing to say at that point but she certainly was a charming and innocent Mimi in my eyes.
I really think at this juncture that I will only vote for a voice I really think deserves the praise instead of picking the best of the worst. Where's the fun in that?


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

This is FF difficult. I consider my self expert to this opera and I honestly say that is almost nothing to separate these very good interpretations. I will not vote here. Thanks Bonetan & Friends for this one. It was an amazing competition.

_(Bonatan, make it possible to have a draw in the polls. It should be much better this way.)_


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Frankly, of the 4 of them I found Car's performance the most appealing and sincere. That isn't saying much as she has nothing to say at that point but she certainly was a charming and innocent Mimi in my eyes.
> I really think at this juncture that I will only vote for a voice I really think deserves the praise instead of picking the best of the worst. Where's the fun in that?


I saw the whole production and watched it on TV. It was actually very enjoyable and the opera worked its magic as it inevitably does when you have a production that believes in it and its characters. Car looked lovely and acted the part very well. She also sang very nicely, but she couldn't quite expand into Puccini's more lyrical moments. Nonetheless she was a convincing Mimi.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> The idea of having Mimi resisting Rodolfo at first and hiding her feelings is interesting, but Netrebko does seem to turn her into a different, not very pleasant person. No doubt this was a "concept" the director thought might be interesting to impose on the opera. And what's with Beczala's glasses? Maybe Rodolfo can't write poetry without them, but does he need them to see Mimi's tiny frozen hand?


Haha!

Netrebko's Mimi rather reminded me of an interview I read with her when she was singing Violetta in a new production somewhere (Vienna?). She said something about them making Violetta into a much more assertive character, pushing the men around at the party and generally being more self-assured and confident, which is all very well, but Verdi's music doesn't support that interpretation. Why don't people listen to the music anymore?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Haha!
> 
> Netrebko's Mimi rather reminded me of an interview I read with her when she was singing Violetta in a new production somewhere (Vienna?). She said something about them making Violetta into a much more assertive character, pushing the men around at the party and generally being more self-assured and confident, which is all very well, but Verdi's music doesn't support that interpretation. *Why don't people listen to the music anymore?*


The million-dollar (or 720,326 pound) question. The greatest opera composers are that, in part, because they can find music that brings characters to life in a specific ways, making us feel that we know them even if we've never actually met their like in real life. And performers know that the first clue to interpreting their roles is to find what the music is telling them.

I think the _Traviata _in question is the famous "clock" production with Villazon and Hampson. I watched the video and remember Netrebko throwing her slinky body around at the party. A pretty healthy consumptive if you ask me. She doesn't even die in bed. In fact I don't recall there being a bed.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I saw the whole production and watched it on TV. It was actually very enjoyable and the opera worked its magic as it inevitably does when you have a production that believes in it and its characters. Car looked lovely and acted the part very well. She also sang very nicely, but she couldn't quite expand into Puccini's more lyrical moments. Nonetheless she was a convincing Mimi.


I must say that if there is no chemistry between the two lovers, the opera must fail. Being from a theater background I am always looking out for the ones who can at least produce some depth of character because phonies are too easy to spot. I find that Fabiano, who at the very beginning of his career I had high hopes for but they quickly dissipated, has not a sincere acting bone in his body. Now that his voice goes in and out at this point, and that he is starting to force some of his highs, I find him impossible to vote for. At least Beczala has some acting skills although when I think about it, today I cannot count on 1 hand the tenors who actually do. There's Kaufmann who is a stand-out. He brings his characters alive. Another is Alagna who has a certain gift of developing a character. 
Grigolo and Domingo had some skills but they aren't doing Met operas anymore.
I am anxiously awaiting Benjamin Bernheim, a new French tenor who has been getting a lot of good press.
He was to have done Romeo this past April but of course it was canceled due to the pandemic.
On the female side, Netrebko is another phony actor and watching her interpretation of Mimi gave me the heebie jeebies. 
(off my soapbox now.)


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> I must say that if there is no chemistry between the two lovers, the opera must fail. Being from a theater background I am always looking out for the ones who can at least produce some depth of character because phonies are too easy to spot. I find that Fabiano, who at the very beginning of his career I had high hopes for but they quickly dissipated, has not a sincere acting bone in his body. Now that his voice goes in and out at this point, and that he is starting to force some of his highs, I find him impossible to vote for. At least Beczala has some acting skills although when I think about it, today I cannot count on 1 hand the tenors who actually do. There's Kaufmann who is a stand-out. He brings his characters alive. Another is Alagna who has a certain gift of developing a character.
> Grigolo and Domingo had some skills but they aren't doing Met operas anymore.
> I am anxiously awaiting Benjamin Bernheim, a new French tenor who has been getting a lot of good press.
> He was to have done Romeo this past April but of course it was canceled due to the pandemic.
> ...


As it happens, I'm also from a theatre background and have been in the business for over forty years now, though I'm semi-retired now. Funnily enough, I found the opposite to be true of the two performances here. Beczala gave what I would call a stock, operatic performance. He moves naturally and looks pleasing to the eye, though the glasses got in the way a bit (Why do we have to have those tired old clichés of intellectuals always wearing glasses?). It was a decent performance but Fabiano was more nuanced and more sincere, both vocally and histrionically. At least that's what I thought.

I agree with you about Netrebko, though.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> As it happens, I'm also from a theatre background and have been in the business for over forty years now, though I'm semi-retired now. Funnily enough, I found the opposite to be true of the two performances here. Beczala gave what I would call a stock, operatic performance. He moves naturally and looks pleasing to the eye, though the glasses got in the way a bit *(Why do we have to have those tired old clichés of intellectuals always wearing glasses?).* It was a decent performance but Fabiano was more nuanced and more sincere, both vocally and histrionically. At least that's what I thought.
> 
> I agree with you about Netrebko, though.


Hahaha. I got a kick out of your glasses remark because, save for Lensky, I too find it a too obvious prop. I also agree with your remarks about Beczala. We simply differ on Fabiano. Makes for a more interesting dialogue, dontcha know!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

At least everyone agrees about the glasses. There's no crying in baseball, and there are no glasses in Puccini except the kind that hold milk, punch or whiskey.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I'm not commenting on the staging/acting because I would have to strangle someone.

Fabiano's singing is free, his voice opens up nicely (Di Stefano model) and he lets me enjoy Puccini's music as he wrote it.

Beczala, on the opposite, stands in the way of music, he tries to do something with his voice all the time (Jose Cura model), he squeezes his throat, his attempts at _mezzo voce_ are not pleasing to my ears etc etc etc. I'm just unable to continue, video or no video (marginally better with no video by the way).

Fabiano it is.

P.S. Notice the look on his face after the top C? "See, I managed it, told ya!"


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