[Reality check] Javier Camarena in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor

Review of a performance of May 28, 2023 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Edgardo: Javier Camarena
Lucia: Adela Zaharia
Enrico: Mikhail Bakhtadse
Arturo: Thomas Cilluffo
Raimondo: Byun Gil Kim
00:00 Intro
01:10 On Bakhtadse
02:25 On Byun Gil Kim
02:52 On Javier Camarena
03:16 Villazon's disaster
05:00 Tombe degli avi miei
06:55 Camarena interpolating high notes
08:22 Hai tradito il cielo
09:08 On Adela Zaharia
12:00 On the staging
12:43 To Mr. Camarena
13:26 The antidote (or: once upon a time...)

[@Lindow]

Thank you for your service, I really appreciate your work. I attend performances at the Deutsche Oper frequently and often hear your words echo in my mind as I'm watching...

[@susandrakenviller3683]

Heard Villazon together with my singing teacher in the Netherlands in Don Carlo. It sounded pretty good but often we looked at each other and shook our heads thinking 'this will not age well'.

[@DavidLange1492]

He's painful to watch, everything is forte and pushed. He'll sound like an old smoker soon.

[@geekbaritone]

@@DavidLange1492 Villanzon and Javier Camarena are Domingo's proto ge they have the same issues that Domingo had. He could never sing anything good above a Bflat. There is a recording of Domingo singing "Je crois entendre encore" from the Pearl Fishers very painful to hear him sing that aria it is not for him. The only dynamic he could do was fortissimo in the upper register it takes all the beauty of the aria away when you have to scream your upper range.

[@downfromkentuckeh]

​@@geekbaritonecamarena has the same issues Domingo had? Are you shitting me? What a bunch of bullshit, that is flat out wrong. Camarena practically lives above the stave with full range of dynamics. The hell are you on about

[@draganvidic2039]

@@downfromkentuckeh Both nasal

[@floriatosca9652]

I always look forward to youe evaluation. Thank you ❤.

[@ransomcoates546]

Thank you for these reports based on solid knowledge of both voices and tradition.

[@williamadolphe7921]

Bravo AfroPoli! Excellent video and thanks for saying what many people are afraid to say. By the way... Tu che a Dio.... sung by di Stefano is one of the most moving performances ever.

[@shahramyazdani7575]

Mamma mia what a force of nature Di Stefano was!!!!

[@Davanzo_DieGol]

Love your videos, you analyse with accuracy and every time I go to Deutsche Oper, I think almost exactly what you say in your videos. I'm very often at Deutsche Oper since I live in Berlin. It would be nice to go together sometimes!

[@AfroPoli]

Sure! It would be a pleasure! :)

[@Lindow]

Can I come along?

[@Mestrcs]

Excellent review, as usual. Stark reminder that opera voices need to be judged at the stage, and not in a recording or a video. And without sound amplification.

[@gonzalor.5298]

I've heard Camarena twice. One was a recital of Rossini and belcanto arias around five years ago, and the other one on a Elisir, around three years ago. There was a clear decline even then in his vocal health. He was still a very good singer with a nice timbre and good control throughout all his registers, but you could hear some air going through the chords. On the recital he was superb. Incredibly difficult arias one after the other. The only thing that didn't convince me was the aspirated H that he uses for the coloratura. Otherwise, I was marveled. I have a very fond memory of that recital. As Nemorino he was convincing, charming and with an adequate voice, even though I still believe that his voice sits a tad higher. Overall I enjoyed his performance. I've always believed that he is an intelligent man and chooses carefully his repertoire. Just a couple of months ago he canceled a Manon that was suppossed to take place at El Liceu in Barcelona. He came forward and published a video saying that when he accepted the offer to sing the role he thought that his voice might be going more lyrical with the years but that he was wrong and couldn't sing Des Grieux (Massenet's, of course). I was surprised by this show of genuine honesty. And it's precisely because of this that I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that he keeps singing Edgardo after Edgardo. Also, Duca di Mantonva, Roméo and Alfredo. Those are clearly the roles that are ruining his wonderful instrument but he just cannot seem to be able to let go of them. I've always admired Pietro Spagnoli for actually staying true to his voice and capabilities. Since when is it a problem to stick to the light repertoire? We end up with abominations such as Kunde. I really hope that he takes action and goes back to his true repertoire and preserves his voice for a very long time. It is a beautiful instrument and he's not that old yet. He's at a crossroads right now where many choose to go down the dramatic path and end up being a complete mockery of what they sounded like in their youths. Let's just hope for the best.

[@Vivi16392]

when we think about bell canto roles like Nemorino and Edgardo, we forget that these are light roles , bell canto writing demands a legato/creamy and expressive middle , it doesn't need to be loud by any means , but beautiful and expressive ,,,,, some singers are not trained to produce a beautiful mid-voice ,,,,, which should always be part of the training anyway ,,,,, Kamarena unfortunately never had the middle ,,,,,,, in the cadenza of the aria in this , without any orquestra we can not hear middle notes at all ,,,,,, ideally at this point he should sing only recitals and Rossini ,,,,,

[@downfromkentuckeh]

​@@Vivi16392yes but the second a tenor starts singing "creamy/expressive" In the middle, you guys practically castrate them for not shouting at the top of their lungs. Damned if you do,damned if you dont.

[@MegaSubconscious]

I heard Camarena in the same role in Paris last January and had the same impression as you. Unfortunately, the Lucia was Brenda Rae who had the exact same shortcomings as her tenor. It's funny how these days, tenori di grazia sing lyric tenor roles, lyric tenors sing spinto/dramatic tenor roles.... It's all out of sync. A classic case of this is Michael Fabiano who is praised for his Don José or his Mario but who sounds horrible. He even sings Calaf now... Anyway, if you ever hear him live, please tell us what you think.

[@ethan_udovich]

“Maybe he should have turned around while singing, and then his voice might have projected better.” Wow, I can’t say whether or not I agree because I’ve never heard this guy (Gil Kim) but gosh darn, that’s good, I’m gonna remember it! I have heard other singers to which this applies, sadly also in A houses.

[@enricodicapri]

Tante grazie, Afro.. Puoi fare un video su Michael Spyres??

[@abrahamclott5604]

I enjoyed his Nemorino at the Met this season very much.

[@ethan_udovich]

I heard Camarena sing Nadir in Les pêcheurs and I found his Je crois entendre moving. Very quiet orchestra in that aria but I thought, to his credit, at least at that time, that it fit well.

[@AfroPoli]

Thanks. Yes, he is not a bad singer per se, he just needs to sing the right rep!

[@falkfink]

Adela Zaharia's sister ramona is really good as well! She's a mezzo though, and certainly a real one. My favourite carmen today.

[@operadog2000]

10:39 to 10:44 It took her a couple of seconds to be in pitch.

[@AfroPoli]

It surely did.

[@oliverdelica2289]

It sounded reasonable in my opinion. I can give her a pass

[@operadog2000]

@@oliverdelica2289 Just an observation based upon the audiences verbal reaction.

[@ER1CwC]

I think part of the problem is that people see the words ‘bel canto’ and immediately think ‘light.’ It’s true that the orchestra tends to be smaller, but there is a range of voice types within it too. Thus you have Yoncheva singing Norma and Calleja singing Pollione. I heard Camerena as Ernesto and Florez in Comte d’Ory years ago, and they both sounded fine in those lighter roles, even if their approach is not to my taste.

[@ComteAnckarstrom]

Thanks as always...the best part the end indeed, lucky those who were able to listen this two gods on stage. By the way, I was once in a masterclass of Camarena and he was of no interest to me, besides he was unnecessarily rude with a pupil in my opinion. Singers should keep improving, knowing and exploring their instrument as Martin Muehle explains in your video, instead of giving classes when you obviously don't recognize your limitations and faults. Not everyone is able to teach, specially when you are not doing the things right. I can't understand this mania of the masterclasses no matter what...

[@jeffreymiller4814]

At 7’02” Camarena sings Lucia’s high C instead of Edgardo’s written high Eb. Moffo and Sills, both with Bergonzi, take the Edgardo high Eb while Bergonzi takes the C. Carreras and Caballé are among the very few who recorded it come scritto (in a recording with no interpolated high notes). I would not call Camarena’s musical choice an interpolation in that instance.

[@achmedmohamed4708]

Jeffrey Miller Giovanni Zenatello, the founder of the Verona festival, was the first tenor who sung a high C (do di petto). Before all tenors sung very high notes with falsetto. Verdi never wrote a high C. People should know that!

[@jeffreymiller4814]

@@achmedmohamed4708 it was Gilbert Duprez who sang the first high C from the chest. It was in Arnold’s stretta from William Tell and was long before Zenatello was even born. Rossini hated it, by the way. When Duprez once visited Rossini, the great composer told Duprez to leave his “do di petto” in the vestibule. This is all documented in Henry Pleasants’ book The Great Singers. .

[@achmedmohamed4708]

@@jeffreymiller4814 May be. I red that it was Zenatello. Not so important who was first. From the chest is wrong. The vibrations were made from the vocal cords. The sound is build in the head. The minimum of vibrations of the chest cannot be heared. Touch a deep bass on his chest, when he sings a deep C, and you will feel nothing.

[@tianshuren9599]

Always respect your channel and the honest opinion. Just curios, how today's opera industry work? How could that lots of the singers who don't know how to sing get the job at the famous houses?

[@AfroPoli]

Thank you. I cannot tell. From my experience, it all comes down to one factor: contacts. Find someone powerful (by whatever means suit you) who supports you, and it will be a lot easier. You have a really good voice, but singing alone won't get you anywhere - unless you prove to be exceptional and irreplaceable.

[@tianshuren9599]

@@AfroPoli Thank you for your nice words! Must figure it out how this works.

[@ibmicroapple9142]

@@tianshuren9599 Opera is in a terrible state in germany, that's why. If you speak german, I recommend the (free) documentary "Oper - das knallharte Geschäft". It deals with the topic of how opera singers made a name for themselves in germany. In that documentary Brigitte Fassbaender states that nowadays looks, image and fame tend to be more important to those in charge than talent, because they have no clue or just don't care anymore about what makes a good voice. If one has an album, fans, and is a little famous they get the job. Even though they may be mediocre singers - they "look young/good" and fitting for the role? Hired! Their voice is mostly irrelevant, they are treated like movie stars, not singers. Bernd Loebe, manager of the frankfurt opera also elaborated on german singing schools being in a bad state - If he held an audition and 20 singers from the US and 20 from germany would attend, he could hire 19 US singers and would have to reject 19 german singers. So theres little supply of good singers here and we have to resort to foreigners if we want the good ones. Many who failed in their singing career (for all the right reasons) delved into different operatic branches and now do teaching or the administrative stuff behind the scenes. These "impostors" are given responsibilities they shouldn't have because they know some people that others do not. The good teachers/singers/whatever already left long ago for more lucrative positions abroad (artist salaries are not really good in germany). So yeah, it mostly boils down to connections, looks and fame. A fitting analogy would be hollywood actors or modern day pop music artists. Talent is irrelevant once you know the right people or have a somewhat decent following. Personally I think one of the factors is also, that the mediocre performances are not receiving enough actual criticism. Claquers animating (deaf, i assume) elderly attendees to give standing ovations is my personal lowlight. I feel like a clown sitting in performances where everyone (who hasn't left yet) pretends it's been fabulous and claps for 10 minutes. No media outlet leaves bad remarks on bad performances anymore, instead they are praised and even critically acclaimed. I guess there is some money involved in that. No criticism -> no pressure to sack those in charge is what I think...

[@jeffreymiller4814]

@@ibmicroapple9142 your reply “hit the nail right on the head”. I especially liked your comments about criticism/audience reactions. I’m sometimes baffled at standing ovations for singers singing major lead roles in top A houses who would have LITERALLY been booed off the stage 40-50 years ago. In the 1971-72 Met season Mr. Bing could have cast Aïda 5 times from his current roster. Today they can’t even get one good cast from all over the world. I’ll just console myself these days with videos and recordings. Hélas! Thanks for your thoughtful and excellent post here.

[@tianshuren9599]

@@ibmicroapple9142 your explanation is also what I assume. Funny is, I read a artical about Rosa Ponselle's portrayed Carmen was a critical disaster, I wonder if those critic can live longer, would they praise the modern singer more than the great Rosa Ponselle or they would just kill themselves:D

[@jonasecke02]

Interesting, I'm going to see it on Saturday with Andrei Danilov replacing Villazon and G.E.Alcantara as Enrico. Fingers crossed! Have you listened to/seen them, if so, what do you think of them?

[@AfroPoli]

I haven't, actually. Please report!

[@jonasecke02]

@@AfroPoli My spontaneous, fresh thoughts: Alcantara has a pleasant timbre, a bit wobbly in the high tessitura (reminds me of Cappuccilli), voice is about the same size as Zaharias, his high notes carry well, but it sounds as if he presses the sound through his teeth, acting a little ridiculous and exaggerated, but fits the role. I would pay to see him again. Danilov also has a pleasant timbre, not too nasal, leaning towards full lyric instead of leggero, but the voice is a bit smaller than Alcantaras, he can however push a little. "Tu che a dio..." was sung very well. Conducting was awful. Too loud, no sensitivity, the only truly beautiful moments were the mad scene and the "Tu che a dio...". In most parts, the conductor seemed eager to drown out the singers. I would actually like to see all three principals again with a conductor who conducts for not against them. I was impressed with Zaharia. PS: I live in Leipzig and go to the opera there regularly and I have to say, that so far, I prefer the acoustics, ensemble, choir, conducting and productions over the DOB. They have excellent ensemble members like Alvaro Zambrano, Samantha Gaul, Jonathan Michie, Sejong Chang, Athanasia Zöhrer, Yajie Zhang and many others. PPS: I'm pretty sure, I saw you in the DOB on the way out after the Sunday 14th Manon Lescaut last month. You were in a conversation with someone, or else I would have introduced myself. Maybe next time, Cheers!

[@AfroPoli]

@@jonasecke02 Thanks for the review, very interesting, especially about Danilov. I did not know they had good forces in Leipzig (I once was offered a job there, but I was young and arrogant and turned it down, ha ha), maybe I'll go and attend a few performances. Next time you see me, come and say hello and let's have a chat!

[@user-mp5ts1em5b]

Hello, can I have a request on Artur Rucinski live performance review? I have really wondered how he sounds on live opera performances.

[@AfroPoli]

Yes… I’ve also wondered. There is a video out there of him singing Il balen in Naples, a telecast. He seems to sing it pretty well, but the audience’s reaction is very tame, very untypical for the San Carlo audience when confronted with good, heroic voices. Since then, I wondered.

[@user-mp5ts1em5b]

@@AfroPoli His Renato in Teatro Real sounded fantastic. I don’t like his phrasings though.

[@clefnoteproductions6695]

I heard Javier in Sonnambula at the Met and could hear him fine. Perhaps Lucia should be sung in smaller houses with a smaller orchestra. He's definitely better suited for Rossini, certain Bellini and Donizetti like Nemorino or Ernesto. The orchestration is different under the voices in those operas because they're comedies 😊

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

They say they're all microphoned at the Met.

[@simonbrown6441]

That note at 7:25 is a crime. Appalling. Tenors should follow Schippa’s lead. Although his self imposed limits were possibly a little strict. But God he was wonderful at what he did for a very long time.

[@Vivi16392]

absolutely agree, Nessus Dorma should never never never never pass by this voice ,,, it's a crime ,,,,, to his voice (which is valuable) and to the art form ,,,,, every famous singer at some point sings something a little heavier than their means ,,,, but Kamarena in Nessus Dorma goes a little too far.

[@javierboveaahis4467]

Cada vez me doy más cuenta que como D. Alfredo Kraus, ninguno hasta hoy.

[@absdyna]

The C# (Db?) in Tu Che A Dio is written optional. The Eb in the act I duet is also on the score, though the following high notes are not.

[@neilfunk1857]

The correct spelling of the baritone's voice seems to be Michael Bachtadze.

[@operaanimelover369]

Personally, I am glad that Rolando Villazon canceled his performances as Edgardo because the state of his voice is very much gone, done, and dusted with only a small semblance of lyricism intact. Going to this production of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, I watched this several times. I know it should have used more vibrance in the sets, but it was nice for what it was worth. I would have loved to see Adela Zaharia in this role because I have always found the timbre of her voice beautiful and she has a good technique to support her well. Is she in the same league as Graciela Pareto, Mercedes Capsir, Luisa Tetrazzini, Elvira de Hidalgo, Toti dal Monte, Lina Pagliughi, and Margherita Carosio as my favorite Lucias of all time? No, but Zaharia has a good instrument and knows how to use it well. Michael Bachtadze and Byung Gil Kim as Enrico and Raimondo respectively have flawed voices, but at least they have strong stage presences. Javier Camarena, while a very musical singing actor, has the tendency to croon and is not that vocally imposing to sing Edgardo. Thomas Ciluffo definitely shows promise as Arturo Bucklaw. I know I would have loved to see this for myself, but I have academic commitments that I could not leave to the wayside. Therefore, my tenure as a Master's in American Studies student at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin remains top of mind. Nevertheless, I still want to thank you for your astute remarks about Bachtadze as Enrico, Kim as Raimondo, Camarena as Edgardo, and Zaharia as Lucia. You are, as always, one of my favorite people to consult on KZbin when it comes to opera. Cheers, my good man.

[@tinkerwithstuff]

Interestingly. Villazon regularly speaks in German radio station "Klassikradio", like telling background story of an opera aria etc... His speaking voice does not sound healthy either, to me anyway. (on radio net, there is a stream for klassikradio . But I don't recall at what times of day one would hear him speak)

[@operaanimelover369]

@@tinkerwithstuff It is the consequence of Villazon pushing his natural lyric tenor voice to roles that he should not have sung in the first place. For someone like him who was a natural Nemorino, he ended up having a go at Edgardo, Don José, and Don Carlo. Worst of all, his technique was not really that sterling, and he paid the price for it.

[@cliffgaither]

@Antoni Matteo Garcia :: Yes ! He paid the price ! The price of giving everything for his art. Not holding back the feeling and emotion. Ok ! the heavy roles should not sacrifice a singer's voice, but he is a genuinely passionate tenor. He is the only tenor I have ever heard who sets Baroque tenor music on a truly dramatic level :: Vivaldi's _Erocole_ (sp.) was well-done.

[@draganvidic2039]

I thought Villazon stopped singing for good really long ago… 😝 Maybe wishful thinking.

[@oliverdelica2289]

I admire your ability and willingness to admit your mistake at calling Camarena a decent singer

[@Artiej0hn0]

The ludicrous libretto?! Compared to what?

[@belcanto7067]

Is there a possibility to get in touch with you?

[@AfroPoli]

Sure. Go to the channel, go on info. There you'll find an email address.

[@alejandrotm]

And to think that I have a performance to attend end 2023 of Camarena and Zaharia... not Lucia, it's Rigoletto, along with Ludovic Tezier in the title role. I guess Adela Zaharia will be a decent Gilda, but I fear now what I can get from Camarena as the Duke...

[@achmedmohamed4708]

This is a "far away recording". Recorded with which recorder? Beginning with 1976 I made much better close to stage recordings with my "wonder machine", extra made for me, UHER CR 240 with AKG high class microphones in Genova, Rome, Florenz, Parma, Milan, Venice, Munich, Vienna, Linz esp. with Siepi, Christoff and Kraus. I have more than 30.000 operas in my collection. And I must say that mine belong to the best I ever changed with collectors all over the world.

[@AfroPoli]

How great! Maybe you could share some of that great stuff you have recorded with the community. I am sure many would appreciate unknown recordings in great quality.

[@achmedmohamed4708]

@@AfroPoli I had changing contacts to very important collectors and minor ones. Still having the adresses of the collectors. Also a lot in Italy. I guess, most of them are already dead. I was every year 2-3 times in Italy esp. in Parma, Venice and Florence. The yesterdays tape changing costed a lot of time and money, because every recordings had to be copied in real time and on expensive tapes. Not in minutes like today with fast computers on sticks. After a lot of years I was frustated, because I nearly never got the good sound quality I sent to my collectors. Today everything is easier. A copy is in same quality like the original.

[@contraltissima]

I like the way you talk very much, AfroPoli ❤

[@AfroPoli]

Haha, thank you! 😊

[@contraltissima]

@@AfroPoli now I have seen your Interview with Martin. You are a singer too and you have a very nice personality, one can hear it when you talk. At least a musicians ear like mine. Its a pity you do not sing, but I understand, for nice personalities the opera business is a very not nice environment, lets say it this way. All the best 😘

[@AfroPoli]

@@contraltissima Thank you again. What you say is true, though. The business is not very nice, and nice people usually don't survive.

[@krajncrocky]

Can u do Klaus Florian Vogt,Kaufmann Maybe?

[@draganvidic2039]

Not really necessary… 😜

[@cristianionita8359]

Great video, it's always a pleasure to listen to your commentary. I liked Zaharia in the recordings you presented - although I might be biased as I am Romanian myself. Camarena, on the other hand, has never been among my favorites. Typical constricted modern "tenor" with a bland timbre, in my opinion.

[@gaystorylines]

Well... You should have seen Juan Diego Florez in the same role one month ago at La Scala in Milan... He sounded like a second-rate tenor. His singing was good but I barely could hear his voice. In 2015 at La Scala he sang Jago in Rossini's Othello and his voice was brilliant. That's too bad

[@AfroPoli]

Yeah. I mean, the DOB is 1.800 seats, La Scala is even bigger if I remember correctly. Flores voice is no bigger than Camarena's. So, no surprise here. The role of Edgardo is too big for a tenore di grazia, punto e basta.

[@Vivi16392]

when we think about bell canto roles like Nemorino and Edgardo, we forget that these are light , but bell canto writing demands a middle that should sound legato/creamy and expressive at almost all times , it doesn't need to be loud by any means , but beautiful and expressive ,,,,, some singers are not trained to produce a beautiful mid-voice , which should always be part of the training anyway ,,,,, Kamarena unfortunately never had the middle ,,,,,,, in the cadenza of the aria in this , without any orquestra we can not hear middle notes at all ,,,,,, ideally at this point he should sing only chamber recitals and Rossini ,,,,,

[@jesusmunoz2400]

Un tenor con buena técnica pero su voz no es apropiada para este papel , le falta cuerpo a su voz.

[@SilfredoSerrano]

I've heard him live. It's not tiny. However, within that there are still limitations. He sang Romeo et Juliette aria and it was splendid.

[@SilfredoSerrano]

I do think he should not sing Edgardo, but that's just my opinion.

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

Isn't it? Compared with what?

[@TheYu87]

Pippoooooo!

[@Operaandchant90]

Announcing you are sick, or apologising for it, it something you learn not to do in... first year university. Houses announcing that people are sick is like bad amateur theatre. It probably has been happening for some time, even rewinding into the golden age. One still should not do it.

[@nskull9368]

Ideally a singer would not sing sick as it is a risk on the instrument but you do not get paid if you do not sing so singers announce sickness so that audience members and critics do not judge harshly.

[@gabrielgabriel8096]

Pura Parodia de lo que es o debería de ser una Verdadera Voz Operística/Teatral... Lo digo tanto Vocalmente como Dramáticamente. Una Parodia. Camerana o Flórez están bien, muy bien, para cantar canciones latinoamericanas. Y lo saben hacer realmente bello. Pero esas voces No son voces para cantar Ópera. Lo siento. El mismo "concepto" del cual parten es por completo erróneo... Un fraude..., para quien desee pagarlo. Una voz que es sobrepasada por la orquesta de Donizetti..., no es una voz para cantar Ópera. Punto. Y basta.

[@laprimmadonna2341]

Absolutamente cierto. Saludos cordiales.

[@paullewis2413]

Let’s face it. The age of great opera singing has long past. There are only today, from what I have heard, only a handful of singers who can maybe nearly match the best of the past. In answer to a question, Maria Callas rightly predicted the decline not long before her premature death. “Oh yes, opera is a dying art”

[@jasonstearns2666]

As usual, your comments on the various singers is spot on. The poor tenor....belting...this way of attempting to sing opera is always futile. The sound is small and nasal...and raspy and tired.

[@Mariano-ge6de]

No me gusta Villazón nada y Camarena no tiene cualidades para Edgardo, pero Pippo está totalmente fuera de estilo imprimiendo tanto dramatismo a este papel. Pippo tuvo una voz bella pero pésima tecnica y declive rápido. No se puede mitificar tanto a un tenor simplemente por tener una voz bella y ser del pasado.

[@joaquimcevallosmorales8944]

Di Stefano also lost his voice by singing like this - definitely impressive but not the solution!