Alfredo Daza returns to the Palace of Fine Arts after seven years of absence

That Mexico is a great exporter of opera singers is not entirely true, according to the baritone Alfredo Daza. The truth, I don’t think we are so manyhe maintains to question an idea that has been strengthened for several decades.

In Mexico we like to say that we are great singers’ exporters, but if we count how many Russians there are in the opera houses in the world, with everything and that they are vetoed, we would see that reality is another. The same goes for Americans and Koreans, to mention other nationalities. The truth is that we are not so many Mexicans.

Back in the country to alternate with the Connational Jorge Lagunes the leading role of the new production of Rigolettoby Giuseppe Verdi, which will present the National Opera Company (CNO) at the Palace of Fine Arts as of today, the poblano singer highlights that the vocal tesiture predominantly at an international scale among Latin American interpreters is tenor.

In our case, consider, It has to do with the characteristics of the Mexican: it is short neck and not very high. In the end, they are things that influence the instrument that is oneself. Not being of great stature, the tenor has been one of the products that Mexico exports.

With about 30 years of experience, which will meet next year, and recognized as one of the most important Mexican voices on international scale, Alfredo Daza speaks of the hard competition that is at the international level for his vocal tesiture.

Being baritone is having a very strong competition, because the abundance of operatic voices, always makes us at a disadvantage: we are six to one. That is, for every seven singers, six are baritones and one tenor, in the case of menhe explains.

It is a brave competition, but there have already been other Mexican baritones that have made honorable races. It is very difficult, but they are the letters that touched me and with those game.

In an interview, he assures that he finds the most interesting tesiture and baritone development than those of the tenor: I love being the villain, the best friend; Have to go with being coast. This is this world of lyric art.

For example, he mentions that, even when the opera is called Rigolettothe most anticipated is the aria The woman is mobilesung by a tenor. It is a reality and one of the things that entails being a singer of this genre. We are more than accustomed to that inequality, but they are the letters that touched me, I insist, and I enjoy them.

Duck: I love being baritone. The competition belongs to all flavors and I do my thing. I always try to do it not only from the heart and the honest side, but be superb also and face everything with great responsibility.

Born in 1976, Alfredo Daza returns to the Palace of Fine Arts after seven years of absence. The most recent occasion made history by starring in two consecutive titles: Macbeth y Stiffelioin 2018.

Now it reaches this Rigoletto of the cno with the character of that legendary jester still warm In the throat, after debuting it a year ago at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden de Berlin, in an acclaimed putting the American Bartlett Sher, sharing credits with the Russian soprano Aida Garifullina as Gilda.

The baritone tells that he had to wait a long time for that role and that arrived at the right time. “I was aware of the great difficulties of this role; in fact, it was offered me years ago, when it was not yet time. I had to decline the invitation out of respect, because I knew the character well.

Thank God I had experience before with 12 other Verdian roles. Thus I became aware of how difficult it can be and what is required. It was a great decision to wait. It is basic for a singer who aspires to a long career knowing how not and recognizing when the time is.

In his opinion, Rigoletto’s role is one of the cusps of the Verdian Baritonal Tesiture, next to Macbeth, Yago and Falstaff. They are the most difficult, because they are true vocal marathons. There is a lot of energy and acting requirement.

Tour de force exhausting

Daza describes that the protagonist of this opera is distinguished by having many colors and nuances in vocal and acting terms: “Bufo begins and then acquires a more serious and dark tesiture (…) is a unfortunate being who knows pure love, but also hate and feeling of revenge.”

One of the challenges of this role is its physical position. Being a hunchback, it affects breathing, which is essential for song. After each trial, one ends exhausted, in addition to the emotional load is also densepoints out.

“With this opera, Verdi reached the border between the belly and romanticism, and the following is already glimpsed: the verism. It’s a tour de force exhausting.”

Alfredo Daza describes this superactual work, when dealing with issues such as abuse of power, femicides, disappearances and cancellationas censorship is called today. Remember that Verdi and Franceso Maria Piave, the librettist, were inspired by Victor Hugo’s drama The king has funbut they adapted him to the censorship he received, changing to the characters from Triboulet by Rigoletto and the king for the Duke of Mantua.

With the scenic direction of the Mexican Enrique Singer and concerter of the Frenchman Benjamín Pionnier, the cast of Rigoletto It is headed by Alfredo Daza and Jorge Lagunes; Arturo Chacón-Cruz and Leonardo Sánchez, such as the Duke of Mantua, and Leticia de Altamirano and Genesis Moreno, such as Gilda, alternating the functions, which begin today and continue on the days 11, 13, 15 and 18.