The passion of opera
Tenor Hotheads and the Women They Love
All things theatrical are about telling a story and the most common story line in opera is of course a love story. The relationships in opera are dramatic and tragic, a real cross section of human flaws and virtues. Being a tenor I have had to get into the minds of the characters I had to portray. The characters are young men who are at the height of their hormonal energy. The chemical cocktail of hormones, a strong and youthful physical body and heightened sensitivity to jealousy, desire, anger and passionate love make for a volatile youth.
Tenors are usually Princes, Knights, Leutenants or Dons who are strong, good looking and daring. Tenors are risk takers, they fight dragons, they make bad decisions, they commit 100% to their woman or a cause and have a sort of flawed integrity about them. Another common tenor role is the poor artist, who sacrifices all for a cause and his art. Sometimes a bit weak on the surface but very strong at the core.
Tenors are murderers, as Don Jose in Carmen or Faust at hand of the Devil. Throwing themselves into a bad situation and acting poorly all for the right reasons and dying because of it are common to the tenor.
The tenor is the voice type that rides above the rest and falls the fastest. A tenor is a thoroughbred who is temperamental and easily excitable. Tenors don’t sneak into a scene, tenors take the scene.
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