Marcelo Álvarez
[6][7] He then performed in Federico Moreno Torroba's zarzuela Luisa Fernanda[8] with Ismael Pons at the Teatro Avenida in Buenos Aires, a venue that features mostly that uniquely Spanish form of musical theater.
These early performances enabled him to cultivate his voice and acting skills, and with the confidence he gained from those beginning experiences and the enthusiastic encouragement from di Stefano and Pavarotti, he and his wife decided to sell everything they owned and move to Europe to expand his opportunities for a career as an opera singer.
As a result of his rising popularity and enthusiastic critical praise,[14] Álvarez was engaged to appear at high-visibility venues throughout the world from the very start of his career.
He also performed La traviata with Ruth Ann Swenson at the Théâtre antique d'Orange in Orange, France and with Christina Gallardo-Domas at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1999.
Multiple productions of Rigoletto followed over the next three years in Toulouse, Verona, Buenos Aires, Brussels (a June 1999 performance at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie that was televised live throughout Europe[18]), New York, and Paris.
As a result, Álvarez made his London debut in a concert of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix at the Royal Albert Hall in November of that year.
The songs on this album, originally recorded by Gardel before his early death in 1935, are among the oldest tangos and have a classical foundation, having been inspired by the music of Chopin, Brahms and Schumann.
In January 2001, Álvarez sang his first American recital at the Folly Theater[23] in Kansas City presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series which is noteworthy for introducing new singing talent to North America.
In the autumn of 2001, Álvarez portrayed the Duke in Scottish director David McVicar's new production of Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House in London with Italian baritone Paolo Gavanelli and German soprano Christine Schäfer.
[citation needed] He performed in another McVicar production in 2009, this time in Verdi's Il trovatore at the Met with Sondra Radvanovsky, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Dolora Zajick.
[25] In June 2003, Álvarez and Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra released Duetto, a collection of romantic ballads based on opera arias and other classical melodies, some of which were composed specifically for them to sing.
In addition to those already mentioned, he performed opposite American soprano Renée Fleming in 2001 in Massenet's Manon at the L’Opéra de la Bastille in Paris[28] and at the Met in 2005.
Álvarez happily reports that the audience took home their tomatoes intact, choosing not to throw them at him when he gave a performance that met their high standards.
[30] The following month he made his role debut as Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca at the Royal Opera House in London, performing with Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu and Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel.
He continued in the role of Cavaradossi at the Arena di Verona with Fiorenza Cedolins and bass-baritone Ruggero Raimondi[31] in a new large-scale production by Argentine director Hugo de Ana.
His original debut as Rodolfo in Verdi's Luisa Miller was in London in 2003, with further performances over the next five years in Madrid, Parma[33] and Valencia, Spain in 2008 with Greek soprano Alexia Voulgaridou.
[34] Álvarez opened the 2009-2010 season of the Met as Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, co-starring with soprano Karita Mattila and baritone George Gagnidze.
[37] October 11, 2015 marked Álvarez's first appearance on the West coast of the United States, between performances in Turandot at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House.
He had a vision for expanding audiences for the opera via multiple platforms, including the bold concept of broadcasting live performances in high-definition video to theaters and venues throughout the world.
