I don’t spend a lot of time listening to disks of opera arias.  I’s music I much prefer live and in context but right now a dose of good old fashioned verismo tenoring is very welcome!  Piotr Beczala’s new CD Vincerò absolutely delivers it.  There’s a reason this guy (normally) spends his time commuting between Vienna, Zurich, Salzburg and New York with the odd side trip to Bayreuth.  He’s the real deal.  There’s power to burn allied to control and proper ringing high notes.  His diction is excellent too.  There are no unnecessary histrionics, just top class delivery.

The disk is a verismo pops compilation.  All the big Puccini tenor arias are there with some Cilea, Giodarno, Mascagni and Leoncavallo thrown in.  It’s absolutely solid from the opening two arias from Tosca to a triumphant “Nessun Dorma” to close.  He gets great support from Marco Boemi and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana.  Mezzo soprano Evgeniya Khomutova joins in on “Mamma, quel vino è generoso” from Cavalleria Rusticana and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana plays its part effecively effectively where required.

The album was recorded at the lovely Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia, Spain, in October 2019 and faithfully (or about as near as one can) captures the opera house sound.  Documentation is very comprehensive including full texts and translations.

All in all, it really leaves me wanting to hear this guy live which is what an album like this should do!