In a city that knows a thing or two about showmanship — from honky-tonks to the Stock Show — the Fort Worth Opera is setting the stage this fall for something more intimate: a single evening with Jonathan Tetelman, one of the most talked-about tenors in the world.
On Oct. 10, inside the 700-seat Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, Tetelman will walk out with nothing but a pianist, a program of songs, and a voice critics have called “a major talent” (Opera News) and “the future” (Salzburger Nachrichten). For an artist who spends most of his time filling the grand opera houses of Europe, it is a rare chance to hear him up close, the kind of proximity that makes a recital feel less like spectacle and more like communion.
“In America, it’s hard to put together a cross-country touring schedule as we don’t have that grassroots popularity, where every city and town has an opera house,” Tetelman explained. “But Fort Worth stands apart there. It’s not the biggest city in Texas, but it’s home to the state’s oldest opera company. There’s a real sophistication here — and I’m thrilled we could put this event together with Fort Worth Opera.”
The Chilean-born, New Jersey–raised singer does not often find himself in the United States these days. Germany is his home base, and his next American stops after Fort Worth will be Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. But Texas’s oldest opera company managed to tempt him south for its 80th anniversary season.
The program he has chosen makes good on that promise of intimacy: Italian songs by Tosti, Spanish favorites like “Granada” and “No puede ser,” a few Puccini arias heard without orchestral firepower, and even Nino Rota’s “Parla più piano,” better known as the love theme from “The Godfather.” It is music that asks for nuance, softness that might be swallowed up in a larger hall.
At the piano will be Michael Recchiuti, a longtime mentor whose career has seen collaborations with stars as wide-ranging as Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams.
“Michael and I have done a lot of behind-the-scenes work together — he prepared me for several of the roles I’m touring now,” Tetelman said. “I’ve wanted to collaborate with him in performance for a long time, so when this opportunity came up, he was my first call.”
Of course, the recital is only part of the evening. Once the final note fades, the company will cross campus to the Music Center Orchestra Hall for Dinner with the Stars, a separately ticketed celebration hosted by Director Emeritus Joe Illick, according to a release.
The night doubles as a reunion: dramatic tenor Clifton Forbis, a Met regular and now head of voice at SMU, will sing, as will mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche, who stole the show last season in “La Cenerentola.” The company’s young resident artists will join them, performing highlights from across eight decades of Fort Worth Opera history.
For Angela Turner Wilson, the company’s general and artistic director, the opening night strikes a balance between tradition and boldness.
“If you know Jonathan Tetelman’s recordings or you’ve been lucky to hear him on a grand stage, you understand that any performance he makes is unmissable,” Turner Wilson said. “In recital, he brings that same power and warmth, but with a rare connection to the room. People are going to be talking about this event for a long time — but there are only 700 seats in the theater. This is your chance to be one of the few who can say, ‘I was there.’”
For tickets and information, visit fwopera.org.
