Interview, 01/2002: Roberto SACCÀ, Roberto Sacca on Mozart and Verdi

Roberto Saccà
on Mozart and Verdi:

Der Merker: Now comes your debut at the Vienna State Opera as Alfredo, which has been awaited with great pleasure.

Saccà: In view of the fact that at this present moment in my career I am concentrating on the young Verdi with lyrical orientation (Alfredo, Duca) and Mozart (D.Ottavio, Tamino; Belmonte, Ferrando), the expressive, passionate Verdi cantilena, based massively on the vocal line, is in contrast with the disciplined, sometimes even somewhat introverted Mozart cantilena. With Verdi, you have to enrich the emotional level with personal impetus. The base has been prepared in musical terms by Verdi, e.g. "cantabile", "dolce" in "Lunge da lei" and "Parmi veder", but "Oh mio rimorso" and "Possente amor" as "espressivo/eroico". In Mozart this impetus is already written into the notes and the difficulty consists of enriching with one's own colouring the level of sentiment composed with such virtuosity. In Mozart, the musical corset is, of course, extremely tight, however, I really do believe that - for me - this discipline can be transferred to the Verdi parts, indeed it even supports and enriches me.

Der Merker: You sang your first Alfredo as long ago as 1999 in Cologne with sensational success as well as now at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.

Saccà: Following on from Fenton, Alfredo was my second Verdi part and I am very happy to have worked on this role then with M° Allemandi and Günter Krämer. The basic idea was, of course, to play Alfredo as a fresh and loving young man but who runs aground in this "side-glance demi-monde" because of his middle-class, narrow-minded mentality. My Violetta was the wonderful Victoria Loukianetz, who, as I have heard, also celebrated triumphs here in Vienna. Following on from Vienna and Berlin, I shall be singing Alfredo amongst others under M° Mehta and with Gallardo-Domas at the Bavaraian State Opera and in Berlin.

Der Merker: Has Alfredo become your favourite role?

Saccà: Well, just look, Alfredo has wonderful duets above all, which have become unforgettable hits such as for example "Brindisi", "Un di felice", "Parigi o cara" and the aria "Lunge da lei" already mentioned" and I very much enjoy singing this part but my favourite role at present is the Duca di Mantova.

Der Merker: Why?

Saccà: For an Italian the Duca is assuredly song and Italian joie de vivre personified, i.e. this part demands all the facets of the art of singing. This ranges from lyrical moments in the duet with Gilda, from the grace and legerity of the flow of singing in "Questa o quella" and "La donna è mobile", through to the centrally located "Parmi veder" and the heroic Cabaletta which follows, to name but a very few examples. The voice has to reflect the character of the Duca, at one time connoisseur and man of power, then seducer, lover and sensual being. That is why it is such a great honour for me to have been invited by the Scala in Milan to sing this part in 2002.

Anton Cupak met the tenor in Zurich ("Der Neue Merker" Jan. 2002)