Artist of the Week: Piotr Beczała

Polish Tenor Makes Long-Awaited Arena di Verona Debut

By Francisco Salazar

This week, Piotr Beczała returns to Italy for his highly anticipated debut at the Arena di Verona.

The Polish tenor, who is one of the most acclaimed singers of his generation has not performed at any major Italian theater since 2013; the tenor noted 10 years ago that he would not return to Italy after he was booed at the Teatro alla Scala during opening night.

Now, Italian audiences will finally get to see him in two of his signature roles. First, Beczała will sing the role of the Duke in “Rigoletto” and then as Don José in “Carmen,” which he debuted in Vienna in 2022. Regarding his turn as the Duke OperaWire has noted, “Beczała displayed warmth and passionate phrases with his voice.” He has also been hailed for his Don Jose, with critics spotlighting his “intelligent pacing, pure lyricism and fine musicality.”

And for audiences not in Verona for his Don Jose, Beczała is set to perform the role at the Metropolitan Opera later in December. He is also set to return to Paris for his signature “Lohengrin.”

Recording

For audiences interested in hearing Beczała’s Duke, the tenor has three recordings of “Rigoletto,” two from the Met and another from Zurich. Here is a look at those performances.

He also has a recording of Carmen from his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper.

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Artist of the Week