
In Less Than Five Minutes, Get To Know – Tenor Jorge Navarro Colorado
By Alan Neilson(Photo: Alciro Theodoro Da Silva)
At the end of February, start of March this year, the Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe is presenting a Händel festival, which includes productions of “Rinaldo,” and “Siroe, Re di Persia,” among many other events.
During a recent performance of “Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria” in Ravenna, OperaWire met up with Spanish tenor Jorge Navarro Colorado, who will be playing the role of Goffredo in the festival’s production of “Rinaldo,” for a quick chat.
OperaWire: What was the first opera performance you attended?
Jorge Navarro Colorado: “Le Nozze di Figaro” at Covent Garden. I was 23 years old.
OW: What were your initial impressions?
JNC: I remember thinking, “how do they sing like that?”
OW: What two adjectives best describe your voice.
JNC: Round and agile.
OW: How old were you when you made your first professional appearance on stage?
JNC: I was 29. I was part of the chorus in Rossini’s “Armida” at Garsington.
OW: What was your first solo role?
JNC: Gastone in “La Traviata” for Scottish Opera.
OW: Yesterday evening you performed the role of Anfinome in Monteverdi’s “Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria.” Can you give me two adjectives to describe his character?
JNC: Pompous and Ambitious.
OW: How would you describe the audience’s reaction to the performance?
JCN: Very positive, very enthusiastic. There was a lot of cheering at the curtain call.
OW: What quality in Monteverdi’s music do you most appreciate?
JNC: I like the way he portrays the rhythm of the text. It is almost spoken, but his music is able to enhance it.
OW: Of the roles you have played to date, which is your favorite?
JNC: Berengario in Händel’s “Lotario.” It was my first major Händel role.
OW: Which character that you have not yet essayed, would you most like to play?
JNC: Jupiter from Händel’s “Semele.”
OW: Which role would you like to play, but have no chance of ever doing so?
JNC: The Queen of the Night.
OW: What is your favorite piece of non-classical music?
JNC: “Rent,” the musical. I wanted to sing in it.
OW: At the present time, it would be fair to say that you specialize in the baroque. Do you see yourself moving into other areas?
JNC: Absolutely. My voice is developing nicely, and I am happy to go wherever it takes me. I am always open to new things.
OW: What characteristics do you most appreciate in a stage director?
JNC: That they are open and flexible during the rehearsal process. That they listen to the singers. I don’t like directors who arrive with a fixed idea and follow it regardless or arrive without an idea at all.
OW: Would you like to sing contemporary opera?
JNC: As a singer, I feel I have a duty to perform music that is being written today.
OW: What is the best book you have read?
JNC: “Fortunata y Jacinta” by Benito Perés Galdós
OW: Who is your favorite painter?
JNC: Joaquin Sorolla. A Spanish artist from Valencia.
OW: Where would you most like to go on holiday?
JNC: Mexico. I could combine the culture, the food and the beaches.
OW: If you were not born in this era, when would you have liked to have lived?
JCN: During the time of Händel, say the 1730s. I would have loved to have seen performances of his operas during that period. I feel so at home with his music.
OW: What is your favorite film?
JCN: “Emilie.” It makes me feel good. She depicts innocence and the good in everyone. She sees the world in a different way from the majority which makes her so endearing.
OW: Your next role will be Goffredo in Händel’s “Rinaldo.” What two adjectives best describe his character?
JNC: Authoritative and Benevolent.
OW: If I was talking to you again in 15 years time, what would you like to be able to say about your career up to that point?
JNC: That it has carried on in the same way as it is now.
I have no interest in, say, singing Rodolfo at The Met. I came to singing late and my aim was to make a living from singing. Anything else will be a bonus.