Salvatore Licitra gave a recital of opera arias on December 14th at the Broward Center for the performing arts in Fort Lauderdale Florida. The Festival Symphony Orchestra very ably conducted by Eugene Kohn accompanied the Sicilian tenor. The orchestra also played several instrumental selections from Italian operas – most notably a rousing reading of Verdi's Sicilian Vespers overture.

 Dr Neil Kurtzman

Licitra's voice has improved considerably since I first heard him a year ago. It is even bigger than earlier and his high notes are now free and ringing. There was a collective recoil by the audience when "Se quel guerrier io fossi!" (the recitative preceding "Celeste Aida") began his program. The size of the voice was amazing. Its timbre in the low and mid range is dark and baritonal. His top is free, focused, and easily produced. The only comparison is with Mario Del Monaco.

Del Monaco's voice was like a rocket. It shot through the house, but it didn't have the resonance that Licitra's has. I'm not yet ready to declare Licitra Del Monaco's equal on the basis of two performances and a mediocre recital disc, but it's possible that he may rise to that level. Big tenor voices mature late. Del Monaco, Tucker, and Corelli were at their best in their forties. Licitra is still learning the standard spinto Italian repertory. I expect him to continue to improve over the next five years.

In addition to the Aida aria, Mr Licitra sang "Questa o quella" from Rigoletto, "Ah, la paterna mano" from Macbeth, and "Forse la soglia attinse" from Un Ballo in Maschere. He began the second half of his recital with "Nessun dorma" from Turandot. I don't recall a tenor ever placing that aria at the start of a program segment, but he sang it very well. I also don't recall a tenor including "Tra voi belle" from Manon Lescaut in any part of a recital, but there it was – again well sung. Tosca's "E lucevan le stele" is a little light for a very big voice, but muscular tenors have managed it successfully. Licitra gave a passionate reading of the aria. His scheduled program concluded with the "Improvviso" from Andrea Chenier. Licitra has the ideal voice for the part. His singing of the aria was powerful and filled with ardent intensity.

He sang three encores – "Non ti scordar di me" and "Torna a Surriento" by De Curtis. They were separated by "Ch'ella mi Creda" from La Fanciulla Del West. He told the audience in fluent English that Dick Johnson is a new role for him, that he is still learning it, and that he will sing it at the Met in two years.

If you only know Licitra's voice from recordings, you don't know it. First, he's gotten a lot better since he made them. Second his voice is so large that its impact can only be experienced live. He is a true dramatic (not merely a spinto) Italian tenor – only the second I've ever heard, Del Monaco was the other. Licitra's voice is not quite as dark as Del Monaco's, though it may be even bigger. The program notes listed 12 new roles he's adding to his repertoire, conspicuous by its absence is Otello. With his voice Otello is an inevitable challenge. I think he has all the equipment needed for the Mount Everest of tenor roles. About the only negative I can say about the performance is that vocal agility is not Licitra's strong suit, but one doesn't really expect that from a supertanker.

Now to the persona – I haven't seen anything like it since the prime of you know who. First there was the full page picture of the tenor neck deep in pool of the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach published in the Miami Herald. It predicted his stage deportment which was larger than even operatic life and as outgoing as a snowman with coal eyes and a carrot nose. He strolled onto the stage reeking of relaxed confidence. He knew he was really on that night. I think he knew it when he was in the pool in the Eden Roc. He joked with audience between numbers, injected himself with an imaginary hypodermic when he wanted to indicate that his next number needed a lot of energy, said "See ya later" when he left the stage after Nessun dorma, and signed autographs while taking bows. The audience reacted to his extraordinary voice and equally extraordinary stage presence with wild enthusiasm. They were completely captivated by the combination of a unique voice and a knock-out personality. They spent much of the evening on their feet carrying on like only a bunch of opera nuts can.

It's been 25 years since I last saw Pavarotti in recital. His demeanor was introverted by comparison to that of the diminutive Sicilian with the voice of a lion. Keep your fingers crossed.