Tenors
Gianfranco Rota / La fille du régiment / Donizetti Opera Festival
Tenors
Gianfranco Rota / La fille du régiment / Donizetti Opera Festival

Tenors

Tenors in opera frequently take the leading male role; they are said to always get the girl - on and off stage! The tenor’s vocal range goes from the C below middle C to the C above middle C. Striking these high notes crisply and cleanly is a challenge for many tenors.

While tenors may all share the same vocal range, the quality of their voices in the lower and upper ends of that range can differ. Some tenor voices float and are more comfortable singing high notes while others are heavier and so more expressive lower down.

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Teatro Real
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Tosca
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E lucevan le stelle

‘E lucevan le stelle’ (‘And the stars were shining’) is a romantic aria from the third act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca from 1900. It is sung by Mario Cavaradossi (tenor Joseph Calleja), a painter in love with the singer Tosca, while he waits for his execution on the roof of Castel Sant'Angelo.

Andrea Chénier
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Andrea Chénier
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L'improvviso

Tenor Gregory Kunde sings ‘Colpito qui m’avete… Un dì all’azzurro spazio’ – also called the ‘Improvviso’ – from Giordano's opera Andrea Chénier at Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

Copyright
Teatro Regio Torino
Extract
Turandot
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Nessun Dorma

Act III. Calaf (Jorge de León) has correctly solved Princess Turandot's three riddles. Now he must anxiously wait for the sun to rise, hoping that she does not discover his real name before then. If she does, then he will be killed. But if she does not, then Turandot will be his forever. Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda and directed by Stefano Poda.

William Tell
Copyright
Pat Redmond
Extract
William Tell
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Asile héréditaire

Konu Kim sings ‘Asile héréditaire’ from Rossini's opera William Tell.

Aida Celeste
Copyright
Markus Gårder
Extract
Aida
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Celeste Aida

Act I. Radamès (Ivan Defabiani) hopes to be chosen to command the Egyptian army against Ethiopia. He longs to return victorious, proving himself worthy of both the King's praise and Aida's love. Conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi and directed by Michael Cavanagh.

Copyright
Erik Berg | The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet
Extract
Tosca
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E lucevan le stelle

'E lucevan le stelle' ('And the stars were shining') is a romantic aria from the third act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca from 1900. It is sung by Mario Cavaradossi (Daniel Johansson), a painter in love with the singer Tosca, while he waits for his execution on the roof of Castel Sant'Angelo.

Tenor
Feature

Four types of tenor

Tenors in opera frequently take the leading male role; they are said to always get the girl - on and off stage! The tenor’s vocal range goes from the C below middle C to the C above middle C. Striking these high notes crisply and cleanly is a challenge for many tenors.