It pains me to say it, but I took a dim view of tenor Vittorio Grigòlo when he appeared on the scene in 2006 with his debut album, In the Hands of Love, a crossover project that packaged him as a studio performer of sentimental pop songs. He sang a duet with Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls; Simon Cowell recruited him for Il Divo. While he seemed destined for success, his music was just not that interesting for classical music fans.
But the intervening years have proved me wrong. With each successive album (there have been five), Grigòlo has shown himself to be a complete artist who backs up his alluring voice with prodigious dramatic instincts. His record label, Sony Classical, has wisely supported Grigòlo in purely classical/operatic projects, at which he excels.
His 2010 release, The Italian Tenor, found Grigòlo in top form singing a selection of arias by compatriots Verdi, Puccini and Donizetti.
On his newest album, The Romantic Tenor, streaming above until May 20, Grigòlo sings the most popular arias from French operas by Gounod, Massenet and Bizet, many of which he has performed live to great acclaim.
He made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2010 singing opposite Anna Netrebko in a new production of Massenet's Manon. The Guardian described it as "the most sensational debut to be heard at Covent Garden for some time. He's got everything the role demands — a voice that flows, terrific looks, an instinctive sense of theatre."
Netrebko isn't the only famous prima donna to share the stage of the Royal Opera House with Grigòlo. He sang alongside Angela Gheorghiu in its 2011 production of Gounod's Faust. His arias from Manon and Faust are highlights of his new album.
Grigòlo has a celebrity's knack for making headlines. He sang in the history-making April 5 broadcast of Puccini's La Bohème, live from the Metropolitan Opera, when soprano Kristina Opolais agreed to sing the role of Mimì at the last minute, unrehearsed, having sung Madama Butterfly on the same stage just 12 hours previously. The performance was electric; clearly Grigòlo thrives on this kind of adrenaline.
If you thrive on Grigòlo's passionate singing, preorder The Romantic Herohere.
Listen to Heppner’s Opera Gems stream.