NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� When tenor Xabier Anduaga first auditioned for Riccardo Frizza, the conductor recalls that 鈥渉e opened his mouth, and after two notes I understood I was in front of something special. It鈥檚 one of the voices you find every 15 or 20 years.鈥�
Peter Gelb, the general manager, listened in astonishment when Anduaga made his house debut two season ago: 鈥淚 was quite frankly blown away by his sound.鈥�
Anduaga has become a star throughout Europe at age 30, when many tenors are just starting to make their mark.
Now, he has introduced himself to American audiences in a big way, headlining the Met鈥檚 of Bellini鈥檚 bel canto masterpiece 鈥淟a Sonnambula,鈥� which runs through Nov. 1.
Anduaga stars opposite soprano Nadine Sierra, with Frizza conducting. The Oct. 18 performance was broadcast live in HD to movie theaters around the world.
To be sure, it鈥檚 an opera where the soprano gets the last word 鈥� and in Sierra鈥檚 case a rare high F 鈥� but Anduaga holds his own next to .
鈥淗is tenor flows in endless legato, capable of thinning to a silken thread or blooming into ringing, plush fortissimos,鈥� Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim wrote in her New York Times review.
From boy soprano to star tenor
Anduaga grew up in San Sebastian, Spain, where he started singing as a child.
鈥淲e have a big tradition of chorus and amateur music in the Basque Country,鈥� Anduaga said. He began as a boy soprano in church when he was 7, and at age 10 joined the Orfe贸n Donostiarra Choir, where he first encountered Elena Barb茅, who was the choir鈥檚 voice teacher.
Once his voice changed he began to study singing seriously, but ran into trouble at the conservatory when his teachers wanted him to study roles that were too heavy for his light tenor voice at the time.
鈥淎fter a month I was, I can鈥檛 sing anymore,鈥� Anduaga said. 鈥淚 was pushing, not singing naturally.鈥�
鈥淪o I called Elena 鈥� we were just friends at the time 鈥� and I said, 鈥業 need help!鈥� I restarted studying with her, and then eventually it became something different, and now we have a baby. We鈥檝e been together 11 years.鈥�
In 2016, when he was just 21, he sang at the Rossini festival in Pesaro, Italy, while continuing his studies. Later that year he was in class when he got an urgent call from the opera company in Bilbao.
鈥淚t was Friday, and they told me they had a cancellation and needed a tenor for Monday to sing Don Ramiro in Rossini鈥檚 鈥楲a Cenerentola,鈥�” he recalled. 鈥淚 called Elena and told her I can鈥檛 do it. All I knew was one aria and a duet.
鈥淪he said, you have to. It鈥檚 a great opportunity. We have to study now. Say you鈥檙e sick and come home. She played the piano, and by Saturday morning I knew the whole role. She knows my potential better than I do.鈥�
Texting her husband from the audience
Through marriage and childbirth, Barb茅 has maintained her role as Anduaga鈥檚 coach, chief booster 鈥� and most discerning critic.
On a recent Friday night before a 鈥淪onnambula鈥� performance, the couple left 15-month-old Leonardo at their apartment with a babysitter and came to the Met together. While he prepared to go on, Barb茅 took a seat in the audience and began discreetly texting her husband during the performance. Every time he left the stage he would check his phone to read her comments.
鈥淪he鈥檒l point out little things, like, 鈥楶ay attention to your breathing鈥� or, 鈥楲ook out at the audience more, not so much at the conductor and orchestra,鈥欌�� he said.
鈥淪he waits until there鈥檚 applause so she鈥檚 not disturbing her neighbor,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes people are looking at her. She doesn鈥檛 want to tell them she鈥檚 the wife of the tenor.鈥�
Expanding his repertoire
As Anduaga鈥檚 voice continues to develop, he said, 鈥渋t has gotten bigger and is taking on different colors.鈥� Though he is sticking with the bel canto favorites, he is adding some lighter Verdi roles and venturing into French repertory 鈥� Massenet鈥檚 鈥淲erther鈥� and Gounod鈥檚 鈥淔aust鈥� and 鈥淩omeo et Juliette.鈥�
Whatever his choice of roles, the people who run opera houses can鈥檛 get enough of him.
鈥淚n addition to singing like no one else, he dominates the stage and theatrical performance,鈥� said Joan Matabosch, artistic director at Teatro Real in Madrid. 鈥淗e is, without a doubt, the tenor of the future.鈥�
In fact, Anduaga’s popularity in Europe is such that the Met is having to wait in line.
鈥淲e have been actually having trouble booking him because he鈥檚 so much in demand,.鈥� Gelb said. As it stands, Anduaga is next due to sing at the Met in the 2028-29 season, in 鈥淩igoletto鈥� and 鈥淩omeo et Juliette.鈥�
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 always looking for the next Pavarotti,鈥� Gelb said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying he鈥檚 the next Pavarotti 鈥� but he could be.鈥�
Anduaga dismisses that comparison.
鈥淚t’s too big,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like 鈥榥ew this鈥� or 鈥榥ew that鈥�. When you hear 鈥楴essun dorma鈥� sung by Pavarotti, everyone knows it鈥檚 Pavarotti, all over the world, and this will never happen anymore.鈥�
鈥淚 try to do my best,鈥� he added. 鈥淪o let鈥檚 just say, it鈥檚 me 鈥� I鈥檓 the new me.鈥�
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