Duetto

If you loved the crossover hit song "Time to Say Goodbye" as performed by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, or any of the Three Tenors discs, then you will love this disc also. Marcelo Alvarez and Salvatore Licitra are two of the new century's rising tenor stars, already being hyped as their generation's Domingo and Pavarotti. Here you have the two of them with the same lush orchestra and moving, passionate melodies as those other discs, including two new songs by Francesco Sartori, composer of "Time to Say Goodbye." The opera selections on the disc were re-arranged and given new lyrics to sound as much like the other songs as possible, and almost every piece has an electric bass-and-drum beat added to make them sound more like popular music. Alvarez's smooth voice contrasts nicely with Licitra's, which has more color to it. Although none of the songs stretches the singers dramatically, the tenors have no problem giving each piece effective emotion. To get a better picture of the talents of these two, look for Alvarez's Bel Canto or French Arias disc and Licitra's The Debut or complete Il Trovatore recordings.

DUETTO is notable--not only because it's a collaboration between Marcelo Alvarez and Salvatore Licitra, two of the hottest young tenors in the world of opera--but also because it finds them venturing outside of their usual milieu. These talented singers, hailed as heirs to the legacy of Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, have earned their reputations and stardom via the traditional route of Verdi and Puccini. This album presents Alvarez and Licitra in a program of ardent love songs written and arranged specifically for them by composers such as Francesco Sartori, who astute listeners will recognize as the force behind numerous hits for crossover sensation Andrea Bocelli. The singers step into the role of romantic balladeers with confidence and ease, their voices soaring majestically above the lush arrangements of Sartori's passionate anthems or gently caressing the many sentimental melodies to be found on the disc. DUETTO does make a concession to more traditional fare with the inclusion of two arias from Bizet's 'Les Pecheurs de Perles,' as well as some reworked classic themes by Bach, Faure, and Rachmaninoff, among others. Alvarez and Licitra have hit upon a formula that should please existing fans, as well as gain them many new ones.