Patrick O’Connor

High Notes

Tenor: History of a Voice

By

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A few years ago, when I was interviewing the Argentinian tenor José Cura, he groaned at the publicity that was about to surround an exhibition of his photographs in Paris. ‘I know it’ll all be about the pictures taken by “The Tenor”,’ he told me. ‘Just that word – what does it mean?’ It is surprising how the image of the highly-strung tenor opera star has gradually replaced the prima donna in the popular imagination. 

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