NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Fresh off a triumphant debut, French tenor Benjamin Bernheim seems likely to become a familiar presence at the Metropolitan Opera. Just not too familiar, he hopes.
Bernheim, already a star at major European houses, is one of a new crop of tenors being introduced to American audiences now that pandemic shutdowns and travel restrictions are largely a thing of the past.
And he鈥檚 got the support of Peter Gelb, the Met鈥檚 general manager, who says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 always good to get new blood,鈥� and sees Bernheim as someone he can cast in leading roles for years to come.
鈥淧eter wants me to create a profile for myself and for the Met,鈥� Bernheim said in an interview. 鈥淔or now we鈥檙e on a once-a-year basis, which I think is very good, because I also don鈥檛 want to be the guy who people say, 鈥極h him again!鈥� It can very easily be the case. People want to see new faces too.鈥�
He admits he was slightly apprehensive at the prospect of introducing himself to the Met audience as the ruthless, womanizing Duke in Verdi鈥檚 鈥淩igoletto.鈥� His final performance in the role is Thursday.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not a very lovable character,鈥� Bernheim said. 鈥淎nd you see all the names who sang the Duke here and you feel, wow, that鈥檚 pressure, especially for a debut.鈥� Those names include Enrico Caruso, who sang the role for his 1903 debut, and more recently giants like Richard Tucker and Luciano Pavarotti.
It turns out he needn鈥檛 have worried. Critic Oussama Zahr in The New York Times called him 鈥渁 lyric tenor who roars on top with genuinely thrilling, auditorium-filling sound,鈥� while David Salazar wrote on the OperaWire website: 鈥淗e exuded vocal confidence, every note coming through crystal clear, every phrase elegantly thrown off.鈥�
Bernheim, 37, actually made his U.S. debut back in 2018 in Gounod鈥檚 鈥淔aust鈥� at Lyric Opera of Chicago. A Met appearance should have followed quickly, but two obstacles intervened: his need to be near his daughter, now 8, who lives in Switzerland, and the global pandemic.
Now that he鈥檚 finally arrived, he鈥檒l be back next season in Gounod鈥檚 鈥淩omeo et Juliette鈥� and is slated to star in Offenbach鈥檚 鈥淟es Contes d鈥橦offmann鈥� after that. These will both be revivals; for now he鈥檚 unwilling to commit to the extra time he鈥檇 need to be away from his daughter to rehearse and perform a new production.
He鈥檚 excited that audiences will next get to hear him in French repertoire, which he believes is ideally suited to his voice.
鈥淚t鈥檚 what I鈥檝e been working for so many years, to make my singing voice in French as close as possible to my speaking voice,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hat I have today is a palette of colors, but a very large palette, maybe because it鈥檚 a golden time for my voice,鈥� Bernheim said. 鈥淚 can go strong, I can go heavy, I can go trumpety but I can also go very soft, and I can still tell a story with the colors, with the mixed voice.鈥�
He鈥檚 determined to keep that balance as long as possible and is wary of taking on roles that require a heavier or 鈥渟pinto鈥� sound.
鈥淚f I force, it doesn鈥檛 work anymore,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are voices in nature more pushy,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f I push, I lose the light, I lose the sparkle. I have to keep this balance between strength and lightness.鈥�
For instance, he said the French version of Verdi鈥檚 鈥淒on Carlos鈥� is 鈥渙ne of my dreams, but I don鈥檛 have what it requires to sing it the way I want to. I would be frustrated and I don鈥檛 think I would give a good enough rendition to the audience, so this will wait.鈥�
One new spinto role he is planning is Gabriele Adorno in Verdi鈥檚 鈥淪imon Boccanegra.鈥�
鈥淚t works with my voice and I can play with the colors,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut this one little step, and then I need to come back to the lyric, because if I cross the line too many times now, will I be able to come back?鈥�
Perhaps ironically given his successful career, he originally didn鈥檛 want to be a tenor at all. From the days his voice started changing and he had to give up singing in a children鈥檚 choir in Geneva, Switzerland, he tried to develop his lower register.
鈥淚 find the baritone voice much more noble,鈥� he said. 鈥淯nfortunately, there was never a doubt. Even my professor, years ago when I was struggling with high notes, I said, 鈥楥ould we try baritone?鈥� and he said, 鈥極h, Ben, not for you.鈥樷��
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Here are a few of the other up-and-coming tenors Gelb plans to introduce to Met audiences this season or in the near future:
鈥� Xabier Anduaga, a Spanish bel canto specialist making his debut this spring in Donizetti鈥檚 鈥淟鈥橢lisir d鈥橝more.鈥�
鈥� Ismael Jordi, another Spaniard, who was to have made his debut in the canceled 2020-21season in 鈥淩omeo et Juliette,鈥� and now will debut this January in Verdi鈥檚 鈥淟a Traviata.鈥�
鈥� Jonathan Tetelman, a Chilean-American singer who recently drew praise in San Francisco in Verdi鈥檚 鈥淟a Traviata鈥� and will make his Houston debut next spring in Puccini鈥檚 鈥淭osca.鈥�
鈥� Freddie De Tommaso, a British-Italian, who has been acclaimed at London鈥檚 Royal Opera House and will make his U.S. debut this summer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, also in 鈥淭osca.鈥�
鈥� SeokJong Baek, a South Korean who started as a baritone but recently triumphed as the tenor lead in Saint-Sa毛ns鈥� 鈥淪amson et Dalila鈥� at the Royal Opera.
鈥� Pene Pati, born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, who was just honored with the Readers鈥� Award at the 2022 International Opera Awards ceremony in Madrid.
Mike Silverman, The Associated Press
