Vittorio Grigolo - The Romantic Hero (2014) CD Rip

Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo has risen in terms of both popularity and critical esteem since making his crossover debut in 2006, and The Romantic Hero may be his best album yet. These Romantic heroes, the title neglects to inform you, all speak French, but this is not a problem for Grigolo, who grew up attending French schools and speaks the language fully idiomatically. These heroic arias seem to fit his vocal personality, and he may be on top of a trend toward the world of French Romantic opera, which is rather neglected but offers vocal fireworks to match the established Italian repertory. Here Grigolo touches on the Big Four of the era: Bizet, Gounod, Massenet, and Halevy, avoiding the few standards of the repertory but throwing in a piece by the unfailingly crowd-pleasing Offenbach on the side. The program is nicely put together and builds toward the undoubted climax, the Act IV explosion Va! Je t'ai pardonne ... Nuit d'hymenee from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette (track 10). Grigolo is joined here by Russian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, and the pair, with Grigolo unmistakably the dominant partner, maintain an astonishing level of sheer high-pitch force for over ten and a half minutes. The almost uncredited Orchestra Sinfonia Nazionale della RAI under Evelino Pido provides able support, and all in all the collection is likely not only to further Grigolo's career but to make new friends for French grand opera. -- James Manheim