Don Quichotte at the Lyric Opera in Chicago

Ferruccio Furlanetto sang the title role in Massenet’s Don Quichotte at the Chicago Lyric Opera on November 19 (following performances on November 23, 28 and December 1, 4, 7.

“This music, the humanity of this role,” Furlanetto has said of Don Quichotte, “captures the hearts of the people in a unique way.”

From the Lyric Opera site: "The gentle knight seems to have captured this formidable bass’s heart as well. Although he’s performed a remarkable range of repertoire — from Mozart to Mussorgsky — Furlanetto keeps returning to Massenet’s irresistible comédie-héroïque. Audiences in Madrid, St. Petersburg, Toronto, and San Diego have previously hailed Furlanetto’s incomparable performance. In November, he adds Lyric to this growing list.

Furlanetto joined two debuting artists — French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine (Dulcinée) and Italian baritone Nicola Alaimo (Sancho) — in a captivating, new-to-Chicago production. Don Quichotte has been absent from Lyric for more than 20 years. To hear it again will be a treat, especially with the great Ferruccio Furlanetto leading the cast!"

98.7WFMT was airing the opening performance live. It will be also rebroadcast internationally in Spring 2017 via The WFMT Radio Network.

In the Press

Furlanetto … was fully inside a role he considers his personal favorite.

From the don's grand entrance.. he was no doddering caricature, but, rather, a sweet soul who had read too many chivalric romances and just wanted to undo wrongs and bring justice to the world…He traced his serenade to Dulcinee with deep, rich tones and a supple legato line. There was enough weight in his low register to make Quichotte's more heroic utterances register as they should.

The singer was amusing in the don's wooing of Dulcinee, eloquent in his speech persuading the bandits to surrender her stolen necklace, deeply sympathetic after she rejects him. His death scene was affectingly handled: Beneath a starry canopy, the dying knight errant bequeathed his faithful servant all he had left in the world: an island of dreams.”

Don Quichotte (Furlanetto, the tall, slender Italian bass who captures his character’s gentle, deluded but fiercely determined spirit with such truthfulness and vocal warmth that you never doubt him for a moment)

The Lyric Opera of Chicago is doing “Don Quichotte,” which is a glorious showcase for a bass. (Ferruccio Furlanetto is showing that he has plenty of beauty in his vocal tank.)

"Furlanetto moving and magnificent in Lyric Opera’s “Don Quichotte”

"Ferruccio Furlanetto is the world leading exponent of the role of the noble yet “extraordinarily strange” Don Quichotte. And as shown in his memorable Boris Godunov at Lyric in 2011 and again on Saturday night, Furlanetto is among the greatest singing actors on the opera stage today."

"The Italian’s bass remains refined, flexible and warm of tone. His singing throughout was tasteful and immaculate, consistently alive to the comic and dramatic opportunities in the score. Furlanetto sang the Don’s prayer to the murderous bandits (“Seigneur, reçois mon âme, elle n’est pas méchante’) with such noble expression and affecting sincerity one could almost believe the thieves’ instant repentance."

"Dramatically, Furlanetto succeeded in making a fully rounded character of the knight of the woeful countenance. Far from being a ridiculous caricature, Furlanetto’s Don is charming and lovable in his good-hearted, slightly unhinged delusions, even doing a little delighted dance as he pens love verses to his beloved Dulcinee."

"Furlanetto’s touching dignity made the abuse and ridicule by rivals and villagers hard to watch, and the aged Don’s heartbreak and swift decline at Dulcinee’s rejection almost unbearably tragic. One would have to have a heart as stony as the rocks on which the dying Don reclines to not be moved by the opera’s final moments—as his faithful friend Sancho weeps, the Don recalls Dulcinee one final time, beautifully sung by Furlanetto in Massenet’s most shimmering and otherworldly music."

In the title role, Ferruccio Furlanetto gave a vivid reading by expressively using his range and technique. His rich tones evoked his memorable Boris Godunov several seasons ago—very different from his frail Quichotte, especially in the vocally intense final scene of Act IV, in which Dulcinée spurns him.

Acclaimed Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto has truly made the title role his own, which is evident from start to finish. Not only does he have the right physique (tall and thin) and age, but the strength, sonority, and authority of his voice are utterly captivating. Moreover, his performance is so utterly authentic and humble.

Furlanetto does not paint the title character as a ridiculous fool, but instead makes him both lovable and admirable. He uses his tall, spare frame to good effect, resulting in some splendid comedic moments, not least the wonderful scene where he mistakes windmills for giants and makes war on them.

When singing of his love for Dulcinée in Act I, he is full of gentle longing. The final act is heart-breaking as the knight bravely embraces his coming death. But Furlanetto’s triumph is in the third act, when Don Quichotte is captured by bandits and about to be murdered. Massenet’s music in the knight’s plea to God (“Lord receive my soul, it is not evil) is honest and innocent when delivered by Furlanetto, full of gentle nobility. You can believe that the band of thieves relents, let him go on his way, and give him some stolen lucre to boot. It is no surprise that Don Quichotte is Furlanetto’s favorite role — the color and honor he brings to the part is extraordinary.

Bass Ferruccio Furlanetto essays the feverish errant Quichotte. Furlanetto (in his late sixties with a forty-plus year operatic career to his credit) is internationally identified with the role and delivers with a large, colorful and emotionally connected voice.

Ferruccio Furlanetto has made Don Quichotte his signature role since 2012. It is an ideal role for the veteran bass, as charisma, acting skills and expressiveness are its biggest requirements. He manages to sing with amazingly clear French diction, a feat for most Italian singers. Both his Act III prayer “Seigneur, prends mon вme, elle n’est pas mйchante” as he is be put to death by the bandits and his Act V death scene were especially moving thanks to Furlanetto’s understatement.

His is a gentle and even bemused Don Quichotte, confident in his folly and passionate in defense of his core values of honesty, compassion, and generosity. His complete immersion in the character and his powerful voice -- solid even in its lowest notes -- make his performance the solid foundation on which this fine production is built.

Furlanetto, a world-renowned Italian bass vocalist, stole the show with his genuine personification and portrayal of Don Quichotte, an iconic character in both Spanish and French culture. He was able to take a fictitious figure and bring him to life on the stage without damaging the Quichotte that we know and love along the way.

What can be said about the great veteran bass Ferruccio Furlanetto? He was vocal and dramatic perfection in the title role that he has sung to acclaim in Toronto, San Diego, St. Petersburg, Madrid, and Palermo. He sang like a man 20 years younger, no wobble in his powerful sound, his every gesture elegant and sincere. It was a warm, generous performance straight from the heart of a great artist. He managed to balance humor and pathos in perfect measure. His death scene in Act Five was one of the most moving in memory.

Legendary Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto has plenty of power and he's a terrific actor. He excels in comedy and convincingly establishes the tricky balance between the Don's frail dignity and absurdity, and he makes him a character that's not only sympathetic but believable.

His voice could cover such a large range and was just so smooth (and strong) all throughout, but most importantly, he was Don Quichotte, vividly bringing the good-natured, idealistic knight to life. Every scene with him was revelatory.

In the title role, Ferruccio Furlanetto follows in the tradition of great basses from Fyodor Chaliapin (who sang the premiere in Monte Carlo), Nicolai Ghiaurov, José van Dam and Samuel Ramey in making the Knight Errant a role in which he can indelibly impart his vast range of gifts to create an unforgettable performance. I had goosebumps the whole night.

The Metropolitan Opera has not staged Don Quichotte since 1926 with Chaliapin. While it is always great to see Furlanetto there in his marvelous portrayals in Don Carlo, Ernani and Simon Boccanegra, New York audiences have been deprived of his peerless artistry in roles such as Boris Godunov and Quichotte. I wish the Met could see its way clear to forego the umpteenth revival of a tiresome production of a standard repertory opera and instead present the San Diego/Chicago production of Don Quichotte, reuniting Furlanetto and Maestro Davis.