Ferruccio Furlanetto, the ace of basses, sings role ‘dearest to my heart’ at Lyric

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Ferruccio Furlanetto (left) and Emily Fons in "Boris Godunov" by the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Dan Rest - Lyric Opera photo.

Updated: January 23, 2012 4:39AM

Hollywood hot shots including Leonardo DiCaprio and director James Cameron have given the catchphrase “I’m the king of the world!” — from the film “Titanic” (1997) — lots of pop-culture currency. But in the realm of fine arts, especially opera, possibly no one owns the phrase more than Italian-born bass Ferruccio Furlanetto.

He has given definitive performances of regal roles such as King Philip II in Verdi’s “Don Carlo” (in which he received raves last season at the Metropolitan Opera) and Massenet’s “Don Quichotte” (which he will reprise next month at the Teatro Real in Madrid). Last week at Lyric Opera of Chicago, he opened triumphantly as the tragic czar in Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov,” which many consider the pinnacle of all bass portrayals, and a role he calls “dearest to my heart.”

In 1999, he did his first “Boris,” following in the wake of great basses such as Feodor Chaliapin, Boris Christoff and Nicolai Ghiaurov. “I never finish learning this role,” said Furlanetto in an interview backstage at Lyric Opera. “It’s wonderful to have this metamorphosis. After 12 years of singing this role, it continues to evolve with me. To put on the robes of Boris, I still find it a joy and a privilege.”

His “Boris” has been hailed worldwide, and Chicago’s critics are adding to the sense of coronation that has been bestowed upon him. In the Sun-Times, contributor Wynne Delacoma wrote that Furlanetto’s singing draws listeners with his “all-enveloping warmth and flexibility. He was a supreme ruler.”

On his Chicago Classical Review site, Lawrence A. Johnson noted, “From the time of Chaliapin, the doomed Boris Godunov has been a showcase for the greatest basses of the past century, three of whom — Boris Christoff, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Samel Ramey — have tackled the role in Chicago. Fine as those artists were, it was hard not to think that Furlanetto was providing the most memorable performance of this demanding role that Chicago audiences have ever heard.”

But wait, there’s more: “One can go a long time without experiencing the kind of complete vocal acting that Furlanetto brought to Boris’ death scene, conveying the czar’s filial love, guilt, regret and defiance —in a performance that was beautifully sung, compelling and heartbreaking.”

Notices like these validate the great anticipation that preceded Furlanetto’s arrival at Lyric. Given his long and successful career, which began in the mid-’70s, it seems unbelievable that “Boris” marks his house debut.

Chicago audiences, however, recall his stellar turn in the Mozart/da Ponte opera cycle presented by Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in semi-staged productions at Orchestra Hall during the 1991-92 season. The original concept for this cycle came from director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, whom Furlanetto calls “a god” and regards as his acting mentor. Because the operas were semi-staged, “We had very little elements to work with, so everything was concentrated on the acting and the character [development]. It was an amazing success, and the result was very beautiful.

“I think it was mission accomplished, I must say,” Furlanetto added with a satisfied laugh.

The mission to bring him to Lyric took longer to accomplish. “There were offers in the past but nothing ever worked out,” he said. “But it’s better late than never. I am happy to be here, and the preparations for ‘Boris’ have been wonderful. I’m glad my Lyric debut is finally happening with one of the roles I love.”

The legendary “Boris” performances of the past came largely from Slavic singers, and Furlanetto, now 62, has concentrated mainly on the Italian-French repertoire. But he was the first Italian bass to sing the title role of “Boris Godunov” at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Next season he will achieve the same milestone at the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow.

Furlanetto believes singing in Russian might be less daunting for Italians because “though the languages have nothing in common, they both rely on vowels to project the sound. For an Italian, I think it is easier to sing in Russian than German, which is the opposite of Italian in terms of carrying the sound.”

Acclaimed Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has encouraged him to perform the role. “It has been quite a challenge but such a rewarding experience,” Furlanetto said. During the dress rehearsal under Gergiev for his Mariinsky debut as Boris in 2004, “at the end of the Clock Scene [in which the czar goes mad], the chorus and orchestra were shouting their approval.”

A few summers ago, Furlanetto did a Russian song recital at Gergiev’s White Nights Festival, and “the audience applauded like crazy. Now I am one of them.”

After his runs in “Boris” and “Don Quichotte,” Furlanetto will return to the Metropolitan Opera, which has served as his American base, along with San Diego Opera. At the Met, he will sing Mephistopheles in Gounod’s “Faust,” de Silva in Verdi’s “Ernani” (part of the “Live in HD” simulcast Feb. 25) and Don Basilio in Rossini’s “Barber of Seville.”

“My career started with the simple, heavy Verdi roles, like Sparafucile in ‘Rigoletto,’ and Mozart. For the first opera I learned, I sang Sarastro in [Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’] but in Italian,” he said. “I had 20 years of mostly Mozart, which is the greatest medicine that I could have had for my vocal development, because you can’t sing Mozart in any other way than using your natural vocality.”

At this point, he has retired from Mozart operas, except for “Don Giovanni,” because these works largely consist of age-specific roles. “I don’t feel like jumping around onstage anymore,” he said, laughing. “Now instead of pure joy, I feel pure fatigue.”

For the future, he hopes to focus on his four favorites: “Boris,” “Don Carlo,” “Don Quichotte” and a rarity, Pizzetti’s “Murder in the Cathedral,” which San Diego will stage for him in 2013. In this opera, he sings the role of the martyred Thomas Becket, and plans are in the works for Furlanetto and Gergiev to perform the work in Canterbury, on the site where the archbishop was murdered in 1170.

What links these works, he believes, “is that they are four purely theatrical roles, they are theater in music. They are acting challenges, and for this, I must thank Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. He taught me to get the characters under my skin.”

Furlanetto also cites his role model, the great Italian bass Cesare Siepi: “He had that wonderful Latin vocal color, which he applied to the roles of Verdi and Mozart.” Furlanetto regrets that Siepi, who died last year, was never asked to perform “Don Quichotte,” because “he would have been great.”

As for whether his repertoire has helped his career longevity, Furlanetto wryly notes, “I didn’t think to do it because I wanted to last until the end. I did it because of Siepi. Just trying to follow his tracks led me here.

“It is so strange sometimes. It can take you 37 years to come to a theater -- or it could take you forever to get a role.”