Juha Uusitalo returns to Vienna State Opera stage

print this

Finnish bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo finally made it back to the stage at the Vienna State Opera, when Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) was performed for the third time.
      Uusitalo missed the second performance after a viral throat infection caused his voice to break catastrophically during the première.
     
In this difficult situation (he was booed roundly on the opening night), Uusitalo rose to the occasion as Wotan, the chief god.
      The audience yelled out “bravo” and critics later commended his performance in unison. The première fiasco combined with the success that followed is the stuff that operatic legends are made of.
      According to the Kurier “the return to the scene of the crime was a triumph”. The Austrian daily praised Uusitalo’s mental fortitude and the fact that he had not simply packed his bags and fled the State Opera for good after the disappointing première.
     
Many of the critics stated that Uusitalo proved incontestably why he has won such a solid reputation. Der Standard praised Uusitalo’s ability to give the role depth: “Vocally this master of nuances is without equal”.
      The widely-read Kronen Zeitung, in turn, noted that Uusitalo was “a dashing revelation, an exciting actor, and a sovereign singer”. The authoritative Die Pressen, on the other hand, considered Uusitalo "the foremost exponent of the difficult role of Wotan".
      In the paper’s view "the very monologue where Uusitalo’s voice gave out at the première had been transformed into an exciting, lyrical, and clearly sung sensation."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Virus lays bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo low at Vienna State Opera (4.12.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat