Lawrence Brownlee may not be tall physically, but the young bel-canto tenor's operatic stature is growing by leaps and bounds.
Barely out of both college and Seattle Opera's Young Artists Program, Brownlee made his debut in June 2002 at Teatro alla Scala as Almaviva in Rossini's "Barbiere di Siviglia" - and he's been in hot demand ever since. Besides revisiting La Scala for more Rossini, Brownlee debuted with several operas around the world, from the Boston Lyric Opera to Opernhaus Zurich. In 2003, he trod the boards again at Seattle Opera, this time on the main stage to rave reviews as Ernesto in Donizetti's "Don Pasquale."
He appears to be knocking both audiences and critics dead. The Washington Times describes listening to "the otherworldly sweetness and perfection of his pearlescent bel-canto voice" as a mind-expanding experience, and Brownlee's singing at the top of the second act as inspiring the audience to bring "the performance to a halt with fervent shouting and applause." Tim Page, chief classical music critic for The Washington Post, writes: "Brownlee is a remarkable talent. I think he will be famous - and soon." Which could explain why his numerous concert performances already include being nationally televised on PBS singing selections from "Porgy and Bess" with the New York Philharmonic and recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic as the tenor soloist in Orff's "Carmina Burana."
In case anyone still thinks Brownlee is a flash in the pan, the head honchos at the Royal Opera have such tremendous faith in him that, for his Covent Garden debut, they've handed him the responsibility of creating a new role in a world première - the part of Syme in Lorin Maazel's "1984."
Fortunately for Seattle operagoers, Brownlee is back in town to sing the role of Arcadio in Daniel Catán's "Florencia en el Amazonas" at Seattle Opera. Catán's lyrical, neo-romantic opera - based on elements of Gabriel García Márquez' novel "Love in the Time of Cholera" and infused with the book's magical realism - is a tale of passion and love, lost and found, with lush music that rivals Puccini's yet has a distinctive voice of its own. On a steamboat journeying through the heart of the Amazon jungle in the early 20th century, a world-renowned opera diva, a young couple who just met and an older couple trying to reawaken their desire discover the power and meaning of love.
Brownlee's character, Arcadio, is searching for meaning in his life when he falls in love with Rosalba, a young woman he meets on board.
"This is a serious character wanting to break out and experience life," Brownlee said. "His father is a sailor, his uncle is a sailor, and throughout the opera he talks about wanting to break out and see things."
Arcadio is a change of pace for Brownlee, who typically sings comic characters like Don Ramiro in Rossini's "La Cenerentola." "This gives me the chance to be challenged to make a character dramatically believable. They say comedy is harder than drama; it now seems like drama is harder. "
Brownlee acknowledges that his acting training in Seattle Opera's Young Artists Program was a good foundation. "There was a time of singers who stand there and sing - 'park and bark,' as we call it - but audiences are more visual today with film and television. People want to see acting they believe."
In certain roles, Brownlee said, his acting has to be strong enough to surmount his physical appearance. "You have to make it believable that a 5-foot-6-inch African-American would do it rather than a 6-foot-1-inch blue-eyed Caucasian. Joe Pesci can do that; he's a man who's small in stature, and [as a] gangster he does a great job of making you fear him."
Brownlee's voice is well suited to "Florencia en el Amazonas": "In places it is quite high, which is characteristic of my voice. As a kid I could sing higher than my sisters."
The young tenor is enthralled with the music written for Arcadio, despite a couple of vocal hurdles. "In some places it can be a little low as far as range. And [with] a lot of operas I do I have smaller orchestras, so I don't have to project so much to be heard over it. This is a small orchestra that makes a lot of noise."
Brownlee noted that the production's action puts special physical demands on the singers: "Everyone's climbing up and down ladders on the boat, and we physically have to simulate being in a storm. The people who are the most physical are Ríolobo and Arcadio. I have to jump off the top level of the boat."
The strength and flexibility for these physical feats Brownlee credits to salsa dancing, which he calls "a major hobby." Not surprising, since his girlfriend is a salsa dancer from Denmark.
Brownlee seems bemused by his growing recognition in a career he stumbled into. He wasn't interested in singing until he discovered it could get him out of class. "I ended up in a program for gifted kids, studying with a graduate student, and we did a recital. I really went out in this recital mocking what I thought opera singers sounded like. Afterward, a gentleman approached me and said, 'You have a voice; you need to study.'"
Brownlee had plans to become a lawyer and didn't take the man seriously. Then, in college he entered a competition sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing and was shocked by the overwhelmingly positive response to his singing. He switched his focus to music and finally fell in love with it.
"I have two friends who are lawyers. I can't imagine doing what they do."[[In-content Ad]]
