'I was born in Cuba. A few years ago, my girlfriend, now my wife, found on the Internet a competition to enter the Academy and strongly advised me to try. Never would I have imagined, even in my dreams, that I would make it this far. Me in the temple of opera? Impossible. But instead...'
Thus begins our chat with Jorge Martinez, a Cuban student at the La Scala Academy of Lyric Opera.
Jorge will be at La Scala on November 8, 2021, for the institutional concert, as part of which he will receive his diploma. His two years in Milan, full of success and personal growth, were also marked by a dramatic experience.
Let's start form the beginning...
'After passing the first selection (by sending a video), I came to Milan and was so excited to see the theatre, even just from the outside ... let alone when I went on stage for the final. I was speechless for at least thirty to forty seconds. As soon as I stepped onto the stage, I was immediately reminded of the history of that theatre, of the greatest singers who have performed there. It was magic. I will never forget the moment when they told me that I had also made it through to the final.
I started my journey in September 2018. I studied in Cuba, Conservatory and University, specialising in singing. My father is a baritone. His teacher is the one who founded the theatre in our province, Holguin. I have always been in this world. My mother is also a musician, a graduate in guitar and singing. At the Conservatory, I studied French horn for eight years. Around the age of 14-15, when I had the voice mute, it was my mother who advised me to sing.
This was because I was always imitating my father. Once, after listening to one of his recordings of Pagliacci at the Miami Lyric Opera and after doing yet another imitation, my mother made me realise that I could try. Two days later, there were selection tests to be admitted to the singing school of the theatre in my province. I passed them and started studying seriously'.
What is Cuba like?
The Cuban people call their country ‘a summer forever’, not only because of the climate, but also because of the people's personality. In Cuba we are happy, we joke, we like to dance, to listen to a lot of music from our folklore. We constantly feel the rhythm of life, the energy of life. It is a very beautiful country. There is a lot of music in the provinces, starting with my own Holguin, but also in Havana, in Matanzas where the most important theatres in the country are located. Opera is very popular, as is the zarzuela.
I specialised in opera singing at university, then entered a competition in Havana and then came the Academy.
Apart from your father, who were your role models?
My teacher had played me a piece sung by Renato Bruson, O placido il mare by Nicola Vaccaj. It was a real thunderbolt for me. I have always loved Bruson's way of singing, so elegant, his ability to interpret characters. He was the first singer I heard besides my father.
How was the impact with Milan?
The city is beautiful. Maybe you Italians do not realise how beautiful your country is. I just have to say that in Milan the climate is too harsh, I am used to quite different temperatures and above all not used to the grey sky that, alas, often hangs over the city. Here what I miss most is the light, the sun. And then from the first days of my stay in Milan it seemed so strange to me that the grey colour did not turn into rain. In Cuba, if the sky darkens, it means rain is coming. Not here. Anyway, Milan is a lively, frenetic city, full of energy.
Classes start on October 8, 2018.
The first experiences on stage.
In December 2018, I immediately had the opportunity to make my debut on the La Scala stage in a small role, that of Flora's servant in Traviata. It was a wonderful experience. I was so nervous despite having a really small role. On that occasion, I saw Leo Nucci up close for the first time!
I was ashamed to talk to the artists, but slowly I became used to it. I still remember, at the first rehearsal, the moment when Maestro Chung said in front of everyone that my part, often judged to be of little importance, was actually important. What a thrill!
With the Academy, I remember the concerts at the Ridotto dei Palchi. In January 2019 a concert entirely dedicated to Mozart, prepared with Eva Mei in which I performed ‘Non più andrai farfallone amoroso’ from Le nozze di Figaro and ‘Soave sia il vento’ from Così fan tutte. I also remember the Invitation to La Scala with Vincenzo Scalera in February where I attempted the duet from La forza del destino with Academy classmate Riccardo Della Sciucca and the Terzetto from Madama Butterfly with Caterina Piva and Riccardo.
What did the teachers at the Academy pass on to you?
The teacher I am closest to is definitely Luciana D'Intino, very demanding, but very generous, a teacher who truly prepares for professional life.
I cannot fail to mention the Teaching Coordinator, Paola Cavani, always present and attentive. I deeply respect Vincenzo Scalera. The work he does with us is extraordinary, but just the opportunity to see him, to hear him, is a great gift. So is Umberto Finazzi, a maestro of rare sensitivity, who has total respect for composers, for Donizetti in particular.
Which repertoire do you love the most?
Verdi … Verdi … Verdi. The only two non-Verdi operas that give me the same emotions are Bohème and Tosca.
What opera do you see yourself in a few years from now?
Definitely Rigoletto, my favourite opera. It is a difficult opera for the baritone, requiring maturity and considerable skills, but it is beautiful. The character of Rigoletto presents psychological characteristics of great complexity. This role must be approached with great seriousness and commitment, it cannot be taken lightly.
I would also love to play Rodrigo in Don Carlo and the Count of Luna in Il trovatore. Verdi wrote some incredible parts for baritones. And why not? Also Un ballo in maschera.
Tell me about your experience with the Academy Project.
I was in the cast of Gianni Schicchi directed by Woody Allen, alongside an artist of the calibre of Ambrogio Maestri. I played the Notary. In September I played the role of Don Magnifico in Cenerentola for children, then a small part in Il Trovatore. And then my ordeal began .... The illness ...
Do you want to talk about it?
If I look back now, I wonder how I got through it all. It all started in December, after the last Cinderella play for the children. I felt that something was wrong, I was always tired, fatigued. Continuing to feel this malaise, feverish, I was admitted to San Carlo Hospital. The tests' results were not very clear. Certainly my immune system seemed very weak, but nothing serious was diagnosed. Dismissed, I seemed to feel a little better, enough to attend the concert at the Ridotto dei Palchi. It was February 21, 2020.
On that occasion I performed the duet from Il Trovatore with Clarissa Costanzo (Mira d'acerbe lagrime). My agent, Luca Targetti, had come to hear me. And then ... the drama.
Covid breaks out. Luca Targetti falls victim to it and suddenly disappears in March.
I started to feel sick again, but given the emergency situation, I was afraid to go to hospital. Fortunately, after much insistence, first from Luca's assistant, and then from a close friend of Luca's, I make up my mind. On the latter's advice, I find the courage.
I still remember every moment: the arrival at the emergency room, with the fast-track lanes for supposedly non-Covid patients, the tests, and the immediate admission to haematology for further investigations.
The verdict was dramatic: leukaemia, in one of its most aggressive forms.
What did you feel?
At that moment the world fell on me. I didn't want to believe it. But how? I had never had anything in my life. The hardest thing was to tell my mother. First I called my wife, then my father and finally my mother. I tried to be as positive as possible. She was in Cuba. Covid was there. On the phone she seemed to have taken the blow. Then later, she confessed to me that when she ended the phone call with me, she collapsed in unspeakable anguish and despair.
For me it was really the first time I had been admitted to hospital. At first I thought they were mistaken. But that was not the case.
After the first moment of bewilderment, slowly the will to react was born in me. I believe that the will to live is stronger than anything. With each passing day, you are able to find more and more strength.
You were able to do a transplant.
Yes, I was very lucky because the donor was a guy younger than me. Just two days before going to hospital I had applied to my consulate to return to Cuba. If I had returned to my country, they would have quarantined me and I might not have made it. The week after hospitalisation they had found the ticket for me. Unbelievable
How has such an experience changed you?
Experiencing what I experienced completely changed my priorities.
Everyone who takes my path hopes to have an important, luminous career. Me too, of course. But this experience has made me realise that there is more, and it is more important than anything, than any success you can achieve: affection, simple things, in short, life.
You realise that time is truly precious and that you cannot waste it on trifles. You realise who are really the people you can trust and rely on.
You have to hang out only with those who make you feel good, and push away anyone who hurts you. Life is already full of frenzy. I have really learnt to enjoy the good things in life, the simple things: the sun, the rain.
Sometimes you chase after things that seem important to you, but then you realise that they are not.
The return to the scene must have been a very strong emotion.
Eh, yes. First of all, it was like starting over. I had to start with breathing. I gave a first concert in May at Villa Reale, which was followed on 3 June 3 by a concert at La Scala, which marked my return to the stage. A real rebirth. My voice has also changed.
Does your wife live in Cuba?
Yes, we got married this summer. I want a family with her in the future. And I want to be with her, she is a pianist.
You went through this terrible experience at such a difficult time, with your loved ones far away.
It was a tough test, but it toughened me up and made me grow.
Now you are back playing Don Magnifico at La Scala in La Cenerentola for children. Finally, the theatres have reopened to full capacity.
How did it go?
It was beautiful. I have to say that the illness spared me the pain of the complete closure of the theatres and streaming concerts without an audience. I experienced this terrible time less personally, because of my health condition. I used to follow the streaming concerts at La Scala, but what pain I felt for the artists forced to perform in the empty halls! I remember a Tezier concert without an audience, what an impression. The audience's final applause is what an artist needs, it is the return of what you have given.
A children's audience for Cinderella.
It is true, but I like it so much because children have no filter, they are sincere, direct, they tell the truth, transparent. The applause of adults is often circumstantial. Children, on the other hand, express everything.
In a few days, finally, the institutional concert and graduation. Will your family be there?
Unfortunately my family will not be able to attend the institutional concert. There are not yet the best conditions for travelling.
Yeah. But don't worry. We have provided for registration so that they can enjoy it later.
Good luck, Jorge.
