Interview: Freddie De Tommaso
A few years ago, I was singing a role in Wagner’s ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In that opera, there is a small semi-chorus who sing the apprentices of the masters of the guild, and it was noticeable to us older singers that one tenor voice stood out. On investigation, we found out that this voice belonged to a young Anglo/Italian lad from Kent, Freddie De Tommaso, and we thought we would probably be hearing more of him. In the intervening four years, that young tenor has won glittering prizes, been back at Covent Garden as Cassio in ‘Otello’, released a solo CD on Decca, and is about to make his third appearance at the Vienna State Opera as Macduff in Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’. Having myself sung Banquo in the same opera at ENO in the 90s, and given that Freddie has a half Scottish grandmother, I reckoned we could include him as a friend of the Edinburgh Music Review, and so we did a little online interview.
BBS: You and I first met at Covent Garden, where your voice stood out from the crowd. Soon you were winning competitions and singing roles in important opera houses. Can you tell me a bit about your voice training, and your supersonic rise from semi-chorus to major soloist? Who do you study with and where?
F De T: I started at the Royal Academy in London as a baritone in September 2013, studying with Mark Wildman. Prior to that I had been at Bristol Uni for a year and a half, but dropped out in second year, having only ever sung alongside the rugby pitch! Returning home to work in the family Italian restaurant in Kent, I restarted singing lessons with my old teacher from school, who quickly realised that my voice had gone from “fine” to “pretty good, actually”, despite smoking and drinking for two years”. After a few twists and turns, I ended up singing for Mark at the RAM, and started studying there.
The first year was spent on Mozart and some Bel Canto baritone repertoire, and although I occasionally let rip with a tenorial high note in the privacy of a practice room, I stuck to my task. In the second term of the second year, in a normal lesson with Mark, we did the usual arpeggios etc up to an F Sharp, but instead of finishing there (towards the top of the baritone range), he decided to go on up a semitone, and then another and another. Finally reaching top C, which I split down the middle, Mark said - “Hmm. There’s something to think about!” After about a month of exercises and a look at Handel arias for tenor, and the advice of a few colleagues (Ryland Davies and Dennis O’Neill – Welsh tenors of note!), Mark decided that we should venture forth into the world of TENOR, and that’s where it truly began!
BBS: I read that you were brought up in Kent, is that right? How long has the family been in Kent, and what’s the background? I looked up Tommaso on a map and found it’s a village near Pescara in Italy. Are you Freddie from Tommaso?
F De T: Yes, I’ve basically lived all my life in Tunbridge Wells My mum is from there, and the family moved from London when I was two. My father was indeed from Puglia in south Italy. I don’t actually know the root of the Tommaso name, but, yes, maybe, who knows?
BBS: I know you have been saying to the press that your recent album is dedicated to the two Francos who most influenced you, your father and the great Italian tenor, Franco Corelli. Can you tell us a bit about them? I am a huge admirer of Corelli, who I never heard live but many of whose recordings I treasure, and who I rate as perhaps the finest tenor of the 20th century. We have been lucky in my lifetime to have had Pavarotti and Domingo, who sang at the highest level for many years, and both of whom I heard. Indeed I sang on stage with Domingo at the Paris Opera in Puccini’s ‘Tosca’, when I played his character’s torturer (as you do!), and was much impressed both by his voice and his charisma, but Corelli’s voice gives me more of a visceral thrill. What is it about him that attracts you, and do you feel it might be possible to emulate him?
F De T: The album does indeed honour two Francos. My father was a great lover of opera and would always play Pavarotti in the restaurant and the car. I have a distinct memory of hearing Pav singing La Donna e Mobile while eating pasta as a child! It saddens me greatly that my father died before I had any inkling of a career in singing, as I know it would have brought him tremendous joy.
Franco Corelli was and still is like my “other” teacher. I find I learn well by listening, and it was by listening to Corelli throughout my education that, I think, helped shape my voice and my technique. It was a great honour to be able to celebrate the centenary of his birth by releasing this album. I find his singing utterly thrilling, more so than any other tenor from history. For me, he is the ultimate.
I would love to emulate his career, with two small changes: I would like to sing Des Grieux in ‘Manon Lescaut’ and Otello. Franco never sang these two roles, which I think we can all agree is a great shame.
BBS: You are, at the time of writing, 28 years old, which is still very young. To be sure of a lasting career, what are your plans for a progression of roles into your 30s and beyond? There are many sad tales of burn out in the world of opera, especially at the top level, but, as far as I can see, the good thing about you is that you are being well-advised and have decent people behind you. This is obviously absolutely crucial to your development, but how do you yourself see the future panning out? Even Corelli, fabulous though he was, had a sadly short career, plagued by nerves, and perhaps the overuse of his voice. Maybe, better advice early on could have seen him sing roles such as the two you mention above. What are your dream roles for the future? Do you have plans for the French repertoire? German? Wagner?
F De T: Yes, that’s right, I’m 28. Unfortunately, our industry is peppered with stories of burn outs and stars that shone brightly yet briefly, but I am confident I won’t fall down this particular hole! I am incredibly lucky to have a wonderful support network round me. I am in frequent contact with my teacher, Mark Wildman, and I have a fantastic coach and recital accompanist in Jonathan Papp. My terrific agent, Maria Mot, and the people at Decca are all there for the journey. Amongst all these people, I feel terribly secure and well-advised.
I have many dream roles, some of which I am already getting to sing, notably Cavaradossi (at Covent Garden) and Maurizio (in ‘Adriana Lecouvreur’), and, as a great fan of Verdi, Puccini and the Verismo composers, I have a whole host of Italian repertoire roles to sing. I particularly look forward to Manrico, Radames and Otello by Verdi and Des Grieux and Calaf by Puccini. Osaka from Mascagni’s ‘Iris’, another role not sung by Corelli, is one I would love to get my teeth into! In French, I sing Don Jose from ‘Carmen’, and maybe there will be a Samson down the road, but not just yet.
BBS: It’s funny hearing you talk of all these leading roles you will sing. As a bass, I never, or at least very rarely, get to sing leading roles. I remember the excitement I had when, at the age of 58, I sang Falstaff in Canada, and got the dressing room with a star on the door!
I think you and Decca have been quite clever in choosing the repertoire for your debut album, ‘Passione’, since you have kept to lusciously orchestrated versions of Italian, and particularly, Neapolitan songs. You have eschewed the arias which you will probably sing in the future, but which have been heavily recorded by the greats like Pavarotti, Domingo, Jose Cura and Corelli, in favour of deliciously romantic songs, which show your voice to good advantage, full of terrific high notes. What was the thinking, and will there be a follow up? My readers of a certain age in Scotland will remember the great Scottish tenor, Kenneth McKellar, who had a fascinating career as an early version of what we would now call crossover. Classically trained and featured on several fine recordings, including a superb “Messiah”, he was also the tartan-clad embodiment of all things Scottish, especially at New Year, singing Robert Burns. He even appeared on an early Eurovision Song Contest, with little success. In the 60s, BBC Scotland gave him a whole show, “Kenneth in Italy”, singing Neapolitan songs in situ. I remember him singing ‘Funiculi, Funicula’ on a funicular railway! He also, like you on Passione, sang Marechiare and ‘Core ‘ngrato’, and this was my introduction to Neapolitan songs. I recall trying to sing some myself with thrilling high Es (an octave below you! Maybe, not so thrilling!) but realising that it was a tenor thing.
I’ve seen a video of Corelli singing ‘Core ‘ngrato’, which is fabulous. I presume you have based your version on his?
F De T: We chose to do this rep rather than a standard set of arias for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, because this album is celebrating Corelli’s centenary, it needed to be (mostly) repertoire which he actually sang. Now, obviously because of Franco’s voice type (and mine), he didn’t sing the arias usually associated with young tenors, like ‘Una furtiva Lagrima’ or ‘Dalla sua Pace’. I don’t sing them either and it would have been premature for me to come out swinging with all the big arias, so this song repertoire fitted perfectly. Franco sang most of these songs throughout his career, and my study of them had aroused a passion in me. I wanted to bring them back into fashion and remind people how wonderful they are!
There will certainly be many follow-ups, and the next albums will be operatic rep. Yes, I love Corelli’s rendition of ‘Core ‘ngrato’, and I’m sure, subconsciously, some of his version will have sneaked into mine. The Mantovani arrangement we used was actually written for Mario del Monaco, another of my favourite singers, and it was nice to sing this song in a slightly different way, with the chorus first.
BBS: Finally, who have been your main influences in Britain? Has Tony Pappano at Covent Garden taken an interest? You are maybe fortunate that your particular voice is the one that most people associate with opera, following the lead of Pavarotti and Mario Lanza- the “Italian Tenor”. Do you see yourself keeping to that repertoire, or are you open to different styles? Are you prepared for the enticements of fame and the media? Singers like Katherine Jenkins and Alfie Boe earn megabucks, and yet she has never sung an opera in her life, although famous as an “Opera Singer”! What are your thoughts on that aspect of modern music, and will you be able to resist the blandishments of the dreaded Crossover?
F De T: I’ve been fortunate to work with Pappano twice now, once with you in ‘Meistersinger’ and once in ‘Otello’ in 2019. He really is fantastic. For now, I will be sticking to the operatic and classical repertoire. No one knows what the future will bring, but I am not particularly interested in veering from that path at present.
I am going to try very hard to bring opera into the same limelight as the Katherine Jenkins/Alfie Boe world, but avoiding the tacky crossover aspect, and keeping true to the traditions and values of proper classical singing. I am very happy to remain in the world of opera. This is the music I love, and I want to share it with as many people as possible!
BBS: Thank you very much, Freddie, for taking the time to let us know a bit about your career so far, and about your aspirations for the future. I am sure our readers will follow that career closely, and I, for one, hope to see you singing in Scotland very soon. In the meantime, I can heartily recommend your new album on Decca, ‘Passione’, available, as they say, from all good outlets.
