From his 1971 debut as Don Ottavio in his native San Juan, Barasorda made a quick career focused on the USA, but with regular
excursions to Europe and a few to South America: New York City Opera, Boston, San Francisco, Miami, Pittsburgh, Portland, San
Diego, Los Angeles, Montréal, and from 1994 time and again at the New York Metropolitan Opera; Wexford Festival,
Cardiff, Opéra-Comique in Paris, Marseille, Trieste, La Fenice in Venice (big success as Stiffelio in 1985), Arena di
Verona, Genova, Bologna, Madrid (Teatro de la Zarzuela), Dresden; Buenos Aires (Teatro Colón), Caracas.
His repertory was wide: Tamino, Almaviva, Edgardo, Alfredo, Rodolfo (Luisa Miller), Manrico, Otello, Haroun
(Djamileh), Don José, Mylio (Le roi d'Ys), Canio, Cavaradossi, Calaf, Luigi, Pinkerton, Chénier and
many more.
I had no opportunity to hear any early recordings of Barasorda; but by the early 1990s, his voice was worn, and I wouldn't have
bet ten cents that he would sing on for more than two or so years. At about 2010, however, he was a very respectable dramatic
tenor! I guess he must have completely remodeled his technique to achieve this; the voice, in those late recordings, was a
hundred times better placed than almost 20 years earlier.
He remained active as a singer up to his death at age 72.
Reference 1: Kutsch & Riemens; reference 2
I wish to thank Helmut Krautschneider for the picture.
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