Piotr Beczała – One of the World’s Top Tenors
Piotr Beczała (born 1966) is one of the most sought-after tenors of our time and a constant guest in the world’s leading opera houses. The Polish-born artist is acclaimed by audiences and critics alike not only for the beauty of his voice but also for his ardent commitment to each character he portrays. He has sung operas in Italian, Czech, Russian, Polish, German, and French.
BeczaÅ‚a modestly attributes his success to his wife Katarzyna (Kasia for short), a fellow Pole who gave up her own opera singing career for him. Most opera singers travel alone but BeczaÅ‚a, who always travels with his wife, says “If someone envies me, it’s not for my career, it’s the fact that I’m traveling with Kasia. We’re a team. She also comes to rehearsals and she criticizes me unreservedly after concerts and performances.†In response, Katarzyna says “It’s important to mention that I was also a singer. I gave up my career for Piotr. It was easy for me because I am still working in art through him. I sing with him, I breathe with him and, of course, I criticize him, too. Singers can’t hear themselves. Piotr also knows that I only say something if I’m sure that he can do better.â€
Piotr (Peter) and Katarzyna (Katherine) met when they were 18 years old. As a student, Katarzyna was already singing on a number of professional stages and had won a Grand Prix competition in Germany. She then got an offer to perform at the famous La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy. It was a premiere performance with the renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. Katarzyna turned it all down. Meanwhile, Piotr got his first proper job at the Landestheater in Linz, Austria, and the plan was for him to be in Linz permanently and that Katarzyna would have the career. When asked why she set her career aside, Katarzyna replied “I’m a very intuitive woman and I always knew that I was looking for love in my life. He really moved me at a Werther production where people just kept coming back. The same people! It became something of a cult in Linz. That’s when I realized that Piotr can touch people. And that was also the moment I decided to give up my career for him.â€
The theatres that have cast Beczała include De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam, the Théâtre Royal La Monnaie in Brussels, Opéra National de Paris, Bilbao Opera in Spain, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Opernhaus in Frankfurt am Main, Staatsoper in Vienna, Grand Théâtre in Geneva, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Megaron in Athens, Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
He has also been a regular guest singer at leading international festivals including those in Salzburg, Vienna, Graz, Zurich, Lucerne, Montpellier, and Montreux. He has also performed in renowned concert halls including the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Munich Philharmonic Hall, Herkulessaal in Munich, Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Tonhalle in Zurich, KKL in Lucerne, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Pyotr Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, and Severance Hall in Cleveland.
Katarzyna rightly calls Piotr a workaholic. In the nine months from January to September 2018, he has starred in seven operas and has also performed in seven concerts in Europe and the U.S.
To understand why Beczała is a most sought-after tenor, give a listen to this YouTube video excerpt from the opera Faust by Gounod at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGrdenQiAOY. At 4:55, you’ll hear him hit a high C.
