José Cura: ‘Silence. The best and most neglected music’

World-famous for his intense and original interpretations of opera characters, as well as for his unconventional and innovative concert performances, tenor José Cura is a familiar name atop the marquees of the most prestigious theatres.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Pipi. Sorry.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Carpe diem.

What do you never leave the house without?

Care.

Pick three words that describe yourself.

Stubborn x 3.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

My family.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Oops...

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

That it is way too short to be lived stupidly.

Property and cars aside what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

Buying food without having to worry about the bill, counts as an answer?

What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?

That time would start to run faster after having reached 50 years of age.

Who’s your inspiration?

The wonders of life.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Remaining artistically and morally uncontaminated after more than 30 years at the summit of the showbiz.

Do you believe in God?

In the one that has created us to his likeness or in the one we have created to ours?

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?

Johan Sebastian Bach.

What’s your worst habit?

If I tell you, it wouldn’t be just mine anymore, but become a public subject of derision...

What are you like when you’re drunk?

No idea.

Who would you have play you in a film?

My son.

What is the trait you most deplore in others

Treacherous cowardice.

What music would you have played at your funeral?

It will not really be my problem... but I wouldn’t mind if they play my own Requiem Mass. Probably it will be the last time ever it will be played if I am not there to promote it...

What is your most treasured material possession?

My father’s shoes. I wear them only for my concerts, since he died.

What is your earliest memory?

My mother’s surgeon cutting my little finger by mistake when performing the cesarean that brought me out...

When did you last cry, and why?

October 1st, 2022 at 16:05 while rehearsing “Si muero, sobrevíveme” for our concert at the Manoel, with Jane Marshal and Sofia Narmania.

Who would you most like to meet?

After my dinner with the good old Johan you mean? Socrates.

What’s your favourite food?

The one I have on the table each time I sit at it to eat: It’s such a privilege to have any food at all nowadays!

Who’s your favourite person on social media right now?

Social what? (My favourite persons are flesh and bones ones, not social media acquaintances.)

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

Back to the origin to try to stop the moment in which humans were created. What an amazing universe we could have without us shitting on the wonders of Creation!

What book are you reading right now?

Several. You will need to specify the time of the day in which the reading takes place to get my answer...

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Does healing people’s hearts with music count as a super power?

What’s one thing you want to do before you die?

Assure my intellectual legacy will be developed by the future generations. What a waste of time having worked so hard for decades, trying “to be and not just to exist”, otherwise...

What music are you listening to at the moment?

Silence. The best and most neglected music.

In the shower or when you’re working out, what do you sing/listen to?

As said, silence is my preferred life sound track, even when working out. Maybe that’s why I train at a slow pace?