Tenor with an eye for beauty in Liverpool

May 27 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

Opera singer Cortes in the Malmaison _320

HE’S not afraid of the word "crossover" and has been described as "the James Bond of opera", but Cortes doesn’t mind if it helps open people’s minds to the world of classical music.

The half English, half Icelandic tenor with a mysterious Spanish surname is the latest in a growing list of artists mixing opera with pop to successful commercial effect – with the critics also on side.

The Daily Post hasn’t been immune either, referring to him as "Iceland’s sexiest man" when he performed in the city with Kathryn Jenkins last winter.

So it’s good to know Cortes (or Garoar Thor Cortes to give him his full, unusual name) finds the city equally as attractive.

On a promotional tour of the UK last week, during which he performed in Manchester, he came to Liverpool to meet his city-based promotional team and spend some time in the city, which he has become a huge fan of.

"Liverpool just has a nice feel to it," he said.

"When I’ve been here working and performing, some cities just feel comfortable and easy, and this is one, I don’t know what it is.

"I love buildings in a city that are always very appealing, they are a huge part of any city, and with that factor, Liverpool is very beautiful to the eye."

He was in the North West to promote a new album, When You Say You Love Me, out on June 2,3 and a single of the same name available for download on June 9.

His self-titled debut album reached number one in the classical album charts and secured him a Classical Brit Awards nomination.

It is only recently that the 34- year-old has started to record solo albums, but already he has been described as a "future Pavarotti".

In a world of Il Divos and Paul Potts, the line between populist and purists can be a hostile one – but Cortes doesn’t see the point in opera elitism.

"I wanted the new album to be slightly more classical, but still with some crossover. Which is a good thing – because the music I love, which is opera, should be more accessible to people.

"Opera, in the day when it was new, literally was popular music. It was written for the masses. It is wrong that opera today is just for the chosen few.

"Some people think the term crossover it a dodgy word, but if you are true to what you believe artistically, then I think it’s good because there is music I’m trying to introduce to people.

"My goal is to keep on doing what I love, which is to sing and not to stay static but to improve and better myself as a performer."

vickyanderson@dailypost.co.uk