Just Like A Concert

Lukhanyo Moyake was the first singer I heard at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition last June, which for the first time in its 35-year history held rounds in Cape Town, South Africa. Still bleary-eyed from the day-long flight, I quickly regained my senses upon hearing the first phrase of his aria, “Ella mi fu rapita,” from Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The 29-year-old tenor—clichéd as it may sound—reminded me of a young Luciano Pavarotti. His Italian diction and use of rubato were spot-on, and his voice seemed able to fill a stadium.