As most of my work is abroad, I spend long periods of time living in foreign cities, which becomes a mixture of hard work and holiday. When Daniel Barenboim selected me as his Tristan to open at La Scala in 2007, I had five and a half months to learn the role, which normally takes a year — it’s such a beast, the first tenor to perform it died shortly afterwards — so I effectively moved to Milan.
Consequently, I know the city really well. In my business, a lot of your life revolves around singing and eating, so a good restaurant at the end of a show or rehearsal is hugely important to me. I always go back to a place called Elettrauto Cadore, on Via Cadore. It’s an old car-electrics repair garage, as the name suggests, but now a brilliant bar.
One thing it does is great breakfast, with wonderful pastries and coffee — breakfast is never an Italian priority, so it’s something to cherish. The things to go for are the fresh meats and vegetables. These days, they see me and ask “Culatello?”, and I say “Si”. Culatello is a ham, cured from one small central portion of the thigh muscle of the pig. It’s up there with pata negra — and I know all about that because, when I opened in Madrid, Placido Domingo sent me a whole one on a stand. It took me days, weeks, to get through.
I am a hobbyist photographer, and one of my favourite cities for that is Venice. I have a thing about rooftops, and you get great shots from La Fenice, the opera house. Incidentally, Vino Vino, the wine bar just next to La Fenice, does far better food and wine than you would expect in the centre of the city. The first time I went to Venice, it was snowing, in April.
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I went into the bar of the Metropole hotel in Venice and asked the barman for something to warm me up. He produced something I’ve never found here, China Martini We took a gondola ride and the gondolier let my son, Jack, stand at the back and have a go. He did really well, but by the time we had been round the canals, I was absolutely frozen. I went into the bar of the Metropole hotel and asked the barman for something to warm me up. He produced something I’ve never found here, China Martini, which tastes as if it’s full of herbs. You add hot water to it and it really does the trick as a warming tonic. I told him to keep them coming until I said stop or fell asleep.
I was born in a mining village in Co Durham, and we didn’t travel abroad much. I think the first time was when I was 14, and we went to Ostend. Not a success. The next year, we did Mallorca, which was, and I still adore Spain. I have sung at the Liceu, in Barcelona, which is fantastic — some of the best audiences in the world. I love the people, but I’m not so sure about the city. You always have to have your wits about you.
Once, I was at a cashpoint when a woman waved a clipboard in front of my face, as if getting me to sign a petition. It’s an old trick: they time it so they put the clipboard between you and the machine just as the cash comes out, then pinch the money.
When I realised what was happening, I grabbed her and put her in an arm lock, at which point she started yelling that she was pregnant and that I was molesting her. I shouted at the crowd that had gathered to call the police, but they looked blank. “We’re all English,” said one. “What’s the number?” The police came eventually, and she calmed down, but I spent the rest of the day filling in paperwork.
My faith in Barcelona is always restored by eating there. Just on the opposite side of the Ramblas from the theatre is La Crema Canela, at Passatge Madoz 6. It does the best lunches — two or three courses, with wine — for €10. I end up eating there every day when I’m in town. For tapas, I have two favourites, Taller de Tapas, on Sant Josep Oriol, which is not cheap, but always consistent, and El Paraigua, on Pas de l’Ensenyanca, which also does excellent cakes.
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As you can tell, I like my food, but the best place in the world for me is closer to home. I got my start at Scottish Opera, and I still head back to a place called Dragon-i, on Hope Street, in Glasgow. Lovely people, great atmosphere, excellent fusion food — and it just reminds me of where this amazing journey all began.
Ian Storey, 51, is one of this country’s most successful operatic tenors. Born in Co Durham, he has sung with Opera East, Opera North and Scottish Opera. In 2007, he opened the opera season at La Scala, Milan, singing in Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, with Daniel Barenboim conducting. He is currently booking engagements around the world until 2016. He lives in Herefordshire with his wife, Bridgette, and son, Jack.