Tom And Jerry Make Beautiful Music Together

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Distinguished Artist Series, Thomas Hampson and Jerry Hadley in recital at the Opera House, Seattle Center, 7:30 p.m. Sunday ($19-$51; 443-4747).

They call it "Tom and Jerry," which certainly sounds like more fun than "The Seattle Symphony's Boeing Company Distinguished Artists Series."

But whatever you call it, next Sunday's visit to the Opera House by baritone Thomas Hampson and tenor Jerry Hadley should be an occasion for some fine singing. The two American-born opera stars have sung together on many occasions, from the Metropolitan Opera stage to the recording studio (both are featured in an operatic disc from the Thomas Hampson Collection and on "Hadley and Hampson, Operatic Duets," on the Teldec label, among other CDs).

It's been a little more than four years since the 40-year-old Hampson, who grew up in Washington, has sung in Seattle. A return to the baritone's home state is long overdue.

"I haven't sung there in a long time," Hampson said from a stop in Mannheim, Germany, between operatic engagements. It is Vienna, not Spokane, where he spends most of his time these days.

A family gathering

The literal-minded among us might not even call Hampson a Washington native, since he was born in Indiana. Since he moved to Washington State at the age of 3 months, however, this state's music lovers have preferred to forget about those few trifling weeks and call him a native son.

Tall, handsome, intelligent and gifted, this six-time Grammy nominee still makes his way home to Eastern Washington upon occasion. Sometimes it's to receive awards, such as the recent honorary doctor of music from Whitworth College; more often, it's to visit with his family. Hampson's mother and a sister live in Walla Walla; his daughter Megan, 14, lives with his ex-wife in Clarkston, Asotin County. Another sister lives on this side of the mountains, in Kirkland, and there's going to be something of a family convocation the weekend of Hampson's Opera House concert.

Hampson's relationship with his daughter mirrors the complexity of his performing life.

"I try to see her whenever I can," he explains, "but a lot of the time she has to come to me. Sometimes this is fun; we were just in San Francisco together a month ago, and she loves to be there. Other times, it's more difficult; there is school to consider, and the distances can be long because I spend so much time in Europe. Flying isn't always very easy."

Hampson says he feels lucky to have a good relationship with his daughter, even in the years when many kids are dyeing their hair green and piercing unorthodox body sites. His daughter is "more concerned with her horse, and whether a second horse might possibly be in her future."

And, of course, the phone bills are enormous. Hampson spends most of his time in Vienna, where he has had a decade-long partnership with a woman who has three grown children.

"She's not a singer," Hampson quips, "she's normal! Actually, she's a businesswoman who runs a private foundation in Vienna and is quite a music lover. I'm very glad she is `just normal,' because from what I've seen, it's difficult for two singers to make a life together."

Partnership between friends

Hampson's musical partnership with Hadley extends back even farther than a decade; he and Hadley first appeared together in 1982 at the Opera Theater of St. Louis, where they starred in what Hampson remembers as "a magical production of `Cosi fan tutte.' We became close friends.

"It's great fun singing the tenor/baritone duet literature. There's so much great stuff! The tenor and the baritone are friends, sometimes also rivals, in so many operas, we've found this a wonderful way to explore and present beautiful repertoire."

Hampson has had several years at the top as a darling of the media, particularly in a field where not all the protagonists are tall, well-built and handsome. He casts a jaundiced eye at the current media overreaction to the careers of Luciano Pavarotti and the younger tenor Roberto Alagna, both of whom have recently been overpraised and horrendously slammed, depending on which reports you read.

"I just sang with Alagna in Paris," he says of the younger singer, "and he is a young guy with a beautiful voice and great potential. But he's still 32; he has a lot of development ahead. Everybody forgets that when Domingo and Pavarotti were that age, they were not always regarded as messengers of God either."

In Seattle, Hampson and the much-recorded Jerry Hadley will start with Italian and French opera (with pianist Craig Rutenberg), featuring duets from "The Barber of Seville," "The Pearl Fishers" and other works. After intermission, the two will sing favorites of the operetta repertoire (including "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz") and the Broadway stage (concluding with "Bring Him Home," from "Les Miserables").

"It's not just another potpourri evening," Hampson promises.

"We really love to sing together. It's going to be a lot of fun - I hope as much fun for the people in the audience as for the two singers on the stage."