By David Mermelstein [WSJ, 18 November 2010]

All opera stars endure the burden of expectation, but Roberto Alagna has felt that weight keenly. Dubbed "the fourth tenor" early in his career by unthinking handlers, he has found it difficult to shake unfair comparisons to Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti, none of whom he is heir to. Moreover, he has sometimes chosen parts that are too heavy for his essentially lyric voice. Yet he airily dismisses such concerns as he readies for the daunting title role in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Verdi's "Don Carlo," which opens Monday.