Rolando Villazon: Italian Opera Arias

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Free Music Notes for Rolando Villazon: Italian Opera Arias

Free Music Review: At Last--The Fourth Tenor
Hit: 5 Stars

This first CD, the first of what I hope will be many recordings, includes many excerpts that have been recorded by so many of his great predecessors--Bjoerling, Caruso, Gigli, Di Stefano, Bergonzi, Pavarotti, Domingo--to name only a few. He's got Bergonzi's aristocratic musicanship. He's got the dark timbre of a Caruso or Domingo. He can phrase with imagination, as di Stefano was able to, and he's got a naturally beautiful sound--that many describe as akin to a young Domingo. That's true, but the timbre has that lovely soft texture of Carreras in his early young prime.

Unlike Domingo and relatively early into his Carreras's career, Villazon's top has a lovely bloom to them, and there's no lunging for top notes. He sings at least three top Cs on this CD, and only in "Che gelida manina," does the microphone capture that note with a bit glare on it. Well you gotta quibble at least once!

My favorite items on this disc are "E la solita storia," from Cilea's L'ARLESIANA, where his vocal control is exemplary. "Angelo casto e bel," recorded by Caruso and Pavarotti, is from Donizetti's IL DUCA D'ALBA. Villazon admirably commands its long-lined lyricism. I'm looking forward to his Duke in RIGOLETTO. "Parmi veder le lagrime," the most interesting of this character's three arias, is also very difficult to sing well. Villazon sings it superbly. Some may think his voice a bit small for Don Carlo or Cavaradossi, but his voice's glamorous spinning tone is ideal in both scenes. Marcello Viotti, the conductor, offers well-rountined support.

Let's watch this young tenor's progress in the next few years. He's a huge talent and could go far. I don't take anything away from such fine contemporary tenors as Roberto Alagna, Marcello Alvarez, or Ramon Vargas. But I do think Villazon's the most important of these four in the lyric tenor category. He can sing beautifully, act up a storm, and really connects with the music. I understand there's a French aria recital in his recording future, and I look forward to hearing him on record and in the opera house for many seasons to come.

Rolando Villazon: Italian Opera Arias Poster

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