Gitano

The Berlin Concert - Live from Waldbuhne Sparks fly in this video of the all-star concert from Berlin's equivalent of the Hollywood Bowl in July 2006, part of the World Cup festivities. The electricity is generated by the all-star trio of tenors Placido Domingo and Rolando Villazon and soprano Anna Netrebko in a program...	Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is one of the staples of the comic opera repertory. The plot hinges on whether earnest but dim-witted Nemorino will snag Adina, the flirtatious heroine. She's a tease who takes up with Belcore, an army sergeant, to make Nemorino jealous. After numerou...	Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazon: Duets Rolando Villazon and Anna Netrebko, opera's "golden couple" (or is it "dream team?") have just released their first CD of duets. In the duet that closes the first act of Bohème, both singers are in rapturous voice, their phrasing sensitive and sincere. The Lucia-Edgardo duet i...	Russian Album This is a collection of well-to-lesser-known Russian arias by composers from Glinka to Prokofiev, with stops along the way for Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Rachmaninov. The lovely Anna Netrebko remains a glamorous singer, pure of voice, with always-musical phrasing and some...	Viva Villazón (incl. bonus DVD)
Verdi - La Traviata	Cielo e Mar Exuberant and charismatic, Rolando Villazón is the tenor of today. Here he releases his first solo album on Deutsche Grammophon. The soaring title track from Ponchielli s La Gioconda inspired Villazón to become a singer. Here it is the starting point for an intriguing album whi...	Italian Opera Arias This is a glorious debut recital by a tenor, from whom, if he sings the right roles and keeps way from jet-setting and too much singing, might just be the lyrico-spinto tenor we've been waiting for. He has the class of Carlo Bergonzi and a ringing tone which is somewhere between ...	The Opera Gala: Live from Baden-Baden The Festival Theatre at the German spa town of Baden-Baden is a spanking modern concert hall behind the façade of a handsome 19th-century railroad station. In July 2007, it hosted an evening of wonderful singing by a quartet of leading operatic stars in a program that could have...	Jules Massenet - Manon / Dessay, Villazon, Ramey, Lanza, Henry, Perez, McVicar (Gran Teatre del Liceu 2007) This imaginative Barcelona production of Massenet's tearjerker about a woman gone wrong in the dissolute world of 18th-century Paris features a brilliant performance of the title role by Natalie Dessay and an abundance of fine vocalism from most of her colleagues. Dessay's expres...

Addictive and Moving
I got this CD a couple days ago. I can't stop listening to it. The emotion that Villazon puts into this music stops me from doing anything else while I just marvel at his tone and expressivity. He is certainly one of the great tenors of the day and this magnificent recording is a must-have for any serious connoisseur of Spanish, Latin American, or operatic music. Domingo's direction is, of course, superb---but Villazon surpasses even Domingo's zarzuela singing when he was at his best. What a great voice! What a great recording!

I'M AFRAID THIS GUY HAS SURPASSED HIS MASTER
PLACIDO DOMINGO WAS THE BEST ZARZUELA SINGER I HAD HEARD UNTIL I KNEW HIS DISCIPLE, VILLAZON. HIS PRONUNCIATION AND POWER ARE JUST FANTASTIC!

Impressive
It is perhaps the best selection of songs that Rolando has edited.Really impressive.I have heard it more than 18 times and wont stop

Wonderful
Maybe once in a generation comes a tenor voice as rich and exciting as Rolando's. Unfortunately, such voices sometimes come in fragile packages. His recent appearance cancellations for "health problems," stretching out for almost half a year already and attributed by some to voice difficulties, give us worry that this voice, too, may not last. Nevertheless, this album is rich and fine, not only for the wonderful singing, but also for the introduction to the Spanish Zarzuela. The criticism by another reviewer of pitch wavering I think is mistaken; I see rather an adaptation to the spirit of the Zarzuela, where, as in much popular music (and the Zarzuela has always dipped generously into the field of Iberian popular song), absolute pitch often gives way to expression. The notes give a decent, if limited, background to the genre, and complete lyrics, in both Spanish and English, are given for all of the songs. The translations into English are uneven, frequently missing the inner intent of the original Spanish by a wide margin. Yet they give a decent reflection of the general meaning of the songs and would be helpful for a listener whose Spanish is wobbly. The album title "Gitano" is somewhat misleading in that only one of the tracks deals explicitly with a gypsy theme. But that is a quibble. In all, this is an album which will delight and enrich for many years to come. It belongs in every music library where good singing is treasured--and not just for the voice, but also for the glimpse into the too often obscured world of Spanish musical theater as represented by the Zarzuela.

Excellence
Villazon voice brings back in this Gitano CD memories of those tenors of the 50's like Mario Del Monaco and Franco Corelli but this time with a Latin America essence. Placido Domingo direction and his special Spanish touch is felt throughout the recording. However it is Villazon's voice that makes one thrill in every piece of zarzuelas. His performance of Mi Aldea is the best I have heard so far though it is for the baritone role in Los Gavilanes. I have the CD in my car I and listen to it very often(do not recommend it because it could make you loose control of your driving) Every time I listen to the recording I get goosebumps. Even if you are not a fan of zarzuelas I suggest this CD because the exceptional voice of Villazon and the music will lead to Spanish music at its best.