Rolando Villazón

Emilio Rolando Villazón Mauleón (born February 22, 1972, in Mexico City) is a Mexican tenor. He is currently in international demand as an opera singer, and also maintains an active recording career. He has recorded four solo CDs with Virgin Classics and is additionally featured, along with Patrizia Ciofi and Topi Lehtipuu, on the CD recording of "Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda" by Claudio Monteverdi, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm.

In August 2005, he sang a highly regarded Alfredo in Verdi's "La Traviata" at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and directed by Willy Decker, with Anna Netrebko, his frequent singing partner, as Violetta Valéry. They have also appeared together in a video version of Donizetti's "Elisir d'amore", available on DVD.

In 2007, Mr Villazón switched his recording company - he signed an exclusive long-term contract with Deutsche Grammophon. An album of Zarzuelas (Gitano, Virgin Classics) under the baton of Plácido Domingo, was released in Spring 2007. An album of operatic duets featuring Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko was recorded with the Dresdener Staatskapelle under Nicola Luisotti for Deutsche Grammophon and was released in March 2007. The U.S. version of his latest album Viva Villazón (Virgin Classics) was released in September 2007.

For the rest of the 2007 season Mr Villazón has cancelled all his performances, including his debut recital at the Carnegie Hall and "Roméo et Juliette" at the Metropolitan Opera, due to health problems. [cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/arts/music/13teno.html | work = The New York Times | title = Tenor Takes Time Off, Cites Health | author = Daniel J. Wakin | date = September 13, 2007] [cite news | url = http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/7055.html | work = Playbill Arts | title = Tenor Rolando Villazón Cancels Performances Through Year's End, Including Met, Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall | author = Matthew Westphal | date = 12 Sep 2007 (updated 13 Sep 2007)]

He has since made his comeback, his first appearance post-cancellations being at the Wiener Staatsoper in "Werther." He has made numerous successful appearances since his return and has plans for a full schedule during the 2008-2009 season. [cite news | url = http://rolandovillazon.com/eng/calendar_next.php?season=2008-2009 | title = Rolando Villazon Official Website | 2008-2009 Season]

Discography

*"Romeo y Julieta" CD (2002), Radio Televisión Española
*"Der Fliegende Holländer" CD (2002), Teldec Classics
*"Berlioz: La Révolution Grecque" CD (2004), EMI Classics
*"Italian Opera Arias" CD (2004), Virgin Classics
*"Gounod & Massenet Arias" CD (2005), Virgin Classics
*"Tristan und Isolde" CDs and DVD (2005), EMI Classics
*"Don Carlo" 2 DVDs (2005), Opus Arte
*"La Traviata" CD (2005), Deutsche Grammophon
*"Merry Christmas" (Soundtrack) CD (2005), Virgin Classics
*"Opera Recital" CD; bonus edition with DVD (2006), Virgin Classics
*"La Traviata" DVD; premium 2-DVD edition (behind the scenes, rehearsals, introduction to the opera etc.) (2006), Salzburger Festspiele 2005, Deutsche Grammophon
*"La Bohème" DVD (2006), Bregenzer Festspiele 2002, ORF + Capriccio
*"Monteverdi: Il Combattimento" CD; bonus edition with DVD (2006), Virgin Classics
*"Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore" DVD (2006), Virgin Classics
*"The Berlin Concert: Live from the Waldbühne" DVD (2006), Deutsche Grammophon
*"Gitano" CD; bonus edition with DVD (February 2007), Virgin Classics
*"Duets" featuring Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko CD; bonus edition with DVD (March 2007), Deutsche Grammophon
*"Viva Villazón" - Rolando Villazón - Best Of CD (2007), Virgin Classics
*"La Bohème" Live recording CD (two disk set) (2008), Deutsche Grammophon

References

“The finest tenor of our time” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Fact|date=November 2007

“Schönste Tenorstimme unserer Zeit” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Fact|date=November 2007

External links

* [http://www.rolandovillazon.com/ Rolando Villazón's official site]
* [http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?delay=y&PV=y&EAN=5099950476220&z=y&cds2Pid=17334&linkid=991200&pvsrc=1 Shop]
* [http://rolandovillazon.blogspot.com/ Unofficial blog Rolando Villazón, de Villazonistas del Liceu]