Rolando Villazon [Tenor] - 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 which moves far beyond the usual greatest tenor hits . Less familiar masterpieces by Boito, Cilea and Verdi feature alongside little-known Donizetti arias and rarities by Gomes, Mercadante and Pietri. The album is Villazón s personal homage to his illustrious predecessors in the lyric-dramatic repertoire great tenors such as Bergonzi, Caruso and Domingo.
Cielo e mar offers something special for connoisseurs of opera, Villazón s many fans and mainstream listeners who will be gripped by the beauty of both his voice and the music Product Description

Not another Domingo but a lyrical tenor in true color

I absolutely love this album - the choice of arias is simply superb and tasteful. Villazon has poured out his heart into these songs, and it really represent a milestone in the stellar career of this young tenor.
Even so, I sincerely hope that he will fully recover from his general physical breakdown, and recap his vocal prowess with a redirected vision.
Not being unduely harsh, I have strong reservations for young Rolando assuming spinto roles. Listen to his aria from Simon Boccanegra. The technique is flawless. However, the timbre is not as dramatic as the typical Verdian tenor. He excels much better in Donizetti and the bel canto roles.
Nor do I think that JDF is the only tenor that excels at bel canto. Villazon is another superb bel canto interpretor.
For future roles, I think Rolando will do well in following Jose Carreras' repertoire instead of Placido Domingo's. July 2, 2008

Editor's Choice

This disc is featured by Gramophone Magazine as "Editor's Choice" in Opera for the Month of July! June 13, 2008

Villazon is, as usual, excellent

Since Villazon is one of today's top tenors, it is always nice to have a new album from him. This is an interesting collection with some well known arias and some little known. May 30, 2008

The new Domingo/Pavarotti Combined

Villazon has an outstanding voice, the best among the new tenors in my opinion. It is strong, does not stray flat or sharp, has depth and darkness when that is needed but can also be light and lyrical. His choice of arias on this CD provides proof that he is capable of playing and singing a wide and diverse range of operatic characters. May 28, 2008

5th Gear, Mostly

Imagine driving on an unfamiliar road in a very luxurious auto. Imagine that the car seemed to only want to go in overdrive. The experience would be thrilling but ultimately exhausting.
Listening to Rolando Villazon's recent release is like having that exhausting adventure. He seems to need to push his wonderful spinto sound well into helden territory. Why?
When I listen to such a superb voice, I want a feeling of being transported to another realm, not blasted into another reality.
Buy this album. It contains great singing. Be warned-don't listen to the whole disk in one sitting. If you're like me, you'll feel the need to quickly down shift. May 1, 2008

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