ROLANDO VILLAZÓN, THE WORLD OPERA STARS IN PRAGUE

ROLANDO VILLAZÓN, tenor
Czech National Symphony Orchestra
conductor Guerassim Voronkov

Obecní dům - Smetanova síň
náměstí Republiky 5, Praha 1
8.5. 2013 19:30

HVĚZDY SVĚTOVÉ OPERY V PRAZE /
THE WORLD OPERA STARS IN PRAGUE

Česká verze článku

Tickets for ROLANDO VILLAZÓN, Verdi Tour here 

Rolando Villazón is coming back to Prague!
After the fantastic concert on 13th April 2012 when he completely enchanted Prague audience in a sold out Smetana Hall in a unique program of lesser known songs of the Italian Bel Canto, he will introduce himself in a magical world of the operas by Giuseppe Verdi.
The Mexican Tenor and opera mega-star decided to pay tribute to one of the greatest opera composers of all times Giuseppe Verdi to mark the genius composer’s bicentenary with an extensive tour of his most celebrated opera arias.
Rolando will also conclude his season with this tour that will take him and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra to Hamburg, Paris, Frankfurt, Geneva, Aix-en-Provence, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Baden-Baden, Toulouse, and Barcelona. Olga Peretyatko has worked with such renowned conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Renato Palumbo, Marc Minkowski and Alberto Zedda. She has an exclusive recording contract with Sony Classical. In 2011, this label issued her highly acclaimed CD "La bellezza del canto” (with Münchner Rundfunkorchester conducted by Miguel Ángel Gómez-Martínez).

Tickets for ROLANDO VILLAZÓN, Verdi Tour  here

HVĚZDY SVĚTOVÉ OPERY V PRAZE /
THE WORLD OPERA STARS IN PRAGUE


ROLANDO VILLAZÓN
Through his uniquely compelling performances with leading opera houses and orchestras around the world, Rolando Villazón has firmly established himself as one of the music world’s most critically acclaimed and beloved stars and as one of the leading tenors of our day. The Times wrote of his second turn as Offenbach’s Hoffmann in London:  “He’s simply Villazón: with his trademark exuberance, ringing tenor, and frightening ability to act a part.” His recent portrayal of Massenet’s Werther was dubbed “nothing short of magnificent” and prompted The Guardian to write: “Villazón gives one of his most remarkable performances to date. His artistry is as astonishing as ever, fusing sound, sense and gesture in an uncompromising quest for veracity.”

It was as the winner of several prizes at Plácido Domingo’s “Operalia” Competition in 1999 that Rolando Villazón first burst on the international music scene. He made his European debut that same year as Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon in Genoa, swiftly followed by further debuts at the Opéra de Paris as Alfredo in La traviata; and the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin as Macduff in Macbeth. He went on to become one of the most sought-after performers of his generation, as highlighted by a string of highly successful debuts with Europe’s leading opera houses such as the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Rodolfo in La bohème and the Vienna Staatsoper as Gounod’s Roméo. The tenor has since frequently returned to Vienna for performances as Massenet’s Werther, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Des Grieux, the title role in Les contes d’Hoffmann and the Duke in Rigoletto. Munich audiences have seen Rolando Villazón perform the title role in Gounod’s Faust and Roméo, and  Alfredo. He made his Salzburg Festival debut in 2005 with triumphant performances as Alfredo in a new production of La traviata alongside Anna Netrebko and Thomas Hampson. In 2008, he returned for a new production of Roméo et Juliette. Further acclaimed European festival appearances include Bregenz, Glyndebourne and Orange.

Since his debut, Rolando Villazón frequently appears with the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, often collaborating with Daniel Barenboim. Highlights include his role debut as Don José in a new production of Carmen, as well as new productions of La traviata, Manon and Eugene Onegin. At the Opéra de Paris, audiences have seen him in performances of Faust, La traviata, Les contes d’Hoffmann and Werther. The role of Hoffmann was also the vehicle for his triumphant debut at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden (2004) where he has since returned for performances of Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, the Duke, and the title roles in Don Carlo and Werther, both led by Antonio Pappano. He has appeared with the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels as Rodolfo and made his role debut as Verdi’s Don Carlo in a new production with Amsterdam Opera conducted by Riccardo Chailly. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Nemorino and returned for a new production of Manon alongside Natalie Dessay. He gave his debut at Zurich Opera as Alfredo, and returned for a new production of Mozart’s Il re pastore led by William Christie. In 2010, he debuted with La Scala as Nemorino and in January 2011 he made his debut as a stage director (Massenet’s Werther for Opéra de Lyon).

Since his acclaimed debut with the Metropolitan Opera New York as Alfredo (2003), he has returned to star in performances as Duke, Rodolfo and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2010, he joined the Metropolitan Opera’s tour to Japan (Edgardo). A favorite with Los Angeles Opera since his debut in La traviata (2001), the tenor has since appeared in productions of Gianni Schicchi, Roméo et Juliette and Manon. An acclaimed concert artist and recitalist, he has appeared with leading orchestras and conductors on concert stages all over the world.

Rolando Villazón's 2012-2013 season sees, among many highlights, the Mexican tenor’s return to the American concert stage, a soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Philadelphia Orchestra (Philadelphia's Kimmel Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Also in the autumn, Rolando joins pianist Gerold Huber for recitals in Germany as well as in Italy at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. In March 2013, he returns to the Wiener Staatsoper in La traviata as Alfredo and to Gran Teatre del Liceu as Nemorino. He will make his debut in Mozart’s rarely-heard early opera Lucio Silla during the annual Mozart-Woche in Salzburg . In June, Rolando and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra mark the bicentenary of Giuseppe Verdi with an extensive tour of the master composer’s most celebrated opera arias, with stops in Hamburg, Paris, Frankfurt, Geneva, Aix-en-Provence, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Baden-Baden, Toulouse, and Barcelona.

Rolando Villazón began the 2011/2012 season with a performance of Verdi’s Requiem led by Daniel Barenboim at the Vienna Staatsoper. He returned to Vienna for performances of L’elisir d’amore, an opera he also performs in Zurich and Berlin. He made his return to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich (Hoffmann) and makes his return to the Salzburg Festival for concert performances of Il re pastore. He can be heard in concert and recital throughout the season, including appearances in Paris, Vienna, Munich, Madrid and Baden-Baden. Baden-Baden audiences can also experience him in one of his signature roles, Nemorino, when he stars in and directs a new production of L’elisir d’amore.

In 2007, Rolando Villazón became an exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon. To date, all of his albums have been best-sellers, earning gold and platinum status in Germany and Austria. Born in Mexico City, he began his musical studies at the National Conservatory of Music before entering young artist programmes in Pittsburgh and at San Francisco Opera. A recipient of many prestigious awards, he has been named a Chévalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of the highest awards in the fields of arts and literature in France.
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