rolando furioso?
La Cieca hears the distressing news from Paris that Rolando Villazon was advised by his current management to cancel his March appearances as Werther in order to “rest and refresh the voice,” but as of today is still planning to go on in the Massenet opera. Villazon’s appearances in Paris run through March 18, leaving a gap of less than two weeks between his final performance there and his first Nemorino here in New York.
UPDATE: Per the Opéra National de Paris website, VIllazon has canceled the first performance of the Werther revival but still plans to sing the remaining repetitions beginning March 3.Â
Perhaps even more disturbing is the report that Villazon has marked almost the entire rehearsal period, so nobody can really say at this point whether he can sing the Werther or not.
Apparently it has been made clear to the tenor that, after the recent rocky Lucia,  his entire future Met career stands or falls upon the Elisir revival beginning March 31. In the meantime, La Cieca hears, Villazon has been shopping around for new French representation that would handle exclusively concert and crossover work.
La Cieca certainly hopes that the rumors are wrong, and that Villazon will pull himself together both for Paris and New York, but, well, she’s not completely optimistic. In the meantime, La Cieca will be very interested to hear reports on tomorrow’s first night Tuesday’s performance of Werther.
I’ve heard of Gigli, Kraus, Pavarotti, Caruso, and Schipa. They’re all…what’s that word??? Dead. Truthfully, Pav was my favorite of all time, but I’m grateful for today’s young singers, who all have the drive and determination to pursue other careers, but choose opera instead. I like RV, but I fear he’s ruined. I’ll see for myself on the 8th of April from the cheap seats in the dress circle. I’ll report back.
The greatest singers belong to the past. Yes, they are dead. And yes, there are also great young singers today with huge potential, Juan Deigo Florez being one of my personal favorites. RV has never been to the level of these voices. RV has always been a second class voice marketed as if he was the last tenor alive. Bunch of bullshit that only ignorant audiences buy from the media.
I agree, prosti. I did like his L’elisir with Netrebko, however, and was looking forward to seeing him at the Met. Then I heard some clips of his recent Lucia and couldn’t believe how awful he was. My secret wish is that Stephen Costello steps in. I think he has a great future. For the record, I’m not anywhere near the expert on opera that many of you are, but I’m trying to learn. I just hope that I don’t enjoy opera less as I understand it more. Peace.
Apparently Roberto Villazon is being replaced by Piotr Beczala in the 4 Baden Baden performances of Iolanthe this July which features Anna Netrebko – from the Vienna press.
I have a recording of Beczala as Vaudemont in Iolanta from a live performance with Olga Guryakova and it’s good (although ideally I’d like a somewhat more heroic voice in the part). I think the Iolanta (and maybe the Aleko too) were to be recorded for DVD. I wonder if that’s still in place. I hope so because I think Iolanta is a great role for Netrebko and it’s also perhaps my favorite Tchaikovsky opera.
I was in the Bastille on March 3, and here is my opinion:
For me, Villazon sang well to very well. He interpreted (literally) the role of Werther with great intelligence, was very involved and produced a heart-rending effect of the sadness and solitude of the character. His breaths and phrasing were no less than excellent. His mezza voce was breathtaking. He has a timbre that is distinct, and which I find beautiful, and gave a very nuanced delivery, passionate and exciting. His voice (as is well known) is not large, but it carried well (although I was at the 11th row and maybe this was not the case for the whole theatre, I can’t really say).
There were moments that I thought he forced it though, notably in Act III. During that time he was lowering extremely his larynx for the acuti, which he could not sustain for more than a second or two anyway. This was particularly evident in his great aria (Pourquoi me reveiller) but maybe this instability was due to nerves, because this time in his performance was really in apparent contrast with the rest of the opera. For those who give a lot of importance to diction (I’m not among them) I have to say that his performance was not always very strong from this side either.
To give the whole picture, I should note that this production of Werther is merciless on the singer of the title role, since the metteur en scene requires him to stay on the scene for most of the duration of the opera, even when he does not sing. He is supposed to sit in a desk that is fixed on a thing that looks like a big rock in the middle of the scene, supposedly to create the impression of being omnipresent. No time to rest, warm up or whatever else in between his cues.
If one reads the supportive remarks on this thread more closely, one will see that, in fact, they make no effort to avoid the probable reality that Mr. Villazon is experiencing vocal distress and that his voice is in need of special attention. There is acknowledgement of his ability to move (through his musicality, if nothing else) and entertain, to be sure. It is challenging to find comments, however, which posit that he will land in the pantheon of the greats, whether the comments say he is especially gifted or not. Perhaps it isn’t one or the other, particularly given the passion of his fans and his popular success. People here just seem prone to black and white thinking for some reason; maybe it is out of envy, bitterness, or frustration, as fans or as participants in the field. A quick perusal of the tone of comments on this blog will substantiate this observation, whatever the topic. His most ardent supporters may have blinders on, but I plan to leave them in peace so they can enjoy what he has left to offer them. Exactly what that is will become clear with the passage of time. What I do know is that the opinions here will neither make nor break his career.
laughing: Are you suggesting that opera audiences should welcome mediocrity??!!
As a devoted and knowledgeable opera lover for many years I admit that I feel frustration, anger, etc. every time that RV shatters my favorite operas and receives an standing ovation from ignorant audiences -as people well say in this thread.
It is true that he does a disservice to the art form and there is a lot of disrespect. The art of singing and Opera are going down the drain thanks to products like RV. People who know and respect this art form are understandably frustrated, angry, etc. What did you expect??
RV&ND should be packed off together to that Swiss Zauberberg clinic she sang her Wiener Sonnambula in, and there be cured of their neurasthenic tics, plus be given some remedial vocal pedagogy. In Dessay’s case, it is a terrible shame that her gifts of ten years ago, when first I saw her as an astounding, never to be forgotten Zerbinetta, have come to this end, but now what…?
Or in poor Villazon’s case, what in the hell is he doing singing opera when it’s clear he’s a zarzuela singer? At best, a latter day latin Mario Lanza. Not even, sorry Mario.
Singing in romantic operas (as Sonnambula and Lucia are) is not about prancing around and shakin’ your groove thang and be self-consciously ‘dramatic’; JD Florez did just what the composer intended and was trying like hell on Monday, to express the union of the poetry with the music. He succeeded, which made his singing stand out in relief to all the others. He spoke to the soul, which was always Bellini’s intention, it would appear.
As well, it seems a fatuous, gross overstatement to say Sonnambula’s libretto is silly–Bellini was exceedingly discerning and Romani was considered by Guido Manzoni in his book ‘L’Ottocento’ thus: “More than anyone else after Metastasio, Romani brought to the stage the richest and the most fluid and harmonious vein of actions and forms and adapted them exactly to musical expression; he appeared opportunely just when Italian melodies were being sung to the entire civilised world.” [from Galatopoulos, 'Bellini, Life, Times, Music] Sorry, but it sounds like a kind of arrogant hind-sighted superiority about early ottocento operas and a lack of information combined with a hardened and cynical heart that no longer cares to understand the creative soul of a long ago era.
By the way, I am grateful to a couple of posters who quoted that Joan Sutherland Herself said Amina was a “cardboard character”. Believe me, in her interpretation, which I saw in an early incarnation, it was just that; cardboard. Singing divine; nothing else. It’s always bothered me, and now that I’ve heard the quote, it all makes sense.
In the past week we’ve seen the Chagalls put up for collateral and then this godawful gobbledygook. What is going to become of this institution if it doesn’t realize that we need better singing, to care for its singers, and to stop the overabundance of new crapola creations by designers and directors with little sense of the opera theatre, which is specific and different from other theatre.
I’m not paying Mr. Gelb my Geld for this MerdeFest. Maybe Mr. Domingo will donate his 1 Million Birgit Nilsson prize!!
Pieta per Bellini chi merita tanto di piu e tanto meglio!
A couple of intersting articles:
1) Le Monde: “Le Franco-Mexcicain Rolando Villazon, qui chante Werther à l’Opéra-Bastille, aurait brûlé sa voix à force de trop chanter.” “son avenir reste incertain.”
http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2009/03/05/rolando-villazon-le-tenor-encense-aujourd-hui-discute_1163678_3246.html
2.- Sunday Times: “The young tenor is not, never has been and never will be the “new Domingo”
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article4122847.ece