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.
Why is this happening to a relatively young artist? Does Rolando have no advisers in his career? Does he not have a teacher/coach that is keeping him in line vocally? It is so depressing to see and hear singers fall apart so early in their careers. Who’s next?
This is sad news! I have yet to see him live. First cancelation for R and J with Trebs, then cancelation for Lucia… I have tickets for Eliser but if he can’t get through it I don’t want to watch someone suffer on stage. I suppose I will have to just enjoy him in recordings. Im keeping my fingers crossed.
He has advisors, but that doesn’t guarantee that they give him good advice. Even if they do, it doesn’t guarantee that he listens, as evidenced by his reluctance to drop out of Werther.
If Villazon were to become a mere crossover artist at this early stage in his career, it would be a sad development indeed. But perhaps he has no-one to blame but himself (and bad managers). Like so many other young talents these days, he’s obviously been pushed to do too much too soon. Gone are the days, it seems, when singers are given time to develop and strengthen their voices. Now it’s about CD and DVD sales and being the hot new thing. (God, I sound old.) Doesn’t it seem that singers are conspiring in their own demise these days? Maybe Villazon will become of value as the poster child for “don’t let this happen to you.”
Personally I still remain somewhat baffled by what seems to be such a total vocal collapse.
I realize that he never had a “finished” technique and tended to push his voice and oversing.
But rarely does that result in a complete vocal meltdown to this degree. The way he sang technically, sounded to me like it would catch up to him eventually in terms of loss of beauty and line but not so early so totally.
Was his “burnout” and “need for rest” more physical or psychological?
He also has struck me in interviews —– I want to put it nicely but can’t quite find the words —– as perhaps somewhat hyper-emotional or possibly even a little unstable emotionally.
Did he attempt to regroup technically after a long break, or just leap back in (always a disaster).
Perhaps his downfall was spurred by the unfortunate combination of poor tecynique, an actual physical illness or burnout and a loss of the confidence and cojones needed to actually sing on stage.
I am curious to know what the others think.
This is another good use for this great site. I was planning to be in Paris next week, partly to see this show. Another event I was going to attend is being cancelled, and now with this news (okay, gossip — but believable gossip) I’m content to miss the trip.
The Opera de Paris website says that Ludovic Tezier will be singing the title role tomorrow night. So, not a tenor replacement, but an expedient swop to the baritone version?
Monsieur Rolando Villazon a décidé, sur les conseils de son médecin, de ne chanter le rôle-titre de Werther de Jules Massenet qu’à partir du 3 mars.
Pour la première, le samedi 28 février, ce rôle sera tenu par Monsieur Ludovic Tézier adns la version baryton, le rôle d’Albert sera chanté par Monsieur Franck Ferrari.
Ooh, a typo in that cut and paste from Paris. Clearly a parisien or parisienne in a panique.
For ‘adns’ read ‘dans’.
Casual Opera Fan: Sadly, it is probably a combination of each of the factors you describe which has brought him to this crossroads. The possibility that bad advice might have been given, and/or good advice ignored, has likely also played a very significant role in this situation, as other posters have suggested. He himself expressed the feeling that he had become a product, or a brand, and I think he felt the pressure of expectations from those around him overwhelming him. Who’s to say, however, he may find a way through, as his talent is indisputable.