COMPOSERS: GounodMassenet
LABELS: Virgin
ALBUM TITLE: Opera Arias
WORKS: Opera Arias
PERFORMER: Rolando VillazonNatalie DessayRadio France Philharmonic OrchestraEveline Pido
CATALOGUE NO: 545 7192
It’s a mark of burgeoning interest in
the French repertoire that the young
Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón
can devote his second recital disc
(the first was reviewed in May 2004)
to the works of two masters of the
genre out of fashion until recently.
There are well known arias here, of
course, but others which have had
few outings on disc and one – the
piece from Massenet’s 1891 Le mage
– which is claimed as a first recording
(it isn’t: the heroic French tenor
Léon Escalaïs recorded it in 1905). More important is the fact that
Rolando Villazón proves well suited
to the repertoire. His French is
clear, for a start, he’s an impressive
musician and he is able to grade
the dynamics of his voice to shape
every phrase imaginatively. Further
engagement will doubtless come
when he’s delivered more of these
roles on stage, but already there’s
an appreciable connection between
singer, character and situation. The
accompaniments are finely managed,
and star coloratura soprano Natalie
Dessay makes a small but convincing
contribution to the Manon extract.
The sound, too, is bright and
well balanced, allowing Villazón’s
colouristic range to register as
well as the fact that his voice has
developed impressive power in
the higher range. Altogether a
fine achievement. George Hall