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December 2nd, 2008
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'We all did it'

Rolando Villazón reprises his smash Prague debut

By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 21st, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Even the orchestra musicians joined in the accolades at Villazón's 2005 concert.
Even by Prague standards, the enthusiasm that Rolando Villazón generated when he performed here in November 2005 was overwhelming. A diminutive man with a surprisingly big voice, Villazón charmed a packed house at Obecní dům that called him out for six encores. Restricted by a concert format in which he was unable to display any of his considerable acting skills, Villazón nonetheless lived up to his billing, singing with warmth, fluidity and fullness from the heart, demonstrating why he is one of the most sought-after tenors on world opera stages today.
Villazón returns to Prague with a new and unusual CD release: Gitano, a collection of arias culled from zarzuelas, a traditional form of Spanish comic opera. The CD also marks his first collaboration with his longtime hero Placido Domingo, who conducts the Orquestra de la Comunidad de Madrid. The audience for his forthcoming Prague concert will get a special treat: This will be a premiere, Villazón’s first public performance of zarzuela arias.
The Prague Post caught up with Villazón in Paris, where he was preparing for a performance in the title role of Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann. His energy and excitement about returning to the Golden City were palpable even over the phone.
Rolando Villazón

When: Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 7:30
Where: Obecní dům
Tickets: The concert was sold out at press time

The Prague Post: How did your new disc come about?
Rolando Villazón: We were trying to decide what the repertoire would be when we got confirmation that maestro Domingo was willing to conduct it. The moment I heard that, I decided that absolutely we had to do a zarzuela album. There is nobody who knows that repertoire better than him. Also, it was an opportunity to do a project in our own language. And he was very excited when he heard the idea.
TPP: Have you been a fan of that form for a long time?
RV: It’s quite well-known in Mexico. There was even a TV program which was hosted by maestro Domingo’s mother called Viva Zarzuela, and I used to watch it. My first teacher was a big fan of zarzuela; he had sung a lot of it. And one of the first things I sang was a small part in a zarzuela in Mexico.
TPP: Is zarzuela significantly different or harder than classical opera?
RV: Vocally, it’s not easy to sing, that’s for sure — just as it’s not easy to sing Verdi or Donizetti or Mascagni. This music is written for real lyric voices. But I don’t find it harder [or] easier. It’s very traditional, but at the same time it’s very universal. It’s just wonderful music.
TPP: Does it feel any more natural for you because of the language?
RV: Yes, of course, though most of the languages I sing I also speak. But I grew up with Spanish, so I know exactly what to stress, every syllable of every word, and what color it needs, every phrase. I don’t have to think about it, it comes naturally.
TPP: Your program includes three selections from the new CD. Why those particular arias?
RV: I think [they’re] three selections that people will love. They’re powerful, and very much describe what zarzuela is and what it can create emotionally in the hearts of those who sing it and those who hear it.
TPP: What can you tell us about the rest of the program?
RV: I tried to put together things that can be well-known for the audience and some things that might not be well-known. I think Luisa Miller is a fantastic piece — it’s really what Verdi is about. And this selection [“O fede negar potessi …”] has everything, a very strong recitative and a beautiful, beautiful aria after that. And I’ll sing Tchaikovsky. Last time I sang “Kuda, Kuda.” This time I’m doing the first aria [from Eugen Onegin], which is not normally sung in concert. But I think it’s a very charming aria, and it can be very passionate.
And I’m singing “Una Furtiva” [from Donizetti’s Elisir d’Amore].It’s been a long time since I sang that in concert, many years. I don’t normally sing it because I think it’s    really part of the whole opera, and I don’t see taking it out of character. But it’s such a beautiful piece of music that I decided to open the concert with it.
TPP: When you sing arias in concert, do you try to draw on the same emotions that you would in a performance of the entire opera?
RV: I can’t really act the way I would in performance, since it’s a completely different atmosphere. But I do try to re-create those three or four minutes of the opera, to bring that character alive, so we get a hint of that personality, of the person singing those words. I try not only to sing beautiful music, but to give some idea where it comes from and where it’s leading.
TPP: How do you establish such a strong emotional bond with your audience?
RV: I feel like performing should awaken something special in the hearts of the audience that will make those two or three hours a unique experience. So, when I sing, I really try to sing to the person who is sitting there — not 2,000 people, but to each person sitting in the audience. I look in the eyes of the people who are listening to me and try to address myself to them, as if I am singing specifically to each one of them, not just throwing my voice to a lot of people.
TPP: You certainly accomplished that in your last performance here.
RV: I think we all did it. I think this happens because everybody — the orchestra, the conductor, the singer and the audience — is involved. It’s not only one person, it’s everybody.
TPP: You have a birthday this month?
RV: Yes, on the 22nd.
TPP: So you’ll be coming here just a few days after turning 35?
RV: That’s correct, and I’m glad to be continuing the celebration in Prague.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (21/02/2007):

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