VILLAZON, ROLANDO

This album was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for "Best Classical Vocal Performance."

This album received the 2005 Gramophone magazine award for "Best of Category (Recital)."

Rolando Villazon follows-up his excellent debut album with a recital disc devoted to the music of French composers Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet. The dynamic young tenor had already established himself as an operatic force to be reckoned with, many proclaiming him as the heir to the mantle of the legendary Placido Domingo.

The program offers arias from familiar and much-loved operas, as well as rarities and long neglected works. Gounod's 'La Reine de Saba' and 'Polyeucte' were commercial and critical failures, and sank into obscurity, along with the more popular and successful 'Mireille.' Massenet experienced his share of setbacks as well, notably with 'Le Mage,' of which no complete recording exists. The inclusion of these forgotten works, sung with conviction and consummate artistry, lends balance to the album. But Villazon really shows his mettle in the better-known arias from Gounod's 'Romeo et Juliette,' as well as 'Manon' and 'Werther' by Massenet. The singer's assured handling of the vocal challenges that Gounod provides in "Salut, demeure chaste et pure," from his masterpiece 'Faust,' is ample proof that Villazon has what it takes to rise to the top echelon of operatic tenors.

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