Part II - Your Favorites: FRANCISCO ARAIZA

[David45NV1]

The German Mozart Tenor tradition goes back to end of the 1920s when Mozart Tenors started making use of Caruso’s technique to achieve the required dramatic expressiveness.

References start with: Marcel Wittrich in the 20s and continue with Joseph Schmidt, Peter Anders, Walter Ludwig, Anton Dermota, being Fritz Wunderlich and Francisco Araiza with their secure line of singing, perfect support of the sound and absolute breath control the two latest references of a Mozart Tenor.

[PEAinSwe]

This is one of my fav tenors. In Rossini and Mozart he is a natural choice. he combines a full and rich sound with a glorious high register. And the agility of his voice is first class!

[nemorino92]

For me, his coloraturas was perfect. Just listen his Il barbiere di Siviglia from 1981 on YouTube. I also admire him as Lensky in Oniegin. Even if it wasn't good for his voice to sing Cavaradossi or Rudolfo, he made a good decision, because he was singing these roles wonderfully. It would be a great sorrow if he had been singing only Rossini. Even if his career had been longer!

[Giorgiobaritono]

WOW WOW WOW !!! Por algo se dijo que el sucesor de Jussi Björling fue Fritz Wunderlich y el sucesor de Wunderlich fue nuestro gran, Grandíssimo Francisco Araiza!! Fue el rey del mundo en los roles de operas de Mozart y Rossini en la década de los 80, cantó para mounstruos de la batuta como Karajan, Böhm, Solti, Muti, Abbado, entre otros. Bravíssimo maestro Araiza!!!

[Jarrith4291]

I'm not sure whether or not there is any tenor I can name that matches his Ferrando... It truly is a shame he didn't remain in the Mozart and also Bel Canto realm longer; he would have held a monopoly over these roles in all major A houses through the 1990's no doubt.

[GermanOperaSinger]

Pertile was overrated. Just because Toscanini liked him. Martinelli and Lauri Volpi were far better than he was. Even Merli was a superior singer. Araiza was underrated but was not without fault, he pushed the voice and burned it out quickly. It was a very beautiful sound. Germans considered him the reincarnation of Wunderlich for a short time.

[marcomeatball]

he sounds similar to Wunderlich here...Anyone else think so?

[Lovelytenor1]

@marcomeatball I would agree. As great as FW was, & he was, I prefer the more beautiful sound of Araiza. Both were great!

[Vielflieger01]

For the ones talking about blasphemies, it was 19 years ago, after Araizas Lohengrin debut in La Fenice when Gods maker and most feared and renowned Italian music critic R. Celletti placed Francisco Araiza next to Aureliano Pertile and other great ones. The result in your favourites happens to coincide with his opinion, coincidence???

[Vielflieger01]

It is amazing to see Francisco Araiza and Aureliano Pertile in the places 22 and 23 next to each other. That tells more about the general perception of a qualified audience.

[brodsky96]

well.... I have nothing ARAIZA... we need singers like him.... 199 Carusos would shake our world.... but Araiza next ot PERTILE is... BLASPHEMY!!!! :))))

[brodsky96]

i mean I have nothing AGAINST Araiza....

[machiequesto]

100singers, I totally agree with your comment. Indeed a madness and a shame to have ruined such a wonderful gift by not sticking to ones own natural limits...

[machiequesto]

--> brodsky96: of course Bergonzi is there already (in the 100 best singers - together with other tenors, like Caruso, Gigli, Wunderlich, Björling, Gedda, etc. etc.), and indeed Araizas place in fact is 122 !

[Vielflieger01]

--> Machiequesto, jejeje here you are again! You seem not to be able to realize that the first collection 100 Greatest singers is just a ranking less one persons opinion while „your favorites is a ranking list resulting of an inquiry among a wider audience. Considering for such reason your favorites as the prime list, brodsky96 is right! Your comment trying to mix both lists in such way is just spiteful nonsense.

[machiequesto]

---> vielflieger: you seem to be weak in maths and logics (as well as in judging singers...). the first 100 singers were of course excluded from the choice by a wider audience. or do you really think your little darling araiza would have been in these first 100 if the choice by a wider audience had been open to all of them? so please think a little bit before you call other peoples opinion nonsense!

[Vielflieger01]

--> machiequesto, the results in your favorites corroborates what is difficult for you to accept and your comment confirms the nonsense of your writing, just think about it.

[forallyouknow]

I've always thought Araiza's temperament was not to the Mozart/Rossini roles. He always seemed to be of a more Romantic sort--I find it quite easy to imagine him in more Puccini's, even Wagner. I figure he was more suited to music that didn't say everything itself, and required more interpretation on the singer's part.

[flaze3]

Beautiful. Singers are a precocious lot. I'm just glad Florez is sensible enough not to damage his voice in the same way...

[forallyouknow]

I know, right? Scared people half to death when he did Il duca di Mantua some time ago.

[flaze3]

haha, apparently that was his 'experimenting' stage.

[forallyouknow]

and I remember that he insisted on several articles that he was singing it "with his own voice" and not feigning weight. If only every artist were so wise.

[flaze3]

Indeed. I still don't believe that Hvorov doesn't use false colour, for instance.

[sospello]

Agreed--a spectacular voice early on in the di grazia repertory. I am not sure one can put down his decision to try heavier repertory to selling out to commercial interests. I would be interested in hearing Araiza's own reflections on why beyond "It was time to move on." Perhaps there was a certain restlessness in singing the limited repertory that could find backing to perform internationally in the di grazia category--I would be curious to know the motivation from him.

[Herur22]

It was a beautiful voice.

[tenorvoicefan]

Welch großartige Stimme, ein großer Sänger, der designierte Nachfolger des unvergleichlichen FW als Mozart Interpret - bis er Karajan in die Hände fiel. Araiza und Wagner plus Karajan, das konnte die schöne Stimme nicht vollkommen überleben. Welche Schande für den Dirigenten, der nicht nur Araiza auf dem Gewissen hat. Trotzdem, seine frühen Aufnahmen sind Vergnügen pur, ihn zu hören schmeichelt den Ohren. Seine Wahl ist verdient, und hätte auch höher ausfallen können!

[Mooorhe]

Good choice.