Rolando Villazón - Händel - Xerxes - Paris - 2009

[MrLoveopera]

the best interpretation ever is from Fritz Wunderlich

[poliphilo100]

Villazon è un discutibile tenore nel repertorio moderno, nel barocco è indifendibile!

[gberthenson]

Many tenors have recorded "Ombra mai fu." It's become a staple of almost every singer's repertoire, crossing fachs. I wanted to defend Villazon. I was going to say of course he can sing it, especially if all the screeching cats that call themselves countertenors do, but this was screeching. He brought nothing to it, no technique, no phrasing, no sense of what the song is saying.

[PapagenoHannover]

Interesting is, that if you post a videoanswer here they are eliminated in a few minutes. Anxiety ??? if one is secure of himself there is no problem with listen to others. This tells a whole story....

[hyataganh]

Afther he do alot mistakes in Romatinc and bel canto opera...he trying now do the same in Barroco Opera...I thinking people be crazy more and more....Like Cecilia Bartoli, She just fight to be a Mezzo, than some day she awakens and recording CASTA DIVA. GOD LORD! THIS PEOPLE JUST WANT SALES CD's... MIDIA...THIS MEN NOW MAKE BARROC RECORDINS...WHERE THIS WILL STOPING...HE MORE THAN NEVER IS BARITONO...JUST THIS BARITONO.

[joseramonrojas]

Again, you should use the 18th century style of singing, that means, at every beginning of phrase starting first very piano, and then slowly crescendo on a long line or phrase, and then decrescendo till the end of phrase.... Floating the last note at the end of every phrase. Again, it's not the dramatic Verdi-Mascagni-Puccini effect we're looking here for.

[PapagenoHannover]

@joseramonrojas . But he as a lot of success....and people doing a better job are ignored. That´s the attitude of the 21th century. It is not important first of all to present qualitiy - it is important to be liked. So Villazón earns a lot of money even if he can not start the aria wit a messa di voce or a crescebdo as every half class good singer could and would do...BUT.... AGAIN: People like him. He could screem all the aria ...and they would adore it.

[joseramonrojas]

Again, you should use the 18th century style of singing, that means, at every beginning of phrase starting first very piano, and then slowly crescendo on a long line or phrase, and then decrescendo till the end of phrase.... Floating the last note at the end of every phrase. Again, it's not the dramatic Verdi-Mascagni-Puccini effect we're looking here for.

[metteholm75]

With all due respect, - Bocelli does that song very well, - for once. Perhaps he should focus his energy on Händel.

[FoggyRoad81]

Shouldn't he be singing better than Andrea Bocelli? It absolutely SHOCKS me that this man was hired to sing at the Metropolitan Opera.

[PapagenoHannover]

@FoggyRoad81 Poste mal eine Videoantwort eines anderen Sängers mit der Arie hier. Sie wird binnen Minuten eliminiert. Somit ist die Sache klar. Ein Sänger, det

sich dessen bewusst ist, dass er gut singt, braucht solche Methoden nicht anzuwenden. Ein extremes Armutszeugnis und SEHR enttäuschend. Damit ist dei Sache klar. Stimmliche Probleme sind manchmal auch Ausdruck seelischer Haltungen.

[FoggyRoad81]

@PapagenoHannover I do not speak German.

[PapagenoHannover]

@FoggyRoad81 Well, you got the idea already...If you post answervideos with other singers here, they are eliminated in a few minutes. Would you do so, if you would feel secure about your performance and your future???

Nevertheless you can hear Marilyn Horne, Placido Domingo, Jarrousky, Alfredo Ihl and others just by searching "Ombra mai fu", so this action is completely childish...whomever is responsible for such control

[allanaki]

allarga, allarga pure i suoni... e usa una voce che non è la tua...

[MusikPiratCH]

Bryn Terfel kommt stimmlich nicht an Rolando Villazón heran! xD

Trotzdem gefällt mir Rolando Villazóns Version nicht so gut wie die aussergewöhnliche Aufnahme mit Fritz Wunderlich, der alle übertrifft! (Bitte vergleicht selbst! :D)

[JericClage]

Sorry, aber ich muss leider sagen: Bryn Terfel >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Villazón ... Der hat eine schreckliche Atemtechnik, seine Stimme ist wunderschön, aber ernsthaft ... er hat schon oft genug versagt und gezeigt, dass seine Technik mittelmäßig bis schlecht ist. Du scheinst generell eher die hohen Fächer/Lagen zu bevorzugen, aber Villazón ist kein herausragender Tenor ... reicht weder an Pavarotti, Domingo, Wunderlich oder Gigli heran ...

[MusikPiratCH]

Pavarotti und Domingo reichen stimmlich nicht an Villazón heran! Ich zähle beide nicht zu den "grossen Tenören"! Wie weit es Rolando Villazón mit seiner herrlichen Stimme (die nicht an Fritz Wunderlich heranreicht) bringen wird, steht noch in den Sternen.

Bei Domingo erinnere ich nur an seinen unseligen Auftritt mit Netrebko (schwanger) und Villazón. Dort hat Placido Domingos Stimme ihren Dienst versagt, was auch nicht unbedingt für eine makellose Technik spricht!

[JericClage]

Omfg, das kann nicht dein Ernst sein. Sorry, aber das ist absoluter Unsinn ... sowas von. Villazón spielt in einer weiter unten liegenden Liga ... Bitte vergleich ihn nicht mit Pavarotti und Domingo, das ist echt ein Sakrileg. Hör dir mal die black perls of opera an, da gibt es eine Menge von Villazón, was dich vllt zum Nachdenken anregt ...

[MusikPiratCH]

Was soll daran ein Sakrileg sein? Pavarotti und Domingo sind nicht über alle Zweifel erhaben! Lies Dir nur mal Dietrich Fischer-Dieskaus Erinnerungen (Nachklang, dtv/Bärenreiter) durch, wo auch Pavarotti neben Rostropovich aus voller Kehle mitkrächzt ... *grins*

Villazón verfügt über eine schönere Stimme als Pavarotti und Domingo! Davon lasse ich mich nicht abbringen und da verstehe ich genug vom Singen! xD

[JericClage]

Um ehrlich zu sein, finde ich so ziemlich alle anderen Tenöre besser ... Caruso, Wunderlich, Pav, Domingo, sogar Carreras (obwohl ich kein großer Fan von ihm bin), dann di Stefano, del Monaco ... ich könnte noch fortfahren, aber es gibt echt niemanden, den ich so *schlecht* (wobei er natürlich nicht schlecht ist) finde wie Villazon. Ist natürlich immer wieder persönlicher Geschmack, aber genausogut könntest du behaupten, dass Potts zu den Großen gehört ...

[MusikPiratCH]

Weshalb sollte ich Paul Potts mit Rolando Villazón vergleichen? Dies käme mir nie in den Sinn! :P

Es ist klar eine Geschmackssache! Während Du offensichtlich kein grosser Fan von Carreras bist, mag ich eben weder Pavarotti noch Domingo. Da ist mir eben ein Villazón lieber! xD

[dorialt]

me encanta ver que no es necesario vestirse formalmente para el bel canto, gracias por compartir!!

[chantalmauro]

Bravo!

[HomewardBoundJournal]

Google translates the comment by "rv8dvd" from the French - "I prefer the version of Bryn Terfel, Rolando is correct but I find it a bit too expressive in view of the aria he plays!"

Please explain to me how it's possible to be too expressive when it comes to love. This is a love song afer all. The more expressive it is, it seems to me, the more hearts it can touch.

[soprana53]

That´s a love-song??? Then there must be two versions of "Xerxes". In this one he is singing and praising the shadow of a tree in his garden at ahot day....

Besides, I agree with koala501. Listening to this strained an efforted performance makes my own larynx ace.

[HomewardBoundJournal]

If you would use a search engine to bring up a Serses synopsis, and you should read more than one, you will see that this opera is all about love from first to last. The opening aria Ombra mai fu sets the stage for the whole opera by providing a very powerful, intense, and pure exposition of a higher and more all encompassing love, directed towards a tree, which is an allegorical representation of God, the Tree of Life, the individual God Presence, from which all life, and all love springs.

[HomewardBoundJournal]

The opera deals with the problems which crop up when human beings are unfaithful to their true love, wherein, their whole treasure lies. It makes the point, in a light hearted manner, that much chaos, pain and suffering results from being unfaithful. And thus we learn, from the opening aria, that the strongest antidote to faithlessness is the strongest and purest love. Rolando sings as one who has learned the lesson, capturing this intensity of longing for a return to the true beloved.

[SamuliMoilanen]

Great!

[rv8dvd]

Je préfère la version de Bryn Terfel,Rolando est correct mais je trouve qu'il est un peu trop expressif au vu de l'aria qu'il interprète!

[HomewardBoundJournal]

Of all the versions of this piece that are available for our listening pleasure here on YouTube, and there are many, I would rate this in the top 5. The quality of the heart expressed both purely, and with great intensity, as the work requires, is unmistakeable. And that's what makes this version soar.

[Turee85]

che strazio, povero villazon... non ha più voce! mi dispiace davvero, aveva una gran voce.

[dvdgrog]

Beautiful. The portamento comment is ridiculous. Couldn't find any. It's a legitimate reading, full of style and feeling. There is delicacy and even a trill at the end, a sweet, perfect, unassuming little trill. Cannot wait for this tenor to be back with us.

[BeniaminoGigli1985]

Too much PORTAMENTO!

[pavadomingo]

Im not convinced too, and I hate that kind of wearing

[koala501]

Look at the effort it is taking this young man to sing this piece. Too much too soon for him and now the voice has lost it's bloom and shine and the voice is too spread. A young voice can take a battering for a while and then when the pressure has been in the throat for a time, the whole mechanism shuts down. He should dress up a bit and show some respect as well.

[alvarogm86]

portamentos en handel...mmm....

[tiffanilambert]

You cannot sing Handel the same way you sing Puccini. Leave this stuff to Ian Bostridge.

[cuicuimusic]

Hmmmm I'm not convinced.

[italianoperafan]

Neither am I, in this part, I mean, where others have shown exceptional renditions.. however Villazón brings here something fresh, sincere, natural and emotional. Something personal that is not to be neglected.

[sour7lemon]

what is he wearing!

and this is very smart of him to be singing this repertoire, especially because of his vocal problems he's been having so often.

[kussmanon]

Rolando is simply the best !

"His" Händel is grandios !

And his Händel CD is very beautiful !