Part II - Your Favorites: FRANCISCO ARAIZA

THIS PART IS FOR YOUR FAVORITES!
Mexican born tenor Francisco Araiza in this Favorite-collection? Do you agree? Please let us know!

Francisco Araiza, Tenor (born 1950)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - The Abduction from the Seraglio
O wie ängstlich, O wie feurig
(Recorded 1979)

My personal opinion: In the 1980s, Francisco Araiza (at the time one of the leading tenors of his generation in the great Mozart- and Rossini-roles) began to enlarge his repertory, and a well-known german reviewer wrote: "It would be a great sorrow, if this extraordinary voice would be worn out by singing much too difficult parts!" Exactly this happened: Only a few years later, another reviewer recognized, that "his development led into a dead end!" It seemed, Araiza sacrificed most of his career to commerce: Naturally to sing Cavaradossi, Rodolfo or Calaf is more spectacular than to succeed as Ramiro, Ferrando or Almaviva. Araiza: "I had the coloratura and the high notes, but I felt, I had to move on!" When the young tenor sang the high difficult part of Idreno ("Semiramide" alongside Caballé and Horne), it was a triumph, when he sang Massenet´s des Grieux (1983 with Gruberova) early efforts were hearable. With the beginning of the 1990s, he more and more vanished from international attention. The more pitiful, because in the beginning, Francisco Araiza was one of the last real "Tenori di grazia" with an exquisite timbre and amazing beautiful built bright height (Against him, Florez is a "tenorino") - just hear his "Cujus animam" here on YouTube.
Araiza´s great world-career started with the Karajan-recording of "The Magic Flute" (For me, he was the noblest Tamino since the days of legendary Fritz Wunderlich, whom Araiza named as one of his idols), one year later Karajan gave him Pong in "Turandot" - again a noble interpretation, and then with Chenier, Don Alvaro, Lohengrin, Loge and Siegmund the madness began. True admirers never getting tired to suggest some masterly performances in the more recent past of Araiza´s career, but it´s a matter of fact, at least since the beginning of the new century, the tenor wasn´t able to fulfill his own standards: With only 50 years, his voice revealed the tragedy of wear and tear. After this, the tenor started a new successful career behind the stage as Professor, Juror and Artistic Director. With the words of a famous soprano: "In the life of a singer, tomorrow isn´t just another day!"
37 nominations and place position 22 for Francisco Araiza.

THE COMPLETE OVERVIEW: GO TO ALL SINGERS IN THIS LIST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBsScnQWVlU

Category:

Music

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• Francisco
• Araiza
• Wolfgang
• Amadeus
• Mozart
• Abduction
• Magic
• Flute
• Zauberflöte
• Karajan
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• grazia
• Belmonte
• Tamino
• Rossini
• Massenet
• Manon
• Wagner

[marcomeatball]

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

[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???

[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!

[Lovelytenor1]

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

[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.