Last night I had one of those experiences that make me think I will never leave Europe (though of course we will go home one day and hopefully while we still have some friends who don't mind us being away so long).
Having a great desire to see tenor Rolando Villazon in L'Elisir D'Amore (Donizetti) at the delightfully intimate and baroque-ly lavish Zurich Opera House, Alexa and I turned up on the last night to the Opera House at 6 p.m. and got two of the very last tickets to the sold-out performances, both in boxes closest to the stage but in the back row. I could see only less than one quarter of the stage BUT I was close enough to see Rolando Villazon's face front stage as he was almost near enough to stretch out and touch.
And it was perhaps my best trip to the opera ever. Rolando is not just a great singer, he is a complete experience. He gives absolutely everything he has got to his performance ... and what a lot that is. He does comedy brilliantly; as well as he does drama and emotion. And he does it with his whole body including his voice. I guess there might be some opera critics who could tell you in the greatest detail why what he does with his voice is not correct. But what really matters? I do not for one minute believe the composers invented their operas for tight-lipped experts. I think they created opera for the total engagement of the audience in the music and the story and Rolanda Villazon achieves that at the same time as singing just as well as anyone (and juggling perfectly while singing - Tony Buzan, could this be a new story to add to your stories of genius?).
Of course, add to this a twilight walk past the Bellevue Christmas markets on the way to the Operahouse, a walk back along the lake across the Quaibruecke with a breathtaking illuminated view of the Fraumunster, St Peters, the Grossmunster, Limmat River and Circus Conelli, past the tallest and most perfectly lit Christmas tree you can imagine and with the occasional snowflake gently alighting on your coat. Would you want to leave right now?
I first came across Rolando Villazon on the BBC program Popstar to Operastar and was hooked from the first episode though there are some aspects to the programme that might indeed be labelled "trashy" and "vulgar" - but then one might argue that everything has been popularized ... and thank goodness because that means it has a chance of survival. Every time I go to a Swiss parade - attended I might say by increasingly huge numbers of people - I have a wonderful time all the while knowing that the costumes and "traditions" practised would make former generations of Swiss turn in their graves ... or would they? I think "the people" would have LOVED it.
Rolando sang "Tonight" at the Royal Variety Performance in the UK last week and it was just about as perfect a rendering as you could imagine (in my view of course). There is no reason on earth while beautiful singing/opera voices should be reserved for opera houses and concert halls.
And if Rolando Villazon has a stellar career for just three years because he didn't preserve his voice for a 20-year opera career by not singing popular music, so what? He will continue to give generations to come pleasure and a possible entree to the "real thing" because of his enthusiasm and wonderful warm personality. He got so much applause after the Lacrima aria last night that he stood up and sang it again and of course got another standing ovation. At curtain call after curtain call he stood back and dragged the entire chorus with him to take the standing ovation. He knows how to please - should I say captivate - an audience ... and good on him!
Another article about why some may not take him seriously
Having a great desire to see tenor Rolando Villazon in L'Elisir D'Amore (Donizetti) at the delightfully intimate and baroque-ly lavish Zurich Opera House, Alexa and I turned up on the last night to the Opera House at 6 p.m. and got two of the very last tickets to the sold-out performances, both in boxes closest to the stage but in the back row. I could see only less than one quarter of the stage BUT I was close enough to see Rolando Villazon's face front stage as he was almost near enough to stretch out and touch.
And it was perhaps my best trip to the opera ever. Rolando is not just a great singer, he is a complete experience. He gives absolutely everything he has got to his performance ... and what a lot that is. He does comedy brilliantly; as well as he does drama and emotion. And he does it with his whole body including his voice. I guess there might be some opera critics who could tell you in the greatest detail why what he does with his voice is not correct. But what really matters? I do not for one minute believe the composers invented their operas for tight-lipped experts. I think they created opera for the total engagement of the audience in the music and the story and Rolanda Villazon achieves that at the same time as singing just as well as anyone (and juggling perfectly while singing - Tony Buzan, could this be a new story to add to your stories of genius?).
Of course, add to this a twilight walk past the Bellevue Christmas markets on the way to the Operahouse, a walk back along the lake across the Quaibruecke with a breathtaking illuminated view of the Fraumunster, St Peters, the Grossmunster, Limmat River and Circus Conelli, past the tallest and most perfectly lit Christmas tree you can imagine and with the occasional snowflake gently alighting on your coat. Would you want to leave right now?
I first came across Rolando Villazon on the BBC program Popstar to Operastar and was hooked from the first episode though there are some aspects to the programme that might indeed be labelled "trashy" and "vulgar" - but then one might argue that everything has been popularized ... and thank goodness because that means it has a chance of survival. Every time I go to a Swiss parade - attended I might say by increasingly huge numbers of people - I have a wonderful time all the while knowing that the costumes and "traditions" practised would make former generations of Swiss turn in their graves ... or would they? I think "the people" would have LOVED it.
Rolando sang "Tonight" at the Royal Variety Performance in the UK last week and it was just about as perfect a rendering as you could imagine (in my view of course). There is no reason on earth while beautiful singing/opera voices should be reserved for opera houses and concert halls.
And if Rolando Villazon has a stellar career for just three years because he didn't preserve his voice for a 20-year opera career by not singing popular music, so what? He will continue to give generations to come pleasure and a possible entree to the "real thing" because of his enthusiasm and wonderful warm personality. He got so much applause after the Lacrima aria last night that he stood up and sang it again and of course got another standing ovation. At curtain call after curtain call he stood back and dragged the entire chorus with him to take the standing ovation. He knows how to please - should I say captivate - an audience ... and good on him!
Another article about why some may not take him seriously
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