Anna Netrebko & Yusif Eyvazov Attend Domingo 40th Anniversary

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Anna Netrebko and fiancé Yusif Eyvazov attend the 40th Anniversary of Plácido Domingo's Salzburg Festival stage debut. Performers for the July 30 concert included Maria Agresta, Ana María Martínez, Krassimira Stoyanova, and Rolando Villazón. See a photo of the singers on stage from the Gala, after the jump.

World's Best Tenors Captured On Film By Johannes Ifkovits

High C: The cover and back inlay for the book World's Best Tenors captures the artists 
singing the infamous note. (Photo: Johannes Ifkovit)

Opera Rifko Verlag, the publisher that designed the book Die Oper Kocht featuring opera singers in the kitchen cooking, releases a new book dedicated to the greatest kings of the high-C's living today: Die weltbesten Tenöre (World's Best Tenors). The duo team of photographer Johannes Ifkovits and stylist Evelyn Rillé created an essay that highlights 44 opera tenors from around the globe that had time or willingness to participate in the project. The Festival Castell de Peralada featured an exhibition of the book with large images surrounding the grounds of Palau Robert in Barcelona, Spain. Inside the book, portraits of legendary tenors like Plácido Domingo, Vladimir Atlantov, René Kollo stand alongside their hot young counterparts like Pavol Breslik, Giuseppe Filianoti, and Michael Fabiano. The book will soon be available for pre-order here. More photos after the jump. 

(Click to enlarge image)

Strumming His Guitar: Juan Diego Flórez captured by photographer Johannes Ifkovits

Rubber Ducky You're The One: Funny guy Rolando Villazón relaxes in the tub for his portrait by Johannes Ifkovits

Rolex Sponsors New DG "Abduction" With Yannick Nezét-Séguin

"Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail features a star cast full of critically-acclaimed artists – including Rolando Villazón, Diana Damrau, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Anna Prohaska and Thomas Quasthoff. It is the third of DG’s series of seven Mozart operas conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and initiated by Rolando Villazón, in collaboration with Festspielhaus Baden Baden, U-Live, and sponsored by ROLEX." [Source] International release date is July 3, 2015. Purchase the recording by clicking here. Watch a video of the recording session featuring all of the artists, and the album cover art, after the jump. You can find the previous Mozart operas with Maestro Nézet-Séguin on DG by clicking here and here. 

Rolando Villazón "Traviata" Is Circus Clowns And A Willy Decker Clock

Time Stands Still For No One: La Traviata in Baden-Baden 
 (Photo: Andrea Kremper)

The new production of Verdi's La Traviata directed by Roland Villazón had its premiere on May 21, 2015, and the critics are giving their opinions on the opera that features soprano Olga Peretyatko and tenor Atalla Ayan. The first production Mr. Villazón directed for the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden was Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore in 2012. Watch a video featuring interviews and backstage rehearsals for La Traviata, after the jump.

Yanni CD Features Fleming, Domingo, Villazón, Yende, And Grigólo

"Yanni's greatest music performed by the world's most extraordinary voices. 'This album is about all the loves in my life! Never losing faith in humanity & our incredible ability to overcome just about anything we are challenged with. Its also about imagination, creativity, love, kindness, compassion, integrity, parents, country, peace, unity & belief & faith in our future. It is all possible. With all my love, Yanni'" [Source] "The haunting instrumental melodies of internationally renowned composer Yanni have garnered him over 40 platinum and gold albums including the double-platinum Tribute album, which sold more than a million albums within six weeks of its release and Live At The Acropolis, which has sold over 5 million copies in North America alone. For his new album, Inspirato, Yanni, in partnership with the legendary Plácido Domingo, has enlisted the talents of some of Opera s biggest stars to give voice to his music. His timeless hits have been transformed by the addition of lyrics, most of them written by Plácido Domingo, Jr." [Source] Click here to purchase a copy of the CD. Listen to an excerpt of Renée Fleming singing "I Genitori" below and find the complete track listing, as well as another audio sample, after the jump:

Feliz Navidad From Rolando Villazón, Bert And Ernie!

Rolando Villazón Finds The Clown In Mozart Concert Arias

(Photo: Monika Hoefler/DG)

"In January Deutsche Grammophon releases Villazón’s new CD, Mozart Concert Arias – a collection of rarely recorded concert arias for tenor recorded with Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra. The star tenor declares that the coming year will be 'all Mozart, all the time,' adding that with the new album '...It is as if I have uncovered a whole new world. No composer speaks to me as directly as Mozart.' Villazón will be touring the Mozart Concert Arias repertoire widely in 2014, including U-Live concerts in Prague (28 March), Munich (31 March), Vienna (3 April), Paris (6 April), Dortmund (29 April), Berlin (2 May) and London (6 May)." [Source]

Meet the 2012 Richard Tucker Award-Winner, Soprano Ailyn Pérez

(Photo: Paul Mitchell)

"For most New York opera-goers, Ailyn Pérez may not be a name that's instantly recognized, but it should be. The 32-year-old soprano has been cleaning up on the awards front—as of this morning, she's the 2012 recipient of the Richard Tucker Award, named after the late American tenor and given annually to a singer 'at the threshold of a major international career.' And with a resume that has paired her with the likes of Plácido Domingo (La Scala’s Simon Boccanegra), Rolando Villazón (Salzburg’s Romèo et Juliette) and her husband, tenor and 2009 Richard Tucker Award-winner Stephen Costello (the two recently sang La traviata together at Covent Garden, with Pérez performing on two days’ notice), it’s safe to bank on the fact that Gotham will be seeing more of Pérez soon, even with a Met debut planned for an upcoming season. Fresh from her own notification about the award, Pérez, the daughter of factory workers, took some time to give Operavore an exclusive interview on being the first Hispanic singer to win the award in its 34-year history. She also discussed her road to musical joy and moonlighting as a judge on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. No rest for the weary, however: on Thursday, she sings Poulenc’s Gloria with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra." [Source] Read the whole interview by clicking here.

Which Opera Singer Has the Most Facebook "Fans"?

La Netrebko comes in at a close second behind
Cecilia Bartoli (we've excluded Mr. Bocelli).

"Anna Netrebko knackte kürzlich die 75.000 Fan-Marke auf ihrem Facebook-Profil. Ein Anlass für uns einmal die Profile anderer Klassik-Künstler unter die Lupe zu nehmen. Während Anna Netrebko mittlerweile genau genommen schon bei 75.050 Fans angekommen ist, hat ihr Gatte Erwin Schrott gerade einmal 5.347 Likes auf Facebook gesammelt. Andere berühmte Klassik-Stars verweist 'La Netrebko' ebenfalls in ihre Schranken. So müssen sich beispielsweise auch ihr langjähriger Gesangspartner Rolando Villazón (mit knapp 13.800 Fans) und Sopranistin Renée Fleming (mit knapp 17.000 Fans) geschlagen geben. Auch Maestro Daniel Barenboim und Geigern Anne-Sophie Mutter erfreuen sich im Bereich Social Media nicht annähernd ausufernder Beliebtheit. Trotzdem darf bei sämtlicher Euphorie nicht in Vergessenheit geraten, dass es durchaus Glanzlichter gibt, die Anna Netrebkos Beliebtheit auf Facebook noch weitaus überstrahlen. So verzeichnet der italienische Tenor Andrea Bocelli z.B. mehr als 550.000 (!) Likes und auch Mezzosopranistin Cecilia Bartoli überholt sie knapp mit fast 79.300 Fans." [Source]

Rolando Villazón Re-emerges With New DG "Werther"

Click on image to order the new Werther recording

Judith Neuhoff Named Managing Director of Universal Venture

"Berlin/London - Mit Centre Stage Artist Management hat Universal Music eine eigene Künstleragentur ins Leben gerufen. Das Unternehmen hat seinen Sitz in Berlin und London. Centre Stage Artist Management hat es sich zum Ziel gemacht, klassischen Sängerinnen und Sängern einen "umfassenden und maßgeschneiderten Management-Service" zu bieten. Die neue Agentur arbeitet bereits mit Universal-Music-Künstlern wie Anna Netrebko und Rolando Villazón zusammen. Auch die Sopranistin Mojca Erdmann, Mezzosopran Ruxandra Donose, die Tenöre Joseph Calleja und Massimo Giordano sowie die Baritone Thomas Hampson und Roman Trekel gehören bereits zum Roster von Centre Stage Artist Management. Den Posten den Managing Director von Centre Stage hat Judith Neuhoff übernommen. Die Ernennung Neuhoffs zum Managing Director 'steht für eine neue Struktur und eine neue Identität des Unternehmens,' heißt es in der Pressemitteilung der Universal Music Group. Judith

Composer Kevin Puts Will Debut His First Opera in Minnesota

Composer Kevin Puts
(Photo: Gregory Downer/Opera News)

"When Dale Johnson, artistic director of Minnesota Opera, saw Joyeux Noël, Christian Carion's 2005 film inspired by this true story, he immediately sensed in it the makings of a powerful opera. 'I was so moved by it. The singing of 'Silent Night,' the image of Sprink carrying the Christmas tree, the three lieutenants' struggle with the orders from their commanders [to resume fighting], their struggle with themselves as human beings.... Here are these young guys stuck in this horrible situation. How are they going to deal with it?' Joyeux Noël focuses on the lieutenants, the priest and the German singer and his love interest, all of whose lives are irrevocably changed by the unofficial truce. 'It felt like a very classical opera plot. They're all trying to live their lives, and there's this huge story going on around them that they can't control, and that they're being buffeted by.' The film has many potent visual images, and Johnson felt music could be used to create equivalent effects. So he knew he wanted a composer who was 'a really strong orchestral writer.' Johnson wanted a fresh voice and contacted music publisher Bill Holab to ask, ''Who's interesting? Who's got a real point of view?' And Bill sent me Kevin Puts, plus several other extraordinary young people. I was listening to Kevin's Second Symphony, and I started crying — it was so beautiful. The next day I told [Minnesota Opera's then President and CEO] Kevin Smith, 'I think I have the guy for Joyeux Noël.' He listened and agreed.' However, though Puts (Puts as in

Conductor Michael Christie
(Photo: Krista Campbell)

'Johnson puts his money where his mouth is') had written a great deal of extraordinary orchestral work, including four symphonies and numerous concertos, he had never written an opera. In fact, the composer, who is thirty-nine, had written only one piece of vocal music — Einstein on Mercer Street, a work for baritone and chamber ensemble. Still, Johnson believed in him. 'I knew he had it in him. I knew he knew how to create tension and develop a piece of music — really develop it to a climax and finish it — and that's a rare commodity.' So, like that German singer on the battlefield, Johnson took a leap of faith and offered Puts the commission." [Source] Read the whole story, including a funny anecdote about troubleshooting a bagpipe during composition, at Opera News. The Minnesota Opera will perform Silent Night on November 12, 15, 17, 19 and 20, 2011. The cast includes William Burden, Joseph Beutel, Liam Bonner, Troy Cook, Ben Wager and Karin Wolverton. Michael Christie will conduct. A full biography for composer Kevin Puts is after the jump. For more information about the opera, click here.

OPERATIC OVERTONES
One of the reasons the Dale Johnson may have felt the film was worthy of becoming an opera, was the fact that the soundtrack heavily featured soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Rolando Villazón. Listen to clips from the film to hear the extraordinary use of music to touch the hearts of so many film goers. A trailer of the film follows.

Limelight Magazine Picks Their Top 10 Opera Film Selections

Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike
Sylvia Sass doing Bartók.

Paulo Montoya chooses from a plethora of operatic depictions on celluloid and narrows the best down to the top 10. Directors include such luminaries as Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Robert Dornhelm, Miklós Szinetár, Gianfranco de Bosio and Götz Friedrich, while some of the greatest opera singers in the last 60 years featured include Mirella Freni, Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Leonie Rysanek and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The most recent film on the list is Puccini's La Bohème featuring Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón from 2009. Chances are many of the titles are available on demand through Netflix. Sounds like a good chance to stay inside from the summer heat and see some cinematic excellence. View the full list.

ECHO Klassik Vocal Award-Winners 2011

Singer of the Year: Simone Kermes

Sängerin des Jahres:
Simone Kermes
Sänger des Jahres:
Thomas Hampson
Nachwuchskünstler (Gesang):
Vittorio Grigolo
Klassik-ohne-Grenzen-Preis:
Rolando Villazón
Operneinspielung des Jahres:
Bejun Mehta
Operneinspielung des Jahres:
René Pape
Liedeinspielung des Jahres:
Diana Damrau
Musik-DVD-Produktion des Jahres (Oper):
Cecilia Bartoli

Rolando Villazón Takes on Barbara Streisand in New Recording

"Although he has starred in a glittering roll-call of operatic roles, Rolando Villazón has always felt inspired by a broader range of music. 'I love musicals!' he declares. 'When I was twelve I used to sing the soundtrack of Man of La Mancha. I was Don Quixote.' Villazón also adores zarzuela, that distinctively Spanish genre which mixes opera, popular song and dance, and so it’s no great surprise to find that the ever-enthusiastic Mexican tenor should also be a fan of classic songs from the movies, of which he has made a personal selection for this new album. It is a collection of memorable and evocative tunes, sung with passion and brio by Villazón. He has enlisted some expert musical assistance in his quest to capture the spirit of the movies on disc. Arrangers Nicholas Dodd and Steven Baker can reel off a list of

Villazón: Opera Star to Pop Star

credits in choral, orchestral and vocal recordings, and Dodd has regularly collaborated with David Arnold on his James Bond soundtracks. Grammy-winning producer Simon Franglen has experienced Hollywood at its most lavish, having worked on James Cameron’s big-budget epics Avatar and Titanic, as well as on Baz Luhrmann’s musical fantasy Moulin Rouge. In addition, he has collaborated with some of the music industry’s all-time best-selling divas, namely Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. It was of course Streisand who made the world sing along to the soundtrack from Yentl, in which she starred in 1983 and from whose soundtrack Villazón has picked 'A Piece of Sky.' Like many listeners, he was captivated by the song’s spirit

of wonder and its aspirational mood, which he movingly evokes here. Streisand was also one of the singers who popularized 'The Summer Knows,' taken from Michel Legrand’s soundtrack to the 1971 coming-of-age drama Summer of ’42. In fact the song became such a popular favourite that it was recorded by a host of legendary performers, not least Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams, so Villazón had to make sure he was tuned to perfection the day he recorded that one." [Source]

Katherine Jenkins Suggests Classical Music May Be a Hard Job

She ought to know: Judge Jenkins

"Opera hopeful Joe McElderry can rest his vocal cords this week – even though he doesn’t want to. The 19-year-old from South Shields is currently taking part in singing contest Popstar to Operastar on ITV1. Joe sailed through last week’s contest when he took on three of the show’s contenders. Sunday will see the four remaining hopefuls sing for their supper. Joe told Twitter fans earlier this week: “Just had vocal coaching. 'I love my new song and it’s a fun one too. I want to sing this weekend but I’m not until weekend after.' Meanwhile, judge and mentor Katherine Jenkins

The favorite to win: Joe

said she thinks Joe has got exactly what it takes to make it in the opera world. The mezzo-soprano believes Joe, who won The X Factor in 2009, would do well in opera with the right coaching. She said: 'I think Joe could be an opera singer if he wanted to be, with training. I think Joe’s got a very good chance. He’s young, he’s really working hard.' Joe is the favourite to win the latest series, which airs on Sunday nights, but Katherine stressed he’ll need to work extra hard to make it. She said: 'To sing classical music is difficult.' [Source]

Well, thank goodness he has a world-famous pedagogist in Rolando Villazón:

Watch the video of Joe's coaching and performance after the jump.

MET in Japan: More Photos (Yes, Even Cuter)

Did you miss the first images posted of the Metropolitan Opera's tour of Japan? Well, now you can check out the second gallery just launched. This time around more production photos and backstage events are captured. (Photos: Photo: Koichi Miura/Met Opera)

Tenor Rolando Villazón serenades the crowd after a performance in Japan.

Villazón with the adorable Alexander, son of soprano Diana Damrau.

Royal Wedding Music, Part 2: Who Would Be Available To Sing?

POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR ROYAL WEDDING SOLOIST
In a business where professionals are contracted out five years in advance, what singer could possible be free to sing for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011? Checking schedules of the top dozen front-runners for the job discloses that some could be a private jet ride away from the event:

Renée Fleming will have completed her last performance of Strauss's Capriccio at the Metropolitan Opera on April 23 and has a Strauss concert of orchestral songs and scenes from Arabella with the Berlin Philharmonic under Christian Thielemann.

Anna Netrebko sings the Pergolesi Stabat Mater on April 28 in Geneva, Switzerland, and again on May 2 in Toulouse, France.

Kate Royal makes her Metropolitan Opera debut the night of April 29 in Orfeo ed Euridice. The second performance of the run is May 4. There are only five performances of the Gluck opera.

Angela Gheorghiu has concerts on April 27 and May 1 at the National Concert Hall in Seoul, Korea.

Marina Poplavskaya is performing The Tsar's Bride of Rimsky-Korsakov at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden during the month of April and her penultimate performance in the run takes place at 7PM on April 29.

Rolando Villazón Says His Werther In Lyon Is Psycho

"Villazóns jahrelange Beschäftigung mit psychoanalytischen Fragen bestimmte seinen Inszenierungsansatz: Er wollte zeigen, was in den Personen vorgeht, auch wenn sie es nicht zum Ausdruck bringen, es ihnen nicht bewusst ist. Kurz: Er wollte ihr Unterbewusstsein inszenieren. Im ersten Akt zum Beispiel, als Werther und Charlotte auf der verbalen und der Handlungsebene noch sehr weit voneinander weg sind, weil Charlotte die Liebe zu Werther verleugnet, gibt es ein Orchesterzwischenspiel – die beiden sind dabei pantomimisch ein Herz und eine Seele, sie spielen miteinander und werfen zum Spaß ein Tuch in die Luft. Sie tun etwas, was sich zu diesem Zeitpunkt Charlotte niemals erlauben würde." [Source]

Rolando Villazón Makes Opera Directing Debut

The Mexican tenor will be directing Werther with Opera de Lyon. Performances will begin in January and run through February 7. His concept for the production is to look at the piece psychologically from the viewpoint of Carl Jung. The cast includes Arturo Chacon-Cruz (Werther), Karine Deshayes (Charlotte), Lionel Lhote (Albert) and Anne-Catherine Gillet (Sophie).