Product Description

One of the finest and most charismatic tenors on the international classical music scene, Rolando Villazons many best-selling recordings have covered an extraordinary range of musical styles from his great opera roles to the Baroque, Mexican favorites and popular songs.

For his new solo album, Rolando brings his lustrous Latin timbre to the concert arias of Mozart. Mozarts Il re pastore was the very first opera Rolando performed while still a student at the conservatory and he has felt a special connection to the composer ever since; through his diverse musical explorations, especially of Baroque music and Monteverdi, and by reading Mozarts letters, Rolando has acquired the experience and artistic maturity he was looking for in his own Mozart interpretation.

Rolando has performed Mozart arias with the Wiener Philharmoniker at the Salzburg Mozart Week 2010, been celebrated in Lucio Silla at this years Salzburg Summer Festival as well as in a wonderful production of Il re pastore in Zurich and Salzburg. And of course after the critically acclaimed Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutte performances recorded live for DG a solo Mozart project is the natural choice for Rolandos next classical solo project.

The emotional range and vocal demands of Mozarts condensed music-dramas are perfectly suited to Rolandos musical and dramatic gifts and a sincere expression of his love for perhaps the greatest of all composers for the voice.

For this major new recording of Mozarts rarely recorded concert arias, Rolando is joined by Britains Finest Orchestra [The Arts Desk], the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the Music Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Antonio Pappano.