Mexico City — ROLANDO VILLAZON HAS THE OPERA WORLD ON A STRING. The young Mexican tenor just completed a fairy tale year, with acclaimed debuts at New York's Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden in London and the Staatsoper in Berlin. He released his first CD, a collection of Italian arias; several critics ranked it among the best classical recordings of 2004. And his face graced the covers of a number of opera periodicals.
"Success has come very fast," the 32-year-old Mexico City native said during a recent three-day stopover here to visit his in-laws. He and his wife, Lucia, live with their two infant sons in Paris. "Sometimes I feel I am flying in space, up among the beautiful clouds. My wife says, 'It's OK, enjoy the flight. Imagine you are the kite and I have the cord. I'll keep you close to Earth.' "
The strength of that tether is likely to be further tested over the next few weeks. Southland aficionados are already eagerly awaiting Saturday, when Villazon will sing the first of seven performances of Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet" for Los Angeles Opera. Opposite him in the new production, directed by Ian Judge, will be another rising star, Russian soprano Anna Netrebko.
What has put Villazon at or near the top among up-and-coming tenors, colleagues and critics agree, is a silky lyric voice, remarkably thoughtful portrayals and a magnetic stage presence. (He's booked solid in the world's top theaters through 2009.) Inevitably, some go so far as to call him the next Placido Domingo, and the L.A. Opera general director just happens to be his mentor and good friend. They share certain vocal qualities, a bent for risk-taking and an all-out approach to rehearsing and performing.
"Besides his vocal ability and all its qualities, he has a phenomenal way of giving himself to the public, and the public feels it," Domingo said by telephone, adding that he regards Villazon as his artistic son. "Then there is his charisma, which is extra and a blessing. You can't take your eyes off him."
Daniel Barenboim, the artistic director of Berlin's Staatsoper -- who conducted Villazon in "Carmen" in December -- said over the phone from Chicago that Villazon was "extraordinary" as Don Jose, partly because of his need to perform at "maximum intensity."
"You have the impression that Rolando doesn't live as someone in the world who occasionally sings," Barenboim said. "Rather, one has the feeling that his real life is music and he just happens in addition to be a good husband, friend and very amusing fellow."
Villazon follows Francisco Araiza and Ramon Vargas as Mexican singers who in recent years have made it to the top tiers of world opera. He is also among a handful of tenors striving to replace Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti as the next superstars. Among the others in that group are Marcelo Alvarez, Juan Diego Florez, Marcello Giordani, Salvatore Licitra and Joseph Calleja.
He comes from what Gerardo Kleinburg, the former artistic director at Mexico City's Bellas Artes opera company, describes as a "great vintage" of half a dozen young Mexican singers now making their names. Others include baritone Jorge Lagunes, sopranos Olivia Gorra and Eugenia Garza, and tenor Alfredo Portilla.
"Rolando is not No. 1 today, but he is the one to keep track of," said Kleinburg, who was among the first to recognize Villazon's talent. "I have no doubts he is Domingo's heir as a major operatic figure in the world. We'll have to wait 10 or 15 years to see, but maybe you will remember my words."
That kind of acclaim has raised expectations for L.A. Opera's version of Gounod's 1867 take on Shakespeare, especially considering Villazon's athletic good looks and Netrebko's fashion model beauty. Hopes are high that they'll bring sex appeal to an opera that should be -- but rarely is -- bathed in it.
"It's not so often you have a Juliet who looks like a Juliet and a Romeo who looks like Romeo," Villazon said. "She is wonderful, and we both have the reputation of giving everything onstage, so I hope the combination will live up to expectations."
The two have worked together just once before, in a single "La Traviata" in Munich, Germany, in 2003. But opera managers see a great artistic and commercial future for the pair. This year they are to sing a "Traviata" in Salzburg and Massenet's "Manon" in Berlin.
Judging from Villazon's televised 2001 performance in a New York City Opera "La Boheme" that helped launch his international career, dramaturge Roger Pines of Lyric Opera of Chicago foresees great things from this month's Villazon-Netrebko matchup.
"Villazon showed that he was an unusually considerate, sensitive partner" opposite Maria Kanyova as Mimi, Pines said. "That bodes well for his Romeo. Don't forget that Romeo and Juliet sing no fewer than four duets."
Finding his voice
