News
Rolando Villazón disc released 17.03.09
A disc of Handel arias featuring the renowned Mexican tenor and Gabrieli is available from 16 March.
What Villazón did want to do was engage fully - musically, stylistically and philosophically - with the world of period-instrument Baroque performance. - Richard Morrison
Featuring some of Handel’s finest arias from his operas Tamerlano, Rodelinda, Serse, Ariodante and the oratorio La Resurrezione, Gabrieli’s latest release with Deutsche Grammophon is available from 16 March 2009. The Gabrieli Players and Paul McCreesh are pleased to be a part of tenor Rolando Villazón’s first foray into Barqoue opera repertoire. A tour featuring the same repertoire will take Villazón and the ensemble to Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Hamburg and Valladolid from 29 April-10 May 2009. For more details, click here.
For exclusive video clips and Richard Morrison’s liner notes in full, please visit the album’s DG website: http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/html/special/villazon/handel/index.html
In a sense this marks the coming-of-age of the Baroque music revival. Even great Romantic tenors want to sing it now! Of course, the convention is for lighter voices to do this repertoire. But once I had some preliminary rehearsals with Rolando, I realized that he has a fantastic instrument for Baroque music. His voice has great 'ping'; it is very finely tuned. And Rolando is also very open to stylistic suggestions. He is acutely aware that singing Handel with Puccini-like swoops and portamenti isn't going to work. – Paul McCreesh
You are obliged, when you hear string playing of that quality, to adapt your own sound so it matches. But what chiefly affected me was the amazing enthusiasm of this orchestra. And my God, what precision! We wasted zero time fixing orchestral problems. Their artistry is sensational. – Rolando Villazón (All quotes from Richard Morrison’s liner notes for the disc.)
Order your copy from our office today - £15 (included postage and packing)
Email marina@gabrieli.com or call 020 7613 4404 to order your copy. Please include your name, postal address and a contact telephone number.