Rolando Villazon - Mozartissimo - Best of Mozart (2020)

Rolando Villazón is an avowed Mozart fan and has celebrated the works of the great composer every year in Salzburg, among others, as director of the traditional Mozart Week since 2017. With the album “Mozartissimo” the tenor has now achieved a very personal homage to Mozart, because he has summarized his favorite arias on the album and convinces with charisma, voice and musical passion.
Many of the recordings were made live as part of the six productions that the tenor has now staged together with the Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and they convey the special flair of this long-term creative collaboration. In the varied music of the operas “Don Giovanni”, “Così fan tutte”, “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, “Le nozze di Figaro”, “La clemenza di Tito” and “The Magic Flute”, Rolando Villazón as Papageno, Don Ottavio, Ferrando, Belmonte, Basilio and Tito perfectly showcase their emotional expressiveness and show their lively joy in Mozart's characters and colorful music.
In the duet “Feel love with men” from the Magic Flute, the tenor sings side by side with the soprano Christiane Karg, who, as Pamina, lights up the tones weightlessly and whose golden timbre harmonizes wonderfully with Rolando Villazón's sonorous voice. In the charming duet of Papagena and Papageno, the tenor shines together with Regula Mühlemann and the Aurelius Boys Choir Calw control Papageno's aria “Papagena! Papagena! Papagena! ”The unaffected youthful freshness of her bright voices.
The instrumental accompaniment of the singers is excellent at every moment. Under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the two renowned orchestras, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, unfold a rich palette of timbres and also shine with detailed dynamic precision, so that the recordings
The recitative “Misero! O sogno o son more? ”, The aria“ Aura, che intorno spiri ”and the concert aria“ Con ossequio, con rispetto ”were recorded by Rolando Villazón together with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Antonio Pappano. This combination also proves to be an extremely happy musical coup. Fast, changing tempos, atmospheric depth and bubbling energy make these tracks a rousing listening pleasure.
Rolando Villazón's homage to Mozart is pure joy. The lively interpretations make the album a musical surprise bag in the very best sense, which transports the fire of enthusiasm for which the tenor is known and which leaves nothing to be desired.