Profile: Rolando Villazon – a tenor star for whom the sky is the limit [easy]

Rolando Villazon is a lucky guy. He’s really got it made. Aged only a little over 30, he is one of the most famous tenors in the world and he gets to sing duets with the stunning Anna Netrebko. In fact, Netrebko and Villazon are considered the new dream couple of opera. Their version of Verdi’s La Traviata, in Salzburg last year, is already legendary. Not only because they both sing very well but also because Anna is very beautiful and wore some rather seductive clothes.  Villazon’s life seems very enviable: he is famous, he gets to travel the world, and he lives in what many consider the romance capital of the world: Paris.  Not only does he portray all the great opera heroes on stage but his own life story is also like a fairytale.

 Villazon was born in Mexico but he speaks very good German. He attended a German school there because he has German ancestors. In fact, he is multilingual because aside from Spanish and German, he also speaks English, French and Italian, which is considered the language of tenors. 

Initially, he wanted to become a Roman Catholic priest but his secret dream was always to be a world-class tenor. His role model was Placido Domingo. He took singing lessons with a number of famous baritones. When his mentor at the seminary heard him sing in an amateur production, he told him that he should give up the idea of priesthood and become a singer because he was outstanding and this is where his future lay. Villazon’s childhood sweetheart, Lucy, who is a psychologist now and whom he has since married, supported him in his dream. She always believed in him.  Villazon finally shot to worldwide fame virtually overnight when the conductor Marcello Viotti discovered him. Viotti was a powerful man who not only was chief conductor of the Munich Broadcast Orchestra but also director of the famous Fenice opera house in Venice.

Viotti was so impressed with the young tenor that he decided to record his debut CD with him. Therefore, Villazon’s first CD was recorded with a major CD label, Virgin/EMI, and it became an instant success. People started comparing him to the young Domingo and within months everyone in the world of classical music was talking about Villazon. His debut CD of Italian opera arias, with the Bavarian Broadcast Orchestra under the baton of Viotti, won a Classics Echo in 2004. From then on, Villazon’s career has been on the rise.  One year later, he won another Classics Echo as 2005 opera singer of the year. He now travels the world and is at home on all the greatest opera stages, whether it is Salzburg, New York or Paris. He performs with some of the greatest singers of our time, such as the baritone Thomas Hampson, the bass Ildebrando d’Arcangelo or, of course, the celebrated Russian soprano Anna Netrebko. When they have time, Netrebko and Villazon’s wife Lucy even go shopping together. Life is a ball for the young tenor. His fans love him for his wonderful voice as much as for his outgoing personality. He always takes time to chat with them after concerts and is not the least bit arrogant. For Villazon, being Mexican means, above all, that the typical Latino spirit of joy should transcend even into his work.  Life’s great when you’re Rolando Villazon, or when you are around him and when his infectious smile lights up the room.

Further Information on his website: www.rolandovillazon.com

Vocabulary:

to be a lucky guy/girl he’s a lucky guy he’s got it made the most famous One of the most famous stunning they are considered already rather seductive to envy enviable he gets to travel the capital hero / heroes fairytale like a fairytale to attend to attend a course to attend a school ancestor multilingual aside from initially to become role model when he should give up outstanding childhood sweetheart he has since married to believe someone She believed in him virtually conductor to discover powerful impressed instant success to compare to within months on the rise some of such as celebrated to go shopping life is a ball   as much as outgoing to chat the last bit life's great to be around someone infectious

ein Glückspilz sein er ist ein Glückspilz er hat wirklich Alles der Berühmteste einer der beruehmtesten umwerfend sie sind angesehen als schon ziemlich verführerisch beneiden beneidenswert er kann/darf reisen die Hauptstadt Held / Helden Märchen wie ein Märchen besuchen, teilnehmen an einem Kurs teilnehmen eine Schule besuchen Vorfahren mehrsprachig außer zu Beginn werden Vorbild als er sollte aufgeben außergewöhnlich, großartig Jugendliebe er hat seitdem geheiratet an jemanden glauben sie glaubte an ihn praktisch Dirigent entdecken mächtig, einflussreich beeindruckt sofortiger Erfolg vergleichen mit innerhalb von Monaten auf einem Höhenflug einige von wie zum Beispiel, wie etwa gefeiert einkaufen gehen das Leben ist ein Spiel, das Leben macht Spaß genauso viel wie extrovertiert quatschen das kleinste Bisschen das Leben ist toll in der Nähe von jemandem sein ansteckend