Rolando Villazón

罗兰多·维拉宗（Rolando Villazon）真正当之无愧的世界第四大男高音
 
在三大歌王创下了票房奇迹之后，如今让歌剧经纪人们颇为苦恼的是：谁能成为下一个帕瓦罗蒂、多明戈、卡雷拉斯？时不时有人兴冲冲地跑去找经纪人：你可得听听这声音，他会成为下一个帕瓦罗蒂！可惜，这些或外表英俊或嗓音甜美的男高音们通常都是扶不起的刘阿斗，没多久就会失去唱高音C的本领，要么胖到塞不进戏服，要么愚蠢地得罪乐评人，要么让生活侵蚀自己的嗓音，从此消失在人们的视野中。
 
如果只有一位年轻的男高音能够扬帆远航，那必定是他——罗兰多·维拉宗（Rolando Villazon）。他和多明戈有着相似的音色，说着同一种语言，是全世界最看好的歌王接班人。他的首张唱片《意大利歌剧咏叹调》在全球疯卖，他那张颇似戆豆先生的俊脸频频登上各大古典音乐杂志的封面；《每日电讯报》称他为“21世纪最伟大的歌剧演员”，《Times》更是夸赞他有“真才实料，兼具明星气质和强烈的个性”；想请他演出？2008年以后吧。
 
维拉宗性格开朗，兴奋起来便要上蹿下跳，采访他的记者根本不用费心套话就能收获意外果实，因为他是个“话痨”又有表演欲，说起故事来滔滔不绝并且绘声绘色。
 
维拉宗于1972年出生于墨西哥，父亲是位电脑专家，母亲是家庭主妇，似乎都没有什么音乐天赋。和所有的拉美小孩一样，他最感兴趣的是流行歌曲和足球，梦想着当演员。但他有一群波西米亚叔叔阿姨，其中不乏卡通画家、吉他手，甚至还有一位灵媒，为他日后的音乐、文学、漫画天赋启了蒙。小维拉宗迷上一样东西后就会很投入，他看了《哈克贝里芬历险记》的漫画后，就想尽办法弄了一套漫画里的衣服，还赤脚上街；他读完甘地传之后，不但把头剃光，还煞有介事借来一副小圆眼镜；一次他的父母送给他一辆崭新的自行车，当时他当看完《唐吉诃德》，觉得这新车一点不像那匹又老又瘦的马，于是就用锤子把车敲得破破烂烂。回忆当年，维拉宗说：“这些人物深深地印在我的灵魂里，我希望能够通过自己来表现他们的想法。”这些都是最初的表演冲动。
 
因为太祖母是奥地利人，维拉宗儿时上的是德语学校。当时他的父亲在哥伦比亚唱片公司工作，经常带些LP回家。其中一张多明戈与约翰丹佛合唱的《也许爱》让小维拉宗非常着迷，他听了一遍又一遍，还努力地模仿。有一次他在洗澡的时候放声歌唱，突然有人敲门，原来是墨西哥表演艺术学院的总监路过时听到他的歌喉，想让他去艺术学校训练一下。
 
自从他开始沉浸在表演、音乐、现代舞和芭蕾的世界中后，德语学校的成绩便一落千丈，几乎门门开红灯，最后只能转学了事。令小维拉宗颇为不好意思的是，当时他的太祖母还在世。
 
1990年是个转折点，18岁的维拉宗在学校演出中唱歌，恰巧台下的观众中有位男中音阿图罗.涅托（Arturo Nieto）。演出结束后涅托来到后台，告诉维拉宗他有副好嗓子，并问他是否需要指导。第二天维拉宗来到涅托的工作室，在墙上看到了一副涅托和多明戈的合影。偶像的力量是无穷的，维拉宗当即决定跟随涅托学习。突然间，他发现歌剧要比流行歌曲有趣多了。
 
1992年，他在1500名观众面前演唱了著名的咏叹调《偷洒一滴泪》，结束后他的神父导师买了一瓶龙舌兰酒为他庆祝，并且告诉他他的职责是成为一位歌剧演员而不是神父，他应该立刻去音乐学院面试。当时导师还说：如果有一天你在美国大都会歌剧院演出，我一定去看（这话后来果真应验了）。
 
第二天维拉宗就去参加了面试，他唱了《波西米亚人》中的一段咏叹调，捉着一个枕头当成想象中的咪咪。他立刻被音乐学院录取，不过很快又出现了新问题。为了付学费，维拉宗在业余时间教历史课打零工，不久他就考虑放弃歌唱事业去当一个全职教师。他后来回忆道：“当时我觉得唱歌剧是一项太难的事业，我不知道如何走出墨西哥进入国际舞台。也许当个历史老师用业余时间唱歌对我来说更实际。”关键时候又应验了那句老话：一个成功男人背后总有一个成功女人。这时已经成为一位心理学家的露西娅再次发挥了决定性作用，她威胁维拉宗如果不完成歌剧之梦就甭想同自己结婚，“现在你的梦想也是我的梦想，我一定要陪你完成它”。于是维拉宗决定继续学习，并开始在罗西尼和莫扎特的歌剧中演些小角色，在轻轻松松赢了两次墨西哥国家歌剧比赛之后，著名的男中音加布里埃米哈雷斯（Gabriel Mijares）成了他的导师，为他登上国际舞台铺平了道路。
   1998年维拉宗来到旧金山歌剧院，在那里，他第一次演唱了《茶花女》中的阿尔弗雷德一角。然后他又参加了匹兹堡歌剧院的青年艺术家项目，在多尼采蒂的《拉美莫尔的露西娅》等剧中扮演了角色。1999年他在多明戈歌唱比赛中得了奖，立刻就接到伦敦皇家歌剧院的邀请出演《玫瑰骑士》。但他明智地婉拒了这份好意，他觉得放慢步伐继续学习是更为明智的选择。伦敦皇家歌剧院表示了理解，他还没有准备好去伦敦，当他唱遍最有名的歌剧院，见识过世界上最有名的歌手后，他会去伦敦的。大家没有看错，2004年他的伦敦皇家歌剧院首演获得掌声雷动，他在谢幕后兴奋得像个孩子般跳上跳下。 2001年他在布雷根茨歌剧节上演唱的《波西米亚人》选段引起了轰动，2003年10月他在纽约大都会歌剧院的首演是与瑞妮弗莱明合作《茶花女》。当时今日古典网站称“这是自胡安迪亚戈·佛瑞兹（Juan Diego Florez）以来最有前途的男高音首演”。
 
唱歌剧光有金童还不行，维拉宗很快发现了色艺双绝的俄罗斯女高音安娜·涅翠柯（Anna Netrebko），“我第一次听到涅翠柯演唱是在华盛顿的一次试听中，她当时唱的是吉尔达。我立刻知道我必须同这位女高音合作。”接着他们在慕尼黑合作了《茶花女》、在洛杉矶合作了《罗蜜欧与朱丽叶》，便立刻被评论界捧为“金童玉女的梦幻组合”。巴伦波伊姆在柏林遇见维拉宗后，第一句问候就是：“他们告诉我你很棒。”
 
在全球的歌剧舞台上获得巨大的成功后，发行首张专辑的机会成熟了，于是维拉宗与维珍古典签下独家合约。他的绝活是“渐强渐弱唱法”（messa di voce），该唱法要求歌手柔和地唱出一个长音，在中部渐强，然后在尾部渐弱恢复到开始时的状态。这种技巧是对歌剧演员音乐表现力的试金石，而拉美男高音向来长于此道。拉蒙·巴加斯（Ramón Vargas）、Juan Diego Florez、马塞罗·阿尔瓦雷斯（Marcelo Á·lvarez）之后，现在轮到了维拉宗。“大概是因为龙舌兰酒吧！拉美总能够诞生伟大的歌喉，真是一种轮回。”
 
他的首张独唱专辑在维也纳甫一问世，便于两个钟头内被抢购一空，他那如男中音般温暖而醇厚的音色以及无暇的技巧令人们惊艳，而更宝贵的是：他对不同风格的歌剧有着天生的感悟，无论是多尼采蒂、威尔弟还是普契尼的音乐，他不但能唱，而且能触碰到人物的灵魂。他的低沉音色适于演绎咏叹调的戏剧张力，而在高音时又不费吹灰之力，展现出多重色彩和完美的生动性。《旧金山纪事报》称该唱片“有分量、引人入胜”，《歌剧杂志》将之收入了“编辑推荐CD”。他的第二张专辑是古诺和马斯内的咏叹调，赢得了2005年的留声机大奖。
 
有评论者说：“维拉宗并不吝惜展示自己的才华。他的首张专辑收录了那些最伟大的男高音唱过的咏叹调，而相比之下他却毫无逊色。这是一种伟大的男高音之声，在我们已经习惯了低标准的时代，无疑成为一种提升。这声音拥有罕见的美妙、温柔的浪漫之情，同时又表现出热烈的青春。
 
即使是顶尖男高音在高音区有时也会捉襟见肘，但维拉宗却唱得那样轻而易举。今时今日，错过其他某位年轻男高音对听众来说无甚损失，但是错过维拉宗将会成为一大遗憾。罗兰多.维拉宗绝非寻常之辈，任何人都会同意《BBC音乐杂志》的评价：他是一位奇才！
 
同维拉宗合作过《波西米亚人》的英国导演理查·琼斯（Richard Jones）说：“维拉宗与‘星巴克歌唱家’截然不同，那些垃圾歌手只是去不同的城市重复自己而已，但维拉宗有一种原创的头脑，每次他扮演一个新角色，总是会从零开始细细思考。他有敏感的心理，能够出色地完成角色要求的所有效果。”
 
像多明戈一样，维拉宗在起步时更倾向于演唱抒情男高音的曲目，虽然戏剧男高音对他来说也并不成问题。“诀窍在于你应该根据剧情而非音调来区分角色。阿尔弗雷德对于年轻歌唱家来说是个不错的选择，但有时会很困难；唐卡洛一角分量较重，但也有抒情的时刻。”维拉宗对《弄臣》中的公爵一角很着迷，“他每次都能侥幸逃脱，到最后你对他已经恨不起来了。比起英雄人物来说，我对那些复杂的角色更有兴趣，比如霍夫曼就是一个彻底的反英雄，一个失败的人。”维拉宗承认自己并不适合演唱莫扎特，但表示有朝一日能够尝试《伊多梅纽斯》。
 
2009年维拉宗将在洛杉矶歌剧院演唱墨西哥作曲家丹尼尔·凯顿（Daniel Catán）的新作《邮差》（Il postino），该作品根据安东尼奥.斯卡米达（Antonio Skarmeta）的小说和迈克雷德福（Michael Radford）的电影改编而成。维拉宗将扮演马里奥，诺贝尔奖得主、诗人聂鲁达的私人邮差，多明戈将扮演聂鲁达。无疑，能与幼年的偶像同台，这将成为维拉宗最期待的一场演出。
 
维拉宗时常喜欢引些著名男高音智商平平的笑话来自我解嘲，不过很明显，他肯定是男高音里的新品种。他告诉《留声机》的记者Warwick Thompson，10岁那年迷信的叔叔喂他吃了一种神奇的蘑菇，然后给他读兰波的诗，从那以后他就开始爱上了文学。在闲暇时，维拉宗爱读托马斯曼、陀思妥耶夫斯基、加西亚马尔克斯、阿·德布林的小说，“我看到了一扇文字的大门，以及文字在日常对话之外的不同用途。而现在，在我从事的事业中文字的力量更是无比巨大。有时歌唱家会忽略文字，我们只是注意音色、连贯性和乐句，但是当你把每个词都唱活时，就会发现大大的不同。”
 
Through his uniquely compelling performances with leading opera houses and orchestras around the world, Rolando Villazón has firmly established himself as one of the music world’s most critically acclaimed and beloved stars and as one of the leading tenors of our day. Heralded as “the most charming of today’s divos” (The Times) and “a great singer and brilliant entertainer, at once extremely funny and deeply profound” (Crescendo) , Rolando Villazón is among the most versatile artists alive today, maintaining successful careers as a stage director, novelist, and TV personality next to his on-stage career. His singularly beautiful voice and arresting stage presence have prompted critics to hail him as “better than ever before…the sound of his voice is phenomenal…few tenors of such vocal power can shape such pianissimi” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and “his artistry as astonishing as ever, fusing sound, sense and gesture in an uncompromising quest for veracity” (The Guardian).
 
It was as the winner of several prizes at Plácido Domingo’s “Operalia” Competition in 1999 (including the audience award and the Zarzuela prize) that Rolando Villazón first burst on the international music scene. He made his European debut that same year as Des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon in Genoa, swiftly followed by further debuts at the Opéra de Paris as Alfredo in La traviata; and the Staatsoper Berlin as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth.
 
He went on to become one of the most sought-after performers of his generation, as highlighted by a string of highly successful debuts with Europe’s leading opera houses such as the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Rodolfo in La bohème and the Vienna Staatsoper as Gounod’s Roméo. The tenor has since frequently returned to Vienna for performances as Massenet’s Werther, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Des Grieux, the title role in Les contes d’Hoffmann, the Duke in Rigoletto and Alfredo in La traviata. Munich audiences have seen Rolando Villazón perform the title role in Gounod’s Faust, Alfredo, Roméo as well as the title role in a new production of Les contes d’Hoffmann with the Bayerische Staatsoper in addition to concert performances of La bohème at the Gasteig which were recorded by Deutsche Grammophon and released on CD in 2008.
 
Rolando Villazón made his Salzburg Festival debut in 2005 with triumphant performances as Alfredo in a new production of La traviata alongside Anna Netrebko and Thomas Hampson. Deutsche Grammophon released both CD and DVD recordings of the production in 2005. In 2008, he returned for a new production of Roméo et Juliette which was broadcast live on television and recorded by Deutsche Grammophon for DVD release in 2009. In 2012, he made his acclaimed Mozart-debut at the Salzburg Festival, performing Alessandro in Il re pastore. He returned to Salzburg in 2013 for lauded performances in the title role of a new production of Mozart’s Lucio Silla. Further acclaimed European festival appearances include Bregenz, Glyndebourne, Orange, the Musikfest Bremen and Klara Festival Brussels.
 
Since his debut, Rolando Villazón frequently appears with the Staatsoper Berlin, often collaborating with Daniel Barenboim to great popular and critical acclaim. Highlights include his role debut as Don José in a new production of Carmen, as well as new productions of La traviata, Manon and Eugen Onegin as well as one of his signature roles Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. At the Opéra de Paris, audiences have seen him in performances of Faust, La traviata, Les contes d’Hoffmann and Werther. The role of Hoffmann was also the vehicle for his triumphant debut at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden where he has since returned for performances of Lenski, the Duke, Rodolfo, the title role in a new production of Don Carlo and the title role in Massenet’s Werther, both led by Sir Antonio Pappano. Rolando Villazón has furthermore appeared with the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels as Rodolfo and made his role debut as Verdi’s Don Carlo in a new production with Amsterdam Opera conducted by Riccardo Chailly. He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Nemorino and returned for a new production of Manon alongside Natalie Dessay. Both Manon and Don Carlo have also been released on DVD. He gave his debut at Zurich Opera as Alfredo, and returned for a new production of Il re pastore led by Sir William Christie, and performances of L’elisir d’amore. In 2010, he debuted with La Scala di Milan as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. In 2011 he made his role-debut as Don Ottavio with the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, followed by his role-debut as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, also in Baden-Baden, in 2012.
 
Since his acclaimed debut with the Metropolitan Opera New York as Alfredo, he has returned to star in performances as Verdi’s Duke, Rodolfo, Edgardo and in a sold-out Metropolitan Opera Pension Fund Gala Performance in April 2007. A favorite with Los Angeles Opera since his debut in La traviata, the tenor has since appeared in productions of Gianni Schicchi, Roméo et Juliette and Manon.
 
In concert, Rolando Villazón has appeared with leading orchestras and conductors on concert stages all over the world, including appearances at the Salzburg Mozart Week with the Vienna Philharmonic, London’s Barbican and Royal Festival Halls, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Salle Pleyel in Paris, Berlin, Munich and Cologne Philharmonie, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Academy of Santa Cecilia, Carnegie Hall New York as well as sold-out concerts in amongst others Miami, Vancouver, Tokyo, Toulouse, Monte Carlo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, Zurich, Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Madrid, Copenhagen and Helsinki. To celebrate Giuseppe Verdi’s 200th anniversary, 2013 saw the tenor embark on a sold-out 15-city-tour featuring Verdi’s music. The concerts were watched by nearly 25,000 people across Europe. In 2007, he gave his German recital debut performing Schumann’s Dichterliebe accompanied by Daniel Barenboim, a success repeated the following year also at Staatsoper Berlin. Daniel Barenboim also led the tenor in the European premiere of Elliot Carter’s A Sunbeam’s Architecture in 2013, alongside the Staatskapelle Berlin. Together with accompanist Gerold Huber, he appeared in recital at the 2010 Salzburg Festival and the Vienna Musikverein 2011. His outdoor concerts with Plácido Domingo and Anna Netrebko at Berlin’s Waldbühne on the eve of the 2006 World Cup Final and at Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace in advance of the 2008 Euro Championship Final were both televised live and watched by millions of people around the world. In 2013, he sang an internationally broadcast open-air concert at Munich’s Odeonsplatz alongside Thomas Hampson and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
 
Rolando Villazón’s vast discography includes a recital of Italian arias, a recital of arias by Gounod and Massenet, as well as an “Opera Recital”, all for EMI/Virgin Classics. The same label has also released recordings of Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi and I Lamenti conducted by Emmanuelle Haim as well as a Zarzuela CD entitled “Gitano” led by Plácido Domingo. All recordings have won unanimous critical praise. DVD releases for EMI/Virgin Classics also include the Vienna State Opera production of L’elisir d’amore, and for Decca the Los Angeles Opera production of La traviata opposite Renée Fleming. Further releases on EMI/Virgin Classics include a recording of Verdi’s Requiem with the Academy of Santa Cecilia, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano and a recording of Vivaldi’s Ercole led by Fabio Biondi.
 
In 2007, Rolando Villazón became an exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon. His releases on the yellow label include a CD of operatic duets with soprano Anna Netrebko as well as both CD and DVD recordings of La traviata, recorded live at the Salzburg Festival. In 2006, La traviata garnered a Grammy nomination and both La Traviata and “Duets” were awarded Klassik Echo Awards as Germany’s best-selling albums in 2006 and 2008 respectively. The tenor received a further Klassik Echo Award in 2007 for the DVD of the 2006 Waldbühne concert. 2008 saw his highly acclaimed first solo release with Deutsche Grammophon, an album of rare Italian arias entitle “Cielo e mar”. In 2009, he released a complete recording of Puccini’s La bohème in addition to an acclaimed album of Handel arias in collaboration with renowned specialists Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Players. To date, all of his albums have been best-sellers, earning gold and platinum status in Germany and Austria. His recording “Duets” claimed the top spot on the Billboard classical chart shortly after its release in the U.S., and in Europe set a record for the best debut ever for a classical album, climbing to the top of the pop charts in several countries. His recording, “México!”, featuring new arrangements of classical Mexican songs, was released on DG in September 2010 and was awarded with the ECHO Klassik in 2011. In spring 2012 a critically acclaimed complete recording of Werther conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano was released, followed by complete recordings of Don Giovanni also in 2012 and of Cosi fan tutte in 2013, the first and second installments of a seven-part Mozart cycle conceived by the tenor and conductor Yannick Nézet-Seguin. On the occasion of Giuseppe Verdi’s 200th anniversary, Rolando Villazón released a recording of arias by the composer, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Early 2014 sees the release of a recording of Mozart’s Concert Arias for tenor, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.
 
In 2011, Rolando Villazón made his debut as a stage director with the critically and publically acclaimed production of Massenet’s Werther with the Opéra Lyon. In 2012 he directed Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. In the same production, labeled a “double triumph” and broadcast on international TV in December 2012, he also sang the part of Nemorino. Rolando Villazón will make three further directorial debuts in the 2014-15 season.
 
Rolando Villazón has been profiled in numerous international newspapers and magazines and featured on television shows such Germany’s Wetten, dass..? and Musical Showstar and the UK’s Royal Variety Show; documentaries on him have been televised in Austria, Germany, the UK and France. In 2010 he became mentor and juror of the UK’s Pop Star to Opera Star, a role he repeated in the second series in 2011. He is regularly presenting TV-programmes for the BBC and ZDF, where he is the host of the ECHO Klassik Gala as well as fronting a number of cultural programmes. He has his own series “Stars von morgen” on Arte, televised in France and Germany and is a frequent guest, both as mentor and juror, on KiKa’s “Dein Song”. In the fall of 2008 and throughout 2009, he starred in a feature film release of Puccini’s La bohème, directed by Oscar- and Emmy-nominated director Robert Dornhelm. In 2013, Rolando Villazón’s debut novel “Malabares” was published in Spain. German and French translations of the novel are slated for publication in 2014.
 
Rolando Villazón begins the 2013-14 season with performances as Mozart’s Lucio Silla with the Musikfest Bremen, conducted by Mark Minkowski. Mozart dominates the tenor’s season throughout: he performs Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at the Berlin Staatsoper, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, and the Vienna Staatsoper, followed by his return to Milan’s Teatro alla Scala for performances as Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte in a new production directed by Claus Guth and conducted by Daniel Barenboim, before closing the season with his role debut as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden to be recorded for release on Deutsche Grammophon. He performs Mozart’s Concert Arias for tenor with the Basel Chamber Orchestra on a European tour which takes him to Berlin, London, Paris, Dortmund, Prague and Vienna. Vienna audiences can also hear him as Lenski in Eugene Onegin, a role which is also the vehicle for his return to New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The tenor joins Emmanuelle Haim and her Le Concert d’Astrée for Monteverdi-themed concerts in Baden-Baden and Paris and can be heard in recital in Graz, Regensburg, Bremen and at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala.
 
Born in Mexico City, he began his musical studies at the National Conservatory of Music before entering young artist programmes in Pittsburgh and at San Francisco Opera. A recipient of many prestigious awards, Rolando Villazón has been named a Chévalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of the highest awards in the fields of arts and literature in France. Rolando Villazón acts as ambassador for the Red Noses Clown Doctors International charity. He is a member of the Collège de Pataphysique Paris.