ROLANDO VILLAZON: ARIAS BY GUONOD AND MASSENET
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Conductor: Evelino Pino Virgin Classics
*****

This disc is an absolute joy. It is now just 12 months since Rolando Villazon issued his first recital disc - a programme of Italian opera arias - to considerable critical acclaim. In the intervening year he has taken the operatic world by storm, with much comment on the similarity of his voice to the young Domingo. On this disc, he tackles the French repertoire, both familiar and obscure, and the result is magical.

While Villazon's voice is pretty even through the registers, his wonderful ringing top is his crowning glory. His French pronunciation may let him down a little at times, but he sings with real feeling for the notes and with a wonderful sense of line. Villazon's voice in live performance is smaller than Domingo's, but it does have the dark baritonal core of a true tenore di forza. Indeed, on the evidence of this disc, it appears to have already increased in power in the period since his first recital disc (although wisely he is staying away from the heavy tenor roles at this stage). At just 33 years of age Villazon has the potential to be one of the great tenors. www.virginclassics.com/www.rolandovillazon.com

Colman Morrissey