Album insights
Presenting a unique album featuring duets from Italian and French operas specially crafted for tenor and bass voices. Rolando Villazón and Ildar Abdrazakov collaborated on this project, accompanied by Yannick Nézet-Séguin leading the Orchestre Métropolitain from Montréal. This remarkable recording marks the singers' first joint venture and serves as Abdrazakov's debut on the esteemed yellow label. Ranging from the iconic "Pearl Fishers Duet" to lesser-known pieces from Boito's Mefistofele and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, their carefully curated program showcases a diverse array of opera excerpts, complemented by two popular encores from Mexico and Russia. The duo is set to perform this repertoire live on stage in the coming autumn. Villazón, the renowned Mexican-French tenor, has ventured into uncharted territory with this new album. Here, the focus shifts from the well-trodden path of tenor-soprano arias to the rare landscape of duets for two male voices. Teaming up with the Russian bass, Ildar Abdrazakov, who makes his debut on the Deutsche Grammophon label through this release, Villazón finds an artistic ally in the dynamic and sought-after conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin.