A 1983 recording of Francisco Araiza singing the aria "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" sorry, german subtitles only. check my favorites for the version with english subtitles website to buy this dvd. www2.deutschegrammophon.com/we...
I remember hearing Araiza for the first time, and the first thing that came to my mind was "Ah, now I know why they call him the reincarnation of Fritz Wunderlich!" Second only to Wunderlich in Mozart, as far as I've heard. Thanks to that con Placido Domingo Mr. Araiza never got the recognition he deserved. Bravo to Mr. Araiza.
I discovered this rendition a few weeks ago and have watched and listened to it at least once every day since. I am not qualified to comment on technical aspects of any singer's vocal production, but I know what I like--and my perception is that Francisco Araiza negotiates Mozart's technical demands as well as anyone I have heard, and does so with a voice of masculine resonance lacking in most Mozartian tenors. On top of all that, he maintained a youthful physique throughout his career that, along with his acting, made him one of the most believable incarnations of the characters he was portraying (for other examples, check out on RU-vid his Nemorino excerpts from the Vienna L'Elisir d'Amore of 1989, or his Don Ramiro in the complete La Scala video of La Cenerentola of 1981).
Das stimmt ! Das habe ich verspürt,als ich das Foto einer jungen Frau aus Singapur erhalten hatte.-Nun,der Altersunterschied zwischen uns beiden war zu groß gewesen,doch ist sie mir zur lieben Freundin geworden,wie eine eigene Tochter,und ihr "boy friend" wie ein Quasi-Schwiegersohn ; und wenn sie mal Kinder hat , werde ich so etwas wie der Vice-Großvater sein. Und immer wenn ich diese Arie höre, werde ich an die unsere schöne Zeit unserer Begegnung erinnert,und die Zeit danach.Das hat mich damals so berührt,daß ich selber den Weg zur "Bühne " gesucht,und durch einen Chor gefunden habe.
