Francisco Araiza

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Francisco Araiza as Romeo in Roméo et Juliette, Zurich 1990

José Francisco Araiza Andrade (born 4 October 1950) is a Mexican operatic

Wagnerian roles such as Lohengrin and Walther von Stolzing. He was made a Kammersänger of the Vienna State Opera
in 1988. Now retired from the opera stage, he teaches singing and serves on the juries of several international singing competitions.

Early life and education

Francisco Araiza was born in

lieder repertory with Erika Kubacsek, a Viennese singing teacher living in Mexico City at the time.[5]

International opera career

Francisco Araiza as Rodolfo

Araiza's operatic stage debut came in 1970 when he sang The First Prisoner in a concert performance of Beethoven's Fidelio by the Compania Nacional de Opera de Bellas Artes. A few months later he graduated to the role of Jacquino in the same opera and went on to sing Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon and Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème with the company. In 1974 he went to Munich to compete in the ARD International Music Competition, where he received Third Prize.[6] Although the pieces he sang for the competition were from the Italian lyric tenor repertoire, the judges told him that he would make an ideal Mozart tenor and offered him a contract with the Karlsruhe Opera. He decided to remain in Munich for further training with Richard Holm and Erik Werba before his debut at Karlsruhe in 1975 as Ferrando in Così fan tutte.[7]

Araiza became a

Zurich Opera in 1977 and began appearing as a guest artist with major European and North American opera companies and festivals. He debuted at the Bayreuth Festival in 1978 as Steersman in Der fliegende Holländer, the Vienna State Opera in 1978 as Tamino in The Magic Flute, London's Royal Opera House in 1983 as Ernesto in Don Pasquale, and San Francisco Opera in 1984 as Ramiro in La Cenerentola.[7] He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (in John Dexter's production) on 12 March 1984. He went on to appear at the Met another 54 times between 1984 and 1995.[8] During that period his guest appearances also included the Bavarian State Opera, Paris Opera, La Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, La Fenice and the Salzburg Festival.[4] He was made a Kammersänger of the Vienna State Opera in 1988 and was awarded the Mozart Medal in 1991.[9][10]

Araiza initially specialised in the

Andrea Chenier
.

Later years

Now retired from the opera stage, Araiza teaches singing and serves on the juries of several international voice competitions.

La vestale at the Semperoper of Dresden in a concert version.[15]

Araiza was married to the mezzo-soprano Vivian Jaffray by whom he had a son and daughter. The couple divorced and he later married the music historian and stage director Ethery Inasaridse by whom he has another son and daughter.[6][16] In July 2011, Araiza received the Medalla de Oro de Bellas Artes (Gold Medal for the Fine Arts) from the Mexican government during a concert at the Palacio de Bellas Artes marking his 40-year career.[17] In 2017, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Morelia's Universidad Michoacana San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Mexico.[18]

Recordings

Araiza has an extensive discography. Several of his performances in staged operas have also been filmed and released on DVD. These include

Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and Faust. The majority of the films were released on the Deutsche Grammophon
label.

Araiza's CD recordings include:

Solo Albums

Araiza – Opera Arias, English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alberto Zedda. Philips;

Araiza and Eva Lind – Opera Duets, Orchestra of the Zurich Opera conducted by Ralf Weikert. Philips.

The Romantic Tenor – Francisco Araiza – Munich Radio Orchestra conducted by Ralf Weikert. Sony Victor RCA.

Fiesta Mexicana – Francisco Araiza. DG.

French, Spanish, and Mexican Songs by Francisco Araiza – with Jean Lemaire. Atlantis.

Operas

Choral and lieder

References

  1. ISBN 0-575-04677-5
  2. ^ Haas, Ingrid (December 2011). "Francisco Araiza: Cuarenta años de cantar" Archived 20 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Pro Ópera, Año XIX, Número 6, pp 26–32. Retrieved 29 October 2012 (in Spanish)
  3. Highbeam
    .
  4. ^
    Highbeam
    .
  5. ^ Matheopoulos (1989) pp. 22 and 24
  6. ^ a b Matheopoulos (1989) pp. 24–25
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-19-533765-4
  8. ^ Metropolitan Opera. Performance archives. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  9. ^ Die Bühne (1988). Issues 352–363, p. 63 (in German)
  10. ^ "Official website of the Medalla Mozart". Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), with full list of recipients
  11. New York Magazine
    , p. 111
  12. ^ Bernheimer, Martin (2 December 1986). "Greenawald And Araiza Triumph In 'Manon'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  13. Bertelsmann Foundation
    . Retrieved 29 October 2012 (in German).
  14. ^ Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart. Prof. Francisco Araiza Archived 18 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 October 2012 (in German)
  15. ^ Hölscher, Andreas H., Musikalisches Kleinod (La Vestale, 30. Juni 2013), (in German) "Opernnetz.de Archived 6 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine".
  16. ^ International Who's Who in Classical Music (2006). "Araiza, Francisco", p. 26. Taylor & Francis.
  17. ^ Tello, Judith Amador (7 July 2011). "Recibe el tenor Francisco Araiza la Medalla de Oro de Bellas Artes". Proceso. Retrieved 31 October 2012 (in Spanish).
  18. ^ Garcia, Alejandro (9 October 2017). "Para economista y músico, Doctorado Honoris Causa por la UMSNH".

Further reading

  • Baumann, Christiana; Gorraiz, Juan; and De Silva, Dereck M. (1988). Francisco Araiza: Eine Bildmonographie. Atlantis Musikbuch-Verlag.
    ISBN 3-254-00143-5
    (in German)

External links
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