Francisco Araiza
Encyclopedia
Francisco Araiza is a Mexican operatic tenor
. As one of the leading tenors of his generation he was named Kammersänger
of the Wiener Staatsoper in 1988 and has been a permanent member of the Opernhaus Zürich since 1977.
He made an international operatic career starting with the great Mozart and Rossini tenor roles. Already known as one the best interpreters in the lyric repertory he developed later on into the heavier lirico spinto, the French and heavier German repertory with roles like Edgardo, Alfredo, Duke of Mantua, Riccardo III, Don Alvaro, Don Carlo, Cavaradossi, Pinkerton, Rodolfo, Calaf, Andrea Chénier, Des Grieux, Faust, Hoffmann, Werther, Romeo, Don José, Lenski and the young Wagnerian heroes Lohengrin, Stolzing, Loge, Parsifal and Siegmund.
. In 1970 he made his professional debut in Mexico City as Jaquino in Beethoven's Fidelio
. In 1974 he went to Europe and took masterclasses with Richard Holm and Erik Werba at the Munich Hochschule für Musik
after having won in the Bavarian Broadcasting Voice Competition. After three years at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe from 1974 to 1977 he became a permanent member of the Zurich Opera House.
Herbert von Karajan
chose him for his recording of Die Zauberflöte (the first digital opera recording) and invited him to the Salzburg Festival to sing the Mozart Requiem in 1980 enhancing the international career of the upcoming star.
New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, allover in Japan and has as well participated in all great international festivals like Bayreuther Festspiele, Salzburger Festspiele, Bregenzer Festspiele
, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, the Richard-Strauss-Tage Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh, the Prague Spring Festival, Verona, Macerata, Rossini Festival Pesaro, the Schubertiade
Hohenems and the Festival Cervantino Guanajuato, Mexico.
in his last operatic appearance. He has starred together with Frederica von Stade in the Unitel
film version of Rossini's La Cenerentola
. One of his greatest successes was singing the reole of Des Grieux in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
's production of Manon
(available on DVD) at the Vienna State Opera in 1983 which marked the first step into the heavier repertory. In 1985 he sang the title role in Faust
directed by Ken Russell
also in Vienna (available on DVD) followed by the Philips
recording under Sir Colin Davis. He made his Metropolitan Opera
debut in New York as Belmonte, later on singing Tamino in the new production of The Magic Flute
during the Mozart Anniversary Year 1991 (a performance telecast on PBS and available on DVD) and he had an especially great success with his role debut as Walter von Stolzing in the new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
in 1993, both conducted by James Levine
, which highlighted his vocal and artistic development.
for his recording of Schubert Lieder, as well as the Mainichi Award for «Best musical event of the year» for his Tokyo recital in 1988.
He was awarded twice with the Orphée d'Or by the Académie Nationale du Disque Lyrique Paris in 1984, for his interpretation as Count Almaviva in the opera recording of The Barber of Seville
and for the live recording of the Salzburg Festival production of Così fan tutte
.
Further awards include the Mozart Medal
of the University of Mexico City UNAM
in 1991, the Mario-del-Monaco-Medal Otello d'Oro in 1995, the Golden Mercure as Best Performing Opera Singer (Munich 1996) and lately the FAOT- Medal by the Cultural Institute of Sonora, Mexico in 2008 honouring his artistic achievement. In July 2011 on the occasion of his 40 years of International Career as a singer he was honoured by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura y la Compania Nacional de Opera, CONACULTA in Mexico City with the "Gold Medal of Fine Arts".
, Deutsche Grammophon
, EMI
, RCA
, CBS
, Teldec
, Orfeo
and Atlantis
as well as in lots of TV- and DVD-productions. Several solo recordings were released with Operas Arias and Lieder, but also popular repertory like The Romantic Tenor by RCA Red Seal and even crossover titles with popsinger Daniela Simmons or Rapper Nana
.
An illustrated monograph called Voices of the World: Francisco Araiza was published by Atlantis
in 1988 as well as Great Interpreters published by Westermann
, Bravo written by Helena Matheopoulous and Divo
published by Harper & Row, Great Singers published by Kremayr & Scheriau (Vienna 1989) and Portrats of Musicians by prestigious author Joachim Kaiser and photographer Walter Schels (Mosaik
Verlag 1997). In 1992 the German television station ZDF
presented a personal TV-Documentary with the title Francisco Araiza - I am a Romantic directed by Jochen Richter. In 2000 he appeared for the first time as an actor in the German TV movie Almost a Gentleman
.
, Wempe, Swarovski
, Sixt
, Deutsche Post AG, Bulgari
or Rolex
and of course charity events all over the world.
de la UNAM
Mexico City. In 1996 he gave his first Masterclass at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, later on at the Richard-Strauss-Tage in Garmisch, at the Munich Singschul' and the UNAM
Mexico City.
In 2003 he was nominated Professor by the Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to teach at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart and three years later he joined the Board of Directors of the International Opernstudio Zurich IOS teaching now Vocal Technique and Style.
Frequently he is asked to participate in the juries of all international Singing Contests, for instance the ARD Voice Competition in Munich and the most renowned Bertelsmann Voice Competition Neue Stimmen in Gütersloh, Germany. Furthermore he is member of the Managing Board of the Liz Mohn Kultur- und Musikstiftung (Bertelsmann) and the Europäische Kulturstiftung Europamusicale.
From November 2007 till June 2009 he was the Artistic Director of the International Hugo Wolf Akademie.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
. As one of the leading tenors of his generation he was named Kammersänger
Kammersänger
Kammersänger , abbreviation: "Ks.", literally means "Chamber singer." It is a German honorific title for distinguished singers...
of the Wiener Staatsoper in 1988 and has been a permanent member of the Opernhaus Zürich since 1977.
He made an international operatic career starting with the great Mozart and Rossini tenor roles. Already known as one the best interpreters in the lyric repertory he developed later on into the heavier lirico spinto, the French and heavier German repertory with roles like Edgardo, Alfredo, Duke of Mantua, Riccardo III, Don Alvaro, Don Carlo, Cavaradossi, Pinkerton, Rodolfo, Calaf, Andrea Chénier, Des Grieux, Faust, Hoffmann, Werther, Romeo, Don José, Lenski and the young Wagnerian heroes Lohengrin, Stolzing, Loge, Parsifal and Siegmund.
Professional development
Born and educated in Mexico City Francisco Araiza studied voice with Irma Gonzalez in the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica and German repertory with Erika Kubacsek. At the same time he made his degree in Business Administration at the University of Mexico City UNAMUnam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
. In 1970 he made his professional debut in Mexico City as Jaquino in Beethoven's Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
. In 1974 he went to Europe and took masterclasses with Richard Holm and Erik Werba at the Munich Hochschule für Musik
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater München is one of the most respected traditional vocational universities in Germany specialising in music and the performing arts. The seat of the Hochschule is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz...
after having won in the Bavarian Broadcasting Voice Competition. After three years at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe from 1974 to 1977 he became a permanent member of the Zurich Opera House.
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, of which he was principal conductor for 35 years...
chose him for his recording of Die Zauberflöte (the first digital opera recording) and invited him to the Salzburg Festival to sing the Mozart Requiem in 1980 enhancing the international career of the upcoming star.
Stations
For over thirty years he has performed in all the main opera houses of the world i.e. Munich, Hamburg, Berlin (Deutsche Oper and Deutsche Staatsoper Unter den Linden), Leipzig, Dresden, Vienna, La Scala Milan, Florence, Parma, Rome, Naples, Covent Garden London, Bastille Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Santander, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago Lyric Opera, Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, allover in Japan and has as well participated in all great international festivals like Bayreuther Festspiele, Salzburger Festspiele, Bregenzer Festspiele
Bregenzer Festspiele
Bregenzer Festspiele is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz, Austria.Founded in 1946, the festival presents a wide variety of musical and theatrical events in several venues:...
, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, the Richard-Strauss-Tage Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh, the Prague Spring Festival, Verona, Macerata, Rossini Festival Pesaro, the Schubertiade
Schubertiade
A Schubertiade is an event held to celebrate the music of Franz Schubert.-History:During Schubert's lifetime, these events were generally informal, unadvertised gatherings, held at private homes...
Hohenems and the Festival Cervantino Guanajuato, Mexico.
Some highlights
Among his roles, he has sung Belmonte at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich under the baton of legendary conductor Karl BöhmKarl Böhm
Karl August Leopold Böhm was an Austrian conductor. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century.- Education :...
in his last operatic appearance. He has starred together with Frederica von Stade in the Unitel
Unitel
Unitel may refer to:*Unitel Communications Incorporated, a Canadian telecommunications company later known as AT&T Canada.*Unitel Bolivia, a Bolivian television network*Unitel , a Mongolian mobile phone network*Unitel...
film version of Rossini's La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
. One of his greatest successes was singing the reole of Des Grieux in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle was a noted French opera director.-Biography:Ponnelle was born in Paris. He studied philosophy, art, and history there and, in 1952, began his career in Germany as a theatre designer for Hans Werner Henze's opera Boulevard Solitude...
's production of Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
(available on DVD) at the Vienna State Opera in 1983 which marked the first step into the heavier repertory. In 1985 he sang the title role in Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
directed by Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
also in Vienna (available on DVD) followed by the Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
recording under Sir Colin Davis. He made his Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
debut in New York as Belmonte, later on singing Tamino in the new production of The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
during the Mozart Anniversary Year 1991 (a performance telecast on PBS and available on DVD) and he had an especially great success with his role debut as Walter von Stolzing in the new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
in 1993, both conducted by James Levine
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Levine's first performance conducting the Metropolitan Opera was on June 5, 1971, and as of May 2011 he has...
, which highlighted his vocal and artistic development.
Awards
Besides his operatic engagements, Francisco Araiza is also a highly esteemed concert and Lieder-singer: in 1984 he received the famous Deutscher SchallplattenpreisDeutscher Schallplattenpreis
The Deutscher Schallplattenpreis was a prize that the Deutsche Phono-Akademie awarded from 1963 through 1992. Its successor is the ECHO prize....
for his recording of Schubert Lieder, as well as the Mainichi Award for «Best musical event of the year» for his Tokyo recital in 1988.
He was awarded twice with the Orphée d'Or by the Académie Nationale du Disque Lyrique Paris in 1984, for his interpretation as Count Almaviva in the opera recording of The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
and for the live recording of the Salzburg Festival production of Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
.
Further awards include the Mozart Medal
Mozart Medal
The Mozart Medal is a name, after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for various awards:* Mozart Medal , awarded by the city of Frankfurt...
of the University of Mexico City UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
in 1991, the Mario-del-Monaco-Medal Otello d'Oro in 1995, the Golden Mercure as Best Performing Opera Singer (Munich 1996) and lately the FAOT- Medal by the Cultural Institute of Sonora, Mexico in 2008 honouring his artistic achievement. In July 2011 on the occasion of his 40 years of International Career as a singer he was honoured by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura y la Compania Nacional de Opera, CONACULTA in Mexico City with the "Gold Medal of Fine Arts".
Conductors & directors, recordings & publications
Francisco Araiza has worked with all great conductors and stage directors of the century like Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini, Carlos Kleiber, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Neville Marriner, James Levine, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Patane, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Metha, Daniel Barenboim and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Harry Kupfer, August Everding, Otto Schenk, Giorgio Strehler, Franco Zeffirelli, John Dexter, Roman Polanski and David Pountney which has been documented in over hundred recordings for labels as PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
, Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Teldec
Teldec
The Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, Orfeo
Orfeo
L'Orfeo , sometimes called L'Orfeo, favola in musica, is an early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to...
and Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
as well as in lots of TV- and DVD-productions. Several solo recordings were released with Operas Arias and Lieder, but also popular repertory like The Romantic Tenor by RCA Red Seal and even crossover titles with popsinger Daniela Simmons or Rapper Nana
Nana (rapper)
Nana Kwame Abrokwa is a German rapper and DJ, performing under the pseudonyms Nana or Darkman / Nana. Nana is not an actual first name, but a Ghanaian title of nobility...
.
An illustrated monograph called Voices of the World: Francisco Araiza was published by Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
in 1988 as well as Great Interpreters published by Westermann
Westermann
The originally German surname Westermann can refer to:Persons with that surname:* Antje Westermann , German Actress* Anton Westermann , German Hellenist...
, Bravo written by Helena Matheopoulous and Divo
Divo
Divo or DIVO may refer to:*DIVO, an acronym for Diagnostic Images from Various Origins, a medical imaging PACS protocol similar to DICOM...
published by Harper & Row, Great Singers published by Kremayr & Scheriau (Vienna 1989) and Portrats of Musicians by prestigious author Joachim Kaiser and photographer Walter Schels (Mosaik
Mosaik
Mosaik is a German comic book. First published in December 1955, it is the longest-running German monthly comic book and the only one originating in East Germany that still exists. Mosaik also appeared in other countries and other languages...
Verlag 1997). In 1992 the German television station ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
presented a personal TV-Documentary with the title Francisco Araiza - I am a Romantic directed by Jochen Richter. In 2000 he appeared for the first time as an actor in the German TV movie Almost a Gentleman
Almost a Gentleman
Almost a Gentleman is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Billy Bennett, Kathleen Harrison and Gibb McLaughlin.-Cast:* Billy Bennett - Bill Barker* Kathleen Harrison - Mrs Barker* Gibb McLaughlin - Bartholomew Quist...
.
Society
Francisco Araiza had the honour to be invited to appear during official state visits mainly in Germany: he was invited to sing for statesmen like Michail Gorbatschow, Helmut Kohl, former Mexican Presidents Carlos Salinas de Gortari and Ernesto Zedillo, His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, Richard von Weizäcker, Roman Herzog, Gerhard Schröder and His Highness The Aga Khan. He also sang on many special occasions like anniversaries of famous companies like RosenthalRosenthal
Rosenthal is a name of German origin, meaning rose valley, and may refer to:* Rosenthal, Hesse, in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district* Rosenthal , a part of Berlin, Germany* Rosenthal, a part of Peine in Lower Saxony...
, Wempe, Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
, Sixt
Sixt
Sixt is a European car rental company. It has around 3,500 service stations in over 80 countries. Sixt was founded in 1912 by Martin Sixt in Munich.-Company facts:*Revenue : €1.44 billion*EBIT: €153.3 million*EBT: €121.647 million*Employees: 2,015...
, Deutsche Post AG, Bulgari
Bulgari
Bulgari is an Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer which has been owned by the French firm LVMH since October 2011. The trademark is usually written "BVLGARI" in the classical Latin alphabet , and is derived from the surname of the company's Greek founder, Sotirio Voulgaris...
or Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
and of course charity events all over the world.
Professor, juror and Artistic Director
Since 1988 Francisco Araiza sponsors the Francisco Araiza Voice Competition Award of the Escuela Nacional de Musicade la UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
Mexico City. In 1996 he gave his first Masterclass at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, later on at the Richard-Strauss-Tage in Garmisch, at the Munich Singschul' and the UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
Mexico City.
In 2003 he was nominated Professor by the Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to teach at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart and three years later he joined the Board of Directors of the International Opernstudio Zurich IOS teaching now Vocal Technique and Style.
Frequently he is asked to participate in the juries of all international Singing Contests, for instance the ARD Voice Competition in Munich and the most renowned Bertelsmann Voice Competition Neue Stimmen in Gütersloh, Germany. Furthermore he is member of the Managing Board of the Liz Mohn Kultur- und Musikstiftung (Bertelsmann) and the Europäische Kulturstiftung Europamusicale.
From November 2007 till June 2009 he was the Artistic Director of the International Hugo Wolf Akademie.