Exuberant and charismatic, Rolando Villazón is the tenor of today. Here he releases his first solo album on Deutsche Grammophon. The soaring title track from Ponchielli s La Gioconda inspired Villazón to become a singer. Here it is the starting point for an intriguing album which moves far beyond the usual greatest tenor hits . Less familiar masterpieces by Boito, Cilea and Verdi feature alongside little-known Donizetti arias and rarities by Gomes, Mercadante and Pietri. The album is Villazón s personal homage to his illustrious predecessors in the lyric-dramatic repertoire great tenors such as Bergonzi, Caruso and Domingo. Cielo e mar offers something special for connoisseurs of opera, Villazón s many fans and mainstream listeners who will be gripped by the beauty of both his voice and the music
![Italian Opera Arias [Includes DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nScNOaHzL._SL75_.jpg)