They each made their mark as young opera singers independently - Netrebko (statuesque, with movie-star good looks and a radiant, pure, and full bel canto voice), rising from the ranks under the guidance of Maestro Valery Gergiev as THE diva of Russia's Kirov Opera, whose triumphant 1995 US debut as Lyudmila in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila with the San Francisco Opera sent sparks all over the world; and Villazón (with his youthful animal magnetism, bushy-browed charisma and a honeyed tenor tone), as a prize-winning tenor from Mexico, whose European debut in 1999 as des Grieux in Massenet's Manon at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, sent major opera houses calling. Their repertoires and their fan list have since grown, and their voices come to full bloom. Today they are recognized, deservedly, as among the foremost sopranos and tenors of the new generation.  That Anna Netrebko has definitely arrived is underscored by her inclusion in "The TIME 100" for 2007 - the international weekly's list of "the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world."

It was not their first performance together in leading roles, but it was their universally acclaimed, sold-out appearance as Violetta and Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata at the 2005 Salzburg Festival that sealed their reputation as opera's "stardust twins" - THE "dream team!" Whether one regarded the spare, unconventional production as "Euro-trashy," OR remarkable for its "potent restraint," there were no two ways of looking at their soaring performance - it knocked the socks off everyone who was there. They have since been in great demand, and marketed ("I am a singer, and also a product," Villazón has said in an interview), as opera's definitive stage couple. (Offstage, they lead separate personal lives - Villazón is very much married and the proud father of two children).

In September 2007, Deutsche Grammophon released their eagerly anticipated first duet CD album - their first studio recording together. This is no slap-dash, watered-down collection of the "world's favorite duets" but a specially concocted "cocktail" (in Anna Netrebko's own words, as you will hear) of duets consisting of complete scenes - some of which they have sung on the operatic stage - mostly from operas familiar and beloved with a couple of relative rarities mixed in, all sung to near perfection.

Photo Credits: Anna Netrebko - � Kaskarra / Deutsche Grammophon
                     Rolando Villazon - � Pamela Springsteen / Virgin Classics

Click HERE for video /   audio clips and more on this exceptional CD .

The "Duets" album is a FanFaire - Deutsche Grammophon CD Giveaway.

Design and Original Content: FanFaire LLC � 1997-2008. All rights reserved.