Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga makes a splash at the Met

When tenor Xabier Anduaga first auditioned for Riccardo Frizza, the conductor recalls that “he opened his mouth, and after two notes I understood I was in front of something special. It’s one of the voices you find every 15 or 20 years.”

- Associated Press

Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s general manager, listened in astonishment when Anduaga made his house debut two season ago: “I was quite frankly blown away by his sound.” Anduaga has become a star throughout Europe at age 30, when many tenors are just starting to make their mark.

Now, he has introduced himself to American audiences in a big way, headlining the Met's new production by Rolando Villazon of Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece “La Sonnambula,” which runs through Nov. I. Anduaga stars opposite soprano Nadine Sierra, with Frizza conducting. The Oct. 18 performance was broadcast live in HD to movie theatres around the world. To be sure, it’s an opera where the soprano gets the last word — and in Sierra's case a rare high F — but Anduaga holds his own next to her virtuosity.