Ramón Vargas

Acting

Ramón Vargas

Born 1960-09-11

Born in Mexico City, the seventh of nine children. Ramón Vargas began singing at the age of 9, joining the boys' choir of the Basilica of Guadalupe in his home town. He then studied at the Cardenal Miranda Institute in México City, with Antonio Lopez and Ricardo Sanchez. Ramón Vargas' international debut took place in 1992, when the New York Metropolitan Opera asked him to sing Edgardo opposite June Anderson, substituting Luciano Pavarotti. This was soon followed by a debut on the stage of La Scala, in 1993, where he sang Fenton in Strehler's new production celebrating the centenary of Falstaff, conducted by Riccardo Muti. He now regularly performs at all the major opera houses all over the world to great acclaim.

Acting credits

Puccini: La Bohème poster
NR

Puccini’s evergreen paean to young love and the bohemian life has captivated generations of Met-goers through Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production. Movie theater audiences for the high-definition transmission of this staging got to see it with fresh eyes in a touching performance starring Angela Gheorghiu and Ramón Vargas as the frail seamstress and her poetic lover.

Puccini: La Bohème

2008

Les contes d'Hoffmann - Opéra Bastille novembre 2016 poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Les contes d'Hoffmann - Opéra Bastille novembre 2016

2016

Ernani poster
NR

Stage director Jean-Louis Grinda and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo present Verdi’s early smash hit opera Ernani. Ramon Vargas heads up an incredible cast in the heroic title role and maestro Daniele Callegari leads the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra in the sumptuous melodies of Verdi’s score.

Ernani

2017

Idomeneo poster
NR

Mozart's opera telling the story of the King of Crete who returns from Troy to find his his son in love with the daughter of the slain Paris, King of Troy. Conducted by Sir Roger Norrington and performed by Ramon Vargas, Magdalena Kozena, Anja Harteros and Ekaterina Siurina.

Idomeneo

2007

Love, Money and Philosophy poster
4.4

Stefano, a philosophy grad student without a future, tries to commit suicide after his girlfriend leaves him. He is saved by Giulio, a wisecracking plumber who takes him home and teaches him the tricks of the trade. When Lucia, a woman disappointed in both men and conventional jobs who has started to work as a prostitute, calls them to repair a sink, for Stefano it's love at first sight.

Love, Money and Philosophy

1996

No artwork available
NR

Live Opera performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Ernani. Directed by Jean-Louis Grinda

Verdi's Ernani

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin poster
NR

The pain of unrequited love is portrayed unforgettably by two of today’s greatest stars. Renée Fleming is musically and dramatically radiant as the shy Tatiana, who falls in love with the worldly Onegin, played with devastating charisma by Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Their mesmerizing vocalism and chemistry explode in one of opera’s most heartbreaking final scenes. With Valery Gergiev on the podium conducting Tchaikovsky’s passionate score, this performance is one for the ages.

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin

2007

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2000 poster
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The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2000 concert was conducted by Claudio Abbado and featured Andrea Rost (soprano), Alan Titus (baritone), Ramón Vargas (tenor), and the Prague Radio Choir. On the programme: Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Excerpts), Don Carlos (Excerpts), Rigoletto (Excerpts), La Traviata (Excerpts), Falstaff (Excerpts), Johann Strauss: Maskenfest – Quadrille.

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2000

2000

Don Giovanni poster
9.0

DON GIOVANNI is one of the timeless classics of all opera. Mozart’s music, and the words of his great collaborator Da Ponte, are brought to life in Francesca Zambello’s engrossing production with its rich and colourful designs by Maria Bjornson. The music is memorable, dramatic and enjoyable: from the seductive solo voices of the famous ‘La ci darem la mano’ to the fabulous ensemble as Don Giovanni’s infatuated conquests, vengeful victims and their outraged relatives join forces for justice. And retribution does finally come to Don Giovanni, a serial womanizer and a murderer, with the searing flames of Hell ready to engulf him. Simon Keenlyside heads the outstanding cast at the Covent Garden Royal Opera House, conducted by renowned Mozart expert Charles Mackerras.

Don Giovanni

2008

La Cenerentola poster
NR

A timeless tale told in a florid bel canto style, Rossini’s take on the Cinderella story offers an ideal propellant for a virtuosic mezzo-soprano to rocket from rags to riches. But in this retelling, the supporting characters soar just as high: Cinderella’s Prince, her stepfather, and the Prince’s valet are given memorable arias, and the composer rounds out his score with ingenious ensemble flourishes. A vivacious masterpiece, La Cenerentola brings stock fairy tale characters to dazzling life.

La Cenerentola

1997

The Metropolitan Opera: Don Giovanni poster
NR

Imbuing the familiar Don Juan myth with a captivating combination of comedy, seductiveness, danger, and damnation, Mozart created an enduring masterpiece that has been a cornerstone of the repertory since its 1787 premiere. The opera offers a rare opportunity for two baritones to star alongside one another as the title Lothario and his faithful yet conflicted servant, Leporello, as well as three memorable female roles—multifaceted women who both suffer the Don’s abuses and plot their revenge.

The Metropolitan Opera: Don Giovanni

2011

Opening Night Gala Starring Renée Fleming poster
NR

Keeping with a long-standing tradition, Renee Fleming kicks off the new season at the Met with scenes from Verdi's Traviata, Massenet's Manon, and Strauss' Capriccio. She is joined by Ramon Vargas and Thomas Hampson.

Opening Night Gala Starring Renée Fleming

2008

Verdi: La Traviata poster
5.2

Live from La Scala Saturday 07 July 2007. In this live performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Violetta, a courtesan much wooed by Parisian society, organises a grand party that is attended, amongst others, by the young Alfredo Germont. He confesses his feelings to Violetta, who is already suffering from consumption. She vacillates between genuine affection and a realistic assessment of her situation as a "fallen woman", which precludes any lasting relationship with a man.

Verdi: La Traviata

2007

No artwork available
9.0

Politics and love leads to a love triangle between father, son and stepmother.

Don Carlos

2005

Mefistofele poster
NR

The season kicks off with Boitos resplendent retelling of Goethes Faust, a monumental work of 'choral grandeur and melodic richness' (The New York Times) in one of the most impressive productions ever seen at the War Memorial Opera House. The cast includes Ramón Vargas, a tenor 'in ravishing voice' (Financial Times), as the philosopher who sells his soul to the Devil; the 'luminous, compelling' Patricia Racette (Washington Post) as the woman he desires; and, in the vividly menacing title role, the 'seductively malevolent' bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov, a 'fullbodied bass-baritone' renowned for his 'wonderfully evil portrayals' (The New York Times).

Mefistofele

2013

Don Carlo poster
NR

The 2016 Don Carlo production at the Vienna State Opera, directed by Daniele Abbado, offered a modern, minimalist take on Verdi's masterpiece. Abbado emphasized the psychological and political tensions within the story, employing stark sets and subdued colors to evoke a timeless, oppressive atmosphere. Lighting played a crucial role, intensifying the focus on the characters' inner struggles and conflicts. The cast featured René Pape as a commanding and deeply nuanced Philip II, alongside Ramón Vargas as Don Carlo and Anja Harteros, who delivered a luminous and emotionally charged portrayal of Elisabetta.

Don Carlo

2016

No artwork available
NR

This adaptation of three tales by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with a sprinkling of Goethe’s Faust, portrays the German poet as both narrator and hero recounting his love affairs with Olympia, Antonia and Giuletta. Robert Carsen’s spectacular production highlights the melancholy genius of a man marked by life, with a coherence and dramatic sense remarkable for a work that leaves numerous questions unanswered. Under the baton of Philippe Jordan, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Ermonela Jaho, Kate Aldrich, Yann Beuron and Ramón Vargas and Stefano Secco in the main role, interpret the legendary airs of this work whose brilliant mystery will continue to dazzle opera houses for countless years to come.

Les Contes d'Hoffman

2017

Verdi: Don Carlo poster
NR

Teatro Regio’s 2013 revival of their highly successful 2006 production of Verdi’s Don Carlo celebrates the 40th anniversary of the theatre’s reopening in 1973. With traditional staging and lavish costume design, the production garnered high acclaim in the national and international press, with GB Opera commending the ‘sumptuous’ setting and French online music magazine ResMusica praising director Hugo de Ana’s decision to revive the show ‘in all its splendour’. Shown here in the four-act version, Don Carlo is the fascinating tale of father-son power struggles, adultery and love that borders on incest. The cast – under the powerful baton of Gianandrea Noseda – is headed by renowned Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas, and also features Ludovic Tézier, who has been hailed as ‘one of the best Verdian singers of our time’

Verdi: Don Carlo

2013

Die Operngala der Stars (Baden Baden 2007) poster
10.0

Deutsche Grammophon proudly presents the new faces of the opera world in a glamorous new live concert DVD: Anna Netrebko, Elına Garanca, Ramón Vargas and the highly acclaimed young French baritone Ludovic Tézier sing a wide range of Italian and French opera favorites. This recording features highlights from concerts at Baden- Baden's Festspielhaus, where tickets to this extraordinary event sold out in record time. The DVD features the four young stars performing duets and the popular quartet "Bella figlia dell'amore" from Rigoletto. Other highlights include Delibes' famous flower duet from Lakmé performed sumptuously by Anna and Elına.

Die Operngala der Stars (Baden Baden 2007)

2007

Rigoletto poster
NR

Paris Opera, October 1996. New production Jérôme Savary

Rigoletto

1996

A Verdi Gala from Berlin poster
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Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in this gala New Year's Eve performance, organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's death. Recorded in 2000, the program includes excerpts from the composer's "La Traviata," "Falstaff," "Rigoletto," "Don Carlos" and "Un Ballo in Maschera," with solos by Andrea Rost (soprano), Ramon Vargas (tenor), Alan Titus (baritone) and Lucio Gallo (bass-baritone).

A Verdi Gala from Berlin

2002

Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann poster
NR

This adaptation of three tales by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with a sprinkling of Goethe’s Faust, portrays the German poet as both narrator and hero recounting his love affairs with Olympia, Antonia and Giuletta. Robert Carsen’s spectacular production highlights the melancholy genius of a man marked by life, with a coherence and dramatic sense remarkable for a work that leaves numerous questions unanswered. Under the baton of Philippe Jordan, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Ermonela Jaho, Kate Aldrich, Yann Beuron and Ramón Vargas and Stefano Secco in the main role, interpret the legendary airs of this work whose brilliant mystery will continue to dazzle opera houses for countless years to come.

Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann

2016

Don Giovanni poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Don Giovanni

2008