As the 20th century came to a close, one name in the running for major operatic star of the twenty-first was Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas. The director of the Los Angeles Opera Company, which engaged him to sing the title role in Massenet's Werther, predicted that he would be "the next Pavarotti." He has a similar, silky lyrical voice, apparently friendly personality, and has worn a beard trimmed in the same manner as the famous tenor from Modena. He has also appeared in Los Angeles as Nemorino, sang in Lucia di Lammermoor at San Francisco in the 1999-2000 season, and at the M...