Photo by Jennifer Taylor
For reasons unknown, Juan Diego Flórez has not sung at the Metropolitan Opera since 2018. Despite this absence, New York audiences are consoled by a Carnegie Hall piano recital from him every other year or so. The crowd is usually at capacity and enthusiastic for all-too-rare operatic star events at Stern Auditorium. (Next season, all vocal recitals will be held in the smaller halls of Zankel and Weill.)
Flórez recitals are of the old-fashioned star tenor format reminiscent of Pavarotti and his Italian or Spanish forebears – some arie antiche, bel canto songs with a liberal selection of operatic arias. Flórez’s will also add a long encore section where the tenor accompanies himself on the guitar in Latin American or Spanish songs or pop, with fans screaming out song suggestions from the upper balconies. The love in the room is palpable and vocal.
Last Thursday was true to form. The accompanist was again the knowledgeable and sensitive Vincenzo Scalera, who was allowed piano solos by Vincenzo Bellini, Ernesto Lecuona, and Benjamin Godard. All were worthwhile additions, though I couldn’t help wishing that the piano transcriptions of Bellini’s canzone “Almen se non poss’io” and the familiar “Berceuse” from Godard’s Jocelyn were left to our star tenor to vocalize.
The opening group included salon songs by Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Rossini was represented by “Le sylvain” from Péchés de vieillesse, Vol. III, No. 9, which is long and episodic but was sustained well by Flórez. The Bellini section was highlighted by “La Ricordanza,” an early sketch for Elvira’s mad scene from I Puritani. The first half ended with the prison scena from Roberto Devereux, “Ed ancor la tremenda porta…Come uno spirito angelico”, his first operatic selection of the evening. This was sung with plaintive emotion and supreme elegance.
For the second half, Flórez sang three zarzuela selections before turning to more opera. The zarzuela was stylishly and passionately sung. Flórez has recently recorded on his own label a Zarzuela recital, and it is worth seeking out. He has an affinity for the repertory.
French opera was represented in Massenet’s Le Cid with the expansive and melancholy “Ah! tout est bien fini!… Ô Souverain, ô juge, ô père”, followed by a sensitive, even poetic rendition of “Salut demeure chaste et pure” from Gounod’s Faust. This was capped by a solid, if loud, final high C. The Le Cid aria seemed to be a risky choice as the tessitura is central, and the role was written for a fort tenor (originally Jean de Resczke). Flórez adroitly adjusted the scale of the aria to his slender instrument, emphasizing tender legato and plaintive expression. The printed portion of the program ended with a firm, lyrical, and detailed “Che gelida manina” from Puccini’s La Bohème. Flórez’s Rodolfo is a credible poet with sensitivity as well as ardor.
Then, to the audience’s audible delight, out came the chair and the kickstand for the guitar encore section of the program. This included, along with a medley of Spanish songs (including “Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma” with a long-held head voice high note), the Neapolitan song “I’ te vurria vasà,” which Flórez admitted he had just learned but deeply loves. It sounded that way. Flórez’s musicality and imagination are apparent in his stylish guitar playing, which reflected all his little nuances and bewitching phrasing.
For the final round of encores, Flórez came back out with Scalera, and we were treated to the syrupy yet beloved “Be My Love” of Mario Lanza fame; the audience ate it up with a spoon. Flórez always loves to show that he still has the high C, so we got a spirited “Pour mon âme” from La Fille du Régiment sung with his usual confident élan. Perhaps, the best selection was “Una Furtiva Lagrima” sung with haunting melismas and delicate variations in the true bel canto style.
Visually, the Peruvian tenor is still boyish, slim, and handsome. Vocally, the voice is very much in one piece, though he doesn’t have a lot of dynamic variety in his upper register (he never did, really). When he goes high, he goes loud, which was a slight demerit in the French selections. The range is intact, as is the youthful sweet timbre. Where I found a slight concession to time was in volume and vocal presence – the sound was a bit smaller and less imposing in the hall. You had to lean in to get the details, but you were happy with what you discovered when you did. I’d love to hear him in a smaller hall.
One thing that Flórez has in spades is charm and showmanship – both rare these days. He knows how to entertain a crowd and have them in the palm of his hand. He remains a unique artist.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
