A recital to remember, with a Peruvian flavour: Juan Diego Flórez and his youth orchestra at the Teatro Real.

Madrid, September 19, 2024.

In Peru, Juan Diego Flórez has the status of almost a national hero or even a prince. Many Peruvians are proud of this 51-year-old tenor who is upholding the Peru brand to the highest level worldwide. His fame is so big that even his wedding with Julia Trappe in the Lima Cathedral was telecasted in Peruvian Television, like a royal one in a republican country.  I still can remember my great aunt receiving me at her home playing an álbum of Peruvian songs by him.  His rendition of the national anthem, as well as his covers of traditional waltzes (like La Flor de la Canela, sung in most of his tours), huaynos and even some songs of "Black music" (a musical genre sung by African-Peruvian singers), are very celebrated. He has sung with local music stars, and even in front of the Peruvian president Manuel Vizcarra.  In addition, he sang as the Duca in a Rigoletto staging, in the first edition of the Granda Festival, the only one in the country able to produce international casts and stagings.

But he is not only known there for being just a musical and social celebrity. He is the founder of a youth orchestra, the Sinfonía por el Perú. Inspired by the Venezuelan "Sistema" who has toured with Gustavo Dudamel, this orchestra is an opportunity for children, teens and youngsters, mostly from the working class, to develop in music and to have an education, skipping misery. Like the Venezuelan orchestra, they have toured in several European cities (specially Vienna), with Flórez. This year, they are touring Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Geneva and Vienna, with a program including Italian, French opera, Zarzuela (which he has recording an album with this orchestra) and Latino songs.

Part One:

BELLINI: Overture from Norma.

O di Capellio… È serbata a questo acciaro… L’amo tanto e m’è sì cara, fro. I Capuleti e i Montecchi

DONIZETTI: Ed ancor la tremenda porta.... Come uno spirito angelico... Bagnato il sen di lagrime, from Roberto Devereux.

Inosservato penetrava... Angelo casto e bel, from Il Duca d’Alba.

VERDI: Ouverture from La forza del destino.

L'émir auprès de lui m’appelle... Je veux encore entendre, from Jerusalem.

Part Two: 

GOUNOD: Entracte and L’amour!... Ah, lève-toi, soleil, from Roméo et Juliette.

OFFENBACH: Can-Can from Orphée aux enfers.

Au mont Ida, from La belle Hélène.

CHAPÍ: Prelude from  La revoltosa

JOSÉ SERRANO: Al mismito rey del moro, from La alegría del batallón.

PABLO LUNA: Mi locura… Paxarín tú que vuelas, from La pícara molinera

RAVERIANO SOUTULLO & JUAN VERT: Bella enamorada, from El último romántico

GERÓNIMO GIMÉNEZ Intermezzo from La boda de Luis Alonso.

AGUSTÍN LARA: Granada.

The first part began with a repertoire in which Flórez is on home soil, the belcanto. His voice is no longer what it was twenty years ago, but only because he sings now a repertoire for slightly larger voices. It is as beautiful as usual. He still has that youthful voice, that overflowing elegance, aristocratic, gallant demeanor, and his beautiful high notes. After a beautiful intervention in the scene from I Capuletti e i Montecchi,then the great scene from Roberto Devereux came, where he gave his all, with beautiful singing, which he also complemented with some dramatic gestures, and moving around the stage. In fact, he gave a very beautiful interpretation of Come uno spirto angelico. This was followed by an equally beautiful version of Angelo Casto e Bel, from Il duca d'Alba. He ended this first half of the concert with Verdi, the aria from Jerusalem, which was a weak point, since the volume and tessitura caused him some difficulties.

However, it was from the second part onwards that the concert became truly unforgettable and he won  the audience over. He began it, after the orchestral introduction, with a delightfully sung version of "Ah, lève-toi soleil" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. He continued with a funny rendition of the aria "Au mont Ida" from Offenbach's operetta "La Belle Helène", which he not only sang well, revealing himself to be interesting for this genre, but also made the audience laugh with a comic side that they had not seen before, in the phrase "un jeune homme Irais et beau, c'est moi". Then it was the turn of the zarzuela and audience reached ecstasy, as expected. First with the beautiful "Al mismito rey del moro", and then with "Bella enamorada", both sung with grace and devotion, which also reveal a pleasant ease in for Zarzuela, expecting more approaches. The concert ended with a popular song, whose performance is much celebrated: Granada. Although the orchestra seemed to turn up the volume a little, as in "Paxarín que tú vuelas", which sometimes covered the tenor, Flórez sang this piece with enough charm and enough gallant phrasing to win the audience over.

If the second part had delighted the audience, the five encores, drove the audience to rapture. As expected, Flórez appeared with his guitar. After the usual ovations, including cheers for Peru and requests for him to play this or that piece, he finally started with Paloma Querida, by José Alfredo Jiménez, followed by Que nadie sepa mi sufrir. Both pieces were sung with sensitivity, like a whisper, with which he usually tackles these pieces. Then came a piece in which he sang at the top of his voice, the famous Peruvian waltz La Flor de la Canela. With each encore the audience was more and more ecstatic. His last encore was the famous Nessun Dorma from Turandot, a piece that he sings very well (the entire opera would a different matter), and it was a very moving moment for many people in the audience.

The Peruvian orchestra, conducted by Colombian maestro  Ana María Patiño-Osorio,  surprised everyone, demonstrating their level, which only got better and better. They started with the Norma Overture, which served to warm up (those orchestral beats were more mitigated than firm), although the flute already stood out for its beautiful sound. However, after the great scene by Roberto Devereux, it was a different story: there the brass surprised with its powerful sound, and the clarinet had a beautiful sound in the aria. In the La Forza del Destino Overture, the clarinet was so brilliant that it received with an ovation after the conclusion of the piece, as were the strings, which were already sounding better and better. The intermission before the Romeo and Juliet aria was charming. But it was in the zarzuela performances where they won over the audience. First, in the overture of La Revoltosa, with a spectacular sound, but especially the tremolo of the violins before being followed by the viola, the cellos and the brass. In fact, in the romance of La Pícara Molinera, the concertino was sensational. Again the strings, and the whole orchestra were memorable in the intermezzo from La Boda de Luis Alonso. It was evident that they were dealing with a repertoire that they knew, and particularly because they had recorded these pieces on Flórez's zarzuela album. The only encore of the orchestra alone was El Condor Pasa, which was very well performed.

Once again, Flórez confirmed himself as one of the favourites of the Madrid operagoers, with almost all tickets sold and with many Peruvians among the audience. He received ovations, cheers and praise for himself, for the orchestra and even for Peru. The musical project that he has sponsored has confirmed its good level in the memorable concert tonight, giving us a recital with a Peruvian flavour. At the end of the concert, various Flórez albums were being sold, especially the recent zarzuela one, and there was a queue for the tenor to sign autographs, CDs and even to take photos. An evening to remember.

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