Juan Diego Florez – L’Amour (2014) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Juan Diego Florez – L’Amour (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:40 minutes | 1,2 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | Booklet, Front Cover | © Decca
Recorded: Teatro Manzoni, Bologna, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13 & 16 July 2013

Marking a departure for the Peruvian bel canto superstar, this new recording offers a personal survey of the French operatic repertoire from Donizetti to the romantic outpourings of Gounod and Massenet, including Massenet’s ‘Pourquoi me Reveiller’ from Werther.

This is a disc that not only plays to Flórez’s strengths – virtuosic and high-lying – but also shows a new side to the popular singer, featuring repertoire which he has rarely sung on stage

The first solo album in four years by one of the classical world’s biggest stars reveals a voice which has become richer, rounder and more mellow; the choice of repertoire draws further new colours from this ever-stylish tenor.

On L’Amour, his 2014 release on Decca, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez presents a delightful collection of 12 virtuoso arias from French operas of the 19th century, demonstrating both his skill in bel canto ornamentation and his impeccable delivery. The selections are drawn from both well-known and obscure operas, including Boieldieu’s La Dame blanche, Bizet’s La jolie fille de Perth, Donizetti’s La favorita (set to a French libretto), Berlioz’s Les Troyens, Adam’s Le Postillon de Lonjumeau, Delibes’ Lakmé, Massenet’s Werther, Thomas’ Mignon, Offenbach’s La belle Hélène, and Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, showing the variety of expressions and styles of the period. These arias are ideal for a light tenor voice, and Flórez soars with ease in his upper tessitura, gaining power the higher he goes, though his lowest notes need more support. His voice has a bright, open quality that works well in lyrical music, and he could play youthful romantic roles for some time to come with his great flexibility and energy. Flórez is accompanied by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, who give a truly operatic experience to this disc, and the vibrant performances provide more than an accompaniment for Flórez. Decca’s recorded sound is full and rich. -AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:
François-Adrien Boiëldieu (1775-1834)
La Dame blanche
1. A quel plaisir 04:48
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
La jolie fille de Perth, Act 2
2. Elle est là …A la voix d’un amant fidèle 05:47
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
La Favorita, Act 1
3. Un ange, une femme inconnue 09:36
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Les Troyens Act 4
4. O blonde Cérès 04:32
Adolphe Charles Adam (1803-1856)
Le Postillon de Lonjumeau, Act 1
5. Mes amis, écoutez l’histoire 03:59
Léo Delibes (1836-1891)
Lakmé, Act 1
6. Prendre le dessin d’un bijou… Fantaisie aux divins 05:34
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Werther, Act 1
7. O Nature, pleine de grâce 04:54
Werther, Act 3
8. Toute mon âme est là! Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle de printemps? 03:07
Ambroise Charles Louis Thomas (1811-1896)
Mignon, Act 1
9. Oui je veux par le monde promener librement mon humeur vagabonde! 04:47
François-Adrien Boiëldieu (1775-1834)
La Dame blanche
10. Maintenant, observons … Viens, gentille dame 08:38
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
La belle Hélène, Act 1
11. A Mont Ida, trois déesses 03:54
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Roméo et Juliette, CG 9, Act 2
12. L’amour! L’amour! …Ah! lève-toi, soleil! 04:45
Edouard Lalo (1823-1892)
Le Roi d’Ys, Act 3
13. Puisqu’on ne peut flêchir ces jalouses gardiennes – vainement ma bien aimée 03:26