Juan Diego Flórez Recital
Juan Diego Flórez exploded on the international stage with one particular qualifier, ‘Pavarotti’s Successor’. However, the Peruvian-born tenor quickly acquired fame of his own. Today, few would suggest Flórez is following in anyone’s footsteps. With his impressive repertoire of classic bel canto roles, he shines with his own stellar light. Even though he feels most comfortable singing the famous tenor parts by Vincenzo Bellini, Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, or Christoph Willibald Gluck, Flórez is far from a one-trick pony. His current repertoire regularly includes arias by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Charles Gounod, and other composers who were not necessarily enamoured of bel canto but still produced beautiful melodies. To combine enchanting music with pretty sights, your ticket to the Juan Diego Flórez Recital at Arena di Verona includes a sightseeing tour on a mini train. It takes you through the city’s historic sites and makes your artistic experience complete.
Born into a musical family, Juan Diego Flórez began performing at an early age – as a pop and rock artist in his native Lima, Peru. He went from covering rock-and-roll heroes like Elvis Presley to writing his own pop and rock songs and eventually enrolled into the National Conservatory of Music to expand his musical literacy and take professional vocal training. After one year there, Flórez began discovering his now-trademark bel canto voice and moved from pop to classical music. A scholarship to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music allowed him to continue his classical education and participate in his first fully staged opera productions. Flórez’s Italian debut happened during the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in 1996 when he filled in for the role of Corradino, the technically challenging male lead in the obscure opera Matilde di Shabran.
The immense success of that chance performance at the Rossini Festival led to more engagements in Italy, most notably at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and encounters with big names like Luciano Pavarotti and Luigi Ferrari. In 2007, Flórez made history with his performance in Donizetti’s La fille du régiment at La Scala, where no-one had sung an encore since 1933. On that night, the incendiary tenor returned to repeat the fantastic aria ‘Ah! mes amis’ and hit all its nine high C’s without a hitch. Flórez continues breaking encore taboos, such as at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the Opéra national in Paris. His solo recitals, simply accompanied by a piano, showcase his one-of-a-kind gift and power.
You can pair the unique experience of listening to the Juan Diego Flórez Recital at Arena di Verona with a special tour of the City of Love. Starting at Piazza Brà, a small train takes off every 30 minutes and goes around the most notable historical spots in and around the old town. Porta Borsari and Gavi Arch hail from Roman times, just like the world-famous Arena itself. Beautiful examples of medieval architecture like the Castelvecchio or Duomo di Verona and later constructions like the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Lourdes or Castel San Pietro round off the sightseeing trip. Part of the ‘trenino’ route follows the River Adige, which presents amazing vistas, too. You can enjoy this Verona sightseeing tour on the day of the performance or one day before or after. In 25 minutes, you will get to know the City of Love and be inspired to return for more.