JDF at the Proms

For me, this is one of the three 'Must See' Proms of the season.

Having skived off Siegfried (heat), had to leave Cosi fan Tutte (heat) and skived off Belshazzars Feast (domestic stuff, verge of nervous breakdown...), I was getting a little bit anxious about my ability to sit through a Prom. I went armed with drinking water, spraying water and a fan, which quickly collapsed, leaving me in the traditional Proms mode of using my programme as a fan. Actually, having a second tier box seat (ooh, all of £18) I found myself to be marginally but significantly cooler than in the Circle.

In the bar I perused the programme and began to get anxious all over again. It looked so tantalising that I feared for my high expectations. I had to laugh at someone who described Juan Diego Florez as a 'famous Argentinian baritone'. Peruvian, actually, and it's difficult to imagine a less baritional tenor! I hope their misunderstanding didn't mar their enjoyment!

update: Well, the Telegraph has him down as Chilean. Let me spell it out, he's from P-E-R-U. Like Paddington.

Programme in the extended entry; available to listen to on line for a few more days.

Very much a concert of two halves. To be honest, a little un-Prom-like in a sense, but tremendous good fun. the first half was the opera bits, particularly an exposition of bel canto singing. I love the overture to the Barber of Seville, very much an opera I regard as consisting of an overture and two arias - but it was a third, rarely performed aria that was on display tonight, Cessa di piu resistere, which was a splendid display of vocal gymnastics froma gorgeous and technically excellent, secure voice. It did strike me in a number of arias and songs that his voice didn't seem fully opened up until he hit a sufficiently high note, but I'm quibbling at the margins.

Una furtiva lagrima is a truly gorgeous aria, and a great showpiece for any tenor; they all like to stick it on their compilation CDs. It starts with a gently introduction, which is a cue for far too many people to have their whispered conversations....sigh...if the composer didn't want you to hear the music, he wouldn't have written it. Trust me on this one. It was a good rendition, one dodgy note, but otherwise excellent. It's one of those arias that tempt to me to do competitive comparisons between various versions heard live and on record; therefore I say it lacked some nuance and a plaintive quality. But that's not to say it wasn't pleasing.

I felt rather indifferent to the orchestral piece that followed, knowing it was just a filler before the Party Piece de resistance.

The party piece de resistance being Ah! mes amis, quel jourde fete (35 minutes into the Listen again, Part 1). The orchestra bits are nicely twiddly and militaristic without being bombastic. Most of the aria exists in order to provide a build-up to the fireworks of a climax*

Regular readers will know - or guess - that when it comes to tenors I am not a High C freak. I would hate to be the sort of person whose pleasure depends entirely on whether a C' comes out. But in an aria where nine are written, it really is a pleasure to hear them so securely tossed off, a stupendously visceral pleasure that sent the audience wild. I was not the only person screaming in a vaguely adolescent girlie way! Definitely King of the High Cs!

To be honest, I could have done without the Falla, even though it was played excellently. It just seemed a bit long for a concert which would have equally have been at home in an arena-type setting.

The second half made it seem even more like a commercially promoted-type concert, and was tremendous fun for that. Lots of Latino Pop. A couple of people on the net have complained about the miking, but I have to say it didn't bother me. In fact, although I instinctively felt things were different, it was insufficiently intrusive to get as far as articulating the difference. But then, I am quite used to subtle miking of classical singers at the Albert Hall; maybe some people simply avoid that sort of event in the name of purism.

I thought he sounded lovely singing those songs - to the extent that his newly released album Sentimiento Latino has been added to my Amazon wishlist!, despite the apparent lack of promotional video.

Of the songs sung, the most familiar was Granada which sounded really quite different from how I am accustomed to hearing it sung. Always interesting to hear different interpretations of a song. I think JDF is obviously opera's Prince of Latino Pop.

It was fun to observe participate in the audience going a bit crazy over him, and I felt very smug lending my superdouper binoculars to the people (Mum and teenage daughters) in the next box. Although as the Mum said "As if I'm not hot enough already..."

I took a dozen photos from inside the hall, and eight at the stage door, although I didn't actually get to speak to him, surrounded as he was by teenage groupies. I don't approve of teenagers being opera groupies, especially not the way they dress. Tut. And then there were the old ladies insisting on sharing their life story; the posh thirty-something woman anxious to impress her knowledge and wisdom on anybody who was in earshot outside the Stage Door "This is definitely a voice will hear..." Er, yes..! I'm not showing the photos yet because in an attempt to cope I am working slowly through my photos chronologically - I currently have a backlog of about 170! So I suggest checking back in about three or four weeks!

And finally hi to Caro who I met in the bar!

* in my not entirely serious opinion!

Rossini: The Barber of Seville
- Overture (8 mins)
- Aria 'Cessa di più resistere' (7 mins)
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore - 'Una furtiva lagrima' (4 mins)
Granados: Goyescas - Intermezzo (6 mins)
Donizetti: La fille du régiment - 'Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête' (5 mins)
Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain (24 mins)

interval

Menéndez & Utrera, Arr. Peña: Aquellos Ojos Verdes (4 mins)
Monge, arr. Peña: Mejico lindo (4 mins)
Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat - Three Dances from Part II (13 mins)
- The Neighbour's Dance (Sequidillas)
- The Miller's Dance (Farruca)
- Final Dance (Jota)
Gardel & Le Pera, arr. Guinovart: El Dia Que Me Quieras (5 mins)
Grever, arr. Guinovart: Júrame (4 mins)
Encore: Lara, arr. Guinovart: Granada
Chabrier: España (7 mins)

Juan Diego Flórez tenor
Artur Pizarro piano
BBC Concert Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth conductor

Comments

[Caro]

Hi again! I left you a message re Steve Reich attached to 'Cyrano Pictures' a day or so ago...

[banana]

Are you a music critic?

[Gert]

Caro, I think meeting up for something before Steve Reich is definitely a good idea! And I'll let Silverfin know, too. Set up an email thingy.

Note to people Caro has a spare ticket for the Steve Reich Prom on 10 August

Banana, in the age of the personal internet, we are all music critics and most of us don't get paid for it!