Actually, it's totally unfair to call him a tenorino, which is not a nice thing to say about this outstanding tenore di grazia. On the whole, I prefer my tenors' voices to be darker, but I like JDF enough to have two of his CDs and I want to see him again at Covent Garden. At 32, he is one of the younger of the 'New Golden Age' tenors gracing our stages. He has a very beautiful voice - 'bel canto', although this CD includes arias by the likes of Verdi, and he has said that he has no interest in going into Verdi - his schedule for the next year includes Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. There's no one who sings this repertoire like him.
I saw him in Don Pasquale last December, an opera I never got round to reviewing on here, which was silly of me, because it was delightful. But I did do a quick summary elsewhere:
I have recently come back from this at the ROH. To be honest, I was feeling tired from the culmination of two much hecticness so wasn't able to appreciate it as much as I ought to have done.
(I thought a few months ago that I didn't know this, but it is imprinted fairly well on my brain from years ago)
I didn't feel that the orchestra was at its best. I've read poor reviews here, and elsewhere, about the conductor, so I base my conclusions on that...!
I was very much impressed by Tatiana Lisnic as Norina, both singing and acting. I'll definitely want to hear her again.
I thought Simone Alaimo to be okay, nothing special.
I really can't make my mind up about Juan Diego Florez. For some of the time I was thinking - "better on record than in the house" than I would hear the most beautiful sound and revise my opinion.
I thought the duet in the final act, Tornami a dir che m'ami, was
exquisitely beautiful, and I just wanted to sigh afterwards. The house was very lacklustre, and I was surprised at the meagre, almost begrudging applause at this part.I really enjoyed the staging - perhaps this is the girlie in me but I so loved the dolls' house. I am not sure about JDF's blonde wig. the woman next-but-one wailed to me at the end "Juan Diego's so gorgeous and it's not fair they put him in that wig..."
But I managed to get a fairly okay photo. All I can say is that my shots are improving. This from Row A of the amphitheatre.
Back to the Great Tenor Arias. This CD contains two of my favourites anyway - La donna è mobile, and, as it's called here J'ai perdu mon Euridice - I actually prefer Kathleen Ferrier's 'What is Life?', but he certainly does a beautiful rendition. Of the less familiar, I particularly like Loin de son amie vivre sans plaisirs from Halévy's La Juive and La speranza più soave già quest'alma lusingava from Rossini's Semiramide.
I must make special mention of some fine orchestra playing of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi under Carlo Rizzi.
This CD is of Bellini and Donizetti arias. I quite like these composers, but not quite as much I want to like them, if you get me. Donozetti's writing is beautiful, but, in the end, I am left thinking that it's beautiful in a very shallow way. And the title track is absolutely gorgeous...
The most perfunctory google will reveal a great number of fan sites of this special talent. But what this man is in desperate need of is a proper official website, not just one provided seemingly rather grudgingly by Decca. Many people regard him as physically irresistable. I don't, personally, but I would gladly watch him and look forward to many years in his company. Performance Channel show from time to time an open-air concert of his from Amsterdam. Definitely worth seeing.
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