Track Listing

1. Allegro io son - Juan Diego Flórez, Riccardo Frizza, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
2. "Una furtiva lagrima" - Juan Diego Flórez, Riccardo Frizza, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
3. O, di Capellio generosi amici...L'amo tanto, e m'è sì cara - Juan Diego Flórez, Nicola Ulivieri, Nikola Mijailovic, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza
4. Povero Ernesto! Cercherò lontana terra - Juan Diego Flórez, Gianluigi Petrarulo, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza
5. Com'è gentil...tornami a dir - Juan Diego Flórez, Andrea Menafra, Rossella Perrone, Giulio Patara, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza
6. Tutto è sciolto...Ah, perchè non posso odiarti - Juan Diego Flórez, Ermonela Jaho, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza
7. Ah non sogno...Disperato - Juan Diego Flórez, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza
8. A te, o cara - Juan Diego Flórez, Ermonela Jaho, Nikola Mijailovic, Nicola Ulivieri, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza
9. Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête! - Juan Diego Flórez, Nikola Mijailovic, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Frizza

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23492 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 64 minutes

Customer Reviews

The king of bel canto is here
Juan Diego Flórez is possibly the best bel canto tenor of the modern era. His voice is beautifully light and very open, he has the range and the ability, and on top of that his diction is excellent. I can't really think of anything bad to say about him! Maybe he uses the same tone all the time, but then he's only got one voice.
I first heard the guy in the Decca recording of Mozart's opera Mitridate, Rè di Ponto, where he sings the bit-part of Marzio, and has but one aria. Rossini and the bel canto is where his voice is best, though. I must admit, I don't own the Rossini Arias disc he recorded before this one, but its next on my list. I've heard him sing Ramiro in La Cenerentola and it was stunning.
The present disc, though, is arias from Donizetti and Bellini operas. Donizetti has the main part, with six of the tracks belonging to five of his operas: L'elisir d'amore (hence the title of the disc, I guess), Don Pasquale (both Ernesto's double aria and his serenata), La Fille du Régiment, and two rarities from Rita and Elisabetta. Bellini's three are, though, substantial pieces from I Capuleti e I Montecchi, La sonnambula and I Puritani.
To Donizetti first then. The pieces from the obscure operas Rita and Elisabetta are interesting and attractive musically, and Flórez sings them artfully enough. Without any points of contrast with other singers, though, there isn't much more to say. His Ernesto is very good, even in comparison with Roberto Alagna, my personal favourite who sang the same double aria on his debut album. Although Flórez does add some ornamentation during the second verse of the cabaletta. The serenata, Com'è gentil, is a bonus as it is rarely excerpted. The title track, Una furtiva lagrima, is very, very good - and has an amazing, spine-tingling effect during the second verse. Good stuff there. The final track on the CD is something of a let-down. On a disc where the previous eight arias have been in Italian, Flórez switches to the original French of La fille du régiment, not the Italian translation. And after hearing the aria, you kind of wish that weren't the case. His singing is somewhat stilted by the fact he seems compelled to sing every last letter, giving the impression he isn't comfortable in French. I don't know whether that is the case or not, as I've only ever heard him sing French here. But in comparison again with Alagna, who sings the aria on his Bel canto CD, it is just not good enough. Alagna, being a native French speaker, handles it much more stylishly.
The three Bellini arias are all superb. Tebaldo's E serbato a questo acciaro is a little light for Flórez's voice - Tebaldo is the villain of the opera in that he wants to marry Giulietta himself, so I've always thought it should be a little darker voice. But generally its good singing and the Giuseppe Verdi Sinfonia really give it some gusto with the bombast at the end of the cabaletta. The final two Bellini arias pose the interesting question, is Flórez as close to Giovanni Battista Rubini as we are ever likely to hear? The iconic tenor that Bellini preferred to have sing his operas, and for whom the parts of Elvino in La sonnambula and Arturo in I Puritani were written. The way Flórez makes his way effortlessly through them, you've got to wonder. After hearing his Elvino, I had to play the aria again, it was just amazing. I just wish he'd record the whole opera.

Forget the number of stars - just listen...
Bel Canto is now coming back into vogue,thankfully, after years being in the wilderness. We really don't know what we've been missing you know.

It's a treat to hear and understand the words and also hear the lyrical and melodic qualities of what are simply lovely tunes. The drama is still present but on equal terms with the music.

Florez is now the undisputed leading exponent - others have, and are trying to do it, but they will continue to be understudies for a long time.

There's a range of pieces on here from the Donizetti and Bellini staple - from the very moving Una Furtiva Lagrima, from which the CD takes its title, a very personal A te o cara, and a riveting delivery of the La fille du Regiment favourites.

Listen to those high C's - all 9 of them and ask yourself, 'how did he do that?' It's that good.

With some singers you feel tense as you get to the signature passages because you know they'll struggle. Not with Florez - you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. I hope you do.

Highly recommended.

Deserves More Stars!!!
Quite simply, there is no finer tenor singing this repertoire. Juan Diego Florez possesses a magical voice which can be both thrilling and tender. He makes everything sound absolutely effortless when, in fact, this is some of the most difficult music a tenor can choose to sing. He dashes off the top notes as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

The orchestral accompaniment is absolutely superb, with some excellent solo work from bassoon and trumpet, in particular.

NOT TO BE MISSED!!!!!!!!!