Juan Diego Flórez

Juan Diego Flórez

Juan Diego Flórez is a Peruvian operatic tenor from Lima, Peru, working in the classical genre. He is particularly associated with Rossini opera and with bel canto repertoire more broadly.

Career

Flórez makes his professional debut at the Rossini Festival in 1996, when he steps into the leading tenor role in Matilde di Shabran after Bruce Ford becomes ill. In the same year, he appears at La Scala as the Chevalier danois in Gluck's Armide. His debut at Covent Garden follows in 1997, where he sings Count Potoski in a concert performance of Donizetti's Elisabetta, described as the first modern performance of the work.

Further major debuts follow at the Vienna Staatsoper in 2000 as Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, and at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Recordings and awards

He signs to Decca in 2001 and releases four solo recital albums on the label: Rossini Arias, Una Furtiva Lagrima, Great Tenor Arias, and Sentimiento Latino. Rossini Arias wins the 2003 Cannes Classical Award, Una Furtiva Lagrima wins the 2004 Cannes Classical Award, and Great Tenor Arias wins the 2005 Echo Klassik award for best arias and duets recital.

His performances are also preserved in radio broadcasts, and many are recorded for television. He receives the Premio Abbiati 2000 from Italian critics for best singer of the year, as well as the Rossini d'oro, the Bellini d'oro, the Premio Aureliano Pertile, the Tamagno Prize, and the L'Opera award for best tenor for his 2001 performance in La Sonnambula at La Scala.

Voice and repertoire

Flórez is known for a light lyric tenor voice with a wide range and a particularly strong upper register. His voice is described as having a two-octave compass, reaching up to high D natural, with a strong, brilliant top and a weaker lower register. His head and chest voices are closely integrated, his breath control is noted for its steadiness, and his bel canto ornamentation, including trills, is well executed. He is especially noted for his colouratura technique, which is highlighted in roles such as Idreno in Semiramide and Corradino in Matilde di Shabran.