Bel Canto Spectacular [Import]

If anything, this recital shows Florez to be in even better voice than in his last album "Voce d'Italia: Arias for Rubini" (see my review). Despite the beauty of Florez' singing there, a few top notes showed signs of strain; here, the voice is more easily produced, sweeter and more characterful than ever before. For me, the plum item is his newly minted account off that old warhorse "Una furtive lagrima"; he sings with power and delicacy, managing some heart-stopping diminuendi and maintaining seamless legato. The Italian version of Florez' calling card aria with the nine high C's is as thrilling as ever and the more interesting for being less frequently heard. The choice of repertoire is judicious: a preponderance of Donizetti but a very varied selection of his arias, then two excerpts from Rossini and one by Bellini ; five are solo arias and the other five are each with a different "guest artist". I cannot, in all honesty, say that I am as impressed by any of those five other singers as I am by Florez himself; Netrebko sounds very like Freni at the beginning of her "Puritani" duet but the voice lacks the older artist's delicacy and nuance - fine singer though she is. The Polish baritone Kwiecien and Patrizia Ciofi are both fine, if nothing special; Ciofi's attractively smoky, slightly breathy voice combines well with Florez in the romantic duet from "Linda di Chamonix", and Kwiecien sings ably but ordinarily, with a rather lumpen sound and a wide vibrato. I positively disliked Daniella Barcellona's rather clumsy, laboured singing as the Marchesa Melibea in the duet from "Il Viaggio a Reims" - her voice really does not match his. Placido Domingo, in the "bonus aria" from Rossini's "Otello" proves that, despite a little straining, his voice is a miracle of preservation. Perhaps inviting distinguished guest artists is a confirmation of Florez' standing in the operatic world today and perhaps Decca wished to avoid the charge of monotony which a whole disc of one beautiful, but intense tenor voice can provoke, but the fact remains that the raison d'etre of this recital is Florez himself, and the solo items are the best things on this CD.

The bonus DVD has a not very interesting talk by Florez about bel canto in general, his fellow singers, and the specific repertoire he has chosen to sing on this disc, then two excerpts from RAI and Zurich productions - the former being, of course, THAT aria - this time in French, the second being, rather disappointingly, only the recitative before the big romantic aria "Cerchero lontana terra", not the aria itself. However, rather confusingly, the cover states that we are to have the aria, too -but it doesn't feature on my copy! (I would be interested to know if other purchasers' DVD's have the same flaw - or maybe it's just my copy. I don't think so, as the aria is not mentioned on the menu.) The trailers for the DVD's are quite good for giving a flavour of their quality, giving quite extended snippets, but it's the recital I wanted, not the extra fripperies.

The previous reviewer alluded to a bonus DVD accompanying this recital. I can't comment on it because it is not included in the particular edition I received upon delivery by Amazon. What I have is the recital itself, which, I suppose, is quite sufficient. It's a real stunner. To my ear, Florez' voice sounds even brighter and sunnier when he sings the "Fille" aria in Italian. The vowels are opened wider, and the voice itself seems to ingratiate itself even more vividly than it does in French. The "Puritani" duet is very, very well done, with Anna Netrebko singing a beautiful Elvira. We we get here is the traditional duet, which does not include the extra music included by Pavarotti and Sutherland on their complete London recording. The "L'Elisir d'Amore" aria "Una Furtiva Lagrima" is spun out like silk, with some new variations I've never encountered before. In fact, all the Donizetti selections are as well done as you are ever likely to hear them, with the duet from "Linda di Chamounix" (with the noted European soprano Patrizia Ciofi) proving that there's a lot more good music in this particular opera than merely the one showpiece soprano aria (made famous by Beverly Sills on her very first recording after she reached international attention). The bonus track contains the two-tenor duet, where Florez is partnered with Placido Domingo no less. Domingo, of course takes the lower line, which is appropriate at this time in his fabulous career (his continued vocal health continues to amaze me - I mean, at age 67, to sing this well, is a miracle), and he makes a grand account of it. Florez, of course, sails through this music like a race horse at the flick of a whip. I am a tremendous admirer of Mr. Florez, and I freely admit that I find him astounding. Unlike the previous reviewer, I do not hear any opaqueness or
hints of strain in his top notes. While I enjoy and repeatedly play the "Arias for Rubini" album of Florez, I do agree with the previous reviewer that this recital is more enjoyable. For anyone who wants to hear truly great singing of a repertoire long known for it's vocal difficulties, you can't go wrong with this. The music just bursts from this beautiful Decca release.

As much as I enjoyed JDF previous effort, Voce D'Italia - Arias For Rubini, there were times when the voice sounded a bit too pressurized and strained, though his musicality and intelligence were never more present. We have none of the former in this new recording, the aptly titled "Bel Canto Spectacular." This recording is also a bit more varied in the repertoire than its predecessor and that makes for a more stimulating sonic experience; it thankfully avoids being tiresome. As thrilling as the bravura arias are, high C after high C (and occasional high D) can prove a bit wearing. There was far too little room left for him to exhibit the seamless legato and the multi-hued qualities of his voice. Last year, I had the pleasure of hearing JDF live in concert and it proved a magical experience, especially after he delivered what to me was the most moving and eloquent "Una Furtiva Lagrima" that I've ever heard, surpassing (sorry folks) Kraus, Gedda, Bjorling and Gigli in terms of phrasing and all around purity of tone and an aching, lyrical quality that nearly brought me to tears. It was a heartfelt a performance as one could possibly wish for. In this recording he's managed to recapture the magic of that evening. What amazes me most about this artist is his ability to make the most difficult musical feats sound positively effortless as if though throwing out 9 high C's were the most routine thing in the world; as natural as yawning. Though I've enjoyed Ciofi in the past, I must admit that I'm not too thrilled with her in the Linda Di Chamounix duet. I found the voice a little lacking in heft and color but it blended nicely with Florez's. Anna Netrebko is in very good voice and her contribution to the Puritani duet wants for nothing. I'm afraid I could have done without Daniela Barcellona's presence. Ms. Barcellona's voice sounded labored and is tinged with a Slavic tonal quality that seems to work exclusively in Eastern European repertoire, but certainly is very much out of place in the frothy world of Rossini's Viaggio A Reims. The contrast between her voice and that of Florez's is positively jarring. Domingo's role is a minor one, but as one has come to expect from this legend, is delivered with commitment and panache; quite comfortable (some straining notwithstanding) in the duet from Otello, which serves as the disc's bonus track. The orchestra provides glorious support as does the chorus in its too brief appearances. Lovers of first rate singing should not pass this up. Vocal recitals such as this are very rare.