Canto Lirico with Juan Diego Flores: He came, he sang and he won

The victorious “Venciro!” In the end, it was more of an affirmation than an affirmation: after six hits and a repeated warm welcome, Juan Diego Flores pocketed a victory in his pocket anyway. However, the Peruvian tenor and fellow pianist Vincenzo Scalera were asked for the seventh time. Only after the song “Nesun Dorma” from Puccini’s opera “Turandot” did the duo finally say goodbye to rejoicing.

Ecstasy isn’t the first association one might think of when looking at the program at this last concert in the “Canto Lirico” series at the Salzburg Festival: Flórez chose songs and melodies from early to post-romantic – and yearned for them in In this era, happiness (love ) is particularly fond of skepticism and drama. “Melancholy, meek nymph, I have dedicated my life to you,” said one of Vincenzo Bellini’s miniatures. And in the film “Ständchen” by Franz Schubert, the nightingale is a bird that symbolizes not only love with a bird, but also knows the pain of love well.

As a sense of victory, Juan Diego Flores infused self-confidence in the songs of the great romantic skeptic Schubert at first, which may have been a bit at the expense of introspection.

In the songs of Gioachino Rossini, the rays are called: in the song “Deh! Tu ‘m assisti, amore” from the one-act play “Il Signor Bruschino”, the wonderful melodies of the protagonist Florville finally fade into pleasure: at last there will be the cheers of love. For Edrino, on the other hand, the king from Rossini’s opera “Semiramide”, Ario and the talented expressed “the most beautiful hope” for the happiness of unfulfilled love. There was a frantic momentary applause for Rossini specialist Flórez, who said goodbye to the break with “La speranza piu soave” and “Si sperar voglio contento” with high notes and colours.

The softness of the craftsmanship and the brilliance of the high records had their place not only in the Bel canto arias. The musical qualities of Florez can also be admired in the compositions of the Italian king of songs Francesco Paolo Tosti. Between Giuseppe Verdi and the song “Torna ai felici di” from Puccini’s first opera “Le villi”, there was a tingling element: carbonated water was placed on the stage, which could now be felt in his chest while singing, said Flórez tenderly.

Juan, guitar and more, as usual for his solo evenings, were in the encore, which almost reached the forty-minute mark. Sitting on the bar stool, the tenor didn’t sing the song that regularly delights his audience with the melt-in-the-mouth “Cucurrucucu” and “Ayayay.” And to the delight of his Italian fan base, there was also a lineup of Italophile fans (“Core’ngrato”, “Parliami d’amore”, “Amapola” and “Torna a Surriento”). Who would have won the final “Venciro!” Still want to contrast?