Juan Diego Flórez - L'Amour (2014) [HDTracks]

On L'Amour, his 2014 release on Decca, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez presents a delightful collection of 12 virtuoso arias from French operas of the 19th century, demonstrating both his skill in bel canto ornamentation and his impeccable delivery. The selections are drawn from both well-known and obscure operas, including Boieldieu's La Dame blanche, Bizet's La jolie fille de Perth, Donizetti's La favorita (set to a French libretto), Berlioz's Les Troyens, Adam's Le Postillon de Lonjumeau, Delibes' Lakmé, Massenet's Werther, Thomas' Mignon, Offenbach's La belle Hélène, and Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, showing the variety of expressions and styles of the period. These arias are ideal for a light tenor voice, and Flórez soars with ease in his upper tessitura, gaining power the higher he goes, though his lowest notes need more support. His voice has a bright, open quality that works well in lyrical music, and he could play youthful romantic roles for some time to come with his great flexibility and energy. Flórez is accompanied by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, who give a truly operatic experience to this disc, and the vibrant performances provide more than an accompaniment for Flórez. Decca's recorded sound is full and rich.