Esta noche en Pleyel: Juan Diego Flórez

From the photo exhibition by Pietro Spagnoli at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées

Salle Pleyel, March 29 2010: Juan Diego Flórez and Vincenzo Scalera (piano)

 Domenico Cimarosa  "Pria che spunti in ciel"
     Christoph Willibald Gluck  "J'ai perdu mon Euridice" - "L'espoir Renaît"
     Gioacchino Rossini "La Lontananza" - "Le Sylvain" - "Che asciolto, ohime"

     Reveriano Soutullo et Juan Vert "Bella enamorada"
     Jose Serrano "El Mismo rey del moro"
     Amadeo Vives "Por el humo"
     Gaetano Donizetti "Pour me rapprocher de Marie"
     François-Adrien Boieldieu "Viens gentille dame"

It is a quite strange asymmetry to organize the recital with JDF this year at Pleyel (a large concert hall) where Juan was accompanied by only a piano & Vicenzo Scalera, while last year at Théâtre des Champs Élysées (more cosy an auditorium) there was a big orchestra. The tickets on both occasions were 30% more expensive than usual, but the concert hall was full anyway ;) 

There is however something symmetric in these two concerts: Last year Juan was able to sing two encores complaining on the intestinal problems and the exhausting diarrhea. Tonight he made the same introduction to apologize for being able to sing only one encore [aria from La Favorita]. ;) Here are 2 pics where Juanito tries to explain his digestion-troubles.

The concert was, of course, very good. He was hugely ovationed for "Pour me rapprocher de Marie" which he really sang with a divine ease and a stupendous virtuosity. 

He is a man blessed with that unearthly talent. It's not only his voice and that uncommon dexterity, but also the way he transcends the music. He's not following it, he's in it, he's "it". It's similar to what one feels when listening to Jonas Kaufmann. You don't see that every year...  

More than 50% of the program's content was unconventional and the recital was a huge success anyway. 
Personally I enjoyed "J'ai perdu mon Euridice" the most. Only Richard Croft can sing that aria as brilliantly, and no other tenor comes even close to these two. 

It was a very generous recital in which Juan was effectively singing for nearly 90 minutes, interrupted by a 30min break (which is ENORMOUS amount of singing time - especially when you factor in the difficulties in each aria he was singing).