Juan Diego Florez - Rigoletto - act II cabaletta - 2008

[David45NV1]

This is Verdi LIGHT with zero calories!

[saagua1953]

I understand that Florez finds singing Rigoletto in a big theater in a large number of performances is too much of strain on his voice. HOWEVER, if the theater is small and the number of performances few he will continue to sing it. Thus his scheduled performance in 2012 in Zurich. (Small theater and only two performances).

[deadlift65]

Ha una voce un po' troppo "simpatica" per la parte, e quando cerca di ingrossarla riesce un po' artificioso. Però il sovracuto è buono, così come l'idea di fare le variazioni nella ripresa. Non il migliore, ma di tutto rispetto.

[lord666christoph]

if he wanted to journey into the lyric repertoire, he would have been better off with Gounod or Puccini.

[tomclaudetom]

bravo diego continue tu es le meilleur

[tomclaudetom]

je n ai jamais entendu la donna e mobile comme cela il est somptueux

[tomclaudetom]

le plus beau duc de mantoue on comprends pourquoi toutes les femmes lui cedent j.d.florez a dit je le chanterais dans 2 ans car je manque de medium et de grave et je suis d accord mais quelle beautee dans l aigu bravo j.d.florez merci

[TsarBovov]

What a joke.

[LanzaLover2]

Hey, you critics! Enjoy his voice. I do. If you don't want to listen any more, go. Stop nit-picking! His choice of roles is between him and his teachers, coaches and his vocal cords. If he can do them, and people want him to do them, then the audience will decide by attending or not attending. But to say he "should" do this or that is truly none of your business. Who is to say that only a particular type or color of voice should do a particular role? Enjoy or go.

[ionutz1791]

the D note was perfect:))

[simonepiazzola1]

Io mi chiedo perchè criticano tanto.... mi è capitato di sentire dei duchi orrendi in giro.

Magari non è dei più corposi ma siamo davanti ad un artista che sa perfettamente quello che fa e che affronta il ruolo con grande tecnica .Merita tutta la mia stima

[ezequielabuin]

Excelente. Insuperable.

[korakandava]

small voice and pop singing..hahahah..in next 50 years florez is totally forgotten..

[31122051]

TIPICO ESEMPIO DI TENORE CHE NON C'ENTRA UN TUBO CON IL RUOLO CHE STA INTERPRETANDO. 

[suchero]

@31122051 SENTIRE QUESTA E POI QUELLA DEL MAGNIFICO FRANCO BONISOLLI FA VENIRE IL DUBBIO CHE SI TRATTI DI OPERE DIVERSE....

[31122051]

@suchero : carissimo amico, BONISOLLI, avendo sopracuti estesi quanto quelli di Florez ( se non di più ), poteva permettersi benissimo tutto il repertorio di Florez e in più, avendo una voce dieci volte più potente e infinitamente più scura e brunita, era in grado di cantare meravigliosamente anche tutto il repertorio lirico-spinto ed eroico-drammatico. Messo accanto a BONISOLLI, Florez sembrerebbe niente più che un modestissimo comprimario. Ti consiglio di ascoltare anche DANIELE BARIONI. CIAO.

[suchero]

@31122051 Proprio vero, Bonisolli sembra non avere limiti di repertorio...come è possibile che Domingo, per dirne uno, abbia questo assurdo successo planetario e Bonisolli non sia conosciuto ai più (e nemmeno a me poco tempo fa) nemmeno in Italia? ho ascoltato anche i più SQUILLANTI ACUTI che la mia immaginazione poteva farmi desiderare, quelli di MARIO FILIPPESCHI!!! una roba fuori dal mondo.

[liEder89]

@31122051 tutto quello che dite è verissimo!però alla fine il limite di florez è solo che ha una voce leggerina per questo repertorio!effetivamente non rende però di tutto rispetto!

[hibyeeee2]

Why is everyone saying Verdi is too big for Florez's voice. I can hear is voice over the orchestra here. I think his voice is loud enough. Verdi doesn't require you to have a heavy and dark voice. It requires you to have a loud voice. Who cares if he's a leggiero tenor. Alfredo Kraus was a leggiero tenor and no one cared when he sang Verdi.

[lucand09]

@hibyeeee2 Thank You! I agree completely. People set these standards as to who should sing what but in reality all that matters is if the singer can handle the role (which JDF clearly can), and if he can be heard (and JDF is heard clearly). There are always many exceptions. Many smaller voices sing "larger roles" in small houses or when there will be a smaller orchestra. I wish he was still singing this role as I believe he sang it wonderfully!

[tena2]

@hibyeeee2 Sorry but Kraus was not a leggero tenor, he was a lyric- leggero tenor.

[hibyeeee2]

@tena2 Thank you for the info. :)

[sopranosd]

I agree that it was wise for JDF to take this role out of his repertoire. It is too big for his voice and he would be better served not to push his sound. That spells death for any singer. Maybe when he matures it will be all right, but I doubt it. If Domingo and Pavarotti sang this role, it is by definition not JDF's fach.

[ellecho]

@sopranosd Domingo has sung every role possible i think. By that statement JDF should't sing at all haha... except rossini.

[sopranosd]

I agree with stephpwall. It's so nice for Rigoletto to be the hot young thing he should be, instead of some aging stentorian guy trying to move a heavier voice around this music. Besides, if Verdi wrote in the high D, then he clearly meant for a higher voice, a more lyric voice, to sing the role. I do think Pavarotti sings this better, but I don't think JDF is inappropriate.

[ivancin25]

juan edigo dio elr e pavarotti no - o tros 3 mas nadie mas en la histiria en vivo

[mediterraneo1000]

se oye forzadisimo en esta opera no todo es agudos lamentablemente no se oye bien muyyy muyy mal.,

[ezequielabuin]

No se que version estaras escuchando. Esta de Juan Diego es excelente y para nada forzada. Es evidente que a vos no te debe gustar este tenor. Solo asi se explica que digas que esta version esta muy mal. Igual respeto tu punto de vista pero no acuerdo en nada con vos.

[mediterraneo1000]

@ezequielabuin la voz de juan diego es muy buena en su repertorio pero el duque es muy pesada para elgeneralmente es para un lirico completa la voz de florez siendo excelente en sus dominios en esta opera verdi no se oye bien le falta cuerpo a su voz nose en fin saludos.

[ezequielabuin]

Es cierto que el duque es mas adecuado para un tenor lirico, pero a mi me parece que a Juan Diego le queda bien. Yo lo clasifico como un lirico ligero y me parece que puede interpretar este rol con soltura. Te mando mis saludos

[mediterraneo1000]

si tienes razon de ninguna manera su voz demerita sin embargo pues asi es esto de los gustos saludos desde mexico.

[kimancuo]

In 2011 cantera l'Otello di Rossini? Perche trattare il Verdi sarebbe suicido lirico per lui.

[bodiloto]

@kimancuo non ,Otello di Verdi ,e perche no ? le voci Verdiane non esistono piu ,nel 21 secolo non c'e limite tutto e possibile.

[mozart230647]

Ese "agudo" final hay que agradecérselo a Juan Diego Flórez....No todos lo hacen...Pavarotti lo hacía cuando le daba la real ganas, esto es, pocas veces...

[bodiloto]

in 2011  cantera otello .

[Honken]

Hopefully he'll start singing this in 10-20 years or so. It'd be really interesting to see how his voice matures over the years.

[bodiloto]

Honken :anche dopo 20 anni la voce di pinocchio rimanerra sempre ........la voce di.......! Con rispetto !

[ladyinwoods]

I think his costume is too big for him. We also tend to think of the Duke as older than JDF portrays. The opera itself is too dark for his beautiful voice. I leave the precise voice details to those of you who are experts. I know what I enjoy hearing, and I agree this is not his part.

[Zva26]

Florez has fortunately dropped this role from his repertoire because he himself admitted that it was not comfortable for him. Personally, I think he's absolutely right.

[gtelloz]

Well, hearing this live in a theater like Callao, u would feel like in heaven. He was stunning here, and the role fits perfect to his voice.

[dimakauffman]

he's not made for this role

[BeniaminoGigli1985]

He sang well,but to be honest,this role is two heavy for his voice.And personally I don't believe his acting,because he looks too kind and nice.

[raythespian]

He sounds fantastic, strong from top to bottom, over the mic. But maybe it's not so great in the house. He is the most exciting presence in opera today, imo.

[stephpwall]

We don't all agree it's too heavy for him. It's just fine. He sings a high D in a live performance at the end of a taxing cabaletta following the most difficult aria Parmi veder. What's not to like? The Duke in Rigoletto is a bel canto role, not heavy like Forza del Destino. Florez is THE pristine lyric voice and I think his singing of the Duke is a welcome throwback to the likes of Schipa and Gigli who were not afraid to let their voices be as youthful as the characters they are portraying .

[XxTuPaPyxX]

bravo, sin duda una voz bellisima y muy bien trabaja, bravo!!!

[drewski67]

Yes, we all agree it's too heavy for him, but I give him all the credit in the world for admitting that himself and cutting the role from his repertoire. He is a very smart singer and knows how to say 'no', unlike some of his other tenorial colleagues...

[naxicka]

wonderful!!!!!!!!

[crabcakes514]

too heavy for the voice, agreed.

[liric01994]

I think that Alagna is better.This is not a role for Florez

[vocalissimo1]

Once again, this is really a boy's voice when a man's is needed.

[GermanOperaSinger]

Nono, he is forcing the voice...very uncomfortable. too heavy for him.

[InformedListener]

Ah, that vibrato caprino...

[gaugola13]

Sorry, but, even if Mr. Florez looks very nice, he's not allow to "re-arrange" a perfect musical piece, just because it fits better with his voice this way.He really should prefer singing Rossini and co.

[cmorgan22]

I totally agree. I enjoyed Florez in La Fille, Il Barbiere and Don Pasquale. But Bel Canto is where he belongs. He recently announced that he wasn't going to sing any more Rigolettos. I wonder why. :)

But I could listen to Pavarotti sing this cabaletta all day long! What a wonderful piece of 1850's Verdi music and when in the hands of a master, well, it doesn't get any better. I've seen many Rigoletto's and have only heard this sung once. What a shame it gets cut so often.

[BeniaminoGigli]

He will be one of those great Maestros!!

[corellilover]

Mr.Florez this is not Rossini!!, you can´t do those personal arregements!!!

[lohengrin222]

Of course he can, because this is early Verdi in the tradition of Bellini, Rossini & Co.

[corellilover]

I,am sorry but this is not early verdi!!you better read some opera history!!

[lohengrin222]

well, it is not "pure" early Verdi like Nabucco, but Verdi was still very geared to the old belcanto school when he wrote Rigoletto, that's what I meant with "early" Verdi. He more and more developed his style and in the end, he even geared to Wagner when his operas got more and more through composed.

[lohengrin222]

But, to come back to Florez - in RIGOLETTO there still are the traditional recitativo - aria - cabaletta. Since THIS cabaletta has 2 verses it is absolutely legitimate to sing the SECOND verse with variations, and your are the one who should consider to have a better look on musical history before critizising a singer in such a stupid way.

[corellilover]

ok, whatever you say maestro!!

[txtenor]

Yet another tenor reaches out of his natural rep to pursue another challenge, further his reputation, make more money, etc. JDF is FABULOUS in the bel canto repertoire, maybe unparalleled. Sadly, he cannot escape the ghosts of Pavarotti, Bjorling, Conley, etc. The voice simply does not fit this repertoire; he sings it technically very well, has all the notes but the timbre is FAR too light and there simply isn't enough volume to overcome a Verdian orchestra. Hopefully he'll come to his senses!

[Mooorhe]

He has come to his senses, he's great like that. He'll never sing Rigoletto in the house again, he's cancelled his upcoming performances of it.

[assindiastignani]

What amazes me, when I hear things like this, is not only that Mr Florez obviously thinks he sings this role well (he must, otherwise he would have cancelled the production in Dresden)but rather that noone close to him - a friend, a coach,an adviser, a conductor (for example the one who conducts this performance) - tried to disuade him from singing this. Or maybe they did. Of course it's really none of our business, but one can't help caring. He's such a good singer - in the right rep.

[txtenor]

This is not about anything other than ego or money or both, or the desire to be considered in the same breath as the big 3....which will never be a winning proposition for this terrifically talented bel-cantoist. I cannot agree with your comments more!

[saagua1953]

He has cancelled his performances of this opera next year in Madrid, saying that singing it is not good for his voice, so he in the end agrees with you. He tried it as an experiment and it didn't work out. He knows enough to discard a role that is not for his voice.

[assindiastignani]

Wonderful!! This is how great careers are made:by staying with the repertory one sings best (Alfredo Kraus, Erna Berger for example). A few (a very few) singers have managed to sing everything, but these are the great historical exceptions. There are enough Duca's. As tenore leggiero acuto Flores has no rivals in the world. Obviously then, he indeed has some good advisors.

[InformedListener]

Oh, you must not have heard of Lawrence Brownlee...I wouldn't be so sure about that "no rivals in the world" comment...

[kindino]

is this live? i suppose it is

[lavoreano]

Veo que la mayoría dice que no es una elección correcta por parte de Florez el escoger este rol. Yo creo que no es ideal para él, pero sigue siendo inteligente, ya que dudo mucho que esto dañe su voz. Linda interpretación, lejos la mejor que se puede escuchar hoy en día, pero mi favorito es y creo que seguirá siendo por muchos años Alfredo Kraus.

[cmorgan22]

Yes, he sings all of the notes beautifully, but this isn't the role for him. Yet I can understand that at the age of 37 (?) he's masterd the big 3 of bel canto and is looking for another direction. Maybe he should take a page out of the book of Alfredo Krause and only sing what is right for his voice (though I know Krause did sing the Duke -- but not to my liking). All I can hear is Pavarotti in this role, high note or no -- it doesn't matter. It doesn't get any better than Pav.!

[delmonaco16]

He seems like a teenager who's in love nanny with nanny.Duke's supposed to sound like a man ,not like a teen.The tessitura in some parts sounds to low for his voice.

[italianoperafan]

I really love Florez in Rossini, Donizetti and in bel canto (although we stay miles away from Blake, Meritt etc..). I have been watching last saturday on TV (Arte) a performance of Rigoletto in Dresden... I must admit I fully agree with the below comments: totally miscasted in this part, not at all at ease. He sings this as if it were Rossini indeed. Why such a switch and so quickly in his career?

[grubiforever]

no mi dispiace non ci siamo!concordo con ginodina..rossini NON è Verdi..Florez non può fare questo ruolo non ci siamo proprio!altrettanto direi che l ho sentito in difficoltà nei Puritani figuriamoci qui!

[ginodina]

Verdi non e Rossini e non bastano acuti per cantate il Duca.

[castroosvaldo08]

quien era lili pons?. le falto cantar el Himno de Peru

[Arsace88]

Amo molto Florez, ma devo riconoscere che Verdi (almeno QUESTO Verdi... già nel Falstaff l'ho visto meglio) non fa per lui... non vorrei che si compromettesse la voce nello sforzo! :(

[ilbacioditosca]

el re de kraus era un agudo real, como el de Florez, sin falsete. Dicen que Aragal joven tambien era increible.

[ivancin25]

como que no es unr e claro que es un re sobreagudo se saca con piano y lo cnata asi que estamos ante uno de los mejores de todos los tiempos.. y creo que uno de los pocos que canta el re sobreagudo en la historia

[fratenore]

In some years his Rigoletto will surely improve much. I only hope he will not face this role very often. You can hear that it's not so easy for him

[kumitoosisto]

The Mickey Mouse in Mantova.High D was perfect but one tone makes not a hole opera.I Hope that he will be singinig just leggero repertoire.

[Luindriel]

Yowza! High D. Go Juan Go!

[sevoflurane]

Bravo Juan Diego for singing the da capo! This cabaletta suits him well and the puntatura is effective. I would be curious to hear Parmi veder le lacrime!

[cmorgan22]

I've listend to all these different singers in this aria. For me my top two are Costello and Florez. He brings some Bel Canto to this aria, but it isn't totally out of place.

[TheAleph74]

Beautiful... I truly hope that Florez does not start taking roles that are too heavy for his voice though.

[leporello89]

Waw! It's a superb performance! Could you post Bella figlia dell'amor or Caro nome? Where did you get it? Thank's =)