I have always been very fond of Juan Diego Florez, I think he has a wonderful voice. I listen to him frequently, when he sings Opera, his Christmas concerts in Vienna, and when he sings Peruvian waltzes. He has a tenor voice and sings with almost no effort.
I had been wanting to see him for a long time at the Royal Opera House in London, but had no luck as tickets are difficult to come by, however I was fortunate to finally go and see him in March performing La Fille du régiment by Donizetti (see on youtube).
The story is about Marie, a girl found on a battlefield as a baby and adopted by a regiment of soldiers. When she falls for Toni – Juan Diego of course! – she runs into trouble. The Opera is entertaining and full of humour, but most of all when Juan Diego sang, one didn’t want the song to finish.
At the end of the performance I was able to meet him. I discovered he was a real gentleman and was very charming with his admirers. He is a linguist, and was able to speak in Italian, he sings in French and German. His English is excellent and he is a native Spanish speaker. I was able to take a photo to remember the occasion forever.