MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Santo - Sacred Songs

"Good for Juan Diego Florez for this release! I'm second to none in my love for the bel cantists, but it's good to hear a "pigeon-holed" tenor in repertoire that is somewhat different. Happily, it's not a Christmas CD despite such favorites as "O Holy Night", sung in French and then English, and capped with a glorious high B, "Adeste fidelis", which starts out in Latin, passes through German and winds up in English, and "Panis angelicus". The engineering is superb and the accompaniments are excellent. This whole CD is a delight."
(10/10 ClassicsToday Nov 2010)

Today's leading bel canto tenor, and one of the world's biggest opera stars, celebrates this Christmas season with a very personal choice of sacred arias and songs, including favourites such as Panis Angelicus, Ave Maria and O Holy Night.

As well as the glorious coloratura for which he is celebrated, the album also reveals the more intimate side of Juan Diego Flórez, in new interpretations of much-loved tenor classics for the festive season. These popular hits take their place alongside less familiar treasures including the Qui sedes from Bellini's Mass in A minor and the virtuosic Alleluia from Fux's Plaudite, sonat tuba - which call for the thrilling virtuosity that have made Juan Diego Flórez a star in the world's greatest opera houses. A highlight of the programme is the title track Santo - composed by Juan Diego Flórez himself - and infused with the musical colours and rhythms of his Latin American roots. "My father was a folk-singer and I grew up with Peruvian music. My hobby is to compose and orchestrate, and the melody came to me very easily. The hard part is then to find the right instrumental colours and write for all the instruments and the chorus. But it's fun."