Travel Tip: Classical Music in Spain
Juan Diego Flórez

The 35-year-old Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez presents two recitals at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera, Flórez performs a programme of mostly arias by Rossini. Apart from the arias written by the Pesaro-born composer, the tenor also performs works by Gounod, Serrano, Pérez Soriano, Barrera Saavedra and Vives.

The son of a guitar player and a Creole singer, Juan Diego Flórez was at first more interested in Peruvian folk music than in classical music. He discovered his 'passion' for opera later in life, first at the Conservatory of Lima and later at that of Philadelphia, where he discovered his talent for bel canto singing.