Santo (2010)

This album of sacred vocal music sung by Juan Diego Flórez offers so many pleasures that's it's hard to know here to begin describing them. Flórez is in superb form; his clarion tenor has a youthful gleam, and he sings with purity and an intensity that's entirely unforced. It's a joy to hear him bring a subtle Italianate flair to selections from Messiah, which come across as refreshingly heroic and red-blooded. The choice of repertoire is a delight; too often the religious albums that opera stars seem required to turn out ... Read More

This album of sacred vocal music sung by Juan Diego Flórez offers so many pleasures that's it's hard to know here to begin describing them. Flórez is in superb form; his clarion tenor has a youthful gleam, and he sings with purity and an intensity that's entirely unforced. It's a joy to hear him bring a subtle Italianate flair to selections from Messiah, which come across as refreshingly heroic and red-blooded. The choice of repertoire is a delight; too often the religious albums that opera stars seem required to turn out can smack of pious gravity, but Flórez's selections have a wonderful variety and are even weighted toward the lively. Some of the obligatory standards, like Franck's Panis Angelicus, Adam's Cantique de Noël, and Schubert's Ave Maria are included, and Flórez sings them with a commitment and freshness that make them sound new. The obscure and relatively obscure pieces by Fux, Rossini, and Bellini are revelations. The Bellini and Rossini are home turf for Flórez and he sings these arias... Read Less