Friday, April 25, 2008

Guild Talk: Dessay and Flórez

An Evening with Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez


Sarah Billinghurst talks with dazzling duo soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Juan Diego Flórez about their bustling careers and fearless adventures in the new production of La Fille du Régiment.

The Kaplan Penthouse was packed for this talk. Sarah Billinghurst polled the audience to see who had already seen La Fille du Regiment , which garnered response from probably a third of the audience. The audience was certainly appreciative of the interviewees. There were women (& men) swooning over Juan Diego. I found him interesting and charming. He seems to be one who is cognizant of his talent and is not afraid to flaunt it, but sometimes it just comes across as smugness. It was clear that he and Natalie love working together and they agree that their differences compliment each other. I adored Natalie Dessay. She's everything you want her to be, a self-described "clown". Listen to most of the interview here.

I love these talks and I wish they were available for each production. I also wish that the audience could be expanded to include a younger crowd - it seems that young opera lovers are missing out on these educational and very entertaining events.


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