Santo: Sacred Songs

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 favorites such as O Come All Ye Faithful, 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 program is the title track Santo - composed by Juan Diego Flórez himself - and infused with the musical colors 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 colors and write for all the instruments and the chorus. But it's fun."

Conductor Michele Mariotti of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna was a natural choice for the recording. A native of Pesaro, he studied at the town's Conservatorio Rossini, and the album includes three pieces by the composer with whom Juan Diego Flórez is most closely associated. "The Teatro Comunale orchestra are very good and really understand this repertoire", says Flórez. "Michele Mariotti is a friend of mine and a wonderful conductor. He's only thirty and he's incredible."