FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS

Ailyn Pérez stars in Mexican composer Daniel Catán's and librettist Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s enchanting masterpiece

Sung in Spanish, Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s 1996 opera tells the enchanting story of a Brazilian opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house of Manaus – and to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle. Fluidity – of time, place, emotion, and even of identity – is at the core of FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS. It is ostensibly the tale of passengers traveling down the Amazon River aboard a steamship; the real drama, though, lies in the psychological journeys that each character undertakes. The libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain, is an original story rich in allusion to other tales that skirt the border between drama and fantasy. Fuentes-Berain was a student of Gabriel García Márquez, whose style of magical informs the plot.

Ailyn Pérez as Florencia Grimaldi is the uncontested star in this production: “wistful, tender and sincere” (The New York Times). Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the irresistible score, which is often compared to Puccini, featuring lush orchestration, soaring vocal lines, and sweeping musical evocations of the natural world. The spellbinding new production by Mary Zimmerman brings the mysterious and magical realm of the Amazon to the Met stage.

“One of the (Met’s) most visually stunning and emotionally affecting outings of recent seasons... A feast for the eyes...” (Observer)

“An excellent Ailyn Pérez... her sound lustruos, full and elegant” (Financial Times)