Florencia en el Amazonas at the Chicago Lyric Opera
“Much of “Florencia’s” success in Chicago is due to Puerto-Rican soprano Ana María Martínez, who is voluptuously dark-voiced, authoritative and formidable in the title role. She has starred as Florencia with major companies elsewhere, and it’s little surprise that her understanding of the character is finely tuned: She is also comfortable at Lyric, with 10 Chicago roles under her belt, including Marguerite in Gounod’s “Faust” and Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” So she knows about divas, and how to portray them.”
“Ana María Martínez returns to Lyric for her eleventh role as the despondent diva, and she is in her element. The music sits well in her voice, and her characterization is heartbreaking, a beloved public figure hiding behind walls of her own construction. Her first-act aria and final scene are musical and dramatic high points in the evening.”
“Martínez brings a grand, warm sound and plausible wistfulness to this woman whose quest may be as much the retrieval of her lost youth as any fanciful reunion with her erstwhile lover. Statuesque and poised, Martínez is the quintessential diva – in aspect and voice alike.”
“Martínez, who has matured into playing Florencia since having played Rosalba during the early years of this opera, seems almost made for the role. Her Florencia is no less human for her tremendous talents and having the aspirations of the other travelers projected onto her, and though she is ambivalent about her fame, she remains as enraptured as ever by the act of singing.”
“Ana María Martínez dauntlessly glides through the soaring register of the titular Florencia Grimaldi. The soprano navigates Catán’s score with grace, passionately diving into the role of a woman seeking release from the remorse of her past.”
“Florencia Grimaldi (played here by the formidable soprano Ana Maria Martinez, who deftly captures her character’s sense of yearning and regret)…”