Delirium on YouTube Trumps La Scala

I posted some time ago about a stunning new operatic tenor who brought down the house at La Scala. Delirium, the critics said of the crowd response to Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez. Read about it here.

I recently came across the now legendary YouTube video of Welsh mobile phone salesman Paul Potts' performance on the BBC's Britain's Got Talent show, an American Idol predecessor. The crowd that night was delirius as well. But more importantly, the net became crazed as the video of Potts' performance went totally viral. Now, almost 17 million views of the original video have been recorded. Potts, produced by Simon Cowell, has gone on to perform in New York and to release two CDs. So I'm going to argue that, thanks to the net, the most celebrated new tenor since the late Pavarotti is Paul Potts.

Delirium at La Scala

I don't often post about opera, though I enjoy a great tenor as much as the next fan. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that opera fans can bring the house down. And they did just that last Tuesday after a performance by Tenor sensation Juan Diego Florez, heir apparent to the throne of Caruso and Pavorotti, according to reports in The London Times. The delirious La Scala audience forced the conductor to break a long-standing house rule and play the first encore offered a performer on that hallowed stage in 74 years. Not even Pavorotti himself was ever afforded such an opportunity and honor. Florez, a Peruvian, earned the spontaneous demonstration and acclaim following his performance of Ah! Mes Ami, from Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. Italian critics were predictably scandalized by the breach in La Scala etiquette, though all allowed the performance was exceptional and the star's stage presence commanding. Not bad for a guy trained in Philadelphia. Time to update my holiday favorites playlist.