Florencia en el Amazonas

Mexican composer Daniel Catan's Florencia was an enormous hit when it was premiered in Houston in 1996, and it's easy to see why. The plot of the 99-minute opera involves a riverboat sailing up the Amazon to the opera house in Manaus. Onboard are the diva, Florencia (in disguise), who, 20 years before, left the area and Cristobal, the man she loved; a writer named Rosalba, who is writing a biography of Florencia, but does not recognize her; a middle-aged couple trying to rekindle the love they once had; and the captain, his nephew, and a mysterious river creature named Riolobo. There is a violent storm, and at the end, no one can leave the ship because there's been an outbreak of cholera in Manaus. All along, there had been tinges of mysticism, but it really takes hold in Florencia's final scene--her spirit wafts towards her long-lost love. The librettist refers to the story as "magical realism," and it's an apt description. Catan's harmonies and melodies are exquisite, the orchestration is as lush as the Rain Forest, the vocal lines singable and memorable. The entire cast is wonderful; Patricia Schumann's Florencia is particularly moving, and Mark S. Doss as the mysterious Riolobo is properly fascinating. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine