Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-jl) -- The world renowned Peruvian tenor, Juan Diego Florez, continues winning critics over and making a name for himself in the world of opera.

This time the Peruvian standout performed for British opera lovers at London's Covent Garden. Florez performed "La Fille du Regiment" by Donizetti, which according to specialists, is one of the most difficult and challenging operas to perform.

In the performance, Florez was able to hit each of the high C's in the so-called "Mount Everest" of opera, the same piece that launched Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti to fame.

Florez, who was recently called "the biggest voice of opera" by renowned music critic Rupert Christiansen, stated to the press that he had to sing the challenging piece twice when audiences in Japan and Italy demanded an encore from the Peruvian performer.

"I've done it in the past and I now feel very comfortable doing it," declared Flores to Reuters after being showered with affection by the London crowd.

"My repertoire consists of difficult pieces. I have specialized myself in doing challenging acts, and I do it quite frequently. This is one of the most difficult roles that exists in opera, but if you can hit the notes then you can pull it off," declared the tenor.

Juan Diego's co-star, French performer Natalie Dessay (41) informed that they will perform the same opera in Vienna, New York, and Paris in 2012.

"I want him and only him to perform this act with me. That is what I call opera, well sung and well acted," added Dessay.

Meanwhile, the London press heralded the production of "La Fille du Regiment."

Richard Morrison of the Times gave "La Fille" five stars out of a possible five. "It's the operatic show of the season," he said and described Dessay's performance as "simply hypnotizing" and said Florez delivered all nine top C's with "with the power and precision of a laser."