Readers, a quick plug for a show that I think deserves some more eyes:

As part of its Sunday Matinee series on YouTube, Florida Grand Opera will present Florencia en el Amazonas, the Spanish-language opera by Daniel Catán based on the writings of Gabriel Garcia Márquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude). Catán’s music has been compared to that of Puccini, Ravel, and Debussy, and his 1996 Florencia is one of the notably lyric, lush scores of the last 30 years.

FGO’s production from 2018 stars Ana María Martínez as Florencia, the Brazilian soprano journeying home via the Amazon river; amid the storms and cholera outbreaks, Florencia and her fellow passengers travel into a murkey combination of fantasy and reality.

Florencia en el Amazonas was the first Spanish opera to be commissioned in the United States, and it’s a refreshing pick amid the deluge of online streams. Tune in this Sunday, June 28 at 2pm ET on Florida Grand Opera’s YouTube channel, and get swept away.

And for added context, check out our reviews of Florencia en el Amazonas by Schmopera contributor Andrew Schneider (of Houston Grand Opera’s 2019 production) and Loren Lester (San Diego, 2018).