Take Me to the Opera

Episode 1

Cecila Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez

Opera lover Zeinab Badawi meet stars from the world of opera who are seeking to make the genre fit for the 21st century. In this first episode, Zeinab talks to two of the biggest names in opera today: Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and tenor Juan Diego Florez. Zeinab hears how Cecilia Bartoli is pushing the boundaries in a traditional man's world with a string of opera firsts to her name. And she talks to Peruvian-born tenor Juan Diego Florez about how he uses his Latin American flair and showmanship to attract new audiences and to re-imagine opera for the future.