Juan Diego Flórez, Joyce DiDonato, Barbican, review To hear two of the world's greatest opera stars singing what they sing best is a rare privilege, and even if the programme didn't quite build to a rip-roaring climax, this was a memorable evening of bel canto. Juan Diego Flórez has a residency at the Barbican this week, and here he was playing host to the peerless mezzo Joyce DiDonato, accompanied by soprano Julia Novikova and baritone Marco Caria. Flórez is that uncommon thing, a tenor with an uninflated head, and he did not hog the limelight. But each of his four solo numbers told us something different about a flawless technician and sterling professional who is still developing his artistry. A heroic recitative and aria from Meyerbeer's Il Crociato in Egitto showcased his trumpet-like clarity of tone, crispness of enunciation and accuracy of intonation, while a more lyrical extract from Delibes" adorable Lakmé radiated warmth and grace. Florez has been cagey about singing the Duke in Rigoletto on stage, but listening to his consummately elegant account of "Parmi veder le lagrime" and the duet with Gilda (Novikova), one wondered why: the music seemed to fit him like a bespoke velvet glove. The one slight disappointment was music from another role he has been shy of undertaking: he lacks the wide-eyed, melting innocence for L'Elisir d'amore's bumpkin Nemorino, and "Una Furtiva lagrima" tugged at no heartstrings. Florez also joined DiDonato for a duet from Cenerentola: home territory for both, and they romped through it joyously. DiDonato then pulled out all the stops for Cenerentola's "Nacqui all'affanno," decorating the cadenza with cascades of glittering ornaments (including a properly executed trill). Similarly impressive in a more austere manner was her magnificently authoritative account of Romeo's aria from Capuleti e Montecchi. Jolly overtures from the London Symphony Orchestra under Guillermo García Calvo, and adequate contributions from Novikova and Caria made up the proceedings. Overall there was too much toing and froing, and making a finale out of the Rigoletto quartet didn't bring the water to the boil. But hearing Florez and DiDonato on top form was more than enough to keep the audience blissfully happy.