"I was in Barcelona during the Olympic Games, and I had the opportunity to listen to Victoria de los Ángeles. And listening to her sing that song ... magical aria, I thought I was in heaven. It is really the most beautiful thing I have ever heard". This is how the mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade -Flicka as she is affectionately called- remembers the experience of listening to Victoria de los Ángeles singing El cant dels ocells during the closing of the Olympic Games in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc in 1992.

With a brilliant career behind her -from the Metropolitan to La Scala, addressing all kinds of genres and styles, from the musical to Mozart- von Stade left her permanent lyrical activity in 2010, focusing on teaching through masterclasses and specific projects that awoke her interest, such as participation in Lembit Beecher's opera Sky on Wings in 2018 at the Philadelphia Opera, or the creation of lyrics for Jake Heggie's Paper Wings song cycle. This sincere esteem and admiration for Victoria are what made it possible for Flicka to return to a European stage and for her to do so within LIFE Victoria. She offers a very personal tribute recital to the Catalan soprano - to whom Albert Guinovart accompanied for years - but also in retrospect of her impressive career from a splendid interpretive maturity, which gives the song a new dimension. Heartfelt thanks, Flicka!