Jose Carreras Sings "Nessun dorma" from Turandot

Yesterday (Dec. 5) Spanish tenor Jose Carreras turned 65.  A native of Barcelona, Carreras is of course one of The Three Tenors, the others being Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo.  They achieved tremendous popular fame with their first concert in Rome in 1990 at the time of the World Cup. CDs and DVDs of that concert sold in the millions. The Three Tenors continued until 2003 and spawned many imitators. Carreras first sang in public as a young boy of 8, and made his opera debut as Flavio in Norma in Barcelona in 1970. The Carreras tenor in its youthful prime - throughout the 1970s - was a glorious instrument. At the urging of Herbert von Karajan, Carreras took on roles that were too heavy for his lyric instrument, and by the mid 80's, his sound has lost its youthful sheen. In 1987, Carreras was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, with a 10% chance of survival.  He underwent a grueling series of treatment in Seattle and eventually recovered and returned to singing, though his post-recovery repertoire was severely limited.  His work as one of the Three Tenors, while an enormous commercial success, does not show Carreras at his best. Here is a video clip of his "Nessun dorma" (Turandot) from Vienna in 1983, when the voice was still in relatively good shape. Today Carreras has retired from the operatic stage but continues to appear in concerts.

Joseph K. So