Interesting interview with the old guy.
English translation
JOSE CARRERAS - A SINGER ON THE CROSS BETWEEN GENERATIONS.
"There is remarkable talents among the new performers", the tenor states. But he warns: "'Those who think it is enough to have a beautiful voice, they are wrong".
In the corridor of the hotel, the elegant gentleman, in dark suit and light blue tie, walks carefully among the multitude of equipment from a muddled television crew. Patiently, he leans against the wall and begins to hum "Aquarela do Brasil", until someone gets aware of what is happening. "Guys, he is already here. The room must be empty now!" Moments later, it is the time for tenor Jose Carreras to talk with the "Estadão". Again he jokes with Ary Barroso melody, by humming it. "There are many points of contact between the Brazilian and Spanish cultures. We are all Latins. And besides culturally, we share many idiosyncrasies," he says.
The tenor returns to Brazil after two years - in 2008, he inaugurated a theatre in Curitiba. This time, he is offering two concerts at HSBC Brazil, along with soprano Ailyn Perez and conductor Miguel Ortega. The repertoire comprises pieces by Gounod, Ponce, Bernstein, Luna and Caballero.
Talking with Carreras is to some extent, as to talk with a bit of what the opera world has been, in the last 30 years. Alongside with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, he formed a trio that has monopolized the genre in the second half of the 20th century. They were a big hit among their fans - but also reached audiences that had never set foot in an opera house. Talent, charisma, a phenomenon of marketing, each one has his own explanation - but the fact is that the opera world is still waiting for tenors with such fame.
"It's fair to say that the new generation has great artists, prominent voices, from Juan Diego Flórez to Jonas Kaufman," Carreras begins. "Now, there are voices that are truly unique, as was the case of Luciano. And there are special musical talents, from the interpretation and musical quality point of view, like Plácido. But, this said, I think what is happening today has nothing has to do with the instrument itself, but with personality, ability to communicate, what we call charisma. It's difficult for me to judge these things because, ultimately, they are related to feelings and sensations experienced by the public."
If charisma is part of the equation, it also is not the only one of its variables. The generation of the three tenors grew up in a moment when opera was changing, with the arrival of the video, the developing of the new recording technologies and even the marketing techniques. "Challenges and characteristics of each generation are interesting," he says. "Singers who came before us were fantastic. Giuseppe di Stefano, Mario Del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Jussi Björling, Richard Tucker, the list is endless. It was unbelievable. But my generation has benefited from the new possibilities offered by the television, the recordings technologies - all this made it easier to reach a wider audience. But we lost too. The world of opera became to fast. A new production at the Met or La Scala should mean hard work with the conductor, with the director, together with many rehearsals. And that is no longer happening. "
But there was also something less tangible in the context. "Singers from the past had the advantage of working with the great maestros who often had worked with the composers themselves. I remember a joke. Still young, Gianandrea Gavazzeni was working as a pianist in Naples and was rehearsing with the legendary Beniamino Gigli. The opera was The Elixir of Love and Gigli was singing the famous tenor aria. Suddenly, he made a long phrase, breathlessly. Gavazzeni, alarmed, told him: "Maestro, you may need to breathe in the middle of this sentence." Gigli replied, "Okay, if you want you can breathe." (laughs) We have been loosing this kind of things."
Do we need more? Catalan José Carreras was discovered, the legend says, by Charles, brother of the soprano Montserrat Caballe - and the two eventually helped him to achieve his first contracts. But it was conductor Herbert von Karajan who led him to fame, in the '70s. Reviews from those times tell us about a clear, powerful voice. A German critic, completely under his spell wrote, after a function of La Bohème: "He is young, talented, musical and beautiful. Do you need more?
By that time, Domingo and Pavarotti were already fighting for post of the greatest tenor of the moment. Carreras began as if running "out of the race", portraying lighter roles, the ones of a lyric tenor, then followed by heavier ones. By then, some were commenting that he would be damaging his voice for facing such roles. "We all make mistakes," he says. "Actually, I might have arrived to some roles before then. But, please understand me. Some of my greatest hits, as La Forza del Destino and Carmen, were heavy roles. And I'm convinced that if a conductor such as Claudio Abbado or Karajan invites you to be part of a new production, you just can't say no. Should Karajan ask me to sing Micaela, I would! (laughs). You live this passion for singing and the chance to work with these people is the ultimate expression of what opera can be. There's no way you will not want to be part of it. That is the healthy ambition of the artist. And mistakes...well, mistakes give flavour to the experience of living. "
In the late '80s, however, Carreras was diagnosed with leukaemia. "I remember the first 24 hours of despair. I was young, was 40 years old, was happy with my career, with every opportunity. And suddenly the diagnosis. In 24 hours. And then, even though I knew how difficult it would be, felt the need to find determination to fight. I was lucky, had the support of family and friends, had expressions of affection coming from everywhere. " The nightmare ended with a bone marrow transplant. "That gave me strength and made me to create a foundation to help people in the same situation I had lived. After so much love and support you feel in debt, you need to pay back."
In addition to charity work, in the present Carreras tours the world offering concerts and giving master classes. In Sao Paulo, he will not be giving lessons, but for yesterday and today, open rehearsals were scheduled, with the Symphony Orchestra of USP (Saint Paul University) who will be accompanying him.
What message do you give to young students? "There are always many questions they ask us and the truth is we still have a lot of questions to answer. However, the most important message has nothing to do with technic, emission, things like that. What I try to find out is if the singer is sure that this is the career he wants to chose, if he really understands what is he dealing with, the need for discipline. The one who thinks that a good voice is enough, is wrong. Mascagni, (composer Pietro Mascagni) used to say: to sing opera you also need a good voice."
Among his maestros he speaks fondly about Englishman Colin Davis, "a gentleman and a great musical thinker" - and laughs when reminded of his work with Leonard Bernstein, with whom he recorded the musical West Side Story. "The Making of" shows a scene where the two have a disagreement. Carreras comments it with a short "Very different personalities," and a mischievous smile on his face. He identifies in Karajan the model of the great conductor. "Of course, should he like you and understand that your singing was close to what he had previously dreamed." he says. But he quickly throws another name on the wheel, the Italian Claudio Abbado, with whom he recorded Simon Boccanegra, by Verdi. "Not a bad that the cast, right? Piero Capuccili, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov."
"I have no response," he says, when asked about what role of his repertoire does he think as the most appropriate one, the one in which he felt more able to make the maximum use of his skills as a singer. But he risks. "There are characters I feel very close to me, even in terms of personality. Rodolfo, from La Bohème, Don José, from Carmen, Riccardo, from Ballo in Maschera, Andrea Chenier. Should I have to remember my best live performance, would probably say it happened during the performances of some of these operas. "
We bring to his memory a recent interview by Marcelo Alvarez during which the Argentine tenor said it was time for the generation of the Three Tenors to leave the stage, living the space to those who are now beginning and trying to build their carriers. Carreras laughs, an open laugh. "Alvarez is a great singer. And he does not have to worry about that. At the present, am only singing concerts and recitals, am not at the opera stage any more. And he is great, his place is guaranteed." Another young tenor, Marcello Giordani, joked about the controversy, noting that recently he shared the stage with Domingo, who was making his debut as a baritone at the Metropolitan, in New York. "Well, with Domingo, that might be a problem! Mind you he also conducts", he jokes. "But seriously, those who are now starting do not need to worry. Do not panic."
