José Carreras: The Legendary Tenor (Opera Documentary)

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An intimate profile of José Carreras, the Spanish tenor who achieved worldwide fame with his performances as one of the Three Tenors. Presented by Danielle de Niese.
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From Legends of Opera
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[@adril.6294]

This mans voice changed my life.

[@manuelazawca3358]

The reason for I love opera music ! His voice always touch my soul in a particulary way!

[@mistersmith1883]

Me too.

[@operaforever13]

Sublime voice, beautiful person

[@minuciofelice6465]

Carreras è la ragione per la quale amo e studio l'opera da più di trent'anni. Ne avevo dieci quando, casualmente, lo sentii cantare una romanza di Puccini, e da allora non posso separarmi dalla sua voce. 💚

[@claudettedelphis6476]

Thank you for the privilege of hearing him again 💐He is such a favourite 🌺🦋🦚

[@annamariabellini6541]

Carreras, la voce della mia anima ❤️

[@johnblasiak2499]

When He was great he was great First record I bought of him I thought wow next great then next record I heard was what happened ??? Great speaking voice better than the other two in this department It was Carreras who created the three tenor concert The Olympic event he created was fantastic bravo 👏

[@mistersmith1883]

I love him

[@AK53519]

Thank you for this wonderful documentary. It's very competent and honest. Jose Carreras indeed had one of the most wonderful voices ever recorded, but he ruined it by singing heavy repertoire. But he is a true gentleman and a wonderful human being!

[@OperaJH]

It was Herbert von Karajan who coaxed him into this repertory, because he was so attracted by the beauty of his voice, insisting he could transpose that beauty into the heavier roles. As Carreras wrote, if Von Karajan had asked him to sing Micaela in Carmen, he would have, as he was so honored because it was Von Karajan. Obviously in retrospect, it was not a good path, but Carreras never lost ALL of that beauty in his voice, as people tend to say. Towards his retirement a couple of years ago, yes, the voice was much less elastic, but being the consummate artist, he always knew what to do with what he had. For that, he has ensured that his earlier work will never be forgotten and thus, he has earned his rightful place in the pantheon of the greatest tenors.

[@user-zt7dd9nh2y]

Magnifico ❤❤❤❤

[@geo865833]

I will regret for the rest of my life that I was not able to see him for his last performance in the US.

[@gsogso3444]

Thank you😀👍🥂

[@bethfiori4708]

It's great to have this overview of Maestro Carreras' career. The beauty of his voice is unsurpassed.

[@josecidasilva2178]

CARRERAS 5 de dezembro de 2022, seu aniversário felicitações, mais um ciclo de vida tem início que seja coroado de saúde, grandes sucessos, com as bênçãos e proteção de DEUS. Bravo maestro CARRERAS, feliz aniversário, ser humano generoso. Por favor tradução p.língua portuguesa do Brasil. Alegrias neste dia abençoado do seu nascimento CARRERAS.

[@kevinguzmanmusic]

I always saw him as the weak link of the Three Tenors but now I have a new appreciation of his voice. Viva Carreras ❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@bethfiori4708]

Not the weak link, but perhaps the least self-aggrandizing, or the one with the leanest publicity apparatus. Now he is the only one still standing, with Pavarotti gone and Domingo besmirched.

[@ahogbin2644]

This reminds me of so many fantastic performances in the 1980s in London: Boheme, Carmen, Lucia, Andrea Chenier, Trovatore. The voice was quite glorious then and he was the most handsome of all the tenors. I think he was ideal in the bel canto roles and maybe pushed it a bit with the more dramatic ones. Sadly then he got sick which took a further toll.

[@jacquelinecorreia6794]

Carreras tem fãs no mundo todo, então seria interessante colocar legenda para todos os idiomas.. 🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@mohsenarambon]

Thanks

[@wotan10950]

I’m glad I watched this. I saw Carreras onstage quite a few times in New York, and I always had the feeling he was pushing and pushing to get a bigger sound. His voice suffered long before his battle with cancer. I’ve been watching on DVD the 1978 Forza (with Caballe), and I also saw him onstage in Adriana w Caballe 1978 at the Met. He sounded great in both. When did Karajan ruin him, as he did with many other voices?

[@silvanosalvucci]

We love you CARRERAS

[@gavrilo2000]

Certain people usually say that José Carreras "ruined" his voice singing a repertoire more heavy than his possibilities. It is a common critic from some people. I think that nobody can really confirm that the changes in his voice were due to Don Carlo, Radamés or Calaf. Other singers (past and present) have pushed their voices without any significant damage. Pushing is just their way of singing. Pushing his voice was also a critic to Carreras even in his early years. Anyway, the concept of "ruined" appears to mean that his voice was "destroyed" without possiblities of singing nothing good or beatifully. I think it is false and not just. I do not belive that eventhough the changes in his voice through his life and carear, I have allways found a beatiful sound through his colour of voice, good taste for singing and passionate interpretation. At the end of the day, he sang what he wanted to sing.

[@tristanhnl]

To be fair, his critics were completely correct. Carreras's voice was a lyric one, that is relatively light, in both tone and weight. Other singers "pushed" without harming their voice, because they had much bigger voices. The anatomy of their vocal cords allowed it. The same couldn't be said of Carreras, and it showed the consequences in the form of early vocal decline. By his early 30's his voice already developed a wobble, and that is much, MUCH too early. Singers' voices don't decline in their 30's....they just don't....unless they abuse their voice either by pushing too hard, or singing outside of their range often. Of course, that doesn't mean Carreras never produced any beautiful singing after his voice started its early decline. But it's clearly not the same voice as it was in his 20's and early 30's. Like the people pointed out in this documentary, his singing was a lot more laboured and strained, his vibrato widened, and his tone, which was velvety and honey-like, became harsher and heavier. And yes, at the end of the day, he sang whatever he wanted...but he paid the price for it.

[@susananardinelli2544]

@@tristanhnl Certainly in every aspect of life one pays something in exchange for what one decides and want to do. There has been allways a great gap between critics and public. Even giants like Corelli or Kraus suffered that. Corelli for his "calderone" sustaining too much the long high notes to satisfy the audience, Kraus for being "too cold", prefering a mathematic technic instead of some passion and expression in his singing. However, public, different in each case, those who pay for the ticket for opera performance or concert, blessed them with their enthusiastic support and admiration. In opera and popular music the connection between a singer and public does not have technical explanation. Feelings and logical thinking cross their roads rare times.

[@tristanhnl]

@@susananardinelli2544 , I understand where you're coming from. However, Corelli's sustained high notes, or Kraus's technical approach to singing are *artistic* choices. In both singers' cases they were singing WITHIN their physically healthy vocal means. In the case of Carreras, he too made artistic choices regarding what roles to sing, whether they were vocally healthy for him or not. And he paid the price for it. And that is all I meant, as that was the topic I was responding to - vocal health, not public appreciation. Personally, I would have loved if Carreras sung more appropriate repertoire and preserved his beautiful voice. There is so much french and italian roles he could have sung beautifully without straining his voice.

[@franzleiermann4955]

Bad choices. What a waste.

[@fahrettinresul2790]

her zaman!!

[@OperaJH]

I have that video, the making of West Side Story. What they fail to mention here, is that Bernstein goads him and demeans him rather than “tease” him. Carreras took it all quietly, until he wanted to pause and take the high note separately , which after all that ensued, proved to be the correct decision and that Maria, became one for the history books, prompting Bernstein to dub him “The Voice of the Century.” Very true, especially at that time. Contrary to what is said here, it is Bernstein who comes off as petulant and tyrannical, so much so, that it appears that something was bugging him and he took it out on Carreras. One could take a stab at what it was.

[@jefolson6989]

I hate that video. He was one of the biggest stars in the world. Bernstein embarrassed him terrible . I knew Lenny was a pompous ass, but I can't look at him any more without thinking about that incident.

[@AlainArvelo]

He also was very demeaning to Christa Ludwig on their recording of Mahler's Das lied von der Erde. I've always thought Bernstein was an ass after seeing that.

[@OperaJH]

@@AlainArvelo​​⁠he WAS known to behave like an ass from time to time. He once announced his divorce from his wife and introduced his male lover at the podium before beginning a concert. It was considered to be beyond bizarre…😮

[@jefolson6989]

Known to Seinfeld fans as " the other one". America can only handle 2 star tenors at a time. Carreras had a very Spanish sound. Domingo worked to be as Italian as he could be, and of course Pavarotti was the real thing ( the last?- probably the last in the Caruso line.). When he first arrived, Carreras was the great white hope. A new di Stefano. With, it turned out, a similar early decline. Carreras wanted to be a spinto and took on role like Andrea Chenier too early. But he must have sensed time was short.

[@jessicarinaldi7742]

Fullgurance

[@jimiMachendrix]

Sorry, never mind...the lady is Sarah Brightman

[@Redmia-un9rs]

16:03

[@Redmia-un9rs]

17:17

[@jimiMachendrix]

Would someone please identify the soprano in the blue gown at around the 37 minute time slot. I did not recognize her.

[@AlainArvelo]

Sarah Brightman.

[@maninironmask7925]

Young Carreras (1970’s) was something only comparable to Di Stefano and Caruso.

[@operadog2000]

Carreras is a really nice man! However, I am not a fan of his voice mainly because of his limited vocal range and the fact that he pushed his voice to the point that he destroyed it prematurely. Clarity of tone?? I don't hear it. After 1978, all of the notes from A-natural and above were horribly forced. He once had a beautiful voice in the early 1970's, but by 1982-it was in shambles. Listen to the live La Boheme (Puccini) on YT, and the incredibly strained B-natural in Che gelida manina.