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José CARRERAS |
José Carreras holds
a singular place among today's most celebrated tenors. Acclaimed for the
rich, natural lyricism of his voice and an arresting intensity of delivery,
Mr. Carreras has brought a distinctive sensibility to the opera stage.
He was born on December 5, 1947, in the Spanish region of Catalonia, known
for its proud and individualistic people. An irrepressible performer as
a boy, his natural vocal gifts were apparent from an early age, as he
sang along with the recordings of Mario Lanza and Giuseppe di Stefano.
At age eleven, on the stage of the famed Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona,
under the baton of José Iturbi, he made his operatic debut as the
narrator in de Falla's Master Peter's Puppet Show.
Although certain his career would be on the opera stage, he pursued a
more practical curriculum at the University of Barcelona, studying chemistry,
intending to join the family cosmetics concern. However, the voice lessons
continued and his fate was sealed in 1971 when he won the Verdi Singing
Competition in Parma, Italy. The prize included an engagement as Rodolfo
in La Boheme, a performance that prompted rapturous ovations from the
demanding Teatro Regio audience.
In 1971, he made his international debut in a concert performance of Donizetti's
Maria Stuarda at the Festival Hall, London. Successes in important roles
at opera houses around the world soon broadened his reputation. He sang
his first Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with the New York City Opera in
1972; his Metropolitan debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca came in 1974, the
same year that he triumphed at London's Covent Garden, Vienna's Staatsoper,
and Milan's Scala in Un Ballo in Maschera. By 1975, he had conquered all
the world's leading stages.
Herbert von Karajan invited Mr. Carreras to sing in Verdi's Requiem during
the 1976 Salzburg Easter Festival. Performances and recordings of various
works followed, during which the maestro and the tenor cultivated an intense
artistic collaboration and close friendship that was to last the next
twelve years.
Recent triumphs include Fedora at La Scala and Verdi's Stiffelio at Covent
garden, an universally acclaimed performance, for which he was awarded
the 1992/93 Sir Lawrence Oliver Award. He also served as Musical Director
for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games
in his beloved native city of Barcelona.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Carerras has made a prodigious number
of recordings, including more than 50 complete operas and 40 classical
and popular recitals. He has forayed into lighter repertoire, encompassing
Spanish and Italian songs, works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rogers and Hammerstein's
South Pacific, the multiple award-winning recording West Side Story, conducted
by composer Leonard Berstein and a tribute to his early vocal inspiration,
Mario Lanza. Several of these recordings have achieved gold and platinum
status.
Many video recordings of his performances in leading roles are also available.
His video portrait, A Life Story won the international Emmy Award and
he has also made a motion picture, Romanza Final, in which he portrays
the life of tenor Julian Gayarre. Public awareness of his courageous struggle
against a near-fatal encounter with leukemia in 1987 inspired millions.
In 1988, The José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation was
established in Barcelona. With the collaboration of a highly qualified
worldwide team, including Professor E.D. Thomas, the winner of the 1990
Nobel Prize for Medicine, Mr. Carreras successfully governs his organization
as its president. His autobiography, "José Carreras, Singing
from the Soul," tells the extraordinary story of his life and career,
his illness and his devotion to his family and children. José Carreras
is a hero for our time, a sensitive artist and courageous humanitarian,
who has enriched the world with his considerable gifts.