The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan)
November 25, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition
JOSE CARRERAS COLLECTION
Montserrat Caballe & Jose Carreras
ArtHaus Music
Rating 4 (out of five)
I had the impression that it was the delightful Three Tenors series
that brought Jose Carreras back to the stage after his battle with
leukemia. However, the beloved Spanish tenor had returned for the
Salzburg Festival of 1989, just three weeks after he was pronounced
recovered. A month later, as captured in this DVD, he sang a benefit
concert in the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre with his mentor and compatriot
Montserrat Caballe. The performance was for the aid of victims of the
great Armenian earthquake the previous winter.
The recording is a gem, visually and acoustically, giving a good view
of the Bolshoi’s glittering ballet theatre. Above all, it is the
fidelity of the singers’ voices that is important, and the fine,
sensitive piano accompaniment by Miguel Zannetti. Carreras and
Caballe sing a variety of Spanish and Italian solos and duets, with a
scattering of operatic arias, including the show-stopping "O Mio
Babbino Caro," from Puccini’s "Gianni Schicchi."
— David Green