Genis Carreras

Caballé is regal, and her final scene is a miracle of soft sweet inwardness.
The Naples years, 1815 to 1822, are at the very centre of Rossini's creative life. It is here that genius—''I had facility and lots of instinct''—was put to school. And firmly so: the serious masterpieces of the Naples years take as their subjects the Bible and Shakespeare, Scott and Racine, Tasso and English historical romance.

– Richard Osborne, Gramophone [12/1992]

Otello (Naples 1816)…has a strong cast, headed by Carreras's searingly noble Moor. The Desdemona is Frederica von Stade: chaste and as luminous as a sculpture in Carrara marble. The set also displays casting in depth. In Rossini's day Naples was awash with great tenors, a situation that nowadays creates prodigious difficulties. Yet both the Iago, Gianfranco Pastine, and the Rodrigo, Salvatore Fisichella, emerge with honour, barely bloodied and never for a moment bowed by Rossini's terrible arsenal of vocal effects. ''They have been crucifying Otello into an opera,'' wrote Byron in 1818. Well, yes and no. By all means treat Acts 1 and 2 as flashy rodomontade, but Act 3 is glorious, inspired enough and sufficiently close to Shakespeare to have been a near fatal deterrant to what Verdi called his own ''chocolate project''. I thrilled to it afresh—off-stage Gondolier and all—in these brilliant new CD transfers. (Richard Osborne, Gramophone)

Another Verdi triumph from the archives of La Scala, this 1984 production of one of the master's early popular successes showcases José Carreras's truly glorious instrument, a tenor voice of loveliness and delicacy that, in its abbreviated prime, was one of the true operatic glories. He sounds superb as the hero, Oronte, and, as his paramour Giselda, Ghena Dimitrova nearly matches Carreras's ringingly beautiful tone: their wonderful Act 4 duet is almost too much of a good thing. –Kevin Filipski

El Alhambrismo es un movimiento surgido del culto a lo exótico promovido por los viajeros que visitan nuestro país y difunden la imagen de la España romántica. En concreto, el Alhambrismo musical del siglo XIX fue una moda, un tipo de sonoridad que enlaza con la tendencia pintoresquista y con la recuperación de ambientes de la música española de la primera mitad del siglo.

This is my favorite production of Lucia di Lammermoor on DVD. If you're not familiar with the opera, it wouldn't be the best choice because there are no subtitles. Although the picture can be a bit grainy, the all-important sound quality is fine. Jose Carreras, as Edgardo, is the star of this production. His final scene (staged next to Lucia's deathbed) is as powerful as Lucia's Mad Scene. Carreras' voice flows so naturally from him that it can appear effortless. His voice is full but also beautifully delicate and vulnerable. His acting is restrained but expressive; it's never overwrought (as we sometimes see today) no matter how emotional the scene. This is a great opportunity to see the least famous of The Three Tenors in an opera on DVD…

By Toni Bernhard