Josep Carreras: "Il Video della Settimana": Josep Carreras sings the chinese folk song "A Faraway Place"

Josep Carreras, in his own words

There is something in life, in my life, that was able to overcome this extraordinary passion I have for singing, and especially lyrical singing. Whenever the Foundation succeed in finding a compatible donor for patients awaiting a transplant, or every time we make progress in scientific research thanks to one of our scholarships, or when leukaemia patients are treated in transplant units or clinics that we have helped to finance, I feel enormously happy. Thanks to my profession, I am privileged to help or, at least, try to help people in need. In 1987, I became ill with leukaemia. During my illness I was lucky enough to have a family who supported me throughout, to have an extraordinary medical team, in addition to the spontaneous support and sympathy of the general public. This allowed me to maintain my morale and it gave me the necessary energy and determination to fight leukaemia. On July 14th 1988, with the support of my family, eminent scientists and business people, I had the opportunity to create the International Foundation for the Fight Against Leukaemia. Our Foundation focuses on four main areas: supporting scientific research, providing infrastructures for healthcare centres and hospitals, and searching for bone marrow and stem cell donors. All this in addition to offering social services for leukaemia patients and their families. The main mission of the Foundation is to support scientific research. The Josep Carreras Foundation for the Fight Against Leukaemia was born to help make Leukaemia a completely curable disease for everyone and in all cases. Our work will not stop until our goal becomes a reality.

Thank you Maria and Pippa for the English translation.

domenica 1 aprile 2012

"Il Video della Settimana": Josep Carreras sings the chinese folk song "A Faraway Place"

Benvenuti per un nuovo Video della Settimana.

La scelta di quest'oggi lasciava spazio a poche altre alternative tenendo presente che quest'oggi Josep ha tenuto il concerto presso la Grande Sala del Popolo di Pechino, prima tra le due date cinesi previste per questo inizio di aprile. Avevo già l'idea da qualche giorno, ma ero in cerca di una versione particolare: proprio due giorni fa la stavo cercando tra i video, senza realizzare che era stata cantata esattamente due anni prima, lo stesso giorno. Parlo della performance di Josep Carreras presso il Musikverein di Vienna per l'EXPO di Shanghai, insieme a Zu Hai, cantante di brani folk cinese. Si trattò di un concerto basato su canzoni cinesi, con qualche incursione occidentale da parte di Carreras che, solo, si esibì con Rosó e Core 'ngrato.

Cantarono in duetto un brano, lo stesso che vi voglio proporre questa domenica, e che con ogni probabilità sarà stato cantato oggi da Carreras, come previamente annunciato nella conferenza stampa: "A faraway place". Molte coincidenze su questo brano: il mio ricordo del concerto al Musikverein con l'immagine Josep che leggeva prudentemente il testo da un foglio, quella del concerto tenutosi esattamente due anni prima, e la menzione di questo sia nel documentario mandato in onda a fine gennaio per promuovere il concerto, sia nella conferenza stampa di venerdì, per altro giorno in cui sono cominciate le mie ricerche di questo preciso video, assistita da Eva. E se non bastasse, Zu Hai era presente anche al concerto di oggi.

L'unico inconveniente, è che nel video che stavo cercando tanto disperatamente non c'è che un breve frammento di quella canzone, cosa che mi costringe ad aggiungere la versione intera cantata solo da Josep, da youtube... ma si tratta di solo audio. Che dire, godetevele entrambe!!

Chinese folk song concert held in Vienna CCTV-International

Spero che abbiate apprezzato, del resto questo era l'unico brano in cinese che potessi ricordare. Con il vivo augurio che il concerto di quest'oggi si sia trasformato in un autentico successo, vi auguro una buona settimana e vi rimando all'appuntamento di domenica prossima, Santa Pasqua, per un altro video.

Key facts:

Welcome for another Video of the Week.

Today's choice leaves no alternatives because of the concert Josep has offered today at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. A couple of days ago I was looking for a particular version of this song, but I didn't realised that concert took place right two years before that day. I'm talking about the chinese folk song concert that took place at the Musikverein in Vienna, in which Josep performed with chinese folk singer Zu Hai. They sing in duet the chinese folk song that Josep must have sung even today, as he had previously announced during the press conference: A faraway place. Lots of coincidence about this song: my memory about a specific image in which Josep sang this song with Zu Hai reading the lyrics on a paper, the fact that the same concert took place two years before the day I was desperately looking for the video, the fact that Josep mentioned this song both in the promotional program broadcasted in late January and in the press conference last Friday, the same day I was looking for it with Eva's help. And if it's not enough, Zu Hai has sung with Josep today in the Great Hall of People.

Pity that the video about the Musikverein concerts shows only a little fragment of this song, so I have to add the whole version of it sung by Josep only: there is a video on youtube, but with no image of Josep. What else? Enjoy both of them!!

I hope that you have appreciated today's choice, as it was the only chinese song I could remember. I hope and strongly believe that today's concert has turned into a great success, and I wish you all a nice week. See you next Sunday, Easter day, with another video!!