De no haber llegado a ser un cantante de opera, tal vez serìa un médico: entrevista de Carreras en Oporto

In occasione dell'investitura Honoris Causa presso l'Università di Porto, Josep Carreras rilascia questa intervista, pubblicata dalla stampa portoghese, di cui Maria ha offerto la traduzione in inglese. Ma prima: VIDEO TIME

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SHOULD I NOT BE A TENOR I WOULD BE A DOCTOR!

José Carreras does not intend to abandon opera completely, though in recent years he has slowed down the pace. This and other revelations are made by the Catalan tenor during an exclusive interview, given to Jornal de Notícias (JN).

2009-06-24 ISABEL PEIXOTO

JN - It is true that you will abandon the major Opera productions?

JC - I will not precisely leave Opera productions. I will be ready to join an opera production when the right opera appears together with the right circumstances and the right theatre. Before I retire, I will certainly be present in an opera production. That is certain. In fact, what I did these past four years was to slow down and to focus in concerts with orchestra and in recitals with piano. And this is what I will mostly do. But I do not exclude the possibility of an opera.

JN - What contribution did You give to opera in Spain and in the world?

JC - I was part of a period - the 70 and 80 decades - during which in Spain opera became increasingly popular, because there were special circumstances. By that time there was then an extraordinary group of international singers such as Caballé, Giacomo Aragall, Alfredo Kraus, Berganza, Plácido Domingo. It was a group of very popular opera singers in international terms and that gave opera and classical music in general a good boom. I was lucky enough to have been part of this group. That was my contribution.

JN - Would your life be different without the "Three Tenors" phenomenon?

JC - You never know, but I can say that our concerts were a very special experience for us all. We had the opportunity to share the stage with people whom we very admired. We were all lovers of the tenor voice. For me, being on stage with Placido and Luciano was a special experience. Then, over the years, what in the beginning was professional respect has become a very close friendship. I have only good memories of that time, the rehearsals, the travelling ...

JN - Did you sing with Placido Domingo again, after Pavarotti passed away?

JC - We sang together just once, last year, in Petra, Jordan. It was a tribute to Luciano, it was in his memory. There were other artists involved and I and Plácido we performed separately individually, but we also sang a duet in memory of Luciano.

JN - It is true that you used to sing in the bathroom, when you were a kid?

JC - Everybody does it. Don't you? (laughter)

JN - Better not answer to that ...

JC - But it is true, we all do it.

JN - By that time, you had been listening to Mario Lanza singing "La donna è mobile" in the movie "The great Caruso" ...

JC - Yes, yes, it is true. I was only six years old, but probably already had a kind of intuition for music and for singing and began to sing at home. In the bathroom ... I had to lock myself in the bathroom because my brother insisted that I should do so. They thought I was very persistent.

JN - Didn't they had faith in you?

JC - They did but later. At the time, I was just very annoying.

JN - Do you still remember when you sang for radio, with eight years old?

JC - Yes, that must have been in ... 1955, probably. I still remember. It was Christmas time. There was a popular program to raise funds for children in need and someone invited me. I sang two pieces and one was "La donna è mobile."

JN - Was it then that you started to enjoy Verdi?

JC - I was able to start very young listening to opera recordings with great artists and great tenors, in particular. Was familiar with this type of music when I was still very young.

JN - But aren't Verdi and Puccini you favourites?

JC - I suppose I sang more Verdi and Puccini than other composers, but of course I enjoy many others, not only as singer but as an opera lover. Mozart, Bellini ... But of the 27 operas written by Verdi, sang at least 24, so it is something very close to my voice and my way of feeling the music. And it is always a challenge, because it is very difficult to sing Verdi. Because it is very demanding for the singers and I think if a person can sing Verdi, he can sing anything else.

JN - How do you remember Maestro and friend Herbert von Karajan?

JC - He was a genius, a genius of music. Had an absolutely amazing talent. I must say he was someone who was a good help to the singers. He respected very much the artists, the voices. I had with him a 14 years relationship and consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him.

JN - Who is José Carreras off the stage?

JC - I am a citizen like any other. I am concerned with society, with politics, with so many things that happen every day. Basically, I am a person who enjoys reading, who enjoys listening to music. Not just classical. I like to listen to any type of music provide it has a certain standard of quality.

JN - Do you like fado?

JC - Yes, very much. Oh, yes. Oh, yes, very much. Fado is a very intimate form of expression: passionated and nostalgic, at the same time. And seems to really be coming out from the artist. And from the heart.

JN - What will the successors to Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras be?

JC - I think there is a range of very good tenors in the all world. We have people like Juan Diego Florez, Kaufmann, Alagna, a group of great voices and wonderful artists.

JN - Do you feel the need to be singing always, as when you were a child?

JC - Well, now I see things more from a professional point of view . But if I'm free for a few weeks and do not have professional commitments, I sing as I used to do before. I sing, for instance, the last song I heard on the radio. And not necessarily, Opera or classical music. Can take a music of Tom Jones and sing it. On my way, of course, and with pleasure.

JN - Are you a fan of the Barcelona?

JC - Yes, 90% of football fans in Catalonia are Barcelona supporters. The proof is that we have 165 thousand or 170 thousand members in the Barcelona Football Club and the Espanyol has only 20 mil. So, therefore, the Barcelona is the number one club in Spain and, probably, the biggest in the world.

JN - Should you not be a tenor, what would you be?

JC - Who knows? It is difficult to say. Probably, someone whose occupation would be related to some kind of art. I would express myself by some kind of art. But now, after the experience in my life, in the last 20 years, I would probably be a doctor.

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Se siete arrivati fino a questo punto vi sarete accorti che ho evidenziato le frasi chiave di questa intervista, così da riprenderle un pò.

Si comincia con il ribadire l'adesione sicura ad un progetto operistico prima di concludere la carriera, aspettando le circostanze adeguate: tempo fa si era sbilanciato nominando progetti per l'Opera di Vienna, attenderemo ulteriori od eventuali conferme.

Il suo contributo nell'opera in Spagna coincide con il rientrare nel gruppo di cantanti spagnoli con maggior popolarità, Josep cita Montserrat Caballé, Teresa Berganza, Jaume (Giacomo) Aragall, Alfredo Kraus, Placido Domingo: sono gli stessi di quel medley in occasione dei Giochi Olimpici, manca all'appello solo il baritono Joan Pons, il quale riceverà con Carreras la Medaglia d'Oro del Liceu del 2009, come anche il quotidiano La Vanguardia non ha mancato di rimarcare.

L'esperienza dei Tre Tenori è sempre ricordata con grande affetto: mutuo rispetto che gradualmente si è trasformato in un'amicizia affiatata. Dopo la morte di Luciano Pavarotti, Domingo e Carreras hanno cantato insieme a Petra "Non ti scordar di me" in occasione della commemorazione dell'amico, lo scorso ottobre.

Rivela di cantare sotto la doccia, come la stragrande maggioranza degli esseri umani, e che durante l'infanzia, questo suo ostinarsi a cantare senza interruzioni, ha suscitato la reazioni dei familiari, specie del fratello che gli ha consigliato caldamente di chiudersi in bagno. Solo in seguito lo hanno sostenuto con grande convinzione.

Verdi e Puccini sono i compositori che più volte ha rappresentato, ma non sono gli unici che ama: menziona Mozart, Bellini... come cantante e come amante dell'Opera, ma tra tutti spicca il nome di Verdi, di cui ha interpretato ben 24 opere su 27: se Verdi rientra nelle tue corde, puoi cantare tutto.

Herbert von Karajan, un genio: aveva molto rispetto e cura delle voci! Molti a leggere queste parole storgeranno il naso, sono pronta a scommetterci, ma questo è quanto, secondo Carreras.

Fuori dal palco, una persona comune, che si interessa della quotidianità, della società, della politica, che ama la lettura e la musica di qualità, non solo classica.

I successori di Pavarotti, Domingo e Carreras? Josep cita tre tra i cantanti più quotati delle ultime generazioni... Florez, Kaufmann e Alagna... ma non sono sicura che volesse dire che questi saranno i nuovi tre tenori: lui lo sa, e anche loro lo sanno... non ci saranno altri tre tenori.

Utopicamente, io... Luvi, nella mia formazione schiererei:

Rolando Villazón o Jonas Kaufmann, Juan Diego Flórez e Joseph Calleja.

Ma non ci saranno altri tre tenori, ed è giusto così.

Un estimatore del Fado, un uomo che in momenti di "vacanza" canta anche l'ultima canzone che ha sentito per radio, un grande fan del Barça... forse il più grande club del mondo, sicuramente il primo in Spagna. Un uomo che se non fosse stato un grande cantante d'opera, probabilmente avrebbe impiegato la propria sensibilità in un altro campo artistico... ma alla luce della sua esperienza forse sarebbe diventato un medico.

Eh... caro Josep... anche io sono un medico mancato! Per chi non lo sapesse, volevo fare Medicina, come mio papà. Poi il destino mi ha portata altrove. Ad ogni modo, il mondo non ha perso molto, anzi... ha guadagnato una delle voci che hanno segnato la storia...e una futura esperta in lingue straniere, si spera.