Josep Carreras: “Singing makes me feel happy! When I go on stage I am amazed that I have been able to do it once again.”

Josep Carreras met the press at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Badalona, on occasion of his upcoming concert at the Festival Castell de Peralada. 

Photo credits: Festival Castell de Peralada (Published on El Punt Avui)

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After 35 years he was diagnosed with leukaemia, the disease his Foundation has been fighting since then and he would like to be soon curable for good, he told the press he had tested positive for Covid and healed twice, luckily with no fever nor consequences.

He made his debut in Peralada in 1988, with a special recital after recovering from leukaemia. After that, he sang there again in 2000, a concert with tenor Jaume Aragall and soprano Isabel Rey.

Next August 3 he will perform once more with a kind repertoire he enjoys a lot, which includes Catalan and Neapolitan songs, and a special surprise he didn't reveal. 

During the concert, on which occasion he will be accompanied by soprano Martina Zadro and the Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu conducted by David Giménez, the Catalan living legend will be awarded with the Medal of Honor of the Peralada Festival. A double satisfaction, as such recognition comes from home and from one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe.

After a 52-year professional career, singing still makes him happy. As he reported, he is both amazed and tense each time he has the chance to perform once again. The sound of the orchestra gives you an adrenaline rush. 

For this reason, he hopes he can do it a couple of years years more, should both his physical and mental condition allow him to. 

As he explained, one thing is to perform near home like this time in Peralada) or Vila-Seca where he will perform in the concert hall which bears his name next October,) while travelling far away to perform as he mostly does is much more demanding. 

However, Carreras deeply believes in discipline and regularly trains his voice three times a week.

For example, he has planned to perform with Plácido Domingo in Tokyo next January to pay tribute to their late collegue, Luciano Pavarotti.

Though there is no final date planned that, he would love the venue to be the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, the very same of his comeback recital after his 11-month struggle with leukaemia. As recently confirmed, he already got municipal support.

There is no doubt that his career has been his life. Nevertheless, he regards his Leukaemia Foundation as something completely different. In fact, he explained that no opera house, orchestra, conductor, opera production can possibly fulfill you as much as getting to know about a young kid healing thanks to treatment. 

In his own words, "I went through hard times, as you can imagine, but for the result to be this (pointing to the institute) - this drive and determination to try to help patients who suffer from the same disease that I went through, is a real challenge for me".