In his teens, Carreras studied at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. He made his debut at the Liceu as Flavio in Norma, coming to the attention of the famous soprano Montserrat Caballé, who sang the title role. She invited him to sing in a production of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, his first major breakthrough.
Carreras also sang with Caballé in his 1971 London stage debut at age 24, a concert performance of Maria Stuarda. In subsequent years, the two singers sang in more than fifteen different operas together.
In 1972, he made his American debut as Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. In 1974, he made his debut at the Vienna State Opera as the Duke of Mantua, as Alfredo in La Traviata at the Royal Opera House and as Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. The following year, Carreras made his debut at La Scala as Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera. By the age of 28, Carreras had sung the lead tenor in twenty-four different operas. During the 1970s, Carreras's collaborations with fiery Hungarian soprano Sylvia Sass - both on stage and in the recording studio - were among the highlights of his amazing career.
In 1987, at the height of his career, Carreras was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was given a 1 in 10 chance of survival. After enduring almost a year of treatment including radiation, chemotherapy, and an autologous bone marrow transplant, he was able to resume his singing career.
In 1988, he founded the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation, a charity which gives financial support to leukemia research and the registration of bone marrow donors. Since 1995, he has presented a yearly live televised benefit gala concert in Leipzig to raise funds for the foundation. Over 62 million euros have been raised by this event. Star guests in the 2006 gala will be Udo Jürgens, Paul Young, Robin Gibb, Peter Maffay, Udo Lindenberg, Rosenstolz, Evelin, Klaus Meine, Ben, Annett Louisan, Stefan Gwildis and Nina Hagen, accompanied by the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg under the direction of Scott Lawton.
In 1990, hundreds of millions of people around the world watched The Three Tenors (Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti) give a concert at the opening of the World Cup in Rome. It was originally conceived to raise money for Carreras' foundation and also as a way for his colleagues, Domingo and Pavarotti, to welcome their colleague back to the world of opera.
In addition to opera, Carreras has also performed lighter genres such as Zarzuela. He also recorded West Side Story with conductor Leonard Bernstein.
Carreras is mostly admired for his Verdi and Puccini roles.
E Lucevan Le Stelle
José Carreras Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E olezzava la terra...
Stridea l'uscio dell'orto
E un passo sfiorava la rena...
Entrava ella, fragante,
Mi cadea fra le braccia...
Oh, dolci baci, o languide carezze,
Mentr'io fremente
Svanì per sempre il sogno mio d'amore...
L'ora è fuggita e muoio disperato,
E muoio disperato!
E non ho amato mai tanto la vita...
Tanto la vita!
The lyrics to Jose Carreras's song E lucevan le stelle express the deep sorrow and regret of a man who has lost everything he held dear. The first two lines, "E lucevan le stelle... E olezzava la terra..." (And the stars were shining... And the earth was fragrant...) describe the beauty of the night, which once brought him such joy. However, the following lines, "Stridea l'uscio dell'orto/E un passo sfiorava la rena..." (The gate of the garden creaked/And a footstep grazed the sand...) hint at the presence of someone who has come to see him. The next line, "Entrava ella, fragante," (She came in, fragrant,) tells us that it is a woman whom the singer loves deeply.
As the woman falls into his arms, the singer expresses his joy at their reunion: "Mi cadea fra le braccia.../Oh, dolci baci, o languide carezze, /Mentr'io fremente/Le belle forme disciogliea dai veli!" (She fell into my arms.../Oh, sweet kisses, languid caresses, /While I trembling/Unveiled her beautiful form!) However, these moments of happiness are short-lived, as the singer laments that his dream of love has vanished forever: "Svanì per sempre il sogno mio d'amore.../L'ora è fuggita e muoio disperato,/E muoio disperato!" (My dream of love has vanished forever.../The hour has fled and I die in despair,/And I die in despair!) The final line, "E non ho amato mai tanto la vita.../Tanto la vita!" (And I have never loved life so much.../So much!) suggests that the singer has come to understand the full value of life, but too late to save himself from his despair.
Line by Line Meaning
E lucevan le stelle...
The stars were shining brightly...
E olezzava la terra...
And the earth was filling with fragrance...
Stridea l'uscio dell'orto
The garden gate creaked...
E un passo sfiorava la rena...
And a footstep brushed the sand...
Entrava ella, fragante,
She entered, fragrant,
Mi cadea fra le braccia...
Falling into my arms...
Oh, dolci baci, o languide carezze,
Oh, sweet kisses, languorous caresses,
Mentr'io fremente
As I was trembling,
Le belle forme disciogliea dai veli!
I was undressing her beautiful form from its veils!
Svanì per sempre il sogno mio d'amore...
My dream of love vanished forever...
L'ora è fuggita e muoio disperato,
The hour has fled and I die in despair,
E muoio disperato!
And I die in despair!
E non ho amato mai tanto la vita...
And I have never loved life so much...
Tanto la vita!
So much life!
Contributed by Aiden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fernandopinheirobb
E LUCEVAN LE STELLE
E Lucevan Le Stelle, da ópera Tosca, de Puccini, perfumada
A Terra onde se via estrelas brilhantes. O portão no jardim
Se abriu. Com doces beijos e carícias lânguidas, a amada
Deixou cair os véus, e se entregou aos beijos sem fim
Que o tempo depois colocou nos apetrechos de viagem.
Aproveitar a oportunidade de ter deleites é dádiva única
Nos momentos em que é bem difícil haver a mensagem
Idêntica a outra história de amor escrita em bela crônica.
A ária "E Lucevan le Stelle", da ópera Tosca, de Puccini, brilha
No céu, na terra e no mar, onde tudo passa a ser o melhor,
Se ligando, em plenitude, aos eflúvios que é uma maravilha,
Levando a luz na atmosfera psíquica do planeta que agoniza
Em sua parte mais sofrida e renasce com encantos e sem dor
Num belo momento que, hoje em dia e amanhã, se eterniza. (*)
(*) FERNANDO PINHEIRO, presidente da Academia de Letras dos Funcionários do Banco do Brasil. - E LUCEVAN LE STELLE (poesia), de Fernando Pinheiro. - in O mundo de Morfeu, de Fernando Pinheiro.
@bethfiori4708
Jose Carreras is the only one who sounds so exquisite and so visceral at the same time. I never tire of being transported by his voice or of watching him perform.
@miriambertram2448
Perhaps surviving cancer added something
@user-pn7gm7zl8b
Ma sei serio,si è bravo ma mai quanto Pavarotti
@amprofa
No lui in questa aria è decisamente il migliore: delicato e intenso allo stesso tempo, espressivo e pucciniano fino al midollo. Un incanto!
@marcelosabino9273
Carreras é il tenore piu esperssivo di tutti ancora oggi ! il suo fraseggio , é molto melodioso ! Un grande Maestro !!!@@amprofa
@katef6154
He sounds as if his heart is breaking - superb interpretation just out of this world
@tainteddreams9117
So true! That's why he is my favourite out of the three.
@lebletcher
I am in pieces, like his magnificent heart
@tainteddreams9117
Oh, Mr. Carreras, how your heavenly voice can deeply touch me and my very soul. Bravo maestro!
@muratayhan1516
Haven't seen such an incredible swallowing fading technique and then powerful tonality...Far the best🌹