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.
Turandot: Nessun dorma
José Carreras Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu pure, o, Principessa,
nella tua fredda stanza,
guardi le stelle
che tremano d'amore
e di speranza.
Ma il mio mistero e chiuso in me,
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo diró
quando la luce splenderá!
Ed il mio bacio sciogliera il silenzio
che ti fa mia!
(Il nome suo nessun saprá!...
e noi dovrem, ahimé, morir!)
Dilegua, o notte!
Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle!
All'alba vinceró!
vinceró, vinceró!
The lyrics of the song "Nessun Dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, as performed by José Carreras, speak of a prince who is determined to win the heart of the Princess Turandot. The opening line, "Nessun Dorma," is Italian for "No one sleeps," and refers to the fact that the prince is completely focused on the task at hand, which is to conquer Turandot's heart. He addresses Turandot directly in the second line, referring to her as a princess who is alone in her cold room, gazing up at the stars that "tremble with love and hope."
The third and fourth lines reveal the prince's innermost thoughts and desires. He says that his mystery is kept within him, and that no one knows his name. He then declares that he will reveal his name to Turandot only when the sun shines and the world is filled with light. He goes on to say that his kiss will break the silence that keeps Turandot from being his.
The final lines of the song are a triumphant declaration of victory. The prince calls on the night to disappear and the stars to fade away, because at dawn he will be victorious. He repeats the word "vinceró" three times, emphasizing his confidence and determination to win Turandot's love.
Line by Line Meaning
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
No one shall sleep! No one shall sleep!
Tu pure, o, Principessa,
You too, oh Princess,
nella tua fredda stanza,
in your cold room,
guardi le stelle
you gaze at the stars
che tremano d'amore
which tremble with love
e di speranza.
and with hope.
Ma il mio mistero e chiuso in me,
But my mystery is locked inside me,
il nome mio nessun saprá!
No one will know my name!
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo diró
No, I will reveal it only when
quando la luce splenderá!
the light shines!
Ed il mio bacio sciogliera il silenzio
And my kiss will dissolve the silence
che ti fa mia!
that makes you mine!
(Il nome suo nessun saprá!...
(No one will know his name!...
e noi dovrem, ahimé, morir!)
And we too shall die!)
Dilegua, o notte!
Vanish, o night!
Tramontate, stelle!
Fade away, stars!
Tramontate, stelle!
Fade away, stars!
All'alba vinceró!
At dawn, I will win!
vinceró, vinceró!
I will win, I will win!
Writer(s): Giacomo Puccini, Renato Simoni, Giuseppe Adami
Contributed by Adrian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nuriya la Tanita
My favourite version of this piece. Subtlety, tenderness, depth and nuance from
Carreras - unparalleled!!
MJL
One of the best ever rendition of Nessun Dorma.. That high note at the end was smooth
HOUSE18011991
One of the best versions of this aria!!!!! The trembling of his voice approaching the end is just majestic.......
Mauricio Cotapos
Una versión excepcional de carreras de esta maravillosa Aria. Con fuerza, expresividad y una hermosísima voz. Excelente!
Phaedrax2
Much as I love the 'definitive' version by Pavarotti - this one by Jose' is my personal favourite - magnificent!
katspray
Phaedrax2 I agree Jose has the emotion : )
Estelle Griffiths
Mine too ❤️
Mauricio López
Comparto tu opinión.
Manuel Odabashian
Me too
Maya
I agree. Jose just evokes more emotion and he is so sweet. He really went through a lot of tough times too