The audience got its money's worth at this concert. Carreras, of course, is not vocally perfect. The vocal problems that have plagued him in the past continue to do so, but I don't know that they really matter so much anymore. One can hear the unsteadiness at full voice, the bellowing at the top of his range, but here in an intimate recital he displays all the qualities that make him special: the charm, the intelligence, and the ability to sound like he's singing to each person individually. Barbara Frittoli sang a rather shrill Mimi on the Met broadcast last year, and her voice has an Italianate edge and quaver that some will not like, but she doesn't let Carreras down in their duets. I think she's probably more comfortable in opera. The instrumental support is strong, the sound clear and atmospheric. Texts and translations.

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