PROVIDENCE-- Opera buffs got to see another face of José Carreras on Friday night. The famed tenor appeared at the Providence Performing Arts Center without his two sidekicks -- his partners in the trio known to all the world as The Three Tenors. And he came with a different repertoire -- no opera arias, no Nessun Dorma , no gushing rendition of O Sole Mio .

This time around, Carreras presented a tasteful, somewhat understated evening of Neapolitan and Spanish songs, 16 in all.

Although that made for a program with a lot of sameness, a certain wistful longing to the sound, no one seemed to mind, especially not the woman sitting in front of me, who chimed in as Carreras began to croon Enrico Toselli's infectious Serenata .

At the end of the recital, fans called the Spanish singer back for a couple of encores -- With A Song in My Heart among them -- then kept clapping as the house lights went up and the listeners began streaming toward the exits.

Carreras is a frail, dainty man, who is beginning to resemble New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. There was the occasional smile and "thank you" tossed to the audience, but for most of the night, Carreras stood in the crook of the black grand piano, fidgeting with his cuffs and looking lost in thought.

He sang unmiked, which was fine for those sitting in the front of the house. But his light, lyric tenor had trouble carrying to the back of the 3,200-seat theater. His accompanist, Lorenzo Bavaj, could have used a bigger piano, as well.

Although Carreras doesn't have a particularly big sound, his voice is still a fine instrument, free of wobbles and harshness and capable of wonderful interpretive subtleties. He managed to float his voice nicely in a set of Tosti songs, pulling up, then diving back into the music with relish.

Since most this music was fairly obscure, it would have been nice if the lyrics, or at least a summary of the songs, had been provided.

According to the program notes, Boston classical radio announcer Ray Brown was to have hosted the event. Presumably, Brown would have provided some of that information. But Brown was a no-show, and no reason was given for his absence.

Copyright © 2001 Providence Journal