World-class tenor Jose Carreras set foot for the fifth time on Taiwan soil Monday. He flew straight to Kaohsiung to prepare for his first concert in the southern harbor city on Wednesday. Fans in Taipei will have to wait until October 21 to hear him at the National Concert Hall in Taipei. The event, which is almost sold-out, is sponsored by Lexus.

The concert on October 17 at the Chung Cheng Cultural Center's Chih Te Hall in Kaohsiung will also be broadcast live on big screens outside the concert venue.

Carreras has heard about how the people in Taiwan are still recovering from recent typhoons and floods. As a result, he will sing a Spanish song of prayer titled "Pregaria" for his encore number. The Spanish tenor will dedicate it to the people still reeling from the natural calamities when he steps out of the cultural center to greet his fans on Wednesday night, announced the Management of New Art.

Carreras will also sing a surprise Chinese song. He must have been practicing. On a previous visit, he revealed that he would not sing in Chinese unless he could do it justice.

Carreras' concert will include Bellini's "Dolente immagine di fille mia" and "Fenestra che lucive," Costa's "Luna nove" and "Era de maggio," Tosti's "Non t'amo piu" and "Because," as well as Denza's "Si tu m'aimais" and "Vieni." He will also vocalize Ramirez's "Alfonsia y el Mar," Granados' "Andaluza," Leoncavalla's "La Chanson des Jeux," "Declaration" and "Serenade Napolitaine," Toselli's "Serenata," Rendine's "Vurria" and Gastaldon's "Musica prohibita."

The live broadcast has been made possible by the Council for Cultural Affairs and the Public Television Service. Carreras was last in New York, where he just concluded a 10-day stay.

While in New York, he gave a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall October 11. He used his beautiful voice to comfort and soothe the spirit of New Yorkers exactly a month after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

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