Sometimes I believe that I perceive each of the Three Tenors in a different way from others, so I thought I would explore the sense(s) in which I hear each of them - now and in the past - as incomplete artists.   Note that I have never heard Carreras on stage, so please take my comments on him in that light.   Note, too, that I am emphasizing here the differences, not the similarities, of three accomplished and highly regarded singers.   None mangles the music beyond recognition, sings ugly tones throughout his range, or performs with cold disregard of the character or composer.

Domingo: The musician. He knows his instrument, his roles and the best way to apply one to the other.   He always sings within his limits and finds a way to present the music honestly in spite of limitations.   Abstractly, he lacks the volume and the squillo for many roles; in practice, he is more reliable and predictable than inspiring.   This is the brain.

Pavarotti: The voice.   He has (or has had) an instrument of remarkable range and beauty, comparable with the best of recorded history.   I am always conscious when listening to him that I am hearing Pavarotti, not the character he is portraying or the music of the composer.   His display of passion is overt but superficial, seeming to be pasted onto the vocal content.   This is the throat.

Carreras: The character.   He sings from his soul and persuades the listener that he is the person he is portraying.   He is prepared to distort his voice and the music to fit the portrayal, which can be painful when he assumes roles heavier than his voice will bear.   Carreras' passion is always convincing - I suspect because it is real.   This is the heart.

Of course, we want our tenor to be a musician with voice and characterization.   Fortunately, different roles impose differing demands and one can find recordings of each of the Big Three which are outstanding.   Domingo's interpretations of Otello are rightly praised: all are lyric rather than declamatory, and having so many different performances allows one to see how his interpretation has evolved with his voice.   Pavarotti seems to me to have allowed little change in his portrayals over the years so that as his voice has evolved his performances have become less satisfying.   Carreras has been growing ever more passionate as his voice has become less responsive.

One can see each of these tenors at his best on more-or-less available videos.   (As usual, I am not sure what is available from what sources at any time.)   My choices? For Domingo, the La Scala "Otello" with Freni under Kleiber; for Pavarotti, the first Met "Elisir" with Blegen; for Carreras, the Met "Boheme" with Stratas. One can also see them pairwise in the same opera: Domingo and Carreras as Stiffelio; Pavarotti and Domingo as Cavaradossi; Carreras and Pavarotti as Rodolfo.

As a footnote, the above may make it clear why I believe that Caruso stood alone among the tenors who have been recorded.   His characterizations are incomplete in the operatic fragments that were recorded, but there are enough of Martha, Faust and some other works to suggest interpretation and enough differences among his multiple recordings of a single aria to see his evolution.   His voice and musicianship are self-evident (at least, I find them so).   On top of those, he offered remarkable technical command and an exceptional diversity of roles.   But there was only one Caruso, and he has been gone for more than three quarters of a century.   He may have been an ideal combination of the art and craft of tenoring, but those we have today offer at least components on a high level indeed.

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