Standing up, applauding louder and louder, we did all we could to make him come back to the stage after every encore. We must have done a great job; he kept coming back and back and back, six times all together. Yes! The six encores made Part III of otherwise short (approximately 1 hour) recital complete. During the encores, Mr. Carreras looked happy in his exchange with the enthusiastic fans running toward him with flowers and gifts. He looked particularly amused with a stuffed bear from an imaginative fan. With a big smile, he tried to put the bear inside his jacket first, then put it toward Mr. Bavaj's face and let it sit on top of the piano facing the pianist. More fans ran toward the stage, while many in the seats started taking pictures of him, completely ignoring the "No Picture Taking" sign. Flash! Flash! Flash! It was a great ending of the first night of José Carreras' Japan Tour (Nov. 12, 15, 18, 22).

From the beginning to the end, he was in the groove, singing songs of Latin composers (Toldra, Denza, Turina, Granados, and de Falla). His voice had lot of youngish energy and his usual passion was present, strong and real. He seemed in good condition to my eyes as well as ears. Before the show, I had the worry of seeing a pale, thin man limping in pain. Forget it. Although he stood in a position to protect his right leg - with his right hand on the piano for support, leaning a little bit forward - his pain was not obvious to my relief.

His voice warmed up gradually and got stronger as time went by. Although he started out with a very serious look, even a little bit tense, more smiles came out as he moved through the program.

I found the 50-page, large-magazine-sized program very useful although it was outrageously priced (like everything else in Tokyo ) at $20. The program lists all the songs he will sing in Japan, with lyrics, Japanese translation and brief explanations about the songs and composers. It also has many good pictures of him. According to this book, Carreras has made Programs A, B and C for his Japan Tour. The first night was Program A, which has five parts.

[Program A in order]

• Eduardo Toldra: Festeig, Romanc de Santa Llucia, Maig, Canco de grumet
• Luigi Denza: Se'Occhi di fata, Si tu m'aimais, Vieni
• Joaquin Turina: Nunca Olvida, Los dos miedos, Las locas por amor
• Enrique Granados: Andaluza
• Manuel De Falla: Las siete canciones (1. El pano moruno, 2. Seguidilla murciana, 3. Asturiana, 4. Jota, 5. Nana, 6. Cancion, 7. Polo).

Encores:

• En Aranjuez con tu Amor,
• Malinconia D'amore,
• A Vucchella,
• Musica Proibita,
• Voce e Notte,
• Granada.

Briefly, the first set (Catalan songs) was a nice introduction because of the familiarity (and perhaps a good warming up for his voice). The second set was quite dramatic, and his singing was powerful, with ever building energy. We heard some "bravos" after the first two songs of this set. All the songs after the intermission, except Andaluza which was in his album "Pure Passion", were new to me. I particularly liked the seven short Spanish songs with mysterious lyrics. They sounded like a little suite telling a complete story. What a treat!

Tonight's venue, Suntory Hall, has one of the best acoustics in Tokyo. (So much so that his pianissimo gave me a piercing sensation many times). As a first-timer to José Carreras recital, I discovered his raw voice without microphone much warmer and more flesh-and-blood than recording.) The hall seats about 1500 people: nice and cozy. Imagine an ancient Greek theater rebuilt indoors in a super modern design. The two-story audience area surrounds the semi-circular stage, which is spacious for a man and a piano. Because of the design, some people sit behind the stage, although at a higher level, looking down at the singer's back most of the time. He dedicated the encore, A Vucchella, to these people, turning his back to the rest of us. It was nice of him to do that. During that song, we learned how things looked like from their viewpoint.

Allow me to sidetrack a bit here. He was also nice to the Japanese lady who was turning pages for Mr. Bavaj. He gestured to the audience for an applause for her as well, after he did the same for Mr. Bavaj. He also tried to let her walk ahead of him at the stage door. To let her go first, he stopped short in a humorous way, giving us audience a good laugh. Nice guy! There were also humorous exchange between the tenor and the pianist, and the two were in perfect synch musically all through the recital.

The hall was almost full, but it bothered me to see five consecutive empty seats in the 5th and 12th (I guess) rows in the center. I always hate to see good seats wasted (very likely by business people who received gift tickets).

After the show, something least expected happened to me and my girlfriend. We were some of the last people who left the concert hall after lots of fussing, going to the rest room, buying a CD etc. When we went down to the parking lot without expecting anything, we found a short line of people, less than 30, waiting at a door. In a minute or so, Mr. Carreras, Pat with that cute stuffed bear in her hands, and others came out. He decided to take time to give everybody there his autograph. I couldn't believe my eyes! He was right there in front of me. When my turn for the autograph receiving came, my knees were shaking. I was so excited that I couldn't say a word. Shaking his warm soft hand with a foolish smile on was the only thing I could do. Duh! Now my $20 program is priceless with the signatures of two great musicians. I only wish I could have stayed longer in Tokyo to see Programs B and C.