After a four-year absence from its stage, José Carreras returned to Carnegie Hall. It was magic.

The recital also marked Carreras's first appearance on stage since his surgery in January. He appeared thinner and still limped, although less noticeably than he has for the past couple of years, and seemed nervous and apprehensive, but when he opened his mouth to sing the voice was-as someone said-"like a silken thread." A thread of burnished golden silk that floated magically through the air all evening.

Carreras began the program with Scarlatti's 'Già il sole dal gange.' I have, on more than one occasion; wondered about the wisdom of beginning a recital with this song, but on Friday night it was perfect. He then sang, 'O cessate di piagarmi,' also by Scarlatti. Songs by Costa, Tosti and Denza followed.

The second half of the program I found even more enjoyable. He began with a rendition of Granados's 'Andaluza' that was so evocative of Spain, that I wanted to fly to Spain as soon as the concert ended. 'Andaluza' was followed by Guastavino's 'La rosa y el sauce,' and Nacho's 'Tengo nostalgia de ti.' The Catalan songs 'Festeig' and 'Maig' were next. These were followed by songs by Leoncavallo and Puccini.

Then came the encores. The one that stands out in my mind is Rodrigo's 'Aranjuez'. The sheer beauty of Friday night's rendition of this just blew me away. Then, all too soon, the evening's music was over.

A number of the songs-those by Denza, Tosti's 'Because,' and Granados's 'Andaluza' were completely new to me; while others, like Scarlatti's 'O cessate di piagarmi,' I'd either only heard on CD or had not heard in recital for awhile. One can't help but wonder why Carreras has never recorded 'Andaluza.' Hopefully, this will become part of the regular Carreras repertoire. Tosti's 'Because,' not to be confused with either Brodsky's 'Because you're mine' or d'Hardelot's 'Because', was also well received.

The formal program began and ended with standing ovations-and not just from 'the fans' that the critics are so fond of deriding. Many of the men in the audience were shouting 'Bravo' as enthusiastically as the women. Although he appeared to physically tire about midway through the evening, the voice remained strong and sweet until the very last note. Once again, as he has been for the past decade, Carreras was accompanied by the wonderful Italian accompanist and pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj.

All in all, a magical evening.