"Sing 'Granada' and We'll Let You Go Home"

On the eve of the 104th Boston Marathon, audiences at Boston's Symphony Hall were treated to a marathon of song when José Carreras appeared in recital on Friday, April 14th.

Appearing less nervous and more comfortable than he did at Carnegie Hall two weeks before, Carreras once again sang sublimely. He was greeted warmly when he walked out on stage, but with a reserve one would expect from 'proper Bostonians.' However, by the end of the evening's scheduled program a now wildly enthusiastic audience was so reluctant to let him go they gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. At one point during the encores, one enthusiastic man in the audience shouted-"sing 'Granada' and we'll let you go home!" Eventually he did, but not before he sang 'Granada' and six other encore songs, including one which he sang to another enthusiastic and extroverted young man up in the first balcony.

The scheduled program consisted of songs by Scarlatti, Costa, Tosti, Denza, Granados, Gustavino, Nacho, Leoncavallo and Puccini. Unlike the Carnegie Recital, he did not sing any Catalan songs. The encores included 'A vucchella,' 'Malinconia,' 'Core ingrato,' 'With a Song in My Heart,' and 'Granada.'

Carreras moved with apparent ease from Baroque songs, to Neapolitan, and then on to Spanish. As I listened, I felt as though I was being enveloped in the richest of velvet. Each song was treated as an exquisite miniature-just the right phrasing, emotion and expression-giving the listener a perfect "picture" of what the song was saying.

Boston's Symphony Hall must be a performer's dream. A block long rectangle, Symphony Hall is considered to have the finest acoustics of any concert hall in the U.S. Although shabby and clearly in need of the $500,000 federally-funded facelift scheduled for the upcoming Centennial year, the landmark 2,600 seat hall is very warm- bathing performers and audiences alike in a warm golden glow.

The audience was a diverse group. On Friday night, Carreras fans mingled with Boston music lovers of all ages-including college students and children. Buoyed by their growing enthusiasm, Carreras did not appear to tire, as he had at Carnegie Hall, until he was into the encores. Although he was visibly tired by the time he began to sing 'Granada,' he'll still sang one more encore.

Prior to Friday night, Carreras had not sung in Boston since 1997. Hopefully, after their enthusiastic response to Friday night's recital, they won't have to wait so long for an encore.