The 1999-2000 season at the Metropolitan Opera veritably ended on Saturday, May 6th, with a performance of Wagner's Gotterdammerung as part of the company's third complete Ring Cycle. Thursday night's Gala event at the House, then, should be judged for what it was, and that is a commemoration of the artistry of three of the greatest singers to have graced the stage of that House in its last thirty years. As many who have attended such performances can certainly testify, often Galas and special concerts lack musical and artistic integrity and only succeed in bringing the audience "cheaper" thrills, such as this or that aria or a star singer making an appearance. While Thursday night provided yet another ideal background for the aforesaid scenario, the unadulterated magic of opera did its trick and saved the performance. While the program, comprising three separate acts from Andrea Chenier, Carmen and Turandot, was quite interesting from a vocal standpoint, it offered little exposure to the three heroes who were being honored in the evening, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. It was indeed an evening of concentrated effort, most notably in the first two segments.

Mr. Domingo was in fine vocal shape as Chenier, although it should be noted that he lacked the revolutionary ardor proper to his character. While only a handful of tenors in our modern history have been able to do true justice to the role in all of its complexities and subtleties, one could have expected more from Domingo's artistry. Yet, after another grandiose season at the Opera House, concluded on a note of literal triumph with three spellbinding performances of Die Walkure, the Spanish tenor offered his beloved audience much of the technical prowess and musical sensitivity that is allowing such an extraordinary career. As recently seen in Otello and Pagliacci at the House, Mr. Domingo sang some passages of the role's taxing dramatic-spinto tessitura in a lowered key, and received substantial help from Levine's attentive and compassionate conducting. This was most evident in "Ora soave", his amorous response to Maddalena's plea of help towards the end of the act. Placido gave his best in his earlier monolog "Credi al destino", in which he sang with stentorian authority and a noble sense of legato, the latter a true hallmark of his musicianship nowadays. On a different key, the scenery and costumes were rather dull and uninspiring (in marked contrast with the remainder of the evening), and received a rather cold reception from the audience. Daniela Dessi, the fine Italian soprano who sang the brief role of Maddalena, didn't fully rise to the occasion and sounded strained in some moments.

In an evening that was unintentionally conceived to spur memories and induce recollections of past glory days, it is difficult to comment on Jose Carreras' performance with objectivity. As previously noted, he had not sung at the Met since 1987, and there are no plans from the part of the company to hire him for any future engagements. Furthermore, Mr. Carreras has been for the most part away from the operatic stage since his miraculous recovery from leukemia, and has drastically reduced his appearances and commitment to singing. On Thursday night, he took on one of his most beloved roles, that of Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen, and provided what probably was the most climactic part of the evening. Not only was the acting fully convincing in its balanced portrayal of extreme emotions, but the singing was luscious and dramatic, despite two brief wobbles that were probably caused by the strong emotions inside him. The Carmen of the night, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, responded well and their final confrontation was full of the poignancy and sense of impending tragedy that Bizet had admirably envisioned. Mr. Carreras received multiple ovations, including a very long one when he first appeared on the stage, and looked quite moved and gratified to be at last back in that glorious house.

As the spectacle continued, it was time for a true "Three Tenors" extravaganza, Luciano Pavarotti singing "Nessun dorma". If the rest of his performance was somewhat shaky and sadly offered the worst vocal shape of the three, Mr. Pavarotti sounded resplendent in the opening aria and offered the audience a chance to yet again reminisce about what was his unique vocal glory. Yet his acting was nonexistent, and his sporadic movements tentative and devoid, alas, of any feeling for the role. From a vocal standpoint, it should be noted that Calaf in Turandot is a highly challenging role indeed, requiring ringing high notes and a voice big enough to rise above Puccini's richly textured orchestration. Even in his best years, Mr. Pavarotti never had the right voice for the role, which he only performed twice in his long career, most recently in October 1997 at the Metropolitan Opera. Given this, it was not surprising to see him struggle through the motions when the heat rose up and his Turandot, the great Wagnerian soprano Jane Eaglen, poured out her top notes. While the fundamental beauty of his tone and enunciation has remained virtually intact through the years, in more than one way his vocal performance was disappointing: there were missing lines and even more importantly he was completely overwhelmed by Eaglen, the latter also in a rather "off" night after the extraordinary feat in the Ring Cycles. On a different note, Franco Zeffirelli's scenery (also featured in the act from Carmen) was stupendous although grandiose and somewhat baroque.

It was, all in all, a night to remember. Not to much for the singing, nor for the music or the scenery, but for the enviable legacy that Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti have left behind them.