As a French native I was very happy when in 1984 José Carreras recorded beautiful arias from the French repertoire with the conductor Jacques Delacote and the Royal Opera House Orchestra I remembered to buy the LP as soon as it was available in the record shops and since then I have listened to it a hundred times, so much that if I had a tenor voice I could easily interpret all these arias, at least for the lyrics!

This recording includes well known arias but also less well known. One of the most represented composers is one of my favourites - Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893) with Faust, Romeo et Juliette and Polyeucte. If everyone knows Faust and Romeo et Juliette, it is not the same for Polyeucte. I was more than happy to see (and especially to hear) that José Carreras had the professionalism to interpret, nowadays, the "Stances" from Polyeucte, an aria that has been only recorded (If I am not mistaken) after the Second World War by the French tenor José Luccioni. Perhaps he didn't bring the heroism that Luccioni had but his effort is more than meritorious. Meritorious because it's not at all an easy aria for an opera that has been performed only 29 times.

If we could enjoy a live performance of Romeo et Juliette from the Liceu what a pity that José Carreras refused to record Faust with Colin Davis, what a wonderful Faust he could be! From Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912), we have Le Cid , Herodiade and Sapho (another Sapho has been composed by Charles Gounod but with a completely different plot).

I have a weakness for Herodiade, especially when Jean is sung by Carreras. For this role, he is not a tenor, an artist, an opera singer, no, he is Jean. He knows very well that his particular way of singing brings a lot of spirituality to his character, not always a easy thing because a lot of sensitivity is required for that. I heard many, many tenors in this aria and Carreras's interpretation is at the summit, especially because he takes the time to interpret the music.

I must confess that Sapho was for me a "new opera" as I was totally unaware of this work. The plot is from the French writer Alfonse Daudet, a Provençal native who has perfectly drawn the particularities and the charm of the French region of Provence. With Jean's aria "Qu'il est loin mon pays" it's easy to imagine the Provence landscapes with the song of the cicadas. But the most extraordinary thing about Carreras's interpretation is that with his personal way of expressing the lyrics we could easily think of the so well known "South of France accent".

Then, we enjoy La Juive from Jacques Fromental Halévy (1799 - 1862), l'Africaine from Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 - 1864), Carmen from Bizet ( 1838 - 1875 ) and Le Roi d'Ys from Edouart Lalo (1823 - 1892). This French composer is, in general, very well known for his superb work "The Spanish Symphony". Le Roi d'Ys, an opera performed for the first time at the Paris Opera Comique in 1888, is from the Breton legend "Ys, the submerged city" (Ys, ville engloutie). I have already heard this "Balade" from former French tenors like Henry Legay or Alain Vanzo but for me, José Carreras brings something more with his personal interpretation. Perhaps, he is not really in the classic French style but his phrasing, his coloured tones, his nuances are perfect for this kind of repertoire. And, as I am always saying, his personal touch is undeniable.

What I can add, is that his French diction is excellent (especially for a non native French speaker) and that's why how happy I would be if José Carreras could sing arias from Les Pêcheurs de perles (Georges Bizet), or Lakme ( Leo Delibes) or Mignon (Ambroise Thomas). For those who still do not have this recording I highly recommend it because :

• José Carreras is perfect and "at home" with the French repertoire
• This recording allows us to know more regarding some forgotten arias from forgotten operas
• José Carreras has chosen these tenor arias because most of them have contributed to the success of the whole opera, like for example, l'Africaine or Le Roi d'Ys
• And finally, all the arias offered by the Catalan tenor, permit us to take a "trip" through the French repertoire of the century XIX, the golden century for all the opera lovers