On June 4, 2000, José Carreras stepped onto the stage of the recently re-opened Liceu for the first time since his beloved 'home House' had been destroyed by fire in 1994. The performance was especially significant, because this year marks the 30th Anniversary of Carreras' career debut as a tenor, a debut which he made at the Liceu singing Flavio in Bellini's Norma. Below is a collection of translated extracts from the opening night reviews of Carreras' triumphant performance in Sly. (For the full reviews in their original Spanish see Media Articles on this site).

From La Vanguardia June 5, 2000 (Roger Alier):

There was an air of expectancy at the return of Josep Carreras to sing his first opera in the house since its reconstruction. It was like being in a North American theatre. When the tenor appeared on stage, the music had to be suspended for a good twenty minutes. The performance was interrupted by the clamor of Bravos and Vivas in honour of the singer who had to stop singing and wait for the enthusiasm and emotion at his return to calm down. Carreras appeared in good vocal form, to the joy of his numerous fans, and later his acting crowned the performance with a magnificent finale. In the role of Sly, Josep Carreras has found a vehicle very well suited to his style of singing - strong and dashing, impetuous and passionate. His vocal state does not always allow his high notes to sound as they once did: the tone 'spreads' somewhat and the timbre has become more opaque, but the nobility of his singing remains excellent, his fascination is as it has always been, and his acting was magnificent. [...]

From El Pais June 5, 2000 (Agustí Fancelli):

In his return to the Liceu, Jose Carreras wisely followed a course of gradually building up his strength. If he began a bit 'tightly', possibly because of great nervousness, his soon voice gained strength and security. A splendid duet with Isabelle Kabatu in the second act [...] but this still left the great final scene. There everything happened. He pulled out all his best resources that so many years in his profession had given him and he had the public in the palm of his hand. A triumph created from experience and intelligence in a role that is not too demanding but which requires a remarkable strength. [...]

From ABC June 5, 2000 (Pablo Meléndez-Haddad):

As soon as he appeared on the stage he was greeted with a warm ovation, so great that it brought the opera to a halt. Visibly moved and nervous, Jose Carreras greeted the public who had seen him be born, grow and mature as artist there and now were seeing him in the role of the romantic anti-hero, Sly. [...]

From El Periodico June 5, 2000 (Marta Cervera):

The public gave him such an opening ovation that it stopped the opera. At the end, a storm of camera flashes and an extended ovation mixed with enthusiastic shouts in support of the tenor and several bouquets of flowers crowned the return of Josep Carreras to the Liceu [...] after a 7 year absence. [...]. There was nothing to do but for the orchestra to stop in the first scene as the warm applause filled the house. The 53 year old tenor who was celebrating the 30th anniversary of his tenor debut (in the same house) managed to overcome the great emotion and the performance continued with great success. [..]

From El Periodico June 5, 2000 (Luis Polanco):

In the third act, when Sly/Carreras is thrown into the cellar of the palace and tries to understand what has happened to him, he clings to love as a guarantee of reality.[...] it seems to affirm: "I love, therefore I exist." A view not fashionable today. [...] The return of Carreras was superb and touching. He sang his role, a long but not excessively demanding one, with a secure voice and total domination. His acting was graceful and accomplished. [...] From his first appearance on the stage - interrupted by applause - he dominated the scene. He was convincing in the second act love duet and in the third act, he rescued the scene. [...] Sly is an opera for aficionados. It does not have arias that showcase the singers' voices. But the audience understood the effort required by the tenor role and rewarded him with long and deserved ovations.