THE lyricism of Spanish tenor Jose Carrera's voice was once one of the splendours of the operatic world. But time, ill chosen repertoire and a near fatal illness have changed all that. Some of the qualities are still there, of course, and at the Irish Times sponsored concert at the Point last evening his firm intonation and musical line were as much in evidence as ever.
Under any sort of pressure, though, the sustained notes juddered alarmingly and even in the cosy baritone keys he used the high notes always appeared to be causing an amount of distress. In the event he was wise to confine his programme mainly to songs.
His most relaxed effort was in the delightful duet from Caballeros zarzuela El duo de la Africana in which he was joined by his compatriot Isabel Rey.
Ms Rey, who provided most of the evening's operatic content, has one of those flexible light soprano voices, complete with strong top, which are flattered by close microphoning. She sailed effortlessly through a succession of well known coloratura arias and a delightful piece from the Nieto/ Gimenez zarzuela El barbero de Sevilla.
The musically most satisfying element, however, was the playing of the English Chamber Orchestra under David Gimemez, especially the strings, whose incisive attack was bettered only by the opulence of their tone.