SOUTH BANK SHOW, THE: JOSE CARRERAS: A LIFE STORY (TV)
Summary
One in this weekly arts series. This International Emmy award-winning program profiles one of the world's great tenors, José Carreras, and deals with his courageous battle with leukemia for the previous four years. Filmed on location in England, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Spain, the program explores aspects of Carreras's life and career through interviews with his family, friends and colleagues, and through footage of rehearsals, musical performances, and dramatic re-creations of events from his youth. Among those interviewed are Carreras himself; his first teacher, Magda Prunera; his father, Josep Carreras-Soler (interviewed in Spanish with English subtitles); his brother, Alberto Carreras; tenor Luciano Pavarotti; impresario Alan Sievewright; soprano Montserrat Caballé; tenor Placido Domingo; conductor Sir Colin Davis; John Meade and Sandy Kennedy, doormen at the Royal Opera House, London; bass/baritone Justino Diaz; and record producer George Martin. Footage of Carreras's stage performances include "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's "Tosca"; selections from Bizet's "Carmen," Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur," featuring Caballé, and Giordano's "Andrea Chénier"; and "Nessun dorma!" from Puccini's "Turandot."
Concert clips include an excerpt from the 1991 concert "Jose Carreras & Friends," conducted by Jacques Delacote, featuring Carreras singing "Brindisi" from Verdi's "La Traviata" with Katia Ricciarelli, Agnes Baltsa, and Ruggero Raimondi; and an excerpt from his famous 1990 concert in Rome with Domingo and Pavarotti. Portions of several recording sessions are featured, including the taping of Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story," with Bernstein conducting Carreras in a performance of "Maria." Also included: a recording of Carreras at age seven singing "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's "Rigoletto"; a clip from the film "Rigoletto" with Enrico Caruso, which inspired Carreras as a child; footage of Carreras playing soccer; footage from the set of the film "La Boheme"; and clips of Carreras performing during his illness, including Domingo calling him to the stage to receive a standing ovation at the Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona.
Details
- NETWORK: London Weekend Television (United Kingdom)
- DATE: November 24, 1991
- RUNNING TIME: 1:17:52
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:27696
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Biography; Operas - Excerpts; International Collection - United Kingdom
- SERIES RUN: London Weekend TV (United Kingdom) - TV series, 1978-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Richard Price … Executive Producer
- Maureen Murray … Producer
- Alan Sievewright … Associate Producer
- Chris Hunt … Director
- Lorenzo Bavaj … Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Jacques Delacote … Conductor
- Leonard Bernstein … Conductor
- Jose Carreras … Singer
- Katia Ricciarelli … Singer
- Agnes Baltsa … Singer
- Ruggero Raimondi … Singer
- Placido Domingo … Singer
- Luciano Pavarotti … Singer
- Montserrat Caballe … Singer
- Giacomo Puccini … Composer
- Georges Bizet … Composer
- Francesco Cilea … Composer
- Umberto Giordano … Composer
- Giuseppe Verdi … Composer
- Alberto Carreras
- Josep Carreras-Soler
- Enrico Caruso
- Colin Davis
- Justino Diaz
- Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
- Sandy Kennedy
- John Meade
- George Martin
- Magda Prunera
- Alan Sievewright