The concert, Carreras's first ever in Pécs, will serve as the prelude to events Pécs plans when it takes the title European Capital of Culture in 2010. Also performing will be the Spanish soprano Sabiona Puertolas. Pécs's Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra will accompany the soloists under the baton of David Giménez, who is Carreras's nephew.
The concert programme will include popular arias as well as Spanish and Italian songs.
Josep Carreras was born in Barcelona in 1946. He is one of the most prominent singers of his generation, and particularly well known for his roles in the operas of Verdi and Puccini. He has sung more than 60 roles during his career, both on the stage and in the recording studio.
Carreras gained wider fame as one of The Three Tenors, together with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, at a series of concerts between 1990 and 2003. He is also known for his humanitarian work as the president of the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation, which he set up following his own recovery from the disease in 1988.
Carreras first performed in Hungary in the 1980s. Early in his career, he often worked with the Hungarian Soprano Erzsébet Házy. Later he sang with the Hungarian sopranos Ilona Tokody and Andrea Rost.
Carreras sang at the inauguration ceremony of Budapest's Palace of Arts, the capital's newest concert hall and performing arts centre.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
