Jose Carreras ends festival

Jose Carreras brought this year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod to a close with a magnificent gala concert in the Royal Pavilion.

The visit by the international superstar to the eisteddfod’s stage yesterday completed Llangollen’s “hat-trick” of the legendary Three Tenors.

First, and most famously, Luciano Pavarotti made his international debut at the eisteddfod way back in 1955.

Forty years later he made his return, headlining that year’s Sunday night eisteddfod gala concert to massive crowds.

Then came the second of the Three Tenors, Placido Domingo. His eistedffod concert, back in 1968, marked one of his very first appearances as a tenor.

Last night the festival was privileged to have Jose Carreras, at last, in Llangollen, completing the line-up that took the world by storm.

Carreras gave a wonderful performance, showing his audience that his voice has not diminished in power or subtlety over the years.

This year’s unseasonal summer weather - yesterday’s torrential rain turned the eisteddfod field and car parks to slippery mud - was quickly forgotten inside the concert auditorium.

Instead, the star brought some of his native Spanish sunshine to the stage.

The programme was varied, with a first half in which the star was accompanied by the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera with guest conductor David Gimenez, Carreras’s nephew.

Numbers included Pietro Mascagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana and Morera’s L’Oreneta.

In the second half, the Argentinian quintet, Los Calchakis, took to the stage with a delightful medley of Spanish/Incan traditional music from the Andes.

They were then joined by Carreras, backed by award-winning Welsh choir Serendipity, for a beautiful performance of Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla.

It was a fantastic climax to a truly gala concert.

The evening was completed by three encores by the star.

This delighted his inspired capacity audience who were reluctant to bring such a magnificence evening, and a wonderful festival, to a close.

By Deborah Knox