Tenor Carreras draws full house in Pingtung County with local choir

Taipei-The Pingtung Performing Arts Center attracted a sold-out crowd Sunday, as world famous Spanish tenor Jose Carreras took to the stage for a two-hour performance, accompanied by an indigenous school choir.

Carreras shared the stage with the Taiwu Elementary School choir, which he visited on Oct. 25, as a tribute to the victims of Typhoon Morakot that wrought catastrophic damage in Taiwan a decade ago.

The students at the school are mostly from the Paiwan indigenous community that originally lived in Taiwu Township, but were forced to permanently relocate after the typhoon devastated their home.

Together, they sang the Chinese folk song "In a Faraway Land" (???????), after the choir stunned the crowd with their opening performance of traditional Paiwan songs.

The 72-year-old Carreras was also joined by soprano Huang Li-chin (???), conductor David Gimenez, and the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra in his renditions of classic opera and musical songs, including "The Impossible Dream" from the musical "Man of La Mancha."

For the grand finale, Carreras sang "Musica proibita" (Forbidden Music), a song familiar to his fans that he often performed when as a member of the Three Tenors.

The Three Tenors was a popular operatic singing group during the 1990s and early 2000s, consisting of Carreras, fellow Spaniard Placido Domingo and the late Italian Luciano Pavarotti.

Carreras' performance is part of a cultural program being presented by the Pingtung County government from October to December as it promotes music in the southern Taiwan county.

Upcoming performances include a concert by Hungarian violinist Agnes Langer and a Latin Music Fiesta featuring organ music alongside a steel band.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel