JOSE CARRERAS

I have a wonderful shelter, which is my family. I have a wonderful relationship with my brother and sister; this makes me feel that I know always where I belong.

If a man becomes more mature due to certain episodes in his life, it gives him the opportunity to look at life in a much more deep way. I believe the artist and the man work parallel, with the same feelings, the same soul, the same sensitivity.

Yes, you must have the courage of being free.

I carry on singing because I love it. The closer you are to the end, the more you understand how important it is.

What originates everything are the emotions, the feelings, what we call soul. Then the brain commands these feelings to the voice. The voice is just the vehicle; it's the very last step in the chain.

Yes, thanks to God... my life has a goal, much more important than my artistic activities, that is the struggle against Leukemia.

Your real feelings are inside you.

I am a little nervous with strangers. But I'm not tight inside. I think I am impulsive.

People naturally want to know about what happened, about my leukemia. They ask the same questions again and again. And there have been so many positive conclusions, even through the bad times, that I don't mind at all to be reminded of my struggles.

It's logical for us to sing, but not necessarily operatic pieces.

Italians have no sense of the dramatic.

At first we got along real well. Now... it's pretty much just a professional relationship.

The voice is like a man, like ourselves: we all feel melancholic about what we have lost, the things we could do when we were young. But having the possibility to still perform is wonderful. The voice loses elasticity as you age, but on the other hand, maybe you are more mature as an interpreter, maybe your approach to singing deepens.

I have great emotion every time I go on stage. Nothing in life gives me the same satisfaction that my profession gives me.

I have thrown chairs, but only during football matches. Generally, I am well-behaved. I do not like to make people angry.

I am always living very good moments.

When you arrive at a certain level it's very easy to say yes: that is the moment to learn to say no.

When I sing, I want people to think only about the tenor and only about the music.

I've always been a big fan of the American soul sound.

I am extraordinarily lucky, I was born in a family of strong moral values, and in my life I was able to do what I liked best: debuts, great theatres, but above all, inner and deep satisfaction.

I love good food but I follow strict rules the days I perform.

If I can do concert recitals, adapting the repertoire to my needs, then no problem, that's good enough. But with operas, unless the right circumstances come up, my career is done.

Even out of severe difficulty, some positive things come.

Music isn't only a profession.

If you are burned, you are naturally anxious to see what your face looks like as soon as they take the bandages off. In my case, it was my voice that was my main concern.