I read Katia Ricciarelli's self-biography first. It is in Italian but I could still understand most of it. My understanding of the Italian text was made easy by having a subject I knew something about, opera, and by my reading of the libretti alongside listening to operas (I would read the English, French, German and Italian text side by side and get some insight from that).
"Altro di me non saprei narrare" starts with Katia Ricciarelli's musings about how to write an honest biography about oneself. She is very honest in her book but it is not a gossip biography. She tells how she met José Carreras and that they had a relationship but that it ended, she is sad, but accepts it and still hold José Carreras in high regard. Similarly her marriage with Pippo Baudo and their divorce is not opened for the gossiper, she has too much respect for herself and her ex and family to do that. Still this is a very open person telling herself as far as she can just like the title promises.
"Aus vollem Herzen" is a biography of José Carreras with Marius Carol. The text shifts from Carreras talking to Marius Carol telling the stories. Unfortunately Marius Carol seem to be too much of a fan of the man Carreras to give deep insight into Carreras. But then Carreras had probably veto right on what stays in the book. Carreras is a very private man so the affair with Katia Ricciarelli is not there, not even in one sentence. Nothing about Mercedes, his first wife, except what a great mother she was and how supportive of Carreras. Nothing about the divorce, one sentence maybe. And about Jutta, his wife today, not much about her except she is a wonderful person, wonderful wife, mother. I understand, it is private. His mother is the only woman who gets a more full treatment. But Katia Ricciarelli, Montserrat Caballé & Agnes Baltsa: Katia is mostly ignored, Caballé and Baltsa both gets his lack of approval in being temperamental diva. And they are the three most important operatic partners for Carreras. He does adore Montserrat Caballé, she gets her own chapter almost, except that her brother Carlos Caballé get in it, too. Did I learn more of Carreras from this new book? Yes, but I prefere the old self-biography: "Singing with from the soul"
1 comment:
No mention of the Josep Carreras book being published in English. Very disappointed!
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