Claudio Abbado conducts Wagner and Berlioz with José Carreras : gala concert from the Alte Oper with the Wiener Philharmoniker / Alte Oper Frankfurt, Monarda Arts ; Rodney Greenberg, director.

Following his comeback performance at the Vienna State Opera in 1988, this gala concert from the Alte Oper Frankfurt given on September 12th 1992, was one in a serie of highly acclaimed performances that marked José Carreras' return to the concert platform after his battle against leukaemia in 1987 and 1988. Providing the highest musical and artistic level of this evening, alongside Carreras are the Vienna Philharmonic - celebrating its 150th anniversary --, the Vienna State Opera Chorus, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Tölzer Boys Choir, all under the baton of conductor Claudio Abbado. From all Wagner's operas, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - The Blackmailers of Nuremberg is one of his rare comedies. The opening in C major includes the main leitmotivs of the work and is famous for its joyful character and vitality. For his Te Deum finished in 1849, Berlioz sought to achieve maximum effect, an occasion that he saw in Napoleon III's coronation and his wedding, but without success. The work was finally first performed in 1855 at the Church of Saint-Eustache, for the Universal Exhibition in Paris.

José Carreras, tenor ; Martin Haselböck, organ ; Wiener Philharmoniker ; Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor ; Prague Philharmonic Choir ; Tölzer Knabenchor ; Aurelius Boys Choir ; Claudio Abbado, conductor.

Recorded Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany.

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