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"Charytatywne piosenki"

Charity songs
Jacek Marczynski
Rzeczpospolita 22 February 2002

Jose Carreras and Natalia Kukulska together in concert

This time the Spanish tenor Jose Carreras came to Poland for one concert in Stanislawowski Theater in Warsaw Lazienki. He invited Natalia Kukulska to participate and suggested to sing Cole Porter's his "Night and Day" together. "I've listened to Natalia's disks long ago," - Jose Carreras told us before the performance. "She is an artist with great talent and good perspectives."

The tenor's permanent conductor David Gimenez conducted the Polish Radio Orchestra.  The whole program of yesterday's concert shown on Polish television Jose Carreras composed of songs from different countries recorded last year on his disk "Around the World". Among them there was Jerzy Woy-Wojciechowski's composition "Jezeli", which appeared on the disk with Italian text as "Senza Ritorno". Today the Spanish tenor is known mainly thanks to such songs, for he seldom appears in big opera performances. Still, he was able to stay on market due to flirt with popular music. The charity concert was organized by PZU (Polish national insurance?). Jose Carreras decided to give his entire fee on leukemia programs. The money from his two Warsaw concerts in the 90th he had assigned to the same purpose. All takings went on creation of a bone marrow transplantation center and an umbilical cord blood bank in Warsaw.

Charitable activity is an important part of Jose Carreras' life, yet there is something special about it's Polish chapter.  "Every time I visit your country I feel respect, recognition and warmth," - he said at the press conference before concert, - "as well as sensitivity, that every artist must feel with the public." Jose Carreras did not mention his present girlfriend was Polish. But as a big football fan he added: "I hope the Polish team achieves great success at soccer championships this year."

Translation � Maria Kozlova