The Tenors – Paris 1998: 2CD

If you think you've heard it all, you're wrong. The three big guys are indeed back, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, with a rabidly enthusiastic crowd to welcome them. They sing many favourites-- "Granada", "Because", "Nessun Dorma"--and there are a pair of medleys: one devoted to love songs and one called Medley of the World which ends with a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" that might just bring tears to your eyes. If the truth be known, the three tenors have put on eight years since we first heard them together and a fair amount of bloom is off their rose-like voices--with Domingo's ardency sounding a bit hard-edged, Carreras' tone even more spread than before, and some of Pavarotti's gold tarnished and his breath shorter. Suffice it to say that older CDs by these three formerly-really-great tenors are worth their weight in gold, compared to the bronze you'll find here. But the classy James Levine at the helm keeps the "event" going with passion and it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement. --Robert Levine