FALLA: “SIETE CANCIONES POPULARES ESPANOLAS”; SONGS BY...

FALLA: “SIETE CANCIONES POPULARES ESPANOLAS”; SONGS BY MOMPOU, GINASTERA, GUASTAVINO, OBRADORS, TURINA. Jose Carreras, tenor; Martin Katz, piano. Philips 411 478-2 (compact disc). Carreras still musters sufficient native charm to dispatch a program of modern Iberian morsels with easy allure, and there is some novelty value (if no measurable benefit) to having a man sing Falla’s “Seven Popular Songs.” But, there is sufficient evidence evidence here that Carreras is singing on his capital, showing considerable strain and dryness even in the middle of his range. He can still uncork a stream of pianissimos in more tender minutes, but this is patently not the voice that dazzled sophisticated ears a dozen years ago. Martin Katz is the persuasive, if occasionally genteel, accompanist.