Jose Carreras singing Zemlinsky, Schreker and Elgar – not something one might have predicted. On listening, however, not many people would guess those first two composers – Zemlinsky’s “Blaues Sternlein” and Schreker’s “Im Garten unter der Linde”, have been given swoony arrangements by Luca Logi that make them fit quite comfortably with the more obvious choices of pieces by Puccini, Tosti and Leoncavallo.

Carreras’s voice has retained a very attractive quality in its middle range, and so long as he stays quite close to the microphone, everything goes well. When he puts any pressure on the tone, or attempts a sustained (never very) high note, an uncomfortable beat intrudes. The ending of Satie’s “Je te veux” – odd to hear this sung by a man – turns into a shout, rather than an expression of desire.

As for the Elgar, “In the Dawn”, Carreras’s English, although the words are clear enough, is of the schoolboy variety. The young orchestra under Michael Lessky provide sympathetic accompaniment. The disc is entitled “Belle epoque”, so it’s stretching it a bit to include a song by Carlos Gardel (b1890), but who cares in a situation like this – a recital strictly for the fans.