October 7, 2019.Verdi and Pavarotti.Giuseppe Verdi was born this week (on October 10th of 1813) and so was Luciano Pavarotti, a great interpreter of his music.We’ve written about Verdi before (for example, here and here) but never about Pavarotti.Luciano Pavarotti was born on October 12th of 1935 in Modena, Italy into a poor family: his father, Fernando, was a baker and his mother a cigar factory worker.Fernando was an amateur tenor (and, according to Luciano, a good one).From an early age Luciano was listening to his father’s recordings of the great Italian tenors: Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Enrico Caruso, and later those of his hero, Giuseppe Di Stefano.Luciano studied singing in Modena, where one of his teachers, Ettore Campogalliani, also taught his childhood friend, Mirella Freni (Campogalliani also worked with Renata Tebaldi, Renata Scotto, Ruggero Raimondi and Carlo Bergonzi). Rumor has it that Pavarotti never learned to read music. Pavarotti made his debut in 1961 in Reggio Emilia, singing the role of Rodolfo in La bohème.In the next two years he sung in Yugoslavia, Vienna, Moscow and London.While well-received, he wasn’t acclaimed as a future superstar.His break came when Joan Sutherland asked him to join her on an Australian tour, the main reason being that he was tall enough to stand next to her (she was 6’2’’).The grateful Pavarotti later said that he learned the breathing technique from Sutherland during that tour.Pavarotti made his La Scala debut in 1965 in La bohème; Mirella Freni sung the role of Mimi.In 1966 he sung Tonio in Donizetti's La fille du regiment at the Covent Garden, that was when music critics started calling him "King of the High Cs."In 1967 he made his Metropolitan opera debut, again as Rodolfo against’ Freni’s Mimi.
With Joan Sutherland he sung on stage and made numerous recordings; some of these recording became legendary. By the early 1980s Pavarotti’s fame hit its zenith.He sung at the Metropolitan (altogether, he performed in 357 Met opera productions) and at all the major opera houses.(He was banned from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, though, for cancelling 26 of his planned 41 appearances).With Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras he created the “Three Tenors” act which became immensely popular, with the public usually not very interested in opera buying millions of records. Pavarotti maintained his voice for a very long time, though not always on the same level.His last performance at the Met was in March of 2004, when he was 68; he sung the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca and received a standing ovation.In July of 2006 Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.He died in Modena on September 6th of 2007.
Pavarotti, a lyrical tenor, had a bright and open voice of exceptional beauty which floated, seemingly effortlessly, above a full orchestra.In his New York Times obituary, the chief music critic Bernard Holland wrote: “… he possessed a sound remarkable for its ability to penetrate large spaces easily. Yet he was able to encase that powerful sound in elegant, brilliant colors. His recordings of the Donizetti repertory are still models of natural grace and pristine sound. The clear Italian diction and his understanding of the emotional power of words in music were exemplary.”Pavarotti was especially good in the bel canto repertory and in the Puccini operas, but several of his Verdi roles were outstanding.Here he is in the 1983 Metropolitan production of Verdi’s Ernani.James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus.
Verdi, Pavarotti 2019
October 7, 2019. Verdi and Pavarotti. Giuseppe Verdi was born this week (on October 10th of 1813) and so was Luciano Pavarotti, a great interpreter of his music. We’ve written about Verdi
before (for example, here and here) but never about Pavarotti. Luciano Pavarotti was born on October 12th of 1935 in Modena, Italy into a poor family: his father, Fernando, was a baker and his mother a cigar factory worker. Fernando was an amateur tenor (and, according to Luciano, a good one). From an early age Luciano was listening to his father’s recordings of the great Italian tenors: Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Enrico Caruso, and later those of his hero, Giuseppe Di Stefano. Luciano studied singing in Modena, where one of his teachers, Ettore Campogalliani, also taught his childhood friend, Mirella Freni (Campogalliani also worked with Renata Tebaldi, Renata Scotto, Ruggero Raimondi and Carlo Bergonzi). Rumor has it that Pavarotti never learned to read music. Pavarotti made his debut in 1961 in Reggio Emilia, singing the role of Rodolfo in La bohème. In the next two years he sung in Yugoslavia, Vienna, Moscow and London. While well-received, he wasn’t acclaimed as a future superstar. His break came when Joan Sutherland asked him to join her on an Australian tour, the main reason being that he was tall enough to stand next to her (she was 6’2’’). The grateful Pavarotti later said that he learned the breathing technique from Sutherland during that tour. Pavarotti made his La Scala debut in 1965 in La bohème; Mirella Freni sung the role of Mimi. In 1966 he sung Tonio in Donizetti's La fille du regiment at the Covent Garden, that was when music critics started calling him "King of the High Cs." In 1967 he made his Metropolitan opera debut, again as Rodolfo against’ Freni’s Mimi.
With Joan Sutherland he sung on stage and made numerous recordings; some of these recording became legendary. By the early 1980s Pavarotti’s fame hit its zenith. He sung at the Metropolitan (altogether, he performed in 357 Met opera productions) and at all the major opera houses. (He was banned from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, though, for cancelling 26 of his planned 41 appearances). With Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras he created the “Three Tenors” act which became immensely popular, with the public usually not very interested in opera buying millions of records. Pavarotti maintained his voice for a very long time, though not always on the same level. His last performance at the Met was in March of 2004, when he was 68; he sung the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca and received a standing ovation. In July of 2006 Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died in Modena on September 6th of 2007.
Pavarotti, a lyrical tenor, had a bright and open voice of exceptional beauty which floated, seemingly effortlessly, above a full orchestra. In his New York Times obituary, the chief music critic Bernard Holland wrote: “… he possessed a sound remarkable for its ability to penetrate large spaces easily. Yet he was able to encase that powerful sound in elegant, brilliant colors. His recordings of the Donizetti repertory are still models of natural grace and pristine sound. The clear Italian diction and his understanding of the emotional power of words in music were exemplary.” Pavarotti was especially good in the bel canto repertory and in the Puccini operas, but several of his Verdi roles were outstanding. Here he is in the 1983 Metropolitan production of Verdi’s Ernani. James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus.