 Luciano
Pavarotti (October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007) was an Italian tenor and one of
the most popular contemporary vocal performers in the world of opera and across
multiple musical genres. Known for his televised concerts, and as one of the
Three Tenors, Pavarotti was also noted for his award-winning charity work for
raising money on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross.
Career
1960s–1970s
Pavarotti made his opera début in the role of Rodolfo in La bohème on April 29,
1961 in the town of Reggio Emilia. He made his American début with the Greater
Miami Opera in February, 1965 singing in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
opposite Joan Sutherland on the stage of the Miami-Dade County Auditorium in
Miami. The tenor scheduled to perform that night was ill and had no understudy.
As Sutherland was traveling with him on tour, she recommended the young
Pavarotti as he was well acquainted with the role.
Shortly after, on April 28, Pavarotti made his La Scala debut in La bohème.
After an extended Australian tour he returned to La Scala where he added Tebaldo
from I Capuleti e i Montecchi to his repertoire on March 26, 1966, with Giacomo
Aragall as Romeo. His first appearance as Tonio in Pagliacci took place at
Covent Garden on June 2 of that year.
He scored another major triumph in Rome on November 20, 1969 when he sang I
Lombardi opposite Renata Scotto. This was recorded on a private label and widely
distributed, as were various takes of his I Capuleti e i Montecchi, usually with
Aragall. Early commercial recordings included a recital of Donizetti and Verdi
arias (the aria from Don Sebastiano was particularly highly regarded), as well
as a complete L'elisir d'amore with Sutherland. His major breakthrough in the
United States came on February 17, 1972, in a production of Donizetti's La fille
du régiment at New York's Metropolitan Opera, in which he drove the crowd into a
frenzy with his nine effortless high Cs in the signature aria. He achieved a
record 17 curtain calls. From then on he began to make frequent television
performances, such as in his role as Rodolfo (La bohème) in the first Live From
The Met telecast in March of 1977, which attracted one of the largest audiences
ever for a televised opera. He won many Grammy awards and platinum and gold
discs for his performances. In addition to the previously listed titles, his La
favorita with Fiorenza Cossotto and his I puritani with Sutherland stand out.
He made his international recital début at William Jewell College in Liberty,
Missouri in 1973 as part of the college’s Fine Arts Program. Perspiring before
the debut, he asked for a handkerchief and was given a white dinner napkin. The
prop was a signature part of his act ever since.
1980s–1990s
At the beginning of the 1980s, he set up The Pavarotti International Voice
Competition for young singers, performing with the winners in 1982 in excerpts
of La bohème and L'elisir d'amore. The second competition in 1986 staged
excerpts of La bohème and Un ballo in maschera. To celebrate the 25th
anniversary of his career he brought the winners of the competition to Italy for
gala performances of La bohème in Modena and Genoa and then to China where they
staged performances of La bohème in Beijing. To conclude the visit, Pavarotti
performed the first ever concert in the Great Hall of the People before 10,000
people, receiving a standing ovation for nine effortless high Cs. The third
competition in 1989 again staged performances of L'elisir d'amore and Un ballo
in maschera. The winners of the fifth competition accompanied Pavarotti in
performances in Philadelphia in 1997.
Pavarotti's pivotal step in becoming an internationally known celebrity occurred
in 1990 when his rendition of Giacomo Puccini's aria, "Nessun Dorma" from
Turandot, became the theme song of the BBC TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World
Cup in Italy. The aria achieved pop status and has, to date, remained his
trademark song. This was followed by the hugely successful Three Tenors concert
held on the eve of the World Cup final at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome
with fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and conductor Zubin Mehta,
which became the biggest selling classical record of all time. Throughout the
1990s, Pavarotti appeared in many well-attended outdoor concerts, including his
televised concert in London's Hyde Park which drew a record attendance of
150,000. In June 1993, more than 500,000 listeners gathered for his performance
on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park, while millions more around the
world watched on television. The following September, in the shadow of the
Eiffel Tower in Paris, he sang for an estimated crowd of 300,000. Following on
from the original 1990 concert, Three Tenors concerts were held during the
Football World Cups; in Los Angeles in 1994, in Paris in 1998, and in Yokohama
in 2002.
Pavarotti's rise to stardom was not without occasional difficulties, however. He
earned a reputation as "The King of Cancellations" by frequently backing out of
performances, and his unreliable nature led to poor relationships with some
opera houses. This was brought into focus in 1989 when Ardis Krainik of the
Lyric Opera of Chicago severed the house's 15-year relationship with the tenor.
Over an eight-year period, Pavarotti had cancelled 26 out of 41 scheduled
appearances at the Lyric and the decisive move by Krainik to ban him for life
was well-noted throughout the opera world, after the performer walked away from
a season premiere less than two weeks before rehearsals began, saying pain from
a sciatic nerve required two months of treatment.
On December 12, 1998 he became the first (and, so far, only) opera singer to
perform on Saturday Night Live, singing alongside Vanessa L. Williams. He also
sang with U2, in the band's 1995 song Miss Sarajevo.
In 1998, Pavarotti was presented with the Grammy Legend Award. Given only on
special occasions, it has only been awarded 15 times since its first
presentation in 1990 (as of 2007).
2000s
In 2002 Pavarotti split with his manager of 36 years Herbert Breslin. The
breakup, which was acrimonious, was followed in 2004 with the publication of a
book by Breslin entitled The King & I, seen by many as sensationalist and
largely critical of the singer's acting (in opera), his ability to read music
and learn parts, and of his personal conduct, although acknowledging their
mutual success. In an interview in 2005 with Jeremy Paxman on the BBC, Pavarotti
rejected the allegation that he could not read music, although acknowledging he
sometimes had difficulty following orchestral parts.
He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and currently holds two Guinness World
Records: for receiving the most curtain calls — at 165 — and for the best
selling classical album (this album is In Concert by The Three Tenors and is
thus shared by fellow tenors, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras).
In 2003 he released his final compilation, Ti Adoro, which has Pavarotti singing
in more of a "popera" style.
On 13 December 2003 he married his former personal assistant, Nicoletta
Mantovani, with whom he already had a daughter, Alice. He started his farewell
tour in 2004, at the age of 69, performing one last time in old and new
locations, after over four decades on the stage.
Pavarotti gave his last performance in an opera at the New York Metropolitan
Opera on March 13, 2004 for which he received a 12-minute standing ovation for
his role as the painter Mario Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca. On
December 1, 2004, he announced a 40-city farewell tour to be produced by Harvey
Goldsmith.
In March 2005, Pavarotti underwent neck surgery to repair two vertebrae. In June
of the same year, he had to cancel a Three Tenors concert in Mexico due to
laryngitis.
In early 2006, he had back surgery and contracted an infection while in the
hospital, forcing cancellation of concerts in the U.S., Canada and the UK.
On February 10, 2006, Pavarotti sang "Nessun Dorma" at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Opening Ceremony in Turin, Italy. The final act of the opening ceremony, his
performance received the longest and loudest ovation of the night from the
international crowd.
Death
Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006 and required
emergency surgery to remove the tumor. Shortly after surgery he was reported to
be "recovering well." His remaining appearances for 2006 were canceled because
of his ongoing cancer treatment; however, his management stated that it was
anticipated that his farewell tour would resume in early 2007.
On Thursday, August 9, 2007, he was hospitalized for observation in his hometown
of Modena, in Northern Italy, hospital officials there said. Hospital spokesman
Alberto Greco declined to give the reason the 71-year-old tenor was
hospitalized, but local daily Il Resto del Carlino reported that it was
pneumonia. Announcement of his "imminent release" was made on August 15, 2007,
but with no date cited. The report stated that he planned to return to recording
his "sacred songs" and teaching his young pupils. On August 21, it was announced
that he was being treated in the cancer ward, given tests related to his
pancreatic cancer, and would not be released for another few days.
On September 5, 2007, Italy's AGI news agency reported that Luciano Pavarotti's
health had deteriorated and the 71-year-old singer was in a "very serious
condition". He was reported to be in and out of consciousness multiple times,
suffering kidney failure.
Luciano Pavarotti died in the early morning of September 6, 2007 at home in
Modena, Italy where he was surrounded by his wife and four daughters. In an
email statement, his manager wrote, "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle
against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with
the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until
finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness." In a text message to
Reuters, Pavarotti's manager Terri Robson confirmed: "Luciano Pavarotti died one
hour ago".
The Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival Hall flew black flags in
mourning.
London's Royal Opera House issued a statement saying, "He was one of those rare
artists who affected the lives of people across the globe, in all walks of life.
Through his countless broadcasts, recordings and concerts, he introduced the
extraordinary power of opera to people who perhaps would never have encountered
opera and classical singing. In doing so, he enriched their lives. That will be
his legacy."
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