Luciano Pavarotti [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti, born in 1935, Italian tenor, whose dramatic roles and powerful voice gained him superstar status akin to that of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso in the early years of the 20th century. Pavarotti became known for a full and open vocal quality, which he maintained throughout his range. His penetrating high register earned particular admiration and the title “King of the High C''s.” In 1972 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, he became the first tenor in operatic history to reach all nine high C''s in the aria “Pour mon âme, quel destin!” in La fille du régiment by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Pavarotti is not considered a great actor, however, in part because his large physique tends to restrict his movement on stage.

Born in Modena, Italy, Pavarotti was raised in poverty. After many years of vocal training and amateur performances, Pavarotti made his professional debut in 1961 in Reggio nell''Emilia, Italy, as Rodolfo in La Bohème, by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. His 1965 debut at Covent Garden in London, also as Rodolfo, brought him to the attention of Australian soprano Joan Sutherland and launched his international career. Pavarotti toured Australia with Sutherland in 1965 and learned much about breath support (use of the breathing muscles to control air flow) and flexible singing from her. He frequently sang Edgardo to her title role in Donizetti''s Lucia di Lammermoor. Other operas in which they appeared together include La Sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini, L''elisir d''amore by Donizetti, and La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. The two also made many recordings together.

Pavarotti continued to sing the role of Rodolfo, in his 1965 debut at La Scala, in Milan, Italy, and in his 1968 debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. From the 1970s on Pavarotti recorded and performed extensively in major opera houses around the world. Although he had originally specialized in the lighter, agile bel canto roles—such as Elvino in La Sonnambula, Alfredo in La Traviata, Nemorino in L''elisir d''amore, and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor—he later grew into more robust dramatic roles, including Riccardo in Verdi''s Un ballo in maschera, Cavaradossi in Puccini''s Tosca, Manrico in Verdi''s Il Trovatore, Radames in Verdi''s Aïda, and Calaf in Puccini''s Turandot.

From the 1970s on Pavarotti also gave numerous concerts and recitals, sometimes appearing in stadiums and singing before thousands of fans. In 1980 he sang the role of the duke of Mantua in Verdi''s Rigoletto before an estimated crowd of 200,000 in New York City''s Central Park. Through these appearances Pavarotti hoped to reach people who rarely or never experienced opera. He also raised money for charity, especially for the benefit of children in war zones, through annual concerts entitled “Pavarotti & Friends” in which internationally famous rock and pop music stars joined him. In the early 2000s these concerts benefited the United Nations agency for refugees, UNHCR (see Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).

In 1990 Pavarotti teamed up with two other great tenors—Spanish opera stars Pl?cido Domingo and José Carreras—in a televised concert in Rome, Italy, on the eve of the World Cup soccer finals. The live-album recording of the concert won a Grammy Award the next year. The so-called Three Tenors concerts proved so popular that the three reunited on a number of later occasions, including performances before World Cup finals in Los Angeles, California, in 1994; Paris, France, in 1998; and Yokohama, Japan, in 2002. The Three Tenors albums from these concerts became the bestselling classical recordings of all time. Pavarotti also recorded a number of duets with popular rock-music stars, including Canadian singer Bryan Adams, British singer Sting, and Irish singer Bono (see U2). Pavarotti published his autobiography, Pavarotti: My Own Story, in 1981. In 1995 Pavarotti published another memoir, Pavarotti: My World.

As Pavarotti approached his seventh decade his voice was shaky at times and he sometimes enraged fans by last-minute cancellations, but overall his voice retained much of its color and communicative ability. In 2002, however, he announced plans to retire when he reached his 70th birthday in October 2005 and to hold a farewell tour in 2004 and 2005.

Luciano Pavarotti

Renowned Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is known for his mastery of the highest notes of a tenor''s range and for his jovial personality, which helped him earn a wide popular following.

Archive Photos/Central Press