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Biography
Luciano
Pavarotti has become perhaps the personification of opera in our
time, his inimitable tenor voice and unique personality touching
audiences throughout the world. His impact on music has been
profound, broadening the horizons of classical music and
bringing millions of new fans to his art, through his many
appearances not only on the greatest international opera and
concert stages, but also on television, in movies and in arena
concerts. Adding to the luster of his fame has been the
decade-long international success of The Three Tenor concerts,
bringing Pavarotti together with the other two great tenors of
his generation, José Carreras and Plácido Domingo. For the first
time, the three superstars join in a musical celebration of the
holiday season on Sony Classical’s The Three Tenors Christmas,
filmed and recorded live in Vienna, and available on audio (SK
89131) and home video in VHS and DVD (SVD 89063).
Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, on October 12, 1935, the
first child and only son of a baker. As a boy, sports occupied
much of his time. In fact, he earned his first local fame as a
member of the town’s soccer team, excelling at the game he has
followed passionately ever since. He first sang in the Modena
chorus with his father, a fervent lover of opera and gifted
amateur tenor. When the chorus won first prize in an
international competition, the youngster was hooked.
His debut came on April 29, 1961, as Rodolfo in La bohème, at
the opera house in Reggio Emilia. That success led to
engagements throughout Italy and the world, where he conquered
audiences in Amsterdam, Vienna, Zürich, and London. His American
debut came in February 1965, in a Miami production of Lucia di
Lammermoor with Joan Sutherland, the beginning of what would
become their historic partnership. Debuts in La bohème, at La
Scala, San Francisco, and New York made him one of the most
promising tenors of his generation.
The Pavarotti phenomenon did not actually begin until February
17, 1972, in a production of La Fille du Regiment at New York’s
Metropolitan Opera.
Responding to Pavarotti’s aria containing nine effortless high
Cs, the audience erupted in a frenzied ovation, and the young
tenor’s reputation soared beyond the confines of opera and
classical music. The tenor’s recordings are consistent best
sellers, and include collections of arias and recital programs,
a live concert from Carnegie Hall, and anthologies of Neapolitan
and other Italian songs.
His frequent television appearances in performance as well as in
documentaries and on talk shows continue to add to his musical
renown. His performance as Rodolfo in the first Live from the
Met telecast of La bohème in March 1977, attracting one of the
largest audiences ever for a televised opera. From that same
stage, he and Plácido Domingo together celebrated the 25th
anniversary of their debuts with an Opening Night Gala
performance in the fall of 1993.
Pavarotti consistently draws record-breaking audiences to
sold-out arena concerts in many countries and shares his music
with huge audiences in the great public parks of the world. His
televised concert in London’s Hyde Park, in the presence of
Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, was the
first concert in the history of the park featuring classical
music and drew a record attendance of some 150,000 people. In
June 1993, more than 500,000 fans gathered to enjoy his
performance on the Great Lawn of New York’s Central Park, while
millions more around the world watched on television. The
following September, singing in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower,
he thrilled the hearts of an estimated 300,000 Parisian music
lovers.
Pavarotti is also dedicated to the development of the careers of
young singers, and conducts standing-room-only master classes at
conservatories around the world. In 1982, he initiated an
ongoing international vocal competition culminating with
prestigious final performances in Philadelphia. The second
competition in 1986 coincided with the 25th Anniversary of his
career. To celebrate, he brought the winners of that competition
to Italy for gala performances of La bohème in Modena and in
Genoa that resulted in his historic visit to China, chronicled
in the film Distant Harmony.
Resource: Sony Classical |
