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Luciano
Pavarotti
Biography
Arguably no other opera singer in music history achieved
the same level of international celebritely as tenor Luciano Pavarotti, his voice -- robust, resonant and immediately
recognizable -- launched him into the stratosphere of household recognintion
usually reserved for pop stars and
Hollywood
icons, and in the process spurred opera itself on to new peaks of mainstream
popularity. Born in
Modena
,
Italy
, on
October 12, 1935
, as a boy he enjoyed local fame as member of town soccer team, and first sang
in the chorus with his father, himself a fine amateur tenor and devoted opera
bluff. After the chorus won first prize in an international competition, the
young Pavarotti’s future was cemented: his solo debut came 1961,
portraying Rodolfo in a performance of
La Bomheme at the opera house in
Reggio Emila. His early success led to engagements throughout
Italy
and eventually
Amsterdam
,
Vienna
,
Zurich
, and
London
; Pavarotti’s
America
debut came in February 1965, in Miami Production of Lucia di Lammermoor with Joan
Sutherland (the first of their many pairings).
History suggests that the Pavarotti
phenomenon begun in earnest on
February 17, 1972
during a performance of La Fille du Regiment at
New York
’s Metropolitan Opera, after his
effortless competition of an aria containing nine high Cs, the audience erupted
in prolonged applause, and his stardom was assured. In the year to follow, Pavarotti
essayed the roles of Arturo, Massent’s
Des Grieux, Alfredo, the Duke, and Nemorino;
as his voice darkened and grew , he also appeared as Manico,
Earni, Redames, Calaf, and Otello.
In 1997, Pavarotti reprised the role
of Rodolfo for the premiere episode of
the long-running Live at the
Met television series, going on to appear in over a dozen broadcast from the
Lincnoln Cente; his entire stage
repertory eventually reached record, and he also sold millions of copies of his
solo albums of opera
arias, traditional music, and holiday
favorites. Pavarotti’s lie performances included many stadium dates, as well
as numerous other attention-grabbing spectacles; additionally, some of his
greatest success was achieved in the company of Placido Domingo and José Carreras, performing together as the Three
Tenors. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Gide.
Here is a short sample
of 'O sole mio by Luciano Pavarotti (file size: 802Kb/ Format: MP3/
Bit-rate: 128kbps/ Duration: 51 seconds)
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