Luciano Pavarotti- Un Apprezzamento

sintoniasaintgermain/YouTube

He loved his opera. He loved his women- he was married two times.

He was flamboyant in all he did.

The accolades about the man born in Modena, Italy on October 12, 1935, are far too many in this short time to explain. The thing is that no one has made more impact on the opera world, let alone the music world itself- not unlike the late Beverly Sills (whom we lost just weeks ago)- than Luciano Pavarotti. His rich voice has hypnotized audiences around the world for over 50 years, and he has graced kings, queens, presidents, and even rock stars with his presence. He was like the rock and pop stars he worked with- U2; Vanessa Williams; the late James Brown and countless others. He was the only opera star to be a musical guest on NBC's
Saturday Night Live. And for years, he hosted a charity event, Pavarotti and Friends, which benefited children and families living in poverty.

In short, he was the son of a baker, whose tenor at the local church captivated the young Luciano. He played soccer- football, as they call it in Europe- in his youth.

He studied to be a teacher, and worked as an elementary school teacher, and an insurance salesman but his musical temptations overtook him. He studied under Arrigo Pola, a respected teacher in Modena, working part time at the aforementioned jobs to support himself.

He began singing throughout opera houses in Europe, beginning in 1961, with the role of Rudolfo in La boheme. Then in 1963, in Vienna, he once again played Rudolfo. His American debut woulss come two years later in Miami, with the Greater Miami Opera, filling in for the scheduled tenor, who was ill. the famed soprano Joan Sutherland recommended young Luciano, since he was well acquainted with the role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. n 1969, he scored another major triumph when he sang I Lombardi opposite Renata Scotto. This was recorded and widely distributed throughout the world. In 1972, in a production of La fille du regiment, at the Met, the crowd gave continuous standing ovations when Pavarotti hit nine high Cs effortlessly, receiving a record 17 record curtain calls.

In the 1990s, he co-formed The Three Tenors with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

Even as he stayed true to his opera roots, he worked along other musical artists from almost every genre. Trisha Yearwood from the country music world; the late James Brown; the late Barry White, as this ovation worthy clip shows:

Raydee27/YoTube

and many others in the soul world. Celine Dion:

dkknight2008/YouTube

As you can see, he was very fluent in English, as well as other languages.

But whoever he worked with, he always held his own. He enjoyed rock star status that rivaled any.

But one of his favorite artists to work with was the Irish rock band U2:

JuanNoblorm/YouTube



This morning, that wonderful voice has been silenced by an advanced stage of pancreatic cancer. The golden voice from Modena died in the city of his birth. His second wife, his former personal assistant Nicoletta Mantovani, his sister; and his four daughters- three from his first marriage to Auda Veroni and He was 71.


In closing, I conclude this tribute with this electrifying footage of Pavarotti singing James Brown's It's A Man's World- with the Godfather of Soul himself


EnigmaSolved/YouTube

Resto nella pace, Luciano.

(C)2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.