Luciano Pavarotti in
Memoriam:
a tribute by G�ran Forsling
When Luciano Pavarotti passed away at 5 a.m. CET
this morning (6.9.2007) the world lost one of the
greatest singers during the latter part of the 20th
century. Not only did he endear himself to the
opera lovers but he also became well-known to the
general public, more than perhaps any other opera
singer in recent times. He had a marvellous voice
with a personal timbre and an ease and brilliance
at the top that sent shivers along the spine of
his listeners: and in his early and mid-career he
was also a ravishing lyrical singer with elegance
and honeyed pianissimos.
What made him stand out and become a �man of the
people� however, was just as much his charming
stage manners. He was not the most convincing
actor on the operatic stage and when he started to
gain weight in his forties he practically ceased
acting. But thanks to his charisma, people wanted
to hear and see him anyway and it was on the
concert platform and through televised concerts �
not least in harness with Domingo and Carreras as
�The Three Tenors� � that he was adored by
millions. His infectious smile, his enormous white
hanky, his openness and generosity and his
wholehearted intensity in whatever he sang � all
this combined to a popular success for an opera
singer among the masses that is almost
unprecedented. His records were bestsellers,
especially the Neapolitan songs and other light
repertoire but on his website he wrote that he
most of all wanted to be remembered as an opera
singer.
He was born in Modena in Italy on 12 October 1935
and it was in his hometown he also died after a
long fight against pancreatic cancer. He got his
first musical influences through his father�s
records with singers like Caruso, Schipa,
Martinelli and Gigli. He also openly admitted his
admiration for Jussi Bj�rling and was a honorary
member of the Swedish Jussi Bj�rling Society. He
started his training seriously at 19 in his
hometown, singing for Amigo Pola and then for
Ettore Campogalliani, where one of his fellow
students was his childhood-friend Mirella Freni,
with whom he often appeared on stage and on
recordings. During his student years he earned his
living as school teacher.
He made his debut as Rodolfo in
La boh�me on
April 29,
1961 in
Reggio Emilia; a sonically poor
recording of Che gelida manina exists,
unclear if it is the actual premiere, but it
displays an lyric voice of immense beauty. Within
a few years he rose to fame, helped in no little
degree through his collaboration with Joan
Sutherland. Decca signed him up exclusively and
complete recordings and recitals in a steady
stream made him a household name among record
collectors all over the world. �The King of the
High C� became Decca�s soubriquet and the
legendary recording of Donizetti�s La fille du
r�giment, which was a sensation, gave ample
proof in Tonio�s aria Ah! mes amis where
the 9 high Cs were executed with an ease and
brilliance that possibly no one before or since
has been able to muster.
Gradually his voice grew in power and he took on
roles like Calaf in Turandot, Radames in
Aida and, the pinnacle for a dramatic tenor in
the Italian repertoire, the title role in Verdi�s
Otello. Nessun dorma from
Turandot became a kind of signature song for
him and it was the theme song on BBC�s coverage of
the World Cup in Italy in 1990. The concert held
by the Three Tenors at the Baths of Caracalla
became the best selling classical record of all
times.
In later years he cut down on his opera
performances and concentrated more on concerts.
His last appearance in an operatic role was as
Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Metropolitan
Opera in New York in 2004.
Luciano Pavarotti became a wealthy man through his
singing but he also spent a lot on charity and he
appeared at benefit concerts to raise money for
various purposes. refugees worldwide, the victims
of the earthquake in Armenia in 1988, the
elimination of land mines world wide, and for
Bosnia, Guatemala and Bosnia, to mention a few.
According to the United Nations he helped raising
more than 1.5 million US Dollars for charity �
more than any other individual!
In most stories of success there is also a reverse
side of the coin, and in Pavarotti�s case he
obtained a reputation as The King of another C,
namely Cancellations. This caused bad relations
with some opera houses and led to the Lyric Opera
of Chicago to ban him for life. The Italian
newpapers didn�t fight shy from wallowing in some
of the scandals that also surrounded his career
and the fact that he continued to sing roles that
were less well suited for him. But despite all
this and also his excursions into light repertoire
there was no doubt that Pavarotti touched people�s
hearts and one of the Italian Radio�s news
broadcasts this morning opened with the words:
�Il
mondo piange�
(The world weeps). In an interview on Swedish
Radio at lunchtime, Jos� Carreras, singing at the
V�rmland Classic Festival, said that he was proud
to have been Pavarotti�s friend and colleague and
that, although his demise was expected it is no
less grievous. Swedish opera singer H�kan Hageg�rd,
who also worked with Pavarotti, remembered him as
a very conscientious singer who never compromised.
Many distinguished performers tend to pale in the
eyes of posterity, but just as some literary works
become immortalized, some singers also stay in the
public conciousness. No one can prophesy with
certainty, but it seems reasonable to believe that
Luciano Pavarotti will be a household name to
opera lovers for a long time � through personal
memories from the present generation but even more
through his many recordings. On a personal basis I
would pick a handful of his opera sets from the
late 1960s and the 1970s to represent his art. He
went on making recordings during the 1980s and
1990s too, but his style of performance grew
coarser, less elegant and sophisticated. To me �
and I am sure many opera habitu�s endorse this
opinion � �The Best of Pavarotti� is to be found
here:
o
Donizetti: La fille du regiment (with Sutherland)
o
Donizetti: L�Elisir d�amore (with Sutherland)
o
Puccini: La boh�me (with Freni, Karajan
conducting)
o
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (ditto)
o
Puccini: Turandot (with Sutherland and Caball�,
Zubin Mehta conducting)
o
Verdi: Rigoletto (with Sutherland and Sherrill
Milnes)
Some other tenors may have peered deeper into
their characters, one or two may have had more
beautiful voices, maybe one of them may have been
more brilliant but for sheer exuberance, vitality,
generosity and charisma Luciano Pavarotti will be
remembered as one of the really great tenors - the
epitome of an opera singer for millions. From
today (6.9.2007) the theatre in Modena carries his
name � a worthy tribute from the authorities of
his hometown. He is greatly missed.
G�ran Forsling
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