Luciano Pavarotti 1935 - 2007
POSTED at
6:49 AM
06 September 2007
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29 Comments:
The morning after a performance of "Fille" with the Met in Cleveland in 1972, when he was wandering around the coffee shop of the Hollanden House hotel, Pavarotti asked people if he had been any good the night before.
"If you get a standing ovation in Cleveland, you are good," I said to him. And indeed he was wonderful as Tonio and every time I saw thereafter in the 1970s and early 1980s.
A larger-than-life personality and in early and mid-career a fabulous singer. When he sang Liszt's Tre sonetti di Petrarca at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall time truly stood still for a few minutes.
Addio, Luciano. You were one of the very greatest.
He was probably the best Riccardo since Bergonzi; one of the very finest Dukes of Mantua ever. The bel canto singing was beautiful and his technique was excellent. He was easier on the ears than Alfredo Kraus, and had a more Italianate sound than Gedda--if not nearly as virtuosic as either. Before he got too full of himself and commercialized, he really was one of the greats. Thankfully, his career is well-documented, and he's irreplaceable. I'm really sorry he suffered so terribly and so long, as well.
OMG! They're dropping like flies!
Another huge loss- and if I may add to what jf in dc has so correcty said- one of the very greatest ever!
We can only be grateful that he has left such a rich recorded legacy.
RIP,Luciano, you are going to be missed.
Right now I'm listening to the 1981 Lincoln Center recital where he partnered Horne and Sutherland, a trio never to be equaled, IMHO. We have lost one of the greats but his music lives on in his superb recordings. Ciao, Pav, honey. You are much beloved and thank you for the all great music. I'll miss you.
"oh terra, addio... addio vale di pianto..."
Response to Amneris:
The DVD of the Pavarotti/Horne/Sutherland concert will be released Sept. 25. Can be pre-ordered from Amazon.
It's not going to be a very happy afternoon on the air today; when I saw yesterday's announcement on the AP wire, I knew the end was inevitable. Addio, Luciano, from all your friends and fans around the world!
Rest in peace, caro Luciano!
Dear jf in dc,
I saw Pavarotti in "Fille" in Cleveland in 1972, too, for the first time, and I was stunned. He also sang Rodolfo the same week, filling in for another indisposed tenor. He made me cry. He came back to Cleveland with the Met twice, and he sang Cavaradossi to Olivero's and to Vaness' Tosca. In my mind, I still can hear his stellar voice.
Luciano gave us memories to treasure for ever. May his soul rest in peace.
to: Constantine A. Papas
Didn't Domingo also sing twice with the Met in that same Cleveland visit in 1972?
Certainly, those were the days. I could only only stay one additional day in Cleveland, for Fidelio with Rysanek and Vickers.
This was also a superb performance but I think it was Pavarotti who stole the show that week in Cleveland.
I plugged my iPod into the car stereo on my way to work this morning. I am wondering if ever, in the history of opera, anyone has ever wept listening to, of *all* things, "Di quella pira." (Certainly, they haven't done so in Beaverton.)
Thank you, La Cieca, for this perfect selection to honor this superb singer. When I was in college, a good friend saw this production of L'Elisir and couldn't stop talking about it - he raved incessantly about Pav and the Adina, Reri Grist, for years. A definitive performance of this aria.
My first Lucia was with Sills and Pav. What a sad year this has become.
Goodbye, Luciano. I am thankful you touched my life and brought us all such pleasures.
jf in dc,
Yes, Domingo sang the Duke, and I saw Fidelio with Vickers and Rysanek. I had season tickets for the entire week the Met was in Cleveland. We were blessed to have seen all the great singers of our time. I also saw Pavarotti with Judy Blegen in "Elisir" at the Chicago Lyric Opera: an unforgettable evening.
hey Andy... i, too, was listening with a tear this morning, in the car, on the way to work, in beaverton...so at least there was 1 other.....
i last saw him at the ill-fated "performance" (i use quotes out of respect)that was his last; he could barely move... but it was a packed Met house - packed with those of respect; those for just one more time could be in the company of such a precious gift to the world. gratefully, as all have said - a legacy of recordings, thank goodness that are not mostly on cylinders!
addio, grazie....
I think I was 10 years old when my father dragged me to hear him and Sutherland in Fille du Regiment at the Met. Even then it was apparent this was a major event, and his charisma and art just flowed off the stage. I seriously doubt I will hear anyone as good as he was in the 1970s and 1980s.
My listening today has been the I Puritani "A te, o cara" with Sutherland, and the immortal Sutherland/Horne/Pavarotti/Talvela Verdi Requiem with Solti. Say what you will about Sutherland in this part, it's worth it for the blend between her and Horne.
The second high B-flat in the Ingemisco is one of the easiest, most exuberant B-flats ever captured on recording. It soars up to the heavens, which is now where it belongs.
Hopefully the Met will eventually release the 12-19-87 broadcast of Trovatore, with Pav, Joan, Leo N, and Shirley V., and a great talk on the opera by Goldovsky. The audience was totally wired that afternoon, and the applause was as vigahous as I have ever heard on a Met broadcast. The performance totally caught fire. Give us the tape of Pav and Joan live on stage that afternoon, complete with the audience responding to everything, and Boris too.
Was Yes, Giorgio ever released on DVD or as a CD?
I see a couple of VHS tapes on Amazon and that's it.
Thanks, Jerry
Rest in peace Luciano.
Just curious. Is the DVD you're talking about the same as the 98 CD that comes up when you search for Sutherland Pavarotti Horne? I'd actually prefer the CD, but if they're different wouldn't mind both.
I never really got Pavarotti until I bought Figlia with Freni. Heard Amici mei, and my jaw dropped. TOTALLY understood. I'm a big Florez fan and believe in his bis, but he doesn't come close to producing the sheer effortlessness and purity of tone, not to mention the ebulliance of Pavarotti. Now that's bel canto.
For something off the beaten track: the DVD of Mozart's Idomeneo with Pav singing the title role is available on Amazon. It must have been a real thrill to hear this one live...
He was a true golden star, and he deserved it all the way. For many people, he will always be the iconic image of an opera singer. On YouTube or in plastic.
I'm so sad. All the greats are disappearing.
On another note, let's play a game and vote to see who's next!
whatthefach.com
I agree with Opera Chic's comments about his diction - absolutely sublime, expressive, communicative, clear... Watching him sing with Sutherland is a lesson is extremes (not to deny in any way the glory and majesty of Sutherland's singing, but ya gotta admit, her diction sucked.)
Sirius played the broadcast of La fille with Sutherland/Pavarotti (Jan/73) last night. Singing live, Pav's "Ah mes amis" was almost as amazing as his studio recording. The voice was pure gold throughout the performance.
Tonight Sirius is broadcasting a Pav Il Trovatore, but not the one with Sutherland et al. It's from 1/21/1989 – Levine; Millo, Cossotto, Pavarotti, Milnes, Plishka
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the opera world is in mourning and so am I, I was sobbing when CNN interrupted Larry King and announced it, even though I knew it was coming.........now the voice of God is silent, who cares if they criticized him for singing with the Spice Girls? He sang with Millo which is 20 times worse.....my father called, my mom called, so did my brothers, distant cousins remembered, as if I were a family member receiving condolences, they all knew how much I loved him, even my neighbors stopped me downstairs, they hear opera coming from my apartment all the time. I even got a call from the Katrina-davastated New Orleans, my buddy Manny asked me what I would do with my life now. I told him the last thing I would do will become a Domingo fan.....even though Pavarotti was always unfriendly to me backstage and Domingo has always been extra nice.....there's only Dame Joan Sutherland on Earth for me now, and how, HOW she must be weeping for her Luciano! like Lucia for her Edgardo.....what made things worse was the Pavarotti Orgy we had on the airwaves last night, La Fille du Regiment on Sirius and L'Elisir d'Amore on channel 13, I didn't know which opera to give more attention to, which one would Donizetti choose?? Like Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice I thought I was going to let the younger one go but I finally kept both............ Una Furtiva Lagrima started simultaneously with Ah mes amis, I was petrified, was this a conspiracy by Placido fans? Being me these days isn't easy, tears everywhere.
CNN International said this morning that they would have a correspondent at Pavarotti's funeral tomorrow (Saturday) starting at 1300 GMT which (if I did my arithmetic correctly) is 9:00 AM tomorrow.
Apparently they won't be able to cover the service itself but will at least have someone outside the church.
Opera Chic live-blogged the broadcast of the Pavarotti funeral.
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