Tenor, born in Modena, N Italy. He abandoned a career in school-teaching to become a singer, and won the international competition at the Teatro Reggio Emilia in 1961, making his operatic debut there in La Bohème the same year. He took part in the La Scala tour of Europe in 19634, toured Australia with Joan Sutherland in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1965, and made his US debut in 1968. His voice and performance are very much in the powerful style of the traditional Italian tenor. He is now internationally known as a concert performer, and has achieved a large popular following through his recordings and television appearances. He appeared in the film Yes, Giorgio in 1981, and published a volume of autobiography the same year. In 2005 he was granted the freedom of the city of London and also received a Red Cross Award for Services to Humanity.
| Luciano Pavarotti | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Luciano Pavarotti | |
| Also known as | Pavarotti | |
| Born | October 12, 1935, Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy | |
| Genre(s) | Classical Music | |
| Occupation(s) | Opera Singer | |
| Instrument(s) | Voice | |
| Years active | 1961 - 2004 (final tour) | |
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Associated acts |
The Three Tenors | |
Luciano Pavarotti (born October 12, 1935) is an Italian tenor who is one of the best known vocal performers in contemporary times, in the world of opera and across multiple musical genres.
Career
1960s-1970s
Pavarotti made his opera debut on April 29, 1961 in the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème, in Reggio Emilia.
He made his American debut in February 1965 with the Greater Miami Opera alongside Joan Sutherland on the stage of the Miami-Dade County Auditorium in Miami. Sutherland recommended the young Pavarotti, who was travelling with her on her tour, since he was well acquainted with the role.
He scored another major triumph in Rome on November 20, 1969 when he sang I Lombardi opposite Scotto.
1980s-1990s
At the beginning of the 1980s he set up The Pavarotti International Voice Competition for young singers, performing with the winners in 1982 in excerpts of La Bohème and L'elisir d'amore. To conclude the visit, Pavarotti performed the first ever concert in the Great Hall of the People before 10,000 people, receiving a standing ovation for nine effortless high Cs. The winners of the fifth competition accompanied Pavarotti in performances in Philadelphia in 1997.
Pavarotti's pivotal step in becoming an internationally known celebrity occurred in 1990 when his rendition of Giacomo Puccini's aria, "Nessun Dorma" (from Turandot) became the theme song of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. This was followed by the hugely successful Three Tenors concert held on the eve of the World Cup final at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome with fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and conductor Zubin Mehta, which became the biggest selling classical record of all time. Throughout the 1990s, Pavarotti appeared in many well-attended outdoor concerts, his televised concert in London's Hyde Park being the first concert in the history of the park featuring classical music, drawing a record attendance of 150,000.
Pavarotti's rise to stardom was not without occasional difficulties, however. Over an eight year period, Pavarotti had cancelled 26 out of 41 scheduled appearances at Lyric, and the decisive move by Krainik to ban him for life was well-noted throughout the opera world.
Pavarotti annually hosts the "Pavarotti And Friends" charity concerts in his home town of Modena in Italy, joining with singers from all parts of the music industry to raise money for several worthy UN causes.
He was a close friend to the late Diana, Princess Of Wales.
On December 12, 1998 he became the first (and, so far, only) opera singer to perform on Saturday Night Live, singing alongside Vanessa L.
2000s
In 2002 Pavarotti split with his manager of 36 years Herbert Breslin. In an interview in 2005 with Jeremy Paxman on the BBC, Pavarotti rejected the allegation that he could not read music, although acknowledging he sometimes had difficulty following orchestral parts.
He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and currently holds two Guinness World Records: one, for receiving the most curtain calls at 165;
In 2003 he released his latest and quite possibly his final compilation, Ti Adoro, which has Pavarotti singing in more of a 'popera' style.
More recently he married his assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani, who bore him twins.
Pavarotti gave his last performance in an opera at the New York Metropolitan Opera on March 13, 2004 for which he received a 12 minute standing ovation for his role as the painter Mario Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca.
On February 10, 2006, Pavarotti sang "Nessun Dorma" at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Turin, Italy.
Health crises
In March 2005, Pavarotti underwent neck surgery to repair two vertebrae.
In early 2006, he had back surgery and contracted an infection while in the hospital, forcing cancellation of concerts in the US, Canada, and the UK.
Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006 and required emergency surgery to remove the tumor.
Family
Pavarotti has four daughters, three with first wife Adua and one with second wife (former assistant/secretary) Nicoletta Mantovani, who gave birth to Alice in January 2003.
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