Pavarotti, Luciano

born Oct. 12, 1935, Modena, Italy

Italian tenor.

He started out as a schoolteacher, beginning his vocal training only in his 20s. He made his professional debut in 1961, then debuted at La Scala in 1965 and at the Metropolitan Opera in 1968. He retained the beautiful tone and thrilling high notes that his audiences loved into his 60s, nurturing his broad appeal by recording many light pieces in addition to the traditional Italian repertoire in which he specialized. The most famous male classical singer of the late 20th century, he came to personify the Italian tenor worldwide.

* * *

▪ 2008

 Italian operatic lyric tenor

born Oct. 12, 1935, Modena, Italy

died Sept. 6, 2007, Modena

was considered one of the finest bel canto opera singers of the 20th century. Even in the highest register, his voice was noted for its purity of tone, while his concerts, recordings, and television appearances—which provided him ample opportunity to display his ebullient personality—gained him a wide popular following. Pavarotti graduated (1955) from a teaching institute in Modena and then taught elementary school for two years. He studied opera privately, mostly in Mantua. After winning the Concorso Internazionale, a singing competition, he made his professional operatic debut in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1961. He then played in opera houses throughout Europe and Australia. In 1968 Pavarotti made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, and from 1971 he was a regular performer there. He toured the world, performing for as many as 500,000 fans at a time in outdoor venues, as a solo performer or as one of the “Three Tenors” (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras). Among Pavarotti's many prizes and awards were five Grammy Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. His most notable operatic roles included the Duke in Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, Tonio in Gaetano Donizetti's La Fille du régiment (a part remarkable for its demanding sequence of high C's), and Radamès in Verdi's Aida. With William Wright he wrote Pavarotti: My Own Story (1981) and Pavarotti: My World (1995). In 2004 Pavarotti gave his final performance on the operatic stage. His last public appearance was in the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where he sang his signature aria, “Nessun dorma,” from Giacomo Puccini's Turandot.

* * *

▪ Italian opera singer

born Oct. 12, 1935, Modena, Italy

died Sept. 6, 2007, Modena

 Italian operatic lyric tenor, one of the most popular of his time, noted for his mastery of the highest notes of a tenor's range.

      Pavarotti graduated from a teaching institute in Modena (1955) and then taught elementary school for two years. He studied opera privately, mostly in Mantua. After winning the Concorso Internazionale, a singing competition, he made his professional operatic debut in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1961. He then played in opera houses throughout Europe and Australia. In 1968 he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, and from 1971 he was a regular performer there. Pavarotti became known to a wide public; his concerts, recordings, and television appearances—which provided ample opportunity to display his ebullient personality—gained him a wide popular following. He toured the world, performing to as many as 500,000 fans at a time in outdoor venues, as a solo performer or as one of the “Three Tenors” (with Plácido Domingo (Domingo, Plácido) and José Carreras). Among his many prizes and awards were five Grammy Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001.

      Pavarotti was considered one of the finest bel canto opera singers of the 20th century. Even in the highest register, his voice was noted for its purity of tone. His most notable operatic roles included the Duke in Giuseppe Verdi (Verdi, Giuseppe)'s Rigoletto (1851), Tonio in Gaetano Donizetti (Donizetti, Gaetano)'s La Fille du régiment (1840; a part remarkable for its demanding sequence of high Cs), Arturo in Vincenzo Bellini (Bellini, Vincenzo)'s I puritani (1835), and Radamès in Verdi's Aida (1871). With William Wright he wrote Pavarotti: My Own Story (1981) and Pavarotti: My World (1995). In 2004 Pavarotti gave his final performance on the operatic stage, although he continued to sing publicly until 2006.

* * *