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Luciano Pavarotti

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian operatic tenor who, towards the end of his career, also found a large audience in pop music. He was born in 1935 in a council housing estate on the edge of Modena, the son of a baker who himself had a fine tenor voice. As a boy he sang in a choir with his father, became first a schoolteacher and later an insurance agent, and took singing lessons for years. Only when he won the Achille Peri competition in 1961 did he make his debut, as Rodolfo in La bohème in Reggio Emilia.

Music and breakthrough

After that things moved fast. He sang in Vienna, at Covent Garden and, in 1965, in Miami, where he stepped in at the last moment alongside Joan Sutherland. He toured Australia with her. That year he also made his debut at La Scala, under Herbert von Karajan. In 1966 he sang in London as the first tenor to hit nine high Cs in the aria Ah! mes amis. His recordings include complete operas, such as La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Rigoletto, alongside individual arias and compilation albums such as Mamma and Passione. He excelled in bel canto, the earlier work of Verdi and the operas of Puccini.

Influence

In 1990, during the football World Cup, he performed as one of the Three Tenors. The trio's first album became the best-selling classical album ever. Pavarotti also organised benefit concerts for refugees and the Red Cross. His last performance was Nessun dorma at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He died in 2007.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to his recording of Nessun dorma from Turandot and notice how he builds the long, high notes and sustains the phrase. Can you hear how an operatic voice can fill an entire hall without a microphone or amplification?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists