Forever Luciano

Go to ImageShack® to Create your own SlideshowLuciano Pavarotti dies 06Sep07Luciano Pavarotti was ....one of the great phenomenally naturally gifted performers'' who helped to popularise opera, former Opera Australia director Moffatt Oxenbould says.The 71-year-old tenor passed away at his home in Modena, Italy today, losing a battle with cancer.VIDEO: Watch Pavarotti sing Ave Maria on YouTubeMr Oxenbould, who first worked with Pavarotti during his 1965 trip to Australia, said the charismatic singer would be remembered as one of the greats.....He was just a stupendously and prodigiously gifted natural singer,'' Mr Oxenbould said.....He was very endearing, and like a naughty little boy who was aware he had some precious gift.''Mr Oxenbould said Pavarotti had acknowledged he learned much while working with Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, performing Lucia di Lammermoor, in 1965.....He was a comparatively young singer and he had made some important debuts but he was by no means a megastar in those days,'' Mr Oxenbould said.....He was always very complimentary about the way Joan Sutherland and (conductor) Richard Bonynge helped him during that period.....He credited a lot of learning about his breathing from Joan in that time." Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world's greatest opera singers, has died Print this story Privacy policyGold Coast Publications Pty Ltd Copyright © July 2007Luciano Pavarotti's BiographyPavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, on October 12, 1935, the first child and only son of a baker. As a boy, sports occupied much of his time. In fact, he earned his first local fame as a member of the town's soccer team, excelling at the game he has followed passionately ever since. He first sang in the Modena chorus with his father, a fervent lover of opera and gifted amateur tenor. When the chorus won first prize in an international competition, the youngster was hooked. His debut came on April 29, 1961, as Rodolfo in La Boheme, at the opera house in Reggio Emilia. That success led to engagements throughout Italy and the World, where he conquered audiences in Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich, and London. His American debut came in February 1965, in a Miami production of Lucia di Lammermoor with Joan Sutherland, the beginning of what would become their historic partnership. Debuts in La Boheme, at La Scala, San Francisco, and New York won the hearts of fans around the world. But it wasn't until February 17, 1972, that the Pavarotti phenomenon was born, in a production of La Fille du Regiment at New York's Metropolitan Opera. Responding to Pavarotti's aria containing nine effortless high Cs, the audience erupted in a frenzied ovation, and the young tenor's reputation soared into the stratosphere. Long associated with London/Decca Records, his recordings are consistent best sellers, and include collections of arias and recital programs, a live concert from Carnegie Hall, and anthologies of Neapolitan and other Italian songs. The most recent is Verdi's Il Trovatore. His frequent television appearances in performance as well as in documentaries and on talk shows continue to add to his musical renown. His performance as Rodolfo thrilled America in the first Live from the Met telecast in March of 1977, which attracted one of the largest audiences ever for a televised opera. And from that same stage, he and Plácido Domingo together celebrated their 25th anniversaries with an Opening Night Gala performance in the fall of 1993. He consistently draws record-breaking audiences to sold-out arena concerts in many countries and shares his music with huge audiences in the great public parks of the world. His televised concert in London's Hyde Park, in the presence of Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, was the first concert in the history of the park featuring classical music and drew a record attendance of some 150,000 people. In June 1993, more than 500,000 fans gathered to enjoy his performance on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park, while millions more around the world watched on television. The following September, singing here in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, he thrilled the hearts of an estimated 300,000 music lovers. Maestro Pavarotti is also dedicated to the development of the careers of young singers, and conducts standing-room-only master classes at conservatories around the world. In 1982, he initiated an ongoing international vocal competition culminating with prestigious final performances in Philadelphia. The second competition in 1986 coincided with the 25th Anniversary of his career. To celebrate, he brought the winners of that competition to Italy for gala performances of La Boheme in Modena and in Genoa that resulted in his historic visit to China, chronicled in the film Distant Harmony. Illuminated by his radiant personality and propelled by his zest for life Luciano Pavarotti's golden voice transcends the walls of the opera house to reach inside every human heart and mind.