Role of the Performer: Luciano Pavarotti

Ethan Bowser

Biographical Information

    Luciano Pavarotti was born into humble beginnings in Modena, Italy, in 1935. His father was a baker, his mother a factory worker. After considering a career as a soccer goalie, Pavarotti tried teaching for a few years before pursuing music. In 1961, he won a singing contest at the Teatro Reggio Emilia and played Rodolfo in the opera "La Boheme", finally bringing him notice from the musical world (Holland). After becoming a substitute at the Royal Opera House in London, he met singer Joan Sutherland. She helped him to start his international career through a tour of Australia. She also introduced him to a breathing technique that proved key to his performance.

    While singing Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment" in 1972, he hit an amazing eight high C's (difficult for a tenor) and became a star. The same year he performed at the Met, marking his breakthrough into the United States. Pavarotti enjoyed a highly successful career from then on, taking on many famous opera roles and performing around the world to packed venues. Perhaps his most memorable period was when he transcended classical music and broke through into pop, performing with two other famous tenors, José Carreras and Plácido Domingo, as part of the Three Tenors act, which drew immense notice along with criticism (Arendt). He even performed with Elton John and Bono.

    In his later years, Pavarotti struggled with excessive weight, surgeries, and other health problems (Dyer), limiting his mobility on stage and his singing abilities. When he sang the opening song for the 2006 Winter Olympics, it was revealed later that he was lip-syncing a prerecorded performance. Midway through a farewell tour before an intended retirement from singing, Pavarotti fell ill with pancreatic cancer and passed away.

Role as a Performer

    Pavarotti had a limited number of talents on stage; he was, first and foremost, a musician, and did not possess great acting skills. It is also generally thought that he had a poor grasp of music itself, with some people accusing him of lacking the ability to read it at all. He also developed a bad reputation for failing to show up to recitals and canceling performances. Pavarotti's principle role was as a singer; the the element that catapulted him to such great success were the qualities of his voice. Music critic Norman Lebrecht noted, "The voice was unique in timbre and power, [and] the presence was unmistakable" (Arendt). Pavarotti developed a reputation for clear diction and a great measure of expression. What he lacked in acting skills, he also made up for with a magnetic stage presence. His voice was noted for its longevity. Although it declined in his later years, it remained in good condition well into middle age. As a performer, he acted as an entry point for the masses into opera. Despite much of the criticism he endured for venturing into popular music, it helped to bridge the gap for some of his fans between opera and pop.

 Nessun Dorma, Giacomo Puccini, 25 April 1926, Milan, Italy

    The dynamics of this piece are unmistakable, moving from quiet and subdued at the beginning to bold at the end, even triumphant. It was hard for me to pick out much of a beat, but this helped the song. I think having a heavy, unyielding tempo would make it harder for Pavarotti to be as expressive (and probably wouldn't sound good in an opera like this). As it is, the piece can speed up and slow down as the words and timbre require. I definitely sense Pavarotti's expressiveness and presence shining in this video. (Anyone remember this composition from Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation?)

 

La donna è mobile, Giuseppe Verdi, 11 March 1851, Venice, Italy

    I like Pavarotti even better in this performance, when his voice was in its prime. Pavarotti demonstrates his mastery of pitch and timbre, jumping from low to high notes, powerful to soft ones, smooth to guttural. The rapidity with which he can jump through notes astounds me too. I think he lends life to the composition. Even with the subpar recording and my inability to understand what words he's singing, I felt the power and beauty of it all the same. Pavarotti is not just singing some old song from someone who died long ago; he resurrects the piece and brings it you and me, as fresh and exciting as if it were written yesterday.

References:

Holland, Bernard. “Luciano Pavarotti Is Dead at 71 (Published 2007).” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 6 Sept. 2007, web.archive.org/web/20220407130415/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/arts/music/06pavarotti.html.

Arendt, Paul. “‘It Was All about the Voice.’” The Guardian, Guardian News & Media Limited, 26 Nov. 2017, web.archive.org/web/20240206111033/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/sep/07/classicalmusicandopera1.

Dyer, Richard. “Opera Star Luciano Pavarotti Dies.” Opera Star Luciano Pavarotti Dies - The Boston Globe, NY Times Co., 6 Sept. 2007, web.archive.org/web/20120418214334/www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2007/09/06/opera_star_luciano_pavarotti_dies/?page=3.