Word: pavarotti
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...1980s and '90s the showmanship tended to take over. At a time when Pavarotti was canceling more and more performances at the world's opera houses, he turned to solo concerts in such big venues as sports arenas, convention centers, even a circus tent. He issued a slew of commercial recordings, racking up sales that gave pop stars like Elton John a run for their money. He barnstormed with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras as "The Three Tenors," favoring spectacular settings like the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, which in turn yielded still more recordings and TV specials. "I want...
...heady stuff for a baker's son from the small Italian city of Modena, who had briefly taught elementary school and sold insurance while pursuing his vocal studies. As late as the 1970s Pavarotti liked to say he was still "a country boy," and he played up his modest roots by spending his summers on home turf, swimming, riding horses and expertly whipping up pasta feasts. But his family home was now a 17th century mansion on 12 acres, and there was no disguising his status as an immensely wealthy international superstar. Eventually his prolonged globetrotting absences took a toll...
...Pavarotti was unquestionably the most celebrated and most exciting tenor in the second half of the 20th century. Was he also the best? Here a definition of terms is in order. Some tenors ranged more widely through the repertory. Pavarotti concentrated on the classic lyric roles in such works as La Boheme, La Traviata and Madame Butterfly, and in later decades, when his voice turned darker, added more forceful roles like those in Tosca and Un Ballo in Maschera; but he rarely ventured into ruggedly dramatic territory, and almost never sang in any language but Italian...
...Still other tenors displayed more refinement and style, and brought a richer cultural or intellectual background to their roles. A case in point: Domingo, the other dominant tenor of the era, a more consistent, versatile and rounded singer than Pavarotti and a far more affecting actor (a domain where Pavarotti's skills remained, to put it kindly, rudimentary...
...matched Pavarotti at his best for sheer, prodigal outpouring of vocal beauty. And what he lacked in subtlety and polish he made up for in vitality, natural talent and entertainment value. In this sense Pavarotti the celebrity and Pavarotti the artist were one. The same simplicity, verve and generosity of spirit that made him a walking media event shone through his resplendent voice. His singing expressed the identical quality that it inspired in listeners around the world: an instinctive joy in the performance itself...