G Note on page PAVAROTTI CLASSIC DUETS December 8, 2017 1:00 PM - Encore Theater English Subtitles [Without permission, here are some interesting sentences from Wikipedia. Gene] “Luciano Pavarotti was born in 1935 on the outskirts of Modena in Northern Italy, the son of Fernando Pavarotti, a baker and amateur tenor, and Adele Venturi, a cigar factory worker. Although he spoke fondly of his childhood, the family had little money; its four members were crowded into a two-room apartment. World War II forced the family out of the city in 1943. …they rented a single room from a farmer in the neighboring countryside.” “After abandoning the dream of becoming a football goalkeeper, Pavarotti spent seven years in vocal training. Pavarotti's favorite tenor and idol was Giuseppe Di Stefano and he was deeply influenced by Mario Lanza: "In my teens I used to go to (his) movies then come home and imitate him in the mirror". Around the age of nine he began singing with his father in a small local church choir. (He) began the serious study of music in 1954 at the age of 19 with Arrigo Pola... in Modena who (taught) him without remuneration.” “Pavarotti (later studied with) Ettore Campogalliani, who …was also teaching Pavarotti's childhood friend, Mirella Freni, whose mother worked with Luciano's mother in the cigar factory. (Later) Freni and Pavarotti collaborated in recordings and stage performances.” “During his years of musical study, Pavarotti held part-time jobs in order to sustain himself – first as an elementary school teacher and then as an insurance salesman. Pavarotti began his career as a tenor in smaller regional Italian opera houses, making his debut as Rodolfo in La bohème at the Teatro Municipale in Reggio Emilia in April 1961 (and) his first international appearance in La traviata in Belgrade, Yugoslavia." Runtime: approx 90 minutes • DVD released 2014 by Decca MPAA not rated • ASIN: B00NX5CEN0 Page !1 of !4 “While generally successful, Pavarotti's early roles did not immediately propel him into the stardom that he would later enjoy. An early coup involved his connection with Joan Sutherland (and her conductor husband, Richard Bonynge), who in 1963 had sought a young tenor taller than herself to take on her tour to Australia. Pavarotti proved ideal. The two sang some forty performances over two months, and Pavarotti later credited Sutherland for the breathing technique that would sustain him over his career.” “His major breakthrough in the United States came on 17 February 1972, in a production of La fille du régiment at New York's Metropolitan Opera, in which he drove the crowd into a frenzy with his nine effortless high Cs in the signature aria. He achieved a record seventeen curtain calls.” “Pavarotti's rise to stardom was not without occasional difficulties. He earned the reputation "The King of Cancellations,” frequently backing out of performances, and his unreliable nature led to poor relationships with some opera houses.” “On 12 December 1998, he became the first (and, to date, only) opera singer to perform on Saturday Night Live, singing alongside Vanessa L. Williams. He sang with U2 in the band's 1995 song "Miss Sarajevo" and with Mercedes Sosa in 1999 in concert at the Boca Juniors arena La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1998, Pavarotti was presented with the Grammy Legend Award. He received an enormous number of awards and honors, including Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. He holds two Guinness World Records: one for receiving the most curtain calls (165) and another for best-selling classical album, In Concert, by the Three Tenors; the record is shared by ...Plácido Domingo and José Carreras." “On 13 December 2003, he married his former personal assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani (born 1969), with whom he already had a daughter, Alice. Alice's twin brother, Riccardo, was stillborn. Pavarotti is also survived by three other daughters by his first wife Adua, to whom he was married for 34 years: Lorenza, Cristina, and Giuliana. At the time of his death, he had one granddaughter.” “On 10 February 2006, Pavarotti sang "Nessun dorma" at the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin, Italy, at his final performance. In the last act of the opening ceremony, his performance received the longest and loudest ovation of the night from the international crowd. Leone Magiera, who directed the performance, revealed in his 2008 memoirs, Visto da Vicino, that the performance had been recorded weeks earlier. "The orchestra pretended to play for the audience, I pretended to conduct and Luciano pretended to sing. The effect was wonderful," he wrote.” “While proceeding with an international "farewell tour", Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006.” Page !2 of !4 “Pavarotti's funeral was held at Modena Cathedral. The then Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Kofi Annan (United Nations General Seretary) attended.The Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, flew overhead, leaving green-white-red smoke trails. After a funeral procession through the centre of Modena, Pavarotti's coffin was taken the final ten kilometers to Montale Rangone, a village part of Castelnuovo Rangone, and was interred in the Pavarotti family crypt. The funeral, in its entirety, was telecast live on CNN. The Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival Hall flew black flags in mourning. Tributes were published by many opera houses, such as London's Royal Opera House." "He posthumously received the Italy-USA Foundation's America Award in 2013.” ARIAS WITH PAVAROTTI ARIA/DUET Artist Opera Composer LIBIAMO Nuccia Focile La traviata Verdi # VERRANNO A TE SULL’AUIE Joan Sutherland Lucia Lucia di Lammermoor Donizetti # # MARIO, MARIO, MARIO Shirley Verrertt Tosca Puccini# ARDIR…VOGLIO DIRE LO Sesto Bruscantini Elixir of Love Donizetti # STUPENDO # O SUOVA FACIULLA Renata Scotto La Boheme Puccini # LA DONNA E MOBILE Isola Jones Rigoletto Verdi # BELLA FIGLIA DELL’AMORE Joan Sutherland, Leo Nucci"# SIGNORA…CHE T’ACCADDE Hillary Johnson Traviata Verdi …PARIGI, O CARA Joan Sutherland # . # AH SI BEN MIO Eva Marton Trovatore Verdi # DI QUELLA PIRE Mark Baker# E IL SOL DELL’ANIMA Christiane Eda-Pierre Rigoletto Verdi # TECO IO STO…M’AMI, M’AMI Katia Ricciarelli Masked Ball Verdi # ORO, QUANT’ORO OGN’AVIDO Leona Mitchell, Ernani Verdi # Ruggero Raimondi # NESSUN DORMA The 3 Tenors Turandot Puccini # {additional duets to be announced} Page !3 of !4 {additional duets to be announced} For this concert, I will be adding some additional duets that Pavarotti recorded with popular, non- operatic artists at some of the many benefit concerts at which he was a headliner. However, as this ‘goes to press’, I cannot guarantee which duets/artists those will be but I will provide that information Friday, at the performance. These musical numbers have been downloaded from youtube, accessed online. - Gene OPERA AT RIDERWOOD Delivery: Courtesy of Steve Schwartz GV 416 Paula & Paula Cook KC 211 Riderwood Gene Martin KC T12 Staff YOUR OPERA NOTES… For This Friday 1:00 pm at Encore Page !4 of !4.