Before turning his high do into his trademark, Luciano Pavarotti was a boy from the outskirts of Modena who dreamed of football. He was born on October 12, 1935, into a family without many opportunities - his father Fernando was a baker and amateur tenor, and his mother Adele worked in a tobacco factory. Music was a constant presence in his home, but his first great passion was football. As a teenager, he hoped to become a professional goalkeeper.
Teacher, insurer and singer
Instead of a sports career, Pavarotti initially chose a safer path. He received a primary school teacher's diploma and worked at a school, and later sold insurance while paying for his singing lessons. The decision to devote himself entirely to music came gradually. His first serious teacher, the tenor Arrigo Pola, taught him for free. After Pola left for Japan, Pavarotti continued with the teacher Ettore Campogalliani.
His first musical steps were taken in childhood. At the age of nine, he began singing in the “Gioacchino Rossini“ choir with his father. In 1955, the choir traveled to Llangollen in Wales and won first prize in the category for male choirs. This was the future tenor's first international success, although at that time he was only one of the participants in the ensemble.
Friendship with Mirella Freni
Among the most important people in his life was Mirella Freni - a soprano, whom Pavarotti had known since childhood. The two were born in Modena in 1935, and their mothers worked in the same tobacco factory. Later, Freni and Pavarotti appeared together on some of the most famous opera stages, including in “La Bohème“.
From “La Bohème“ to the nine high dos
In 1961, Pavarotti won a competition in Piacenza and made his debut as Rudolfo in “La Bohème“ by Giacomo Puccini in Reggio Emilia. Seven years later, he made his debut at the “Metropolitan Opera“ in New York. Over nearly four decades, he sang 378 performances there in 20 roles.
His international breakthrough was associated with the opera “La Dolce del Pollock“ by Gaetano Donizetti. In the 1972 performance, Pavarotti performed the famous aria with nine high Cs - an extremely difficult vocal passage that became one of the symbols of his career.
Applause, football and the “Three Tenors“
In 1988, after a performance of “The Elixir of Love“ in Berlin, the audience applauded Pavarotti for one hour and seven minutes. The tenor appeared before the curtain 165 times - a number that remains among the most impressive records in the opera world.
On July 7, 1990, Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras gave their first concert as “The Three Tenors“ in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, on the eve of the World Cup final. The performance of “Nessun dorma“ turned opera into a television event for audiences far beyond traditional opera houses.
Pavarotti did not limit himself to opera. He recorded popular music, organized charity concerts and made his only leading role in cinema - in the film “Yes, Giorgio“ from 1982. He himself summed up his attitude towards music with the words: “Good music is good music, period.“
Luciano Pavarotti died on September 6, 2007 in his native Modena. His voice, however, remains recognizable even to people who have never been to an opera - this is one of his most enduring achievements.
Sources: latimes.com, theguardian.com, abc.net.au