From our files: An interview with Luciano Pavarotti
In 1972, the Monitor spoke with the legendary tenor, who died last night in his hometown of Modena, Italy.
posted September 6, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. EDT
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"This is a new opera for me," Mr. Pavarotti said, "and I hope it will go well. It is beautiful, beautiful to sing, but when I record I must concentrate – I think I cannot sing this opera on the stage for a few years..."
"I like to make records, but let me tell you a story. In Philadelphia last winter I sang Donizetti's 'Puritani' on the stage with Beverly Sills. It was a big success with the public and we were very happy. Then 15 days later, someone came to my dressing room at the Met after a performance. 'Would you please sign this record?' he said. 'What record is this?' I asked. 'It's your "Puritani"'...
"A pirate record! This did not make me very happy. I signed, but I told this young man if someone makes pirate records of my voice he should at least give me five or six copies for me."
Mr. Pavarotti laughed. "And what do you think? The next time I sang, there in my dressing room at the Met were six copies of this pirate record – for my father, my mother, my wife, for me. No note – nothing." How did it sound? He hesitated. "Cosi, cosi," he said with a smile.
'Father, go home, please...'
Summer will not be all recordings. Mr. Pavarotti will sing performances of Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" at the open air Arena di Verona, which is ust 60 miles from home. Then there will be some vacation with the family before the traveling starts again.
There had always been music in the Pavarotti family, and Luciano's interest in singing continued even when he was pursuing a teaching career. In 1961 he was urged to enter a singing competition, for which first prize was an operatic debut. It all worked like magic. He was the winner and the debut – as Rodolfo in "La Boheme" - was made under the happiest auspices in Regio Emilia's "jewelbox of an opera house," with Fansciso Molinari-Pradelli conducting and the famous retired soprano, Mafalda Favero, staging an opera for the one and only time.
"My career began well, and that was a good sign," he recalled. "My voice was a little thread, fine for that little theater. I was very proud, of course, but my father said, 'Nice, but Gigli and Schipa don't sing like that – you must work some more.'
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