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Pavarotti’s Outrageous Best
Classical Con Blasto blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s funny how superstardom operates, isn’t it? First the artist works hard, pays attention to craft, builds a resume of transcendent accomplishments, finds a unique presence. Then, as glaring fame approaches, the gears shift and the art and craft is gradually replaced with schlocky pandering to an attention-deficit mass audience.
That was the case with the great Luciano Pavarotti, whose staggering vocal charisma — pre-Three Tenors — can be heard in a 1979 “La Boheme” in this YouTube video from 1979, conducted by the elusive genius Carlos Kleiber. Follow the links on the YouTube page and you can watch most of Act 1. Amazing singing, superlative conducting.
Also, the good folks at WABE (90.1-FM and www.wabe.org) just sent me word that tonight at 8 p.m. they’ll broadcast a two-hour tribute to Pavarotti from “Performance Today.”
5 p.m. Update: The Atlanta Opera writes: General Director Dennis Hanthorn was interviewed on CNN International this afternoon at 3:12 pm (to be exact). I’m trying to get a copy of the interview and will certainly share when I get it. He was interviewed by Stephen Frazier on the World News show and was commenting on Pavorotti’s death and what Pavarotti meant to the opera industry. Very exciting for us…”
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