Born on the outskirts of Modena, in northern Italy, he was the son of Adele venturi, worker in a cigarette factory, and Fernando Pavarotti, baker and tenor amateur, which stimulated Luciano to begin his studies in the world of lyrical singing. Although he spoke fondly of his childhood, his family had few financial resources; its four members were huddled together in a two-room apartment. According to Luciano, his father had a fine tenor voice, but he rejected the possibility of pursuing a singing career due to his fragile nerves. The Second World War forced the family out of town in 1943, and the following year they had to rent a room to a farmer in the nearby countryside, where young Luciano developed an interest in agriculture.
His first musical influences came from his father's recordings, most of the popular tenors of the time - Beniamino gigli, Giovanni martinelli, Tito Schipa y Enrico Caruso. Around the age of nine, he began singing with his father in the choir of a small local church. Also in his youth he took some vocalization classes with Professor Dondi and his wife, but he always attached little importance to both.
After what was apparently a normal childhood with a typical interest in sports - in Luciano's case, the football over the others - graduated from the Master's School, and faced the dilemma of career choice. He was interested in pursuing a professional soccer career in the goalkeeping position, but his mother convinced him to become a teacher. He subsequently practiced in an elementary school for two years, but eventually allowed his interest in music to prevail. Recognizing the risk this entailed, his father reluctantly consented, agreeing that Luciano would receive room and board until he was 30 years old, and if he did not succeed at that age, he would earn a living on his own. His mentors in the art of bel canto were Arrigo Pola y Ettore Campogalliani.
His first public appearances as a singer were in the choir of the Teatro de la Comuna, in Modena, and later in La Coral de Gioacchino Rossini, where he showed his talent. Debuted on April 29 de 1961, like Rodolfo in the opera La Bohème de Puccini, in the Reggio Emilia Opera Palace. If this made him gain much popularity, he gained more when he sang the role of Tonio from the opera The daughter of the regiment de Gaetano Donizetti with its difficult nine-note aria chest do. This made him worthy of appearing on the cover of an edition of the American newspaper The New York Times.
Bronze bust of Luciano Pavarotti created in 1987 by Serge mangin
In his approach to popular music, he recorded duets with Eros Ramazzotti, Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson , and unprecedentedly, with the Brazilian Caetano Veloso, Argentina Mercedes Sosa and the irish rock group U2. With his colleagues and friends, the Spanish tenors Plácido Domingo y José carreras, formed the trio The three Tenors (The Three Tenors). He has recorded many operas on disk, where his work stands out with Joan Sutherland and the indian conductor Zubin Mehta.
In his personal life, Luciano Pavarotti was a great fan of football, painting and horses. He joined his destiny, for 34 years, with Customs Verona, with whom he fathered three girls -Lorenza, Cristina and Giuliana-, but the December 13 de 2003 he married his assistant again, Nicoletta Mantovani, 30 years younger than him and with her he had his fourth daughter -Alice-.
For several years in a row from 1991, Pavarotti responded to the call of the organization War Child, to raise funds for the construction of a music therapy center in Mostar. In this way, concerts were organized annually in Modena under the title "Luciano Pavarotti and friends", where other personalities of international music also participated, such as Anastacia, where funds are raised for different causes and benefits for boys and men, from around the world.
In october 2003 Pavarotti declared that the Peruvian Juan Diego Flórez would be his successor as an opera singer[1].
Pavarotti was in great demand in theaters around the world until his retirement at the New York Metropolitan Opera, in March of 2004, where he played the role of the painter Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Giacomo Puccini.
In May 2004, on the eve of his 70th birthday, the tenor announced "The goodbye tour" composed of 40 concerts around the world, to say goodbye to the faithful followers of his song. Despite this withdrawal, in February 2006 interpreted the air Nessun dorma, Turandot, as a closure to the inauguration ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics at the Olympic Stadium in Turin.
Last days
Unfortunately, "The Goodbye Tour" was suspended due to a back surgery at the beginning of 2006 and when he was preparing to leave New York To resume his farewell world tour, he was discovered a malignant tumor in the pancreas. He was operated on in a hospital New York, 7 July de 2006 and all his concerts were canceled due to his very delicate state of health, caused by a pneumonia after your operation.
The beginning of the end was announced on 8 August de 2007, when he was hospitalized victim of a "feverish state", and respiratory complications, however, hope had recovered, after he left the clinic the day 25 August de 2007, to continue convalescence at home.
El September 6 of the 2007, died at home because of pancreatic cancer.[2]
The funeral ceremony was held in his hometown with the Italian Prime Minister present. Romano Prodi, the Minister of Culture Francesco Rutelli, the Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli and the former secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Also attending the ceremony was the leader of U2, Bond, like singers Fornaciari sugar y Laura Pausini.
The entrance to the mass was accompanied by the soprano bulgarian Raina Kabaivanska, who sang the Ave Maria of the Othello de Verdi. During the offertory, the flute player André Griminelli touched on the subject of Orpheus and Euridice, G. The communion was accompanied by the voice of Andrea Bocelli, who played the Ave verum corpus de Mozart.
The tenor was buried in the cemetery Mount Rangote near her villa, on the outskirts of the city, where her parents and son Riccardo, who died shortly before giving birth in 2003, are buried.
Source: wikipedia