New York, NY (September 6, 2007) – News of the death of Luciano Pavarotti was met with profound sadness today by the management, staff, and artistic company of the Metropolitan Opera, where the great Italian tenor sang 378 performances, more than anywhere else in the world. Pavarotti made his Metropolitan Opera debut on November 23, 1968 as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème, and sang his farewell performance on March 13, 2004 as Mario Cavaradossi in the same composer’s Tosca.
Music Director James Levine, who collaborated with Mr. Pavarotti in 139 performances at the Met beginning in 1973, said, “Few singers in the history of the Metropolitan Opera have had the popularity with the general public and the enormous impact that Luciano Pavarotti had during his 36-year career with the company. Luciano’s voice was so extraordinarily beautiful and his delivery so natural and direct that his singing spoke right to the hearts of listeners whether they knew anything about opera or not. I will never forget the sheer magic of that voice, but I will also remember the warm, generous, and exuberant spirit of the man. He is, rightfully, a legend already – an artist whose recordings will be a reference for singers and opera lovers for a long time to come.”
“In the larger than life world of grand opera, Luciano Pavarotti was its greatest symbol, captivating millions with his performances from the Met and elsewhere,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s General Manager. “Pavarotti’s golden voice shall resonate within the Met for as long as it stands.”
In 1972, Pavarotti created a sensation in the role of Tonio in a new production of Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment with the great Australian soprano Joan Sutherland, a frequent co-star early in his career, singing the title role. The daredevil facility with which he dispatched the nine high C’s in the aria “Ah, mes amis…Pour mon âme” brought down the house and gained him the media attention that would lead to his becoming one of the most beloved singers of the twentieth century. His Met repertory of 20 roles was almost entirely in works by the great Italian masters, such as Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, and Bellini. The exceptions were the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo and the Italian singer in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, though both parts are sung in Italian. Tonio in La Fille du Régiment, which he sang in French, was the only role he sang at the Met in language other than Italian.
When the Met launched its first regular series of televised performances in 1977, the inaugural opera was La Bohème, conducted by James Levine, with Pavarotti as Rodolfo and soprano Renata Scotto, another frequent onstage partner early in his career, as Mimì. He went on to sing in 21 Met telecasts, many of which are currently available on DVD. Pavarotti also made several recordings with Met, all conducted by Maestro Levine: La Traviata, Rigoletto, I Lombardi, L’Elisir d’Amore, and Manon Lescaut.
He first performed the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Met in 1978, and went on to sing it a total of 60 times, his most frequent role. Perhaps his most renowned portrayal was as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, his second most frequent Met role at 49 performances. He sang in 48 radio broadcasts from the Met stage and starred in 13 new production premieres. In addition to his opera performances, Pavarotti gave three recitals with piano on the Met stage, one with Maestro Levine and two with his accompanist Leone Magiera, and participated in numerous special galas, including the 1972 salute to Rudolf Bing, the 1983 Met Centennial Gala, and a gala celebration of the 30th anniversary of his Met debut in 1998.
Television and Radio Performance Tributes
The Met salutes the memory of one of the greatest artists in history with television and radio performance tributes. The Met will honor Pavarotti with a series of specially-programmed WNET and SIRIUS broadcasts, and an exhibition that will open in the Met’s Founders Hall on September 24.
Great Performances at the Met: Encore Presentation of L'Elisir d'Amore
Pavarotti’s most renowned portrayal was as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, his second most frequently performed role at the Met, which he sang 49 times. WNET/Channel Thirteen will air an encore presentation of the opera’s 1981 telecast on Thursday, September 6, at 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday, September 9, at 12 noon (all times are EST).
Metropolitan Opera Radio Tributes
Metropolitan Opera on Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 85) will broadcast Pavarotti performances over eight consecutive nights, beginning at 9 p.m. each night (EST) as follows:
Jan. 6, 1973
La Fille du Régiment - Donizetti Richard Bonynge; Joan Sutherland, Regina Resnik, Luciano Pavarotti, Fernando Corena (airing 9/6)
Jan. 21, 1989
Il Trovatore – Verdi James Levine; Aprile Millo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Paul Plishka (airing 9/7)
Apr. 29, 1989
L’Elisir d’Amore – Donizetti Marcello Panni; Kathleen Battle, Luciano Pavarotti. Gino Quilico, Paul Plishka (airing 9/8)
Apr. 1, 1995
Tosca – Puccini Daniel Oren; Elizabeth Holleque, Luciano Pavarotti, Juan Pons (airing 9/9)
Feb. 10, 1973
Rigoletto – Verdi James Levine; Reri Grist, Joann Grillo, Luciano Pavarotti, Ingvar Wixell, John Macurdy (airing 9/10)
Jan. 26, 1997
Un Ballo in Maschera – Verdi James Levine; Deborah Voigt, Young-Ok Shin, Barbara Dever, Luciano Pavarotti, Juan Pons (airing 9/11)
Jan. 23, 1982
Luisa Miller – Verdi Nello Santi; Katia Ricciarelli, Bianca Berini, Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci, Paul Plishka, John Cheek (airing 9/12)
Mar. 13, 1976
I Puritani – Bellini Richard Bonynge; Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, James Morris (Sirius radio debut—airing 9/13)
The Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network will air a special re-broadcast on January 19, 2008 of La Bohème from 1977 with Pavarotti and Renata Scotto, conducted by Met Music Director James Levine.
Pavarotti Honored in the Met’s Founders Hall
A retrospective of Pavarotti photographs and memorabilia will be on display in the Met’s Founders Hall, beginning on Monday, September 24, to coincide with Opening Night. Costumes from some of the singer’s Met performances will be on display on the Parterre and Dress Circle levels. Founders Hall entrance is on the ground floor concourse and is open to Met ticket holders during performances.
A summary of Luciano Pavarotti’s Metropolitan Opera career follows.
Luciano Pavarotti at the Met
OPERA, ROLE, FIRST PERFORMANCE, TOTAL
La Bohème, Rodolfo, November 23, 1968, 34
Lucia di Lammermoor, Edgardo, October 5, 1970, 6
La Traviata, Alfredo, October 22, 1970, 3
La Fille di Régiment, Tonio, February 17, 1972, 26
Rigoletto, Duke, June 19, 1972, 19
L’Elisir d’Amore, Nemorino, October 13, 1973, 49
I Puritani, Arturo, February 25, 1976, 10
Der Rosenkavalier,Italian Singer, March 8, 1976, 15
Il Trovatore, Manrico, October 11, 1976, 26
La Favorita, Fernando, February 21, 1978, 6
Tosca, Cavaradossi, December 13, 1978, 60
Un Ballo in Maschera, Riccardo, February 4, 1980, 31
Luisa Miller, Rodolfo, January 20, 1982, 13
Idomeneo, Idomeneo, October 14, 1982, 7
Ernani, Ernani, November 18, 1983, 10
Aida, Radamès, March 21, 1986, 10
I Lombardi, Oronte, December 2, 1993, 11
Pagliacci, Canio, September 26, 1994, 2
Andrea Chénier, Chénier, April 6, 1996, 11
Turandot, Calàf, September 29, 1997, 6
Verdi Requiem, December 8, 1996, 2
Galas, Concerts, and Recitals 21
TOTAL PERFORMANCES 378