Saw him live in 1998. He was ~18 yrs past the prime of his voice, and still brought the house down. He came out for 5 encores. You can’t easily tell the sheer power of a world class opera voice through tv. They sing without microphones & their voices thunder over the symphony in large venues. The beauty of Pavarotti is he actually lived the song/aria emotionally while singing. In operatic performances, he would get emotional while singing about love, pain, joy, loss, etc. Ans you can tell in his eyes the vigor and enjoyment he had in making others smile through the art of opera.
Although well past his prime in 1998 I though he sang very very well until about 2000. I think he was beginning his terminal illness not much after that time. I think it was only his sheer size that kept him alive as long as he was. Even in 1997 and 1998 he was still hitting top C's, not with the abandon he once had but he could certainly still get them. He did so performing Turandot at the Met in 97 and in L'elisir, and when he sang in the Three Tenors in Paris in 1998 when they sang 'O Surdato 'annamurato. After 2000 he did occasionally sound magnificent still, but it was very obvious that his health was declining quite markedly.
Great that you enjoyed him-but yes, by 1998 he may have been passed his prime but I certainly don't think he was in 1980-probably not what you meant to say
@@labienus9968 I said it correctly. I saw him in 1998, which was (about) 18 years past his prime. Which puts his prime at/around 1980. His 1980 NY performance(s) are viewable on YT, he is in complete command. 👍
@@copelandtenn Depends what you are defining as prime? As an opera tenor he was at his best through the early 80s, (born 1935) but was still a great tenor well beyond that. If you didn't hear him, in an opera house, without amplification then you never really heard him. I heard him many times in opera 70's and 80's but lost interest as he went into the spinto roles-well sung, cleverly handled, but other tenors were better at it because they had heavier voices.
With the great John Wustman at the piano! John Wustman was regarded as about the best there was as an accompanist. You see him many times on shows where Pavarotti sings. I got to attend a 2 week workshop for singers and accompanists at Valparaiso University (1986 or '87) and he was a blast to work with. He had a gift: no matter how much he criticized your singing, you couldn't help but smile and enjoy the being around him. He's 93 and still working!
So in 2001 and 2002, I was an actor in a national tour of South Pacific with Mr. G. I played the young lieutenant that sings Younger Than Springtime. I'm also from Maine. At some point I mentioned the Star Spangled banner ( I can't remember the reason why.) He replied that it was one word, but then went on to say that when he was in Canada, he hosted and sang on a weekly countdown of the hits type tv show. Every week, he had to sing several songs or pieces of songs he barely knew. He said he developed a great ability to come up with a close enough word on the spot when he inevitably went up on the lyrics. He could rhyme almost anything. I liked him a lot. I would sing You've Got to be Carefully Taught to him and then I would sit down onstage while he belted out This Nearly Was Mine. He possessed such a rich, resonant sound. It was a great honor to hear him night after night after night. Though I have a higher voice, I've also had to play Lancelot a couple times and sing If Ever I Would Leave You. I would have Bob on repeat and steal all his phrasings. RIP Mr. G. It was an honor. He was the real deal. Though Elvis may have disagreed, I think he had one of the greatest sounds of the 20th century.
I was at the South Pacific show in Green Bay, WI during the 2002 tour with friends of Robert and got to meet him backstage, after; a dream come true since I was a little girl. He spent the time with me (and my husband) and my host and family were kind of unhappy about it. They stood us up at the restaurant, after. But That was fine because to this day I would not trade spending time with him or the wonderful photo of us together. Nice to see you here. I love your story.
Here you hear the voice of LP in its prime. The easy flowing emission of tone, clarity of diction. He makes it look effortless. He studied seriously the technique. I heard him on 3 occasions. The recital at Covent Garden in 1977 I think it was, was an experience. He stayed and signed autographs till very late. Such great memories.
I read that Elvis Presley didn't like his singing, and that he would shoot at his tv set when Mr. Gouket was singing. I don't know if the story was true. On the other hand I also learned that Robert was very abusive to his wife, Carol Lawrence, good singer in her own performer in her own right, and still alive at 91 years of age. Robert Goulet was a pretty good singer.
So late Night was as bad in 1981 as it is now in 2023, Good to know. Pavarotti is the exception with this one. Yet still painful to watch, outside of his voice.
I’ve looked for this clip for years, and particularly for what happens immediately after the second song, which is cut off here. The tonight show band, composed as it was of tough old jazz veterans, was on their feet, many with tears streaming down their faces.
