Whoever did this arrangement deserves an award. The performance, the artists made for an electric experience. This is glorious, so human, and why we are alive.
There was a series of concerts called "Pavarotti and Friends", where Pavarotti brought many different artists to Modena. This is one of the best ones of the series.
Yeah, he did these for years and had all sorts of different musicians perform, usually they'd do a song on their own and then something with Pavarotti - either he'd chime in like in this or the pop star would do something from Pavarotti's world if they were brave enough. These were charity gigs, weren't they? I certainly hope he enjoyed playing with all these different folks - he took a fair amount of stick from the proper classical community for doing these, but you can't argue with that crowd, can you? I assume Pavarotti laughed all the way to the bank and didn't care what the snobs thought. :)
Pavarotti just lost his father 2 - 3 days before. He was in mourning. But the concert was for charity, and he really wanted to do it. He was also very ill with cancer, and passed away in about 2 months. James Brown passed away about a year later. Pavarotti did a number of duos concerts with singers. They called it 'Pavarotti and Friends'.
The incongruity of these two greats together on the same stage makes this performance even more special. Just look at the huge audience and they thoroughly enjoyed this pairing back in 2002 👏👏👏👏👏 RIP Luciano and James.
It’s so interesting that the original song has such a beautiful melody in the background which Pavarotti uses to weave his part through and makes it sound like it’s a classical piece. That wasn’t really obvious when James brown sang this song over the years. It’s just gorgeous
I’ve never really listened to any James Brown, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good he was here. Great riffs, and runs! Pavarotti was amazing as always. Great reaction.
@@VocalSplendorStudios And the Maestro was dying of pancreatic cancer... They were both gone from this world shortly after this. I thought James did an excellent job, but the Maestro blew me away--like he always did.
I never thought I'd see those two together on the stage.... what an interesting combination! I attended a Luciano Pavarotti Command Performance for the President of Peru (in Lima) back in 1994 and he was incredible! This is a wonderful performance by those two!
I just LOVED this duet!!!So interesting mix!!! Lot of SOUL there!!! James Brown...oh, I grew up with him!! He influenced me , not so much like Michael, but yet...very much!!
Part of Pavarotti's lyric is "nothing makes sense if you live only for yourself" (nulla ha piu senso si viva solo per se) Which is interesting because that's not a lyric in the original song, it's like they made up a second voice that's chiming into what Jame's sings.
This is how you mix water and oil. This is incredible how they put this together. I would have never put these guys together. I know Pavarotti has done songs with other artists. I have been to a lot of concerts for over 40 years. This is one I would have loved to have gone to.
No it's not Italian version I heard the translation it's beautiful I've seen this video 3 yrs ago I get chill's just listening to it over and over again Beautiful piece
YES, exactly after a good live performance with orchestra and singers, I have to unwind also, it can take several hours for my head to "calm down" . Great reaction I had seen it several years ago and was as impressed as you LOL
The opera singer sang his friends songs in his language. They would take turns back and forth. I enjoyed Barry white singing with him and Celine Mariah Carey also
italian part translated in english and the complete lyrics below Pavarotti: L'uomo rincorre il potere ma lui non sa che il grande limite ha da essere come si fará. Nel palmo stringe un ‘idea che non vive, che nella sua fantasia… volle se non si accorge che poi nulla ha piú senso se si vive solo per sé. Pavarotti: Man chases power but he doesn't know that the great limit has to be how it will be done. In the palm he holds an idea who does not live, that in his fantasy… he wanted if you don't notice that then nothing makes sense anymore if one lives only for oneself. ------------------------------------------------------------------ It's a Man's Man's Man's World lyrics Artist: Luciano Pavarotti •Featuring artist: James Brown Album: Pavarotti & Friends Brown: This is a man's world, this is a man's world and But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing, nothing Without a woman or a girl You see, man made the cars To take us over the road Man made the trains To carry heavy loads Man made electric lights To take us out of the dark And man made the boat for the water, Like my bible says Noah made the ark This is a man's world But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing, nothing Without a woman or a girl Pavarotti: L'uomo rincorre il potere ma lui non sa che il grande limite ha da essere come si fará. Nel palmo stringe un ‘idea che non vive, che nella sua fantasia… volle se non si accorge che poi nulla ha piú senso se si vive solo per sé. Brown: Man thinks about a little bitty baby girl And a baby boy Man makes then happy Because man makes them toys And after man made other things he can Man makes liras, pesos, dollars, rupees To buy for every good woman and every man This is a man's world, Pavarotti: Nulla ha piú senso se si vive solo per sé. Brown: But it wouldn't be nothing, Without a woman or a girl. Pavarotti: Solo per sé. Brown: He's lost in the wilderness, He's lost in bitterness. Pavarotti: Se non si accorge che poi nulla ha piú senso se si vive solo per sé, solo per sé, per sé. Brown: This is a man's world, yeah.
Pavarotti is clearly not well and still kills it. But most moving is the respect he gives James Brown. Also, James Brown was near the end of his career, and he must have learned how to protect his voice. Mist pop stars by this time in their lives have lost their voice from misuse and no voice lessons.
I had the honor of singing in the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir for eleven years, and found that good choir singers learn how to protect their voices in that genre. I suspect James learned how to sing in church.
I’d be interested to know how you react to the text of this song. The performance is one thing, and indisputably it is just fantastic, but how does this relate to the message of the song? Can you separate the two? Pavarotti has over many years been one of very few musical ‘heroes‘ of my life, but regarding this performance I am very torn in that the text is just so corny and ludicrous not to mention sexist in the extreme (yes I am a man, but I don’t feel it’s my world). The text is ‘of its time’ perhaps, but the singing, the music and the performance makes me so happy and so inspired. How do you square the two? What’s your view? I am a musician and as such I have been lucky enough a number of times to having played in live performances and recordings with Pavarotti. These performances happily confirmed my views of him as a singer and musician. I have also first hand seen him struggling with sight reading music, something that was so interesting to see. It just confirmed to me that music is not to do with knowledge or training (but clearly as a singer he was very highly trained, just not in notation and sight reading perhaps), it is to do with communication. His voice goes straight in with me in a way that no one else’s does. But the text of this song... Do I have to write it off because of this?
Could have been a flop. But it was not. Why? MUTUAL RESPECT! Of one King for another. But should be done only once. How do you mix CARUSO and I FEEL GOOD? Why even try?
