A concert commemorating the 90th birth anniversary of Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007), one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, was held in Shanghai, featuring renowned domestic and international singers presenting arias from operas closely connected to Pavarotti's career.
"There is no better way to celebrate the life and career of Luciano than with a concert in the great city of Shanghai," says Nicoletta Mantovani, Pavarotti's widow and president of the Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti, at the event held last Sunday.
Throughout his life, Pavarotti believed in the power of music to bridge cultures. Having toured China four times, with two stops in Shanghai, "he always said he left his heart in China," according to Mantovani.
The event, The Voice, the Man, the Legend: A Concert Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Luciano Pavarotti, was jointly produced by the Shanghai Opera House and the Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti.
As the only event authorized by the foundation to celebrate the legendary singer's 90th birthday, it featured renowned bel canto singers, including American tenor Gregory Kunde, Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov, Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko, Chinese tenor Yu Haolei, and other artists from the Shanghai Opera House, as well as Giulia Mazzola and Emanuele Pellegrini, young artists supported by the foundation.
The conductor for the evening was Lyu Jia, the artistic director of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
The program featured arias from various operas, including Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and L'elisir d'amore, Verdi's La Traviata and Rigoletto, and Puccini's La Boheme, Tosca, and Turandot. Conductor Lyu notes that the selections encapsulated the legendary singer's brilliant career.
Born in Modena, Italy, Pavarotti was widely recognized as one of the finest bel canto tenors of his century. Following his professional operatic debut in 1961, he embarked on a prolific international career, having once performed for an audience of 500,000. His many accolades included five Grammy Awards and a Kennedy Center Honors award in 2001.
