Remembering Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian tenor

On September 6th, 2007, the world mourned one of the most beloved and legendary Italian singers: tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Born in 1935 near Modena, Pavarotti made his debut in 1961, as Rodolfo in La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, at the opera house in Reggio Emilia.

Gifted with a voice of a rare range, beauty and clarity, he quickly gained international fame and became the most popular operatic artist in history. He popularised opera by joining with singers from all genres of the music industry, including  Zucchero, James Brown, Mariah Carey and Sting and Barry White.

Pavarotti was also committed to many humanitarian activities and he was the founder of the 'Pavarotti & Friends' annual charity concerts, which raised funds for several worthy causes, including support for victims of the wars in Bosnia and Afghanistan. "He lived the songs, his opera was a great mash of joy and sadness; surreal and earthy at the same time. Even when the voice was dimmed in power, his interpretative skills left him a giant among a few tall men", Said U2 leader Bono, who sang with Pavarotti in 1995 hit Miss Sarajevo.

A special tribute concert will be taking place on September 6th, 2017 in Verona's majestic Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheatre renowned for its grand music performances. The show is being orchestrated by the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation and Friends & Partners, along with the Universal Music Company. Placido Domingo and Josè Carreras will be paying tribute to their friend Pavarotti as part of the concert, having performed together several times as The Three Tenors.

The extraordinary trio changed the perception of opera around the globe and their incredible performances garnered legions of fans: their 1994 concert in Los Angeles was watched by an estimated 1.3 billion viewers on television across the world and the live album recorded during the performance became the best-selling classical LP of all time. A host of acclaimed opera singers and pop stars will join Domingo and Carreras for a magical and memorable night, and part of the concert's proceeds will be donated to charity.

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