My first & last encounter with Pavarotti

MANILA, Philippines - There is an avalanche of tribute on Luciano Pavarotti’s 75th birthday and one of them is MCA Music’s release of a DVD and a two-CD compilation of the tenor’s greatest performances at the Metropolitan Opera.

A big bonus to that collection are Pavarotti’s duets with the divas of his time namely Dame Joan Sutherland, Mirella Freni and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The arias, duets and ensembles are highlights from well-loved operas including La Bohème, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto and L’elisir d’amore.

The memorable performances at the Met are conducted by the Metropolitan Opera’s music director James Levine and Richard Bonynge who — to a large extent — played pivotal roles in Pavarotti’s operatic career.

The legendary tenor who died three years ago actually sang in Manila in 1994. He cancelled on the night he was scheduled to sing at the PICC because of cold and sang two days later when he partially recovered. When he got back his voice, he thanked his Filipino throat doctor no end for making that Manila concert possible.

How was Pavarotti in person?

On that presscon graced by impresario Baby Arenas, the Pavarotti I would remember was a gracious person and a surprisingly self-effacing one.

When Julie Yap Daza asked him if he agreed with the label “the world’s greatest living tenor,” Pavarotti replied with a firm no.

And then delivered his punch line: “But if you insist, what can I do?”

It became apparent — as the tenor gave his opening remarks — that in visiting Manila for the first time, he was just retracing the footsteps of his teacher, tenor Arrigo Pola, who he said interrupted the young Pavarotti’s voice lessons in Modena just to go to Philippines. Pola’s good word about Manila audiences — in the ‘50s — reached him.

When my turn for a question came, I told Pavarotti that legendary Italian tenors like Ferrucio Tagliavini and Franco Corelli sang in Manila before him, and what could he say about those great singers?

Looking at me straight in the eye, Pavarotti said in strong terms that he was in awe of those singers who earlier visited Manila. “Tagliavini and Corelli are the greatest tenors of all time and if I am able to do at least half of what they achieved in their time, I would be very happy.”

Asked what his favorite roles were, Pavarotti replied that knowing his vocal instrument and its classification, his favorites were Rodulfo in La Boheme, Nemorino in L’ Elisir d’ Amore, Ricardo in Un Ballo and Cavaradossi in Tosca. Calaf in Turandot identified with the popular Nessun Dorma, was not on his list.

But Pavarotti gently told us that there was more to enjoying concerts than just singing those bravura arias. “The best part of the concert is not singing in this concert but in working out a program that will grow with the audience with every song. Every aria must lead to another in terms of enjoyment and at the end of the concert, audiences must be thoroughly inspired.”

Pavarotti, at that point, admitted he had learned to live with the highs and lows of his career. When he catches cold and thus could not give the best to an engagement, he accepts audience verdict for what it is. For instance, he admitted he wasn’t good in Don Carlo, a few engagements at La Scala where he was reportedly booed.

When this happens, he lets thing be. “I was not good in that role and the audience was very tough,” he recalled. “I take what the audience gives. To me, they are always right. If they boo me, I accept it. They are also free to shoot me — they won’t miss.”

What I do remember of that first and last encounter with Pavarotti at the Philippine Plaza (now Sofitel) were his parting words: “You don’t need brains to be able to appreciate music. Music is like sports. Everyone understands it. It is the only good news that everyone can understand because it doesn’t need interpreters.”

(Bravo Pavarotti, a unique DVD and two-CD compilation celebrating memorable performances Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, is now available in Manila. For details, call 748-4152 or 0906-5104270.)