Luciano Pavarotti – Pavarotti’s Opera Made Easy – My Favorite Love Duets (1994)

Luciano Pavarotti (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed and loved tenors of all time.

He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for his tone, and achieving the honorific title “King of the High Cs”.

In 1994, his record company, London Records released 20 CDs (!) with the slogan “Pavarotti’s Opera Made Easy”.

Here is the edition “My Favorite Love Duets”.

A nice compilation, although this kind of music really doesn’t excite me.

Personnel:
see booklet

Tracklist:

Puccini – La Boheme:
01. Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni & Rolando Panerai: O Soave Fanciulla 4.15

Verdi – La Traviata:
02. Luciano Pavarotti & Joan Sutherland: Un Di Felice 3.31
03. Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland: Parigi O Cara 4.59

Donizetti – Lucia Di Lammermoor:
04. Joan Sutherland & Luciano Pavarotti: Ah! Verranno A Te Sull’Aure 4.27

Verdi – Rigoletto:
05. Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, John Gibbs, Ricardo Cassinelli & Gillian Knight: E Il Sol Dell’anima… Che M’Ami, Deh, Ripetimi 5.09

Mozart – Don Giovanni:
06. Bernd Weikl & Lucia Popp: La Ci Darem La Mano 3.21

Verdi – A Masked Ball:
07. Luciano Pavarotti & Margaret Price: M’Ami, M’Ami… Oh, Qual Soave Brivido 4.07

Puccini – Madame Butterfly:
08. Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti: Vogliatemi Bene 7.52

Verdi – Aida:
09. Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Chiara & Leo Nucci: Pur Ti Riveggo, Mia Dolce Aida… Fuggiamo Gli Ardori Inospiti 9.57

Puccini – Manon Lescaut:
10. Kiri Te Kanawa & José Carreras: Oh, Saro La Piu Bella! 8.36

Puccini – Tosca:
11. Luciano Pavarotti, Richard Van Allan & Mirella Freni: Gente La Dentro… Mario! Mario! Mario! 14.28

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More from Luciano Pavarotti:

The official website:

Luciano Pavarotti & Friends – For War Child (1996)

Pavarotti & Friends was a series of benefit concerts hosted by Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti between 1992 and 2003 in his home town of Modena, Italy. Proceeds from the events were donated to humanitarian causes including the international aid agency War Child and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The concerts featured Pavarotti performing with special musical guests and each concert was released as a compilation album and DVD under London Records/Decca Records.

The Pavarotti & Friends for War Child concert was held on 20 June 1996. Proceeds from the concert were donated to the international aid agency, War Child, specifically in aid of children in Bosnia. The concert featured guest performances by Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Liza Minnelli and Joan Osborne. The compilation arrived at position 19 in Danish Chart. (wikipedia)

Eclecticism, rendered with more good nature than real accomplishment, is the key characteristic of this mixed bag of performers gathering together in Modena, Italy, Luciano Pavarotti’s hometown, for a benefit concert for Bosnian children. Actually, the pop stars, notably Eric Clapton and Elton John, come off better than the host. Sheryl Crow doesn’t embarrass herself duetting on Mozart with Pavarotti nearly as much as Pavarotti does duetting with Liza Minnelli on “New York, New York.” With plenty of Italian pop and competent but unexceptional Anglo-American hits to accompany the classical musings, there’s something here to bore nearly everyone, though the idea, of course, is to have something to intrigue everyone enough to buy a copy and help the charity. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Eric Clapton – Luciano Pavarotti – Joan Osborne – Elton John – Liza Minnelli – Zucchero – Sheryl Crow – Ligabue – Jon Secada – The Kelly Family – Litfiba – Solis String Quartet – Paco De Lucia,  Al Di Meola & John McLaughlin
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Orchestra conducted by Rob Mathes (on 01. + 16.)
Orchestra conducted by José Molina (on 02,, 05.)
Orchestra conducted by Anne Dudley (on 17.)
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East London Gospel Choir (on 01. + 16.)

Tracklist:
01. Eric Clapton & Luciano Pavarotti: Holy Mother (Clapton/Bishop) 5.38
02. Joan Osborne: Saint Teresa (Bazilian/Osborne/Chertoff/Hyman) 5.41
03. Elton John: I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (Johnstone/John/Taupin) 4.39
04. Liza Minnelli & Luciano Pavarotti: New York, New York (Kander/Ebb) 3.53
05. Zucchero: My Love (Il Volo) (Fornaciari/Palladino/MacDonald) 5.37
06. Sheryl Crow & Eric Clapton: Run, Baby, Run (Bottrell/Baerwald/Crow) 6.09
07. Ligabue & Luciano Pavarotti: Certe Notti (Ligabue) 4.18
08. Jon Secada: Angel (Secada/Morejon) 4.53
09. The Kelly Family & Luciano Pavarotti: Ave Maria (Gounod/Bach) 2.24
10. Litfiba: Spirito (Renzulli/Pelù) 4.48
11. Eric Clapton: Third Degree (Boyd/Dixon) 4.49
12. Sheryl Crow & Luciano Pavarotti: Là Ci Darem La Mano (Don Giovanni) (Da Ponte/ Mozart) 3.13
13. Edoardo Bennato & Solis String Quartet: Le Regazze Fanno Grandi Sogni (Bennato) 3.17
14. Jon Secada & Luciano Pavarotti: Grenada (Lara) 3.18
15. Paco De Lucia,  Al Di Meola & John McLaughlin: Mediterranean Sundance (Di Meola) .4.14
16. Joan Osborne & Luciano Pavarotti: Gesù Bambino (Martens/Yon) 3.51
17. Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti & Ensemble: Live Like Horses (John/Taupin) 4.59

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More from Luciano Pavarotti:

Luciano Pavarotti – Gala Concert At The Royal Albert Hall (1982)

Luciano Pavarotti (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed and loved tenors of all time.

He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for his tone, and achieving the honorific title “King of the High Cs”.

As one of the Three Tenors, who performed their first concert during the 1990 FIFA World Cup before a global audience, Pavarotti became well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. From the beginning of his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy to his final performance of “Nessun dorma” at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Pavarotti was at his best in bel canto operas, pre-Aida Verdi roles, and Puccini works such as La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Madama Butterfly. He sold over 100 million records, and the first Three Tenors recording became the best-selling classical album of all time. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others. He died from pancreatic cancer on 6 September 2007. (wikipedia)

This recording was made in April 1982 during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I’ve bought many Pavarotti concert recordings, but this concert is definitely one of my favourites, with a very nice atmosphere. Pavarotti sings (inter alia) ‘Il Lamento di Federico’, ‘Torna a Surriento’, ‘Nessun Dorma’, ‘Recondita Armonia’ and ‘E lucevan le Stelle’. I especially like ‘Il Lamento di Federico’, because Pavarotti succeeds extremely well in expressing Federico’s extreme desire. The interpretation of ‘E lucevan le Stelle’ is extraordinary. It’s very macabre, even for the great tenor himself. Unfortunately the orchestra doesn’t always play with the same compassion as Pavarotti sings, but that’s not a serious disadvantage for a Pavarotti-fan! (Bjorn)

This is not my kind of music … but: An impressive performance !

Personnel:
Luciano Pavarotti (vocals)
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Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kurt Herbert Adler

Tracklist:
01. Recondita Armonia (from “Tosca) (Puccini) 2.44
02, Ah, La Paterna Mano (from “Macbeth” (Verdi) 3.52
03. Un Giorno Di Regno Overture (Verdi) 5.43
04. La Mia Letizia Indondere (from “I Lombardi”) (Verdi) 2.48
05. Quando Le Sere Al Placido (from “Luisa Miller”) (Verdi) 6.01
06. Fra Poco A Me Recovero (from “Lucia Di Lammermoor”) (Donizetti) 7.41
07. E La Solita Storia (Lamendo Di Federico) (from “L’Arlesiana”) (Cilea) 4.44
08. Royal Hunt And Storm (from “Les Troyens”) (Berlioz) 10.27
09. E Lucevan Le Stelle (from “Tosca”) (Puccini) 3.22
10. Nessun Dorma (from “Turandot”) (Puccini) 3.45
11. Torna A Surriento (De Curtis) 3.41

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More from Luciano Pavarotti:

The official website:

Kurt Herbert Adler (2 April 1905 – 9 February 1988) was an Austrian-born American conductor and opera house director.

Adler was born in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish family; his mother, Ida Bauer, was one of the first patients of Sigmund Freud. His work in the field of music led him to become the assistant to Arturo Toscanini at the Salzburg Festival in 1936 and he also worked in Italy. Following the Nazi occupation of Austria in 1938, as a Jew he was forced to leave and went to the Chicago City Opera Company as assistant chorus director where he worked for five years.

Gaetano Merola, then General Director of the San Francisco Opera, heard of him and, over the telephone, invited him to the San Francisco Opera in 1943 as chorus director.

In the following ten years, he took on more and more administrative details as Merola’s health and energy diminished. While Adler was not the Board’s natural choice to replace Merola at the time of his death in 1953, after three months of acting as Artistic Director and with the help of its president, Robert Watt Miller, Adler was confirmed as General Director.

Adler’s aims in taking over the company were several. One was to expand the season and, by the 1969 season, eleven operas were given five or six performances each on average while the season ran to late November. He was tireless in seeking out up-and-coming new singers, whether American or European, by attending performances in both major and minor opera houses. Thirdly, his interest in developing stronger connections to opera stage directors in an attempt to strengthen the dramatic and theatrical elements of the works, led to a long relationship with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle.

Other innovations included the Merola Opera Program named after the founder of the San Francisco Opera, and “Opera in the Park”, which, from 1971, has been an annual free concert in Golden Gate Park on the Sunday following opening night of the fall season.

He was not always regarded as an easy person to work for, but his principal achievements in San Francisco were to greatly raise the standards of the opera company and “to attract a stunning galaxy of European stars, some at the beginning of their careers, to a small city at the other end of the world, often at significantly lower salaries than New York or Chicago would offer”.

He retired in late December 1981 and continued to conduct and be involved with music until his death in Ross, California in 1988.

The Adler Fellowship program was started in his name by Terence A. McEwen to support young singers managed by the San Francisco Opera.

His son Ronald H. Adler is an opera director and has been artistic director at the Bavarian State Opera (2001–08) and the Berlin State Opera (2008–11). (wikipedia)

Luciano Pavarotti – Pavarotti & Friends (1993)

Luciano Pavarotti Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed and loved tenors of all time. He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for his tone, and achieving the honorific title “King of the High Cs”.

As one of the Three Tenors, who performed their first concert during the 1990 FIFA World Cup before a global audience, Pavarotti became well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. From the beginning of his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy to his final performance of “Nessun dorma” at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Pavarotti was at his best in bel canto operas, pre-Aida Verdi roles, and Puccini works such as La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Madama Butterfly. He sold over 100 million records, and the first Three Tenors recording became the best-selling classical album of all time. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others. He died from pancreatic cancer on 6 September 2007.

Pavarotti & Friends was a series of benefit concerts hosted by Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti between 1992 and 2003 in his home town of Modena, Italy. Proceeds from the events were donated to humanitarian causes including the international aid agency War Child[1] and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The concerts featured Pavarotti performing with special musical guests[3] and each concert was released as a compilation album and DVD under London Records/Decca Records.
Ten benefit concerts were held between 1992 and 2003. The concerts have been broadcast in various countries and each concert was released as a compilation album and DVD under London Records/Decca Records. The Pavarotti & Friends Collection: The Complete Concerts, 1992–2000, a DVD featuring the first eight concerts, was released in November 2002 under Decca.

The first Pavarotti & Friends concert was held on 27 September 1992, featuring guest stars Sting, Bob Geldof, Brian May and Mike Oldfield. A compilation album and DVD was released under Decca Records. The compilation album sold 120,000 units in the US and around 1.5 million units worldwide. (wikipedia).

From left: journalist Vincenzo Mollica, Luciano Pavarotti, Lucio Dalla & Zucchero (1992):

On the one hand a nice mixture of different music styles, on the other hand this music is too weak and shallow for me … not my kind of stuff !

Recorded live at the Venue Parco Novi Sad, Modena, Italy, September 27, 1992

Personnel:
Orchestra da Camera “Arcangelo Corelli conducted by Aldo Sisillo

Tracklist:
01. Luciano Pavarotti & Sting: Panis Angelicus (Franck) 3.52
02. Luciano Pavarotti & Zucchero: Miserere (Bono/Zucchero) 4.14
03. Zucchero & Sting: Muoio Per Te (Sting/Zucchero) 3.54
04. Luciano Pavarotti & Lucio Dalla: Caruso (Dalla) 5.19
05. Neville Brothers: One More Day (C. Neville/Wolinski/G. Neville) 4.41
06. Aaron Neville: Ave Maria (Schubert) 4.40
07. Suzanne Vega: In Liverpool (Vega) 4.38
08. Mike Oldfield: Sentinel (Oldfield) 3.53
09. Zucchero: L’Urlo (Brown/Moss/Zucchero) 3.20
10. Brian May: Too Much Love Will Kill You (May/Lamers/Musker) 4.28
11. Sting: It’s Probably Me (Clapton/Kamen/Sting) 5.01
12. Bob Geldof: Room 19 (Geldof) 4.40
13. Patricia Kaas: Les Hommes Qui Passent (Kaas) 3.39
14. Luciano Pavarotti, Lucio Dalla, Brian May, Zucchero & Sting: La Donna E’ Mobile (Piave/Verdi) 2.25

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Various Artists – The Classic Christmas (1996)

Many large-scale religious compositions are performed in a concert setting at Christmas. Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachts-Oratorium, BWV 248), written for Christmas 1734, describes the birth of Jesus, the annunciation to the shepherds, the adoration of the shepherds, the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the journey of the Magi, and the adoration of the Magi.[16] Peter Cornelius composed a cycle of six songs related to Christmas themes he called Weihnachtslieder. Setting his own poems for solo voice and piano, he alluded to older Christmas carols in the accompaniment of two of the songs.

Various notable composers have written instrumental works for Christmas, including Antonio Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto RV270 “Il Riposo per il Santissimo Natale” (“For the Most Holy Christmas”) and the Christmas Concerto (1690) by Arcangelo Corelli. Other classical works associated with Christmas include:

• Pastorale sur la naissance de N.S. Jésus-Christ (c. 1670) by Marc-Antoine Charpentier; Christus (1847)
• an unfinished oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn
• L’enfance du Christ (1853–54) by Hector Berlioz
• Oratorio de Noël (1858) by Camille Saint-Saëns
• The Nutcracker (1892) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
• Fantasia on Christmas Carols (1912) and Hodie (1954), both by Ralph Vaughan Williams
• A Ceremony of Carols (1942) by Benjamin Britten.

Informal Scratch Messiah performances involving public participation are very popular in the Christmas season. Performances of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah are a fixture of Christmas celebrations in some countries, and although it was originally written for performance at Easter, it covers aspects of the Biblical Christmas narrative. (by wikipedia)

And here´s a nice collection of classic Christmas compositions.

Personnel:

Bernhard, Hannes, Wolfgang Läubin, Norbert Schmitt, Simon Preston:

Bernhard Läubin (trumpet)
Hannes Läubin (trumpet)
Wolfgang Läubin (trumpet)
Simon Preston (organ)Timpani
Norbert Schmitt (timpani)

Luciano Pavarotti & The National Philharmonic Orchestra:
Luciano Pavarotti (vocals)
The National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kurt Herbert Adler

Berliner Philharmoniker:
conducted by Herbert von Karajan

Wiener Sängerknaben:
conducted by Uwe Christian Harrer

Wiener Philharmoniker:
conducted by Claudio Abbado

Philharmonia Orchestra:
Bryn Terfel (vocals – Bass on 06.)
Kathleen Battle (vocals on 13.)
conducted by Paul Daniel (on 06.)
conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini (on 13.)

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra:
Edward Brewer (organ)
counducted by Guillermo Figueroa

London Symphony Orchestra:
Cheryl Studer (soprano vocals)
counducted by Ion Marin

Wiener Philharmoniker & Anne-Sophie Mutter:
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin)
counducted by James Levine

José Carreras – Coral Salvé De Laredo – Sociedad Coral Debilbao:
José Carreras (vocals)
conducted by Damián Sanchez

The Monteverdi Choir & The English Baroque Soloists:
conducted by John Eliot Gardiner

Bryn Terfel & Malcolm Martineau:
Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Bryn Terfel (Baritone)

Dresdner Kreuzchor:
conducted by Matthias Jung

Choir Of St. Paul’s Cathedral & English Chamber Orchestra:
Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano)
Thelma Owen  (harp)
conducted by Barry Rose

Martha Argerich & Nicolas Economou:
Martha Argerich (piano)
Nicolas Economou (piano)

London Symphony Orchestra & Plácido Domingo:
Plácido Domingo (Tenor)
conducted by Karl-Heinz Loges

Jessye Norman, Daniel Barenboim, Wolfram Christ:
Daniel Barenboim (piano)
Wolfram Christ (viola)
Jessye Norman (Soprano)

The English Concert Choir & The English Concert:
conducted by Trevor Pinnock

Tracklist:

Bernhard, Hannes, Wolfgang Läubin, Norbert Schmitt, Simon Preston:
01. Sinfonies De Fanfare: Rondeau (Mouret) 1.58

Luciano Pavarotti & TheNational Philharmonic Orchestra:
02. O Holy Night (Minuit Chrétien) (Adam) 4.16

Berliner Philharmoniker:
03. March from  The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky) 2.22

Wiener Sängerknaben:
04. O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum) (Traditional) 1.39

Wiener Philharmoniker:
05. The Sleighride (Die Schlittenfart) (Mozart) 2.33

Philharmonia Orchestra:
06. White Christmas (Berlin) 5.01

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra:
07. Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring (Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude (Bach) 3.26

London Symphony Orchestra:
08. Ave Maria (Gounod/Bach) 2.11

Wiener Philharmoniker & Anne-Sophie Mutter:
09. Méditation From Thais (Massenet) 6.43

José Carreras – Coral Salvé De Laredo – Sociedad Coral Debilbao:
10. The Nativity (Ramirez) 3.58

Bernhard, Hannes, Wolfgang Läubin, Norbert Schmitt, Simon Preston:
11. See, The Conquering Hero Comes (Händel) 3.02

The Monteverdi Choir & The English Baroque Soloists:
12. Jesy, Joy Of Man’s Desiring (Jesus bleibet meine Freude) (Bach) 2.31

Philharmonia Orchestra:
13. Pie Jesu From Requiem (Fauré) 4.06

Berliner Philharmoniker:
14. Christmas Concerto (Corelli) 3.52

Bryn Terfel & Malcolm Martineau:
15. The Three Kings (Die Könige) (Cornelius) 2.37

Dresdner Kreuzchor:
16. Silent Night (Stille Nacht) (Gruber/Mohr) 3.35

Choir Of St. Paul’s Cathedral & English Chamber Orchestra:
17. Ave Maria Op.52/6 D 839 (Schubert) 3.38

Martha Argerich & Nicolas Economou:
18. Dance Of The Reedpipes (Tchaikovsky) 2.12

London Symphony Orchestra & Plácido Domingo:
19. Muñequite Linda (Magic Is The Moonlight) (Grever) 3.50

Jessye Norman, Daniel Barenboim, Wolfram Christ:
20. Geistliches Wiegenlied Op. 91/2 (Brahms) 6.12

The English Concert Choir & The English Concert:
21. Hallelujah from Messiah (Händel) 3.58

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