tenor news stories on Newser

Harlem Aria Hits Sour Note

Harry Kimball — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:35:00 CST

Harlem Aria hit the festival circuit in 1999, and contemporary critics are baffled by the timing of the release of the uneven story of a developmentally disabled young black man with a heart and voice of gold: The performances and William Jennings' direction are "no more than adequate," V.A....

José Carreras Retires From Opera

Matt Cantor — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:34:24 CDT

Unable to perform at the level he considers acceptable, José Carreras will retire from opera, the least prominent of the Three Tenors tells the Times of London. Unamplified lead roles in opera houses are more than the 62-year-old Spaniard can handle, he said. “If I can do concert recitals, adapting...

Pavarotti Lipsynched Last Performance

Caroline Zimmerman — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:02:52 CDT

Lipsynching isn't just for neophytes like Nikki Hilton—none other than tenor Luciano Pavarotti faked his way through his final public performance at the opening of the Turin Winter Olympics, the Guardian reports. In a new book, Pavarotti's conductor and pianist claims that he recorded the cancer-stricken tenor and the...

Famed Tenor di Stefano Dead

Jason Farago — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:53:30 CST

Giuseppe di Stefano, the tenor whose short but brilliant career made him an operatic legend, died yesterday at his home near Milan. He was 86. His widow told reporters his death resulted from head injuries dating to 2004, when robbers in Kenya left him temporarily comatose. Di Stefano's superb voice...

High C is a Drink Best Served Bold

Wesley Oliver — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:00:39 CDT

Pavarotti’s obits called him “King of the High C’s,” a nickname he earned for hitting a note that many tenors have to fake in falsetto. “It’s the absolute summit of technique,” says a coach. “More than anywhere else in your voice, you have to know what you’re doing.” The alluring...

Thousands Mourn Pavarotti

Caroline Miller — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 09:24:52 CDT

Modena's main piazza was filled with throngs of Luciano Pavarotti fans today as invited mourners gathered at the cathedral for the tenor's funeral. The service, which was shown on huge screens in the piazza and broadcast live, was attended by an ecclectic group of dignitaries and artists with whom the...

Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti

Zach Samalin — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:53:18 CDT

Thousands lined up today to pay respects to opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti at the cathedral in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Though the tenor's family wants a private funeral tomorrow, an international array of celebrities and fans–among them Bono, Andrea Bocelli, and Kofi Annan–are planning to attend, Reuters reports. The...

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:00:34 CDT

Opera star Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest tenors of the last century, died early this morning of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by his wife, sister and four daughters, in his hometown villa in Modena, Italy. He was 71. "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle," said his manager. "Fitting with...

Pavarotti Extends Stay in Hospital

Kevin Spak — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:22:15 CDT

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti has decided to extend his stay in the hospital a few more days, his wife said, saying the star feels “more tranquil” there and denying rumors that he had pneumonia. The opera luminary, who had surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2006, was hospitalized last week when a...