Tonight I had such a treat. The original three tenors concert was on tv and I have not seen this since it was first shown in 1990. I remember watching it with my then husband and my two daughters aged 10 and 12 respectively as it was broadcast live from Rome and also remember being totally overwhelmed and delighted by this simply stunning event.
It is very difficult to describe how amazing and wonderful this was at the time and the effect had on everybody, to see the three greatest tenors in the world, all on a stage together and and, seemingly, having such fun and really enjoying each other's company. One thing that is most noticeable watching some 18 years later is that out of the three tenors, Placido Domingo is really the one who is the complete artist. I adored Jose Carreras, always did, and yet he and Luciano, next to Placido were outclassed. In my humble opinion of course!
Watching a relatively slim Pavarotti and one who could actually walk, without support, was quite moving and yes that pinging, star bright voice was quite amazing but the bad habits he exhibited in the later part of his career were very clear. The sliding over runs of notes, the lax scooping up to a top note instead of hitting it bang on, and poor phrasing. He got away with because of That Voice. A shame. Jose's phrasing has always been commented on, it is impeccable, words clear as a bell, and when he sings in his native Spanish, of course, quite superb. He turned in a simply stunning performance of the big first act tenor aria from Andre Chenier that brought the house down but you could see the effort required and the voice was beginning to develop the beat that began to mar it later. His serious illness really cut short his full time operatic career and I am most grateful that I saw him sing live quite a few times before he turned later on to the big arena, cross over circuit.
So, Jose has more or less retired and Luciano, sadly is no longer with us but Placido certainly is. Listening to his singing back in 1990 and comparing it with the state of his voice now, I can hear hardly any difference at all. The solid underlying technique, the richness of timbre still there, phrasing and interpretation of the music regardless of which language he was singing in (have to say his German has improved since this concert!) quite amazing. I saw this man sing Sigmund in Die Walkure earlier this year, he came rushing onto the stage like a youngster and his first notes rang out through the opera house like a golden trumpet and every hair stood up on the back of my neck. Truly the man is a phenomenon.
Wonderful to see this programme again and the joy and pleasure I felt then I felt now. I sat on the sofa listening to the three of them hitting the top notes in Nessun Dorma, singing Maria from West Side Story, O Sole Mio, and loads of other glorious tenor arias and found I was grinning with pure delight all over again. Simply a treat.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing...
