About Biographies – Luciano Pavarotti

Many biographies about the life of Pavarotti have been written already. This one is from Roger Alier, part of a series of biographies which got published by ABC in Spain.

The biography is written in a sequential way and the reference to opera is the main context in the book. It start with the change the Opera went through (romanticism) and which is the basis for the success of the “tenors.” previous to this we learn about the vision of Alier: the Opera illuminated the most suggestive instrument: that of the human voice.

With this context, the biography opens with the first real scene, describing Modena, his place of birth. In that chapter we also find a clue what made Luciano start to sing; was is nature or nurture? The story continues with a short description of the time right after the war.

Than it continues with his debut (in 1961) and his tours and the first great years. As the biography is written in Spanish, a paragraph is dedicated to “the king of the high Cs,” which is in Spanish: “El rey del DO.” The book doesn’t elaborate on the differences between these two systems. (There are allegations that he couldn’t read music).

The story continues with a series of “triumphs and recordings.” The career of Pavarotti is a career of growth, like most talent, it must grow to excel. In his more than forty years of being a tenor, “his voice grows” and also “his repertoire.”

It wouldn’t be a biography without a side-step; this can be found when Pavarotti is in Hollywood. The ultimate of his career is described in the “olympics of fame.” It is hard to point where growth reaches its summit, but as his story started with tours, it ends with a detour.

The last words of this version of the biography are dedicated to his fans, which the author has categorized in two types…

Hans Bool

Hans Bool writes articles about management, culture and change. If you are interested to read or experience more about these topics have a look at: Astor White