Retire? The Voice Will Tell

As befits a man whose oversized talent and matching girth have made him a familiar figure beyond the world of opera, legendary lyric tenor Luciano Pavarotti does most things in dramatic fashion. Other singers can take ill and beg off scheduled appearances without provoking much notice, let alone anger. Indeed, Pavarotti’s publicist insists that he cancels no more often than other performers. Perhaps. But when Pavarotti does cancel, as he did in May at what was expected to be his farewell full stage performance at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, the event becomes front-page news. “Fat Man Won’t Sing,” blared one headline the day after he failed, for the second time in four days, to appear on stage as the lead in Tosca. The role is one of Pavarotti’s favorites but also among the more demanding in the tenor repertoire. Press and audience alike were unmoved by word that his influenza had not abated and incensed that Pavarotti’s no-show was announced moments before the curtain rose at the fund-raising gala.

“It wasn’t my choice to announce the cancelation so late,” says Pavarotti. “The Met management actually asked me not to until the very last min-ute. I was hoping that the flu would only last 48 hours.” This explanation would seem at odds with the scenario depicted by a clearly miffed Met general manager Joseph Volpe. He informed the audience, who had paid up to $1,875 a ticket, that he had told Pavarotti this was “a hell of a way to end” his Met career. That career of 33 years and 375 performances is just one indication of the 66-year-old tenor’s unusually long tenure as the world’s most famous opera singer. But there is a growing belief that the voice that earned him the nickname “King of the High Cs” and a fortune that made him the target of Italian tax authorities is losing its luster and force. Pavarotti concedes that he has had to cut back on roles, but he is clearly far from ready to lower the curtain on his career. He is even rumored to be discussing rescheduling his missed appearances at the Met for next season. Last week, despite the death of his 89-year-old father just four days earlier, he staged his annual Pavarotti & Friends charity concert. Sting, Lou Reed and Grace Jones were among the musicians who joined him on stage in his home town, Modena, for the event, which was organized by Nicoletta Mantovani, Pavarotti’s 33-year-old girlfriend. (His decision in 1996 to leave his wife of 33 years, with whom he has three daughters, for Mantovani brought his last flurry of unfavorable tabloid coverage.) Later this month Pavarotti will appear, as he has since 1990, with fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras to mark the end of the World Cup in Japan. The Three Tenors, as they’re now universally known, have popularized opera so successfully that their CDs vie with pop releases on the charts. Such commercialism has drawn derision from purists, but Pavarotti makes no apologies. “Music should help bring people together, not separate them,” he says. The linking of football and singing is, he says “a perfect combination. We’re very excited about this. We’ve been in more World Cups than Pelé!” Besides, the drama — and the frequent injuries — associated with the world’s greatest sporting event should suit him perfectly.

Q&A
TIME: You’re booked through 2005. Will you be able to perform up to potential through then?
Pavarotti: I’ve always looked after my voice incredibly well. My long career is a result of caring for the voice physically and also not performing roles that are not suited to the technique and style of voice. I’ve cut back on my singing over the past few years and limit myself to around 40 performances a year. I’ve performed less in the opera theater, and most of my performances are now concerts and recitals.

TIME: What’s your assessment of the quality of your voice these days?
Pavarotti: Excepting the recent flu, generally I am very happy with the condition of voice at the moment. I know my voice well and will know when it is time to retire because my voice will tell me.

TIME: What will you do when you retire?
Pavarotti: I would definitely like to teach. Actually, everyone can sing, anyone has a voice that can be trained. Most of singing well is the way the voice is taught and working really, really hard on technique.

TIME: Who are the next Three Tenors?
Pavarotti: A. There are a lot of beautiful tenors in the world who are making very fine careers.

TIME: Will you go to any World Cup matches?
Pavarotti: Well, if Italy is in the final …