Luciano Pavarotti is old. It showed on Saturday night when the tenor finished his concert with the last note of "Brindisi" from Verdi's "La Traviata." The audience was disappointed that he was unable to deliver his renowned "high C."
Yes, the maestro is not the young vocalist who during his 1972 Met performance of "The Daughter of the Regiment" sang the fiendishly difficult nine consecutive high Cs required of Donizetti's "Tonio" in full voice instead of falsetto. But as local tenor Wei Song noted, "He is still respectable for his courage to sing on stage at 65, an age when most Chinese tenors retire."
Stepping out with an elegant and sincere smile, Pavarotti's appearance ignited the well-pre-pared fire that had warmed the Grand Theater, but it was quickly extinguished by his tight and somewhat trembling voice when he sang the first solo, "Recondita armonia" from Puccini's "Tosca."
His voice was still bright and melodious, but the beauty of its high range has lost its brilliance and the vibrant colorings of his voice have disappeared. Standing at the back row of the theater, it was even hard to hear clearly his singing. Clearly his voice is no longer able to transcend the walls of the opera house to reach inside every corner, as has been said.
The maestro made every effort to please the audience in the second half, but still failed to showcase a striking high. When he sang the second encore, Di Capua's "O sole mio," his voice even faltered and turned husky.
"He is too tired to give a perfect show," Wei said. "It's important for a tenor to have a good rest before he sings. Plus, he has lost weight, which may also account for his failure to be near perfection, since having enough fat counts for a tenor."
The American soprano Cynthia Lawrence, the maestro's partner during his concert, sang quite freely and with a relaxed manner. She gave the audience an unexpected surprise with her amazingly articulate and round voice. Her first appearance with "Un bel di" from Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" was so touching, full of dramatic expression and metallic brilliance. It sparked an ovation, which was even longer than the one Pavarotti won. And it was based on pure admiration rather than being polite.
While Pavarotti failed to fulfill the high expectations of concert-goers, he was still an experienced maestro with unique artistry.
His charisma was exposed when he made brief and funny comments before the last encore piece, "Brindisi," which concluded the concert in an easy and merry atmosphere.
(Eastday.com December 10, 2001)
