BY KAREN BOSSICK
See previously unseen footage of the opera great Luciano Pavarotti when Sun Valley Opera and Bigwood Theatre joins others across the nation in premiering the documentary “Pavarotti” on Tuesday, June 4.
“Pavarotti” will run at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the Hailey theater. Tickets are $7.75 for adults and $6.50 for children and seniors. The first 10 callers to purchase a ticket to either of Sun Valley Opera’s summer garden parties on July 16 and July 25 will receive a free ticket to the documentary.
The documentary, which features classic songs from Pavarotti’s Three Tenors days, was directed by Ron Howard, of little Opie fame. It was produced by CBS Films.
It hinges on the 1990 World Cup in Italy, which was the moment opera left the elite and hit the masses. That’s when Pavarotti joined fellow tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras onstage in Rome as 1.4 billion people watched worldwide.
Their powerful rendition of “Nessun Dorma” lives on as one of the most popular and famous pieces of music the world has ever heard, and Pavarotti realized his long-held dream of taking opera into the mainstream.
But the documentary goes beyond the performances to reveal an intimate look at the man behind that iconic public figure known as “the king of the high C’s.”
With unique access to the Pavarotti family archives, and home videos, Pavarotti’s personal story emerges from his humble beginnings as the son of a baker and amateur tenor in Modena in Northern Italy.
He hoped early on to become a football goalkeeper. But, inspired by his father’s recordings featuring the popular tenors of the day, he instead spent seven years in vocal training.
Audiences will see the husband and father, the philanthropist and the fragile artist who had a complicated relationship with his unique talents and success, even as he becomes one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time.
Pavarotti gave his final performance of “Nessun dorma” at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He died from pancreatic cancer in September 2007.
The Sun Valley Opera’s July 16 summer garden party will feature singers performing a tribute to the best of the girl groups titled “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” The July 25 Signature Salon Concert will star tenor Ashley Faatoalia. Call Robyn Watson at Sun Valley Opera at 208-726-0991 for tickets or more information.