All the good things that have been said about the (long previously available) US format of this DVD are true for this one too. This was the concert that made opera popular, and Pavarotti a household name (Domingo and Carreras each got to be "one of the other three tenors" - until much later). And the reason it did that was primarily due to a) their song choice - including popular numbers such as Tonight, from West Side Story, for instance, broke down the perceived divide between opera singers and the average music listener; and b) the mischievous playfulness of Domingo and Carreras' reply to Pavarotti's fioratura in the encore - along with Pavarotti's astonishment and hearty spontaneous laughter in response. These might be opera singers, but they were having fun, and the audience, live and televised, had fun with them.
I've been waiting for more than a decade for this DVD to come out, continually frustrated by trying to order the other format only to be told "it won't work in Australian DVD players". My only gripe is that they changed the cover - why should we Aussies not be able to have the original cover too?
Watching it with the benefit of nearly 20 years hindsight, perhaps what it shows most clearly is how developed Pavarotti's voice was at that time compared with Domingo and Carreras, both of whom have since become much more equal competition for Luciano. That said, nothing hides the sheer magic of Pavarotti as a singer. Long may the DVDs live as a testimony to him. Vale Luciano!
- Audio Cassette
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Label: Decca
- ASIN: B0000041XY
- Other Editions: Audio CD | VHS Tape | DVD | Laser Disc
- Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this item
