Monday, September 10, 2007

Pavarotti in San Francisco

Year Opera Role Debut in role
1967 La Bohème Rodolfo
1968 Lucia di Lammermoor Sir Edgardo
1969 La Bohème Rodolfo
1969 L'Elisir d'Amore Nemorino
1971 Un Ballo in Maschera Riccardo Yes
1972 Lucia di Lammermoor Edgardo Ravenswood
1973 La Favorita Fernando Yes
1974 Luisa Miller Rodolfo Yes
1975 Il Trovatore Manrico Yes
1977 Turandot Calaf Yes
1978 Tosca Mario Cavaradossi
1979 La Gioconda Enzo Grimaldo Yes
1981 Aida Radames Yes
1982 Un Ballo in Maschera Gustavus III (Riccardo)
1988 La Bohème Rodolfo

The above list of opera performances by Luciano Pavarotti is from the archives of the San Francisco Opera. Most of these were in the days of Kurt Herbert Adler who retired in 1981, including all of the debut performances in seven roles. This was Adler's special gift--he offered European singers the opportunity to sing something they had not sung before, and lured them from across the ocean.

I know I was in the audience for the 1988 performance of La Bohème with Mirela Freni, the performance on the commercial DVD.

"Debut in role" means this is the first time he sang that role.

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