Album: Three Tenors In Concert
Artist: The Three Tenors
Classical music rarely, if ever, has popular crossover appeal but this is one of those unique instances. Normally it's a soundtrack, like Angelo Badalamenti's score for Twin Peaks or the Kronos Quartet's music for Requiem For A Dream, that captures the public imagination (or at least a cult audience). However, in this case it was an association with the world's greatest sporting tournament, the FIFA World Cup, that ensured the popularity of the record. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Three Tenors In Concert is the top-selling classical album of all time. Recorded in Rome on the eve of the World Cup Final (July 7th 1990, one day before my 11th birthday), this live album captures Spaniards José Carreras and Plácido Domingo and Italian Luciano Pavarotti at the peak of their powers. Watching the live broadcast of this concert was one of the first times I'd listened to opera or classical music, so it definitely captured my imagination and (if I'm honest) I couldn't wait for them to get to Nessun Dorma. I also remember being mesmerised by the setting, with the moon shining bright against a dark black sky over Rome's ancient Baths of Caracalla.
This music, and the Italia '90 World Cup, definitely ignited my passion for Italy. Seven years later, I enrolled on a university course to study Italian, and even now after countless visits my love for the country remains undimmed. The fact that England progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament definitely enhanced my connection to the drama of this music and is no doubt partly responsible for my decision to include it on the list. That said, though I'm no expert on opera, the fact that Nessun Dorma became a UK No.2 hit and that this album sparked much wider interest in classical music makes it a worthy addition. Under the guidance of conductor Zubin Mehta, The Three Tenors performed a wide range of music, from Leonard Bernstein’s Maria to Puccini's Turandot, and raised money for Carreras’ Leukaemia Foundation in the process. Apart from Nessun Dorma, I really enjoyed the popular Neapolitan song, Torna a Surriento (Come Back To Sorrento) and E Lucevan Le Stelle (And The Stars Lit Up) from Puccini's Tosca. The encore of O Sole Mio (Oh, Lonely Me) is pretty impressive too. The Three Tenors became a regular fixture at future World Cups in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and the success of the concert spawned various attempts from classical music labels to reach out to a wider audience, leading to the promotion of Vanessa Mae, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli and others. None of them, however, could get close to the magic of Pavarotti in full voice.
Artist: The Three Tenors
Born: Modena, Italy / Barcelona, Spain / Madrid, Spain
Released: September 1990
Genre: Opera
Classical music rarely, if ever, has popular crossover appeal but this is one of those unique instances. Normally it's a soundtrack, like Angelo Badalamenti's score for Twin Peaks or the Kronos Quartet's music for Requiem For A Dream, that captures the public imagination (or at least a cult audience). However, in this case it was an association with the world's greatest sporting tournament, the FIFA World Cup, that ensured the popularity of the record. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Three Tenors In Concert is the top-selling classical album of all time. Recorded in Rome on the eve of the World Cup Final (July 7th 1990, one day before my 11th birthday), this live album captures Spaniards José Carreras and Plácido Domingo and Italian Luciano Pavarotti at the peak of their powers. Watching the live broadcast of this concert was one of the first times I'd listened to opera or classical music, so it definitely captured my imagination and (if I'm honest) I couldn't wait for them to get to Nessun Dorma. I also remember being mesmerised by the setting, with the moon shining bright against a dark black sky over Rome's ancient Baths of Caracalla.
This music, and the Italia '90 World Cup, definitely ignited my passion for Italy. Seven years later, I enrolled on a university course to study Italian, and even now after countless visits my love for the country remains undimmed. The fact that England progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament definitely enhanced my connection to the drama of this music and is no doubt partly responsible for my decision to include it on the list. That said, though I'm no expert on opera, the fact that Nessun Dorma became a UK No.2 hit and that this album sparked much wider interest in classical music makes it a worthy addition. Under the guidance of conductor Zubin Mehta, The Three Tenors performed a wide range of music, from Leonard Bernstein’s Maria to Puccini's Turandot, and raised money for Carreras’ Leukaemia Foundation in the process. Apart from Nessun Dorma, I really enjoyed the popular Neapolitan song, Torna a Surriento (Come Back To Sorrento) and E Lucevan Le Stelle (And The Stars Lit Up) from Puccini's Tosca. The encore of O Sole Mio (Oh, Lonely Me) is pretty impressive too. The Three Tenors became a regular fixture at future World Cups in 1994, 1998 and 2002, and the success of the concert spawned various attempts from classical music labels to reach out to a wider audience, leading to the promotion of Vanessa Mae, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli and others. None of them, however, could get close to the magic of Pavarotti in full voice.
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