great voice
but fat
shareMaybe it helped him belt 'em out...just spit balling here...
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MovieChat Forums > Luciano Pavarotti Discussion > great voice
The greatest of all time
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Not a fan of opera, but as good as he is, Pavorotti isn't *instantly* recognizable and distinctive. For that reason I'd take Lanza (plus, my grandfather loved him and played his records all the time).
To opera fans, Pavarotti's voice is instantly recognizable and distinctive! He really didn't sound like other tenors, his voice was slightly rougher and more resonant than the average tenor's... but more important, he sound relaxed where other tenors sound forced. And for all that Pavarotti sounded a bit rougher and more relaxed than other tenors, he had as much technical skill as any of the top men, he did the most difficult arias and made them sound easy!
The Italians have a word for that relaxed-not-forced quality of sound, I forget the term itself but it translates to "open throat".
I should clarify: I don't care for the recitative pieces of opera - which is not what I refer to as music. It annoys me much in the way that jazz does. Music without melodic structure drives me nuts, so I don't watch opera. I do love most of the arias in operas however.
To further clarify, I've heard a lot of Pavorotti and other modern tenors. I don't find Pavorotti as nearly recognizable as a tenor like Lanza. Pavorotti was more skilled and polished than Lanza certainly, but given the chance to listen to either sing an aria, I'd still take Lanza.
I've never been impressed with Lanza, but then he was before my time and I've mainly seen him in old movies, and opera just doesn't translate well to film.
Pavoratti was THE greatest, and stayed great for a hell of a long time. And while I may question your judgment for preferring Lanza, because really, I have to admit the question of "favorite singer" is completely subjective.