The Three Tenors

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti

The Three Tenors were an

2002 in Yokohama.[3] They also toured other cities around the world, usually performing in stadiums or similar large arenas to huge audiences.[5][6] They last performed together at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio
, on 28 September 2003.

The Three Tenors repertoire ranged from opera to

O Sole Mio", which all three tenors typically sang together.[7]

History

Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano is a born communicator, one of the most charismatic figures I have ever seen on stage. He only opens his mouth and with the first note, he gets the audience. It is something he was born with. Placido is the most complete artist I have ever seen on stage. There is the quality of his acting besides his great vocal skills and achievement. For me – a tenor lover – it is a great honor and privilege to sing with them. They are two great guys and very high humans.[8]

—José Carreras on his Three Tenor colleagues in a December 2000 interview

Italian producer Mario Dradi, along with German producer Elmar Kruse and British composer and producer Herbert Chappell,[9] conceived the idea of the first concert in 1990 in Rome. It was held to raise money for Carreras's foundation, the José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation. It was also a way for his friends Domingo and Pavarotti to welcome Carreras back into the world of opera after undergoing successful treatment for leukemia.[10] The Three Tenors first performed in a concert for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the orchestra of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.[11] The performance captivated the global audience.[3][12] A filmed version of the concert was produced by Herbert Chappell and Gian Carlo Bertelli for Decca and became the highest-selling classical disc in history.[13]

The three subsequently sang together in concerts produced by Hungarian

1994 FIFA World Cup,[14] at the Champ de Mars under the Eiffel Tower during the 1998 FIFA World Cup,[15] and in Yokohama for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.[16][17] Nearly 50,000 people attended their 1994 concert at Dodger Stadium and around 1.3 billion viewers worldwide watched it.[18]

Following the big success of the 1990 and 1994 concerts, The Three Tenors opened a world tour of concerts during 1996–1997.

Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and for the Queen Sofia Foundation.[25]

A second series of concerts outside of the

Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, Mexico, but because of Pavarotti's health problems, he was replaced by Mexican pop singer Alejandro Fernández.[35]

Plácido Domingo

Recordings

The concerts were a huge commercial success,

The Three Tenors In Concert (which holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling classical music album),[4] The Three Tenors in Concert 1994, The Three Tenors: Paris 1998, The Three Tenors Christmas, and The Best of The Three Tenors. Zubin Mehta conducted the performances in 1990 and 1994. The Paris concert was conducted by James Levine.[37]

Carreras and Domingo have appeared together on a number of other albums including Gala Lirica (with various other artists),[38] Christmas In Vienna (with Diana Ross),[39] and Christmas in Moscow (with Sissel Kyrkjebø).[40]

Royalties

For their initial appearance together in Rome in 1990, Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti agreed to accept relatively small flat fees for the recording rights to their concert, which they then donated to charity. Their album unexpectedly reaped millions in profits for Decca Records, causing some resentment on the part of the tenors, who officially received no royalty payments. As reported in the press, Domingo suspected that the record company paid Pavarotti on the side, in order to keep one of their top contracted artists content.[18][41] Pavarotti denied this, insisting: "We got nothing."[18] Years later his former agent and manager Herbert Breslin wrote that Pavarotti had indeed secretly received $1.5 million that the other two tenors, who were not under contract to Decca, did not receive.[42] For subsequent concerts and recordings, the singers were much more careful in assuring financially advantageous contractual terms for themselves.[43]

Criticism

José Carreras

While the Three Tenors were applauded by many for introducing opera to a wider audience, some opera purists criticised the group. Domingo responded to critics in a 1998 interview: "The purists, they say this is not opera. Of course it's not opera, it doesn't pretend to be an opera. It's a concert in which we sing some opera, we sing some songs, we do some zarzuela, then we do a medley of songs... We respect very much when people criticise it. That's fine. They shouldn't come... But they should leave the people who are coming and are happy."[44]

Other critics such as Martin Bernheimer complained that the tenors performed for excessive financial remuneration, rather than art.[45] On their first worldwide tour, each tenor received around one million dollars per concert – unheard of for classical musicians.[18] In a joint interview with his colleagues, Pavarotti responded to complaints about their incomes: "We make the money we deserve. We're not forcing someone to pay us." Domingo added about the world of opera: "I am giving 17 performances in 25 days. Ask me how much I get for that... For 30 years we have given in blood the best of our lives and our careers. You think we don't deserve money?" Carreras, for his part, stressed how little they made compared to many athletes, pop singers, and movie stars.[8]

Legal issues

The success of the Three Tenors led to

Vivendi Universal. It found that they had conspired not to advertise or discount the albums of the Rome concert (released by PolyGram, later taken over by Vivendi) and of the Los Angeles concert (released by Warner Bros.) in order to protect sales of the jointly released album of the 1998 Paris concert.[46]

The Three Tenors also encountered trouble with the German government. In 1999, two of the three singers paid an undisclosed fine to the German government as part of an out-of-court settlement for tax evasion.[47] In addition, the German government accused the tenors of owing large back-taxes. Their concert organizer and promoter, Matthias Hoffmann, who was in charge of their taxes at the time, was sentenced to jail time for his role in the alleged tax evasion.[48]

In popular culture

List of concerts

List of The Three Tenors concerts
Nr. City, Country Venue Event Conductor Date
1 Rome, Italy Baths of Caracalla 1990 FIFA World Cup Zubin Mehta July 7, 1990
2 Monte Carlo, Monaco Opéra de Monte-Carlo Benefit concert June 9, 1994
3 Los Angeles, United States Dodger Stadium 1994 FIFA World Cup July 16, 1994
4 Tokyo, Japan National Stadium World Tour James Levine June 29, 1996
5 London, United Kingdom Wembley Stadium July 6, 1996
6 Vienna, Austria Ernst Happel Stadion July 13, 1996
7 East Rutherford, United States Giants Stadium July 20, 1996
8 Gothenburg, Sweden Ullevi Stadium July 26, 1996
9 Munich, Germany Olympiastadion August 3, 1996
10 Düsseldorf, Germany Rheinstadion August 24, 1996
11 Vancouver, Canada BC Place December 31, 1996
12 Toronto, Canada SkyDome January 4, 1997
13 Melbourne, Australia Melbourne Cricket Ground Marco Armiliato March 1, 1997
14 Miami, United States Pro Player Stadium James Levine March 8, 1997
15 Modena, Italy Stadio Alberto Braglia Benefit concert June 17, 1997
16 Barcelona, Spain Camp Nou World Tour July 13, 1997
17 Madrid, Spain Teatro Real Benefit concert Marco Armiliato January 8, 1998
18 Paris, France Champ de Mars 1998 FIFA World Cup James Levine July 10, 1998
19 Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Dome World Tour January 9, 1999
20 Pretoria, South Africa Union Buildings Marco Armiliato April 18, 1999
21 Detroit, United States Tiger Stadium James Levine July 17, 1999
22 Vienna, Austria Konzerthaus Christmas concert Steven Mercurio December 23, 1999
23 San Jose, United States San Jose Arena World Tour Marco Armiliato December 29, 1999
24 Las Vegas, United States Mandalay Bay Events Center April 22, 2000
25 Washington, D.C., United States MCI Center James Levine May 7, 2000
26 Cleveland, United States
Browns Stadium
Marco Armiliato June 25, 2000
27 São Paulo, Brazil Estádio do Morumbi July 22, 2000
28 Chicago, United States United Center Benefit concert János Ács December 17, 2000
29 Seoul, Korea Jamsil Olympic Stadium World Tour June 22, 2001
30 Beijing, China Forbidden City June 23, 2001
31 Yokohama, Japan Yokohama Arena 2002 FIFA World Cup June 27, 2002
32 Saint Paul, United States Xcel Energy Center World Tour December 16, 2002
33 Bath, United Kingdom Royal Crescent August 7, 2003
34 Columbus, United States Schottenstein Center September 28, 2003

Discography

Live concert albums

Title Album details Conductor,
Ensemble,
Performance information
Peak chart positions
Certifications
ITA
[54]
SPA
[55]
AUS
[56]
NLD
[57]
SWE
[58]
UK
[59]
US
[60]
Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert
  • Released: 1990
  • Label: Decca
  • Grammy Award
    and nominations
  • Brit Award
Zubin Mehta
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Orchestra del Teatro Municipal di Roma
(7 July 1990, Terme di Caracalla, Rome)
1 1 1 1 7 1 35 AUS: 6× Platinum[61]
US: 3× Platinum[62]
UK: 5× Platinum[63]
CAN: 3× Platinum[64]
GER: Platinum[65]
AUT: 2× Platinum[66]
MEX: Gold[67]
BRA: 2× Platinum[68]
The Three Tenors in Concert 1994
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Atlantic / WEA / MV
  • 2 Grammy nominations
  • Gramophone Award
Zubin Mehta
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
(16 August 1994, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles)
2 1 1 2 1 1 4 US: Platinum[62]
UK: 2× Platinum[63]
CAN: 2× Platinum[64]
GER: 3× Gold[65]
CHE: Platinum[69]
FRA: Platinum[70]
AUT: 2× Platinum[66]
AUS: Platinum[71]
The Three Tenors: Paris 1998
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Atlantic / Wea
James Levine
(10 July 1998, Eiffel Tower, Paris)
23 16 27 39 14 83 US: Gold[62]
UK: Silver[63]
FRA: Gold[72]
AUT: Gold[66]
CHE: Gold[69]
The 3 Tenors Christmas
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: Sony (SK 89131)
Steven Mercurio
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
(23 December 1999, Vienna)
47 50 19 59 57 54 US: Gold[62]
UK: Silver[63]
GER: Gold[65]

Filmography

Title Album details Conductor,
Ensemble,
Performance information
Certifications
Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert
  • Released: 1990
  • Format: VHS / DVD
Zubin Mehta
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Orchestra del Teatro Municipal di Roma
(7 August 1990, Terme di Caracalla, Rome)
US: 5× Platinum[62]
CAN: 4× Platinum[64]
GER: Platinum[65]
The Three Tenors in Concert 1994
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Warner Music
  • Format: VHS / DVD
Zubin Mehta
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
(16 August 1994, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles)
US: 5× Platinum[62]
UK: 2× Platinum[63]
The Vision: The Making of the 'Three Tenors in Concert'
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Warner Music (VHS) / Kultur (DVD)
  • Format: VHS / DVD (as an extra feature)
The Three Tenors: Paris 1998
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Universal Music / Decca
  • Format: VHS / DVD
James Levine
(10 July 1998, Eiffel Tower, Paris)
US: Gold[62]
UK: Gold[63]
FRA: Platinum[72]
The 3 Tenors Christmas
  • Released: 2000
  • Format: VHS / DVD
Steven Mercurio
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
(23 December 1999, Vienna)

References

  1. .
  2. ^ "The Original Three Tenors in Concert". Classic FM.
  3. ^ a b c The Music Industry Handbook. Routledge. 2016. p. 219.
  4. ^ . Retrieved 30 July 2013. The association with football must have helped it, but achieving a Guinness world record for best-selling classical music with the Three Tenors in Concert CD shows that a great tune, well sung, has mass appeal even if it is classical.
  5. . Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  6. ^ Orient-express Magazine. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited. 1996. p. 32. Retrieved 30 July 2013. The Three Tenors' tour begins on June 29 at the Kasumigaoka National Stadium in Tokyo, then on July 6, it is Wembley Stadium in London, scene of Pavarotti's solo triumph a decade ago. Vienna Prater Stadium follows on July 1 3, the New ...
  7. . Retrieved 30 July 2013. No, the name of this piece is not "O Solo Mio."The correct title means "Oh, my sun." The Three Tenors always got ecstatic cheers when they sang this famous Italian song, and as "It's Now Or Never", the song was a hit for Elvis ...
  8. ^ a b Lavin, Cheryl (10 December 2000). "Three Tenors And Grazie, Grazie, Grazie". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  9. ^ The 3 Tenors - The Birth of a Legend
  10. . Retrieved 30 July 2013. Such was the case of the Three Tenors. When Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo thought of welcoming their leukemia surviving friend and operatic rival – José Carreras – they came up with the idea of a huge ...
  11. . Retrieved 30 July 2013. Luciano Pavorotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras or, as they are popularly called, the "Three Tenors", attracted worldwide attention during the 1990 World Cup when six thousand people filled the Roman Baths of Caracalla ...
  12. ^ "A riot of colour, emotion and memories: the World Cup stands alone in the field of sport". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  13. ^ Ralph Blumenthal (24 March 1996). "The Three Tenors Juggernaut". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  14. ISSN 0279-0483
    . Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  15. . Retrieved 30 July 2013. Accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris, Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti were heard by an estimated 150,000 ... music, synthetic image and laser concert on the Champs-de- Mars in front of a rather bigger audience than the three tenors had ...
  16. . Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  17. ^ Three Tenors in Traditional World Cup Performance. 2002. Retrieved 27 August 2013. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  18. ^ a b c d Blumenthal, Ralph (24 March 1996). "The Three Tenors Juggernaut". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  19. ^ Tim Smith (February 1997). 3 Tenors Ticket Sales Not Bringing Down The House. SunSentinel. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  20. ^ Sue Leeman (October 1995). Three Tenors return, Five-city tour includes stop in U.S. The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  21. ^ Ralph Blumenthal (1996). "The Three Tenors Juggernaut". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  22. ^ Melinda bargreen (1996). Tenors of the Times – New Year's Eve Show in Vancouver Is More An Event Than A Concert. The Seattle Times. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  23. ^ Three Tenors, video artist and Vienna in the news. Desert News. December 1996. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  24. ^ "Astrodome owners are suing Three tenors promoters". Boca Raton News. 23 December 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  25. ^ Three Tenors To Perform Benefit Concert For King Juan Carlos' 60th Birthday. PRNewswire. December 1997. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  26. ^ Ford Motor Company Brings Three Tenors to Detroit in July. PRNewswire. January 1999. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  27. ^ "How sweet the sound of three tenors". The Baltimore Sun. July 1999. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  28. ^ Natasha Emmons (17 April 2000). Three Tenors on the Road Again; Trio To Make. Live Webcast Debut.(Brief Article). Amusement Business. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  29. ^ The Three Tenors concert in Hamburg has been canceled. pollstar.com. 5 July 2000. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  30. ^ Three Tenors To Perform South American Concert Debut. Brazilian show replaces Albany, N.Y., date that was canceled because of poor ticket sales. MTV News. June 2000. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  31. ^ Mattalia Glendy (21 December 2000). Three Tenors Concert on Cold Night Helps Aids Foundation. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  32. ^ The Three Tenors in Seoul. Meyer Sound. June 2001. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  33. ^ Three Tenors take Bath. CNN.com. August 2003. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  34. ^ "Three Tenors, Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo postpone show". Ocala Star-Banner. 5 December 2002. p. 17. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  35. ^ Tim Page (December 2005). "Domingo Sees Little Chance For a Three Tenors Reunion". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  36. . Retrieved 30 July 2013. On occasion, each of the three would accompany a popular singing star on a CD, such as the collaboration of John Denver and Plácido Domingo. But these ... in front of a world-class orchestra led by a star conductor like James Levine or Zubin Mehta that "The Three Tenors" were born. ... Performances in Athens, Paris, and New York resulted in platinum CD sales, gold VHS sales, licensing fees for HBO ...
  37. . Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  38. ^ "Gala Lirica". Amazon.
  39. ^ "Christmas In Vienna". Amazon.
  40. ^ "Christmas In Moscow". Amazon. 2007.
  41. .
  42. ^ Breslin 2004, p. 218.
  43. ^ Breslin 2004, pp. 218–22.
  44. ^ Sweeting, Adam (14 August 1998). "A crisp tenor". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 November 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  45. ^ Ng, David (16 July 2014). "A look back at the Three Tenors concert at Dodger Stadium". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 August 2015. One of the most popular and lucrative franchises in classical-music history, the Three Tenors was a cultural phenomenon, inspiring adoration among fans and disdain from music purists who regarded the enterprise as a shameless money grab... In the article, [music critic Martin Bernheimer] criticized the promotional hype surrounding the event and accused the tenors of trivializing their art form.
  46. ^ "Price-Fixing Charges Upheld". Los Angeles Times. 29 July 2003.
  47. New York Times
    .
  48. ^ Breslin 2004, pp. 224s–25s
  49. ^ "The Doll". SeinfeldScripts.com.
  50. ^ "Steven Spielberg Presents: Animaniacs, Seasons 1–4, Episode 71". Google Play Movies.
  51. ^ "Royal Canadian Air Farce Season 2 Episode 4". TV.com.
  52. ^ James, Caryn (22 September 1998). "One Family's Regal Airs, Another's Upward Mobility". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  53. .
  54. ^ Italian album chart positions for The Three Tenors:
    • For Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert and The Three Tenors in Concert 1994: "Classifiche".
      Musica e Dischi
      (in Italian). Retrieved 14 June 2022.
      Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Carreras".
    • For The Three Tenors: Paris 1998: "History" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 14 June 2022. Set "Ricerca per" on "Titolo", then search "THE THREE TENORS PARIS 1998" and click "Classifiche".
    • For The 3 Tenors Christmas: "Classifiche".
      Musica e Dischi
      (in Italian). Retrieved 14 June 2022.
      Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Tre Tonri".
  55. .
  56. ^ "Discography José Carreras". Australian Charts Portal. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  57. ^ "Discografie José Carreras" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts Portal. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  58. ^ "Discography José Carreras". Swedish Charts Portal. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  59. ^ "Carreras/Domingo/Pavarotti". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  60. ^ Billboard 200 positions for The Three Tenors:
  61. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  62. ^ a b c d e f g "American certifications – "Three Tenors, The"". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  63. ^ a b c d e f "British certifications – Placido Domingo". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 July 2015. Type Placido Domingo in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  64. ^ a b c "Canadian certifications – Three Tenors". Music Canada. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  65. ^ a b c d "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pavarotti)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  66. ^ a b c "Austrian certifications – Domingo" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  67. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 8 July 2015. Type Domingo in the box under the ARTISTA column heading.
  68. ^ "Brazilian certifications – Tenores" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  69. ^ a b "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ("3 tenors")". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  70. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
    . Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  71. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1994 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  72. ^
    Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
    . Retrieved 8 July 2015.

External links