Guest
Luciano Pavarotti sings my favourite rendition of A te o cara from act I of Bellini's I Puritani. This really is one of the hardest arias ever written. Not only does nearly all the music sit in the passagio, the tenor has to sing high A something like 6 times, not to mention the high C sharp and the high B (right after each other). Pavarotti sings it all so effortlessly, weaving through the music with beautiful legato and precise diction, not at all phased by the high notes, flicking off a stunning high C sharp onto a high B. This performance of Arturo earned Pavarotti the following praise in Beverly Sills' autobiography: 'The first time I stood on stage with him I thought, my God, this man sings so beautifully' she goes on to say: 'I never heard Caruso live of course, but I can't imagine being more touched by a voice than when Luciano sang Arturo to my Elvira'. Which is very significant praise, seeing as Sills heard Carreras, Domingo, Pe
