L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 L uciano Pavarotti created the idea of opera for the people or, to be more pre- c i s e , h e w a s t h e o n e t o give it back its "pop" soul. Because operatic music, before tur- ning into an élite topic for elegant music lovers, was extremely popular a n d b e l o n g e d t o e v e r y o n e . Y o u wouldn't hear it in theaters only, but everywhere, its arias known even by those who couldn't afford to go to the theater at all. You'd sing opera at family gatherings, you could listen to it on the radio: it was like modern hits, everyone knew it. Purists criticized the musical crossover created by the Modenese tenor. They weren't too keen on his concerts w h e r e p o p , r a p , r o c k a n d j a z z s h a r e d t h e s t a g e w i t h Puccini, Verdi and Rossini, where pop music would mix with inspired interpretations of Othello, the Duke of Mantova or Alfredo. But, beside these exceptional collabora- tions, those atypical concerts had a much more important effect: even the younger generation, who knew nothing about it, discovered the world of opera, made of pure voices and vibrant, melancholic arias. Traditional music critics didn't see experimentations and contaminations positively, as they wanted to safeguard boundaries between music genres: performing Turandot or Bohème on the same stage as Ricky Martin, James Brown, the Spice Girls or Bono was not an option. To them, in a 2004 AP interview, Pavarotti answered: "Some say the word 'pop' means 'not important:' I don't accept that. And if you tell me the word 'classical' is synonym with 'boring,' I don't accept that, either. There's good music and bad music, that's all." Since then, the operatic genre gained new popularity and, if it isn't hummed around by everyone, it is certainly better known than it used to be, also thanks to the impressive The pop value of contemporary Italian opera From the Editor e f f o r t p u t i n p l a c e b y P l a c i d o D o m i n g o a n d J o s é Carreras. This was better tolerated by critics, perhaps because it didn't bring on stage electric guitars and casual clothings, even if it had — just like Pavarotti's — the merit of transforming the high cultural profile of opera into a popular good, able to sell hundreds of thousands of records (750.000 of their Caracalla Baths concert, just to give you an exam- ple). Reaching the Grammys with the most traditional of genres didn't only mean huge notoriety for these already famous tenors: it also meant the musical message of opera reached where it never did before. Undoubtedly, this was Pavarotti's great merit, second only to his immense carrier in classic opera, canonically performed on stage, in scene costumes, in theaters all over the globe, interpreting Tonio or Elvino: a world where he reigned supreme. And it is obvious, natural even, that experts found it hard to put on the same level years and years of music school, technique and practice with summer smash hits. It is also true, though, that some of this songs, considered "easy" and lighthearted, became true classics of Italian music. In the end, when you think of it, Verdi's walt- zes are not that different in melodic lines and in their catchi- ness to Modugno's iconic Volare. If you look at it this way, the ability shown by opera to translate the language of "high music" into something accessible to all, even those who know nothing about music theory, should be considered an added value. Especially when you think that, today, the vast majority of music lovers live their relationship with the seven notes online and on social media: it means that Pavarotti's elegant crossover didn't only work, but had cul- tural meaning. Beside a handful of pop exceptions like, as we said, Modugno's Volare, or the work of singers like Laura Pausini or Al Bano Carrisi, Mina or Zucchero, the American public always dreamed on the notes of opera. Statistics show that Verdi is the most represented composer in the world, fol- lowed by Mozart (whose operatic catalogue was largely writ- ten in Italian) and Puccini. 1/3 of the 30 most represented composers is Italian with, however, 2/3 of the works. That is to say that Italy and opera really go hand in hand. And opera always had the great characteristic to promote Italian cultu- re and music around the world. Yesterday, it was Caruso and Lanza, Schipa and Gigli; today is Andrea Bocelli, Vittorio Grigolo or the guys of Il Volo, that is, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, the first Italians to sign a direct contract with an American major label. Having under- stood Pavarotti's lesson is today's artists' best move. Nowadays, opera knows it needs to dignify popular music and get involved with the world outside of theaters. Bocelli's incredible career is perfect demonstration of this: he debu- ted in Sanremo, the most popular of Italy's music festivals, then performed music written by pop music authors and, today, he duets with singer-songwriters like Ed Sheeran or Josh Groban and with superstars like Jennifer Lopez or Ariana Grande. With his 90 million records sold and a star on the Walk of Fame, Bocelli shows he is "extremely pop," and that he understood the importance of putting a classi- cally trained voice at the service of both opera and contem- porary music. Giving beauty, intensity and emotions to the public is, in the end, the greatest of ambitions for musicians, the one they should aspire to, without being too worried about expe- rimentations and novelties. If Italy's great operatic tradition doesn't get lost in the way (we should remember Bocelli's tri- bute to Caruso with V i a g g i o I t a l i a n o , inspired by migrants and by the artists who made Italian opera famous in the world, or his version of Puccini's Tosca) but, on the contrary, is valorized and promoted, then the achievement is twice as valuable. Simone Schiavinato, Editor NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Joel Mack, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Mail form and check to L'Italo-Americano, P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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