Pavarotti beams with pride because he is able to perform a moving duet with his 88-years-old father

For Luciano Pavarotti, there were two noteworthy aspects in 2001. First of all, the 66-year-old was exonerated from

long-standing accusations of tax evasion and of declaring Monte Carlo, the tax haven of Monaco, to be his official residence.

Pavarotti’s agreement to pay $7.6 million in Italian taxes for the years 1989–1995 came before his verdict.

In 2001, Pavarotti performed Panis Angelicus by César Franck alongside his 88-year-old father, Fernando, on an Italian television network, RAI Television.

Despite the fact that 88-year-old Pavarotti senior occasionally struggled with tone and delivery intensity, Fernando was undoubtedly a talented tenor. It’s a really poignant duet.

In 1935, Pavarotti was born. His mother Adele worked at a cigar factory, while his father was a baker. The family had little money.

According to a quote from Pavarotti, ‘I said that my father is a tenor and that I am a little tenor,’

which he said inspired him to start singing at an early age. Fernando could have been a professional, according to Pavarotti,if not for his ‘nervousness.’

Luciano started singing in a tiny church choir with his father by the time he was nine years old. He treasured the records his father had of well-known tenors.

The year 2001 was not the first Luciano Pavarotti sang beside his father. Fernando occasionally plays minor roles in recordings with Pavarotti,

starting with Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller in 1975. Fernando performed with his son in an encore duet of Panis Angelicus at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City in January 1981.

The video that follows features Fernando, 65, and Luciano, 43, performing the same duet in the Modena Cathedral, their hometown.

Fernando Pavarotti’s tone and vocal force were undoubtedly flawless in 1978. The New York Times said of Fernando’s 1981

‘sentimental’ performance at the Metropolitan Opera House, ‘Although not a trained singer, he does possess a pleasant, natural tenor voice.’

Less than five months after Adele, his wife and Luciano’s mother, passed away, Fernando Pavarotti,

then eighty-nine, passed away on May 24, 2002. Additionally, it had been less than a year since the elderly Fernando had sparred with his son on Italian TV.

Regretfully, Luciano Pavarotti did not live much longer than his parents. In July 2006, the renowned and adored tenor received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

He retaliated, underwent invasive stomach surgery, and expressed hope to go back to work. It was not meant to be. On September 6, 2007, Pavarotti passed away at his Modena, Northern Italy, residence.

When we reflect on the father/son duet from 2001, we are reminded that outstanding performances aren’t always flawless technically.

Although it is obvious that Pavarotti senior’s voice had deteriorated, the relationship and pride shared by the Pavarotti family are evident.

Given Fernando’s advanced age, the duet is particularly moving, and it’s wonderful to watch Pavarotti congratulate his father afterward.