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Luciano Pavarotti honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

24th September 2013 Print
Luciano Pavarotti

The BPI, the UK’s recorded music association, has announced that Luciano Pavarotti will be honoured with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard. Credited with the greatest voice of all time, the award comes six years after he had agreed to collect the award in person but tragically died in September 2007 before the event. Taking place on 2 October 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall the highlight of the classical awards calendar will be hosted for the sixth consecutive year by Myleene Klass. It was also announced today that the show will feature the world premiere performance by Gareth Malone with his brand new Voices choir, violinist Nicola Benedetti making a debut duet performance with pianist Lang Lang and following a triumphant appearance at this year’s Proms, the Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja will perform at the event for the first time. The event will be broadcast on ITV on Sunday 6 October.

Legendary Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti made his debut British TV performance in 1963 on Sunday Night at the Palladium. Fifty years later the world’s greatest voice returned to number one on the classical album charts. Credited as the man who truly brought opera to the masses, his voice was introduced to millions of football fans the world over during the World Cup Italia 90 coverage when ‘Nessun Dorma’, from Puccini’s Turandot, was used by the BBC as the theme for its television coverage. That same year, Luciano Pavarotti teamed up with Plácido Domingo and José  Carreras for a performance in Rome on the eve of the final of the World Cup. The Three Tenors went on to become an international sensation, bridging the gap between opera and pop culture. Pavarotti is the last of The Three Tenors to be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Classic BRITs (Domingo in 2006 and Carreras in 2009). Illness originally prevented Luciano Pavarotti accepting the award, but following a period of recovery he eventually accepted. Sadly he died before the event.

Nicoletta Mantovani-Pavarotti, Luciano Pavarotti’s widow and founder of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, said, "It is wonderful that the music industry is honouring Luciano in this way, particularly at a time when we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of his first recording. It is beautiful that the Classic BRIT Awards are helping to keep his memory alive through honoring him in this way". Nicoletta Mantovani-Pavarotti will make a rare appearance to accept the award on the night.

Co-chairmen of The Classic BRIT Awards committee, Dickon Stainer, President of Decca Records and Barry McCann, Avie Records Director said: “The Classic BRITs Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved for those artists that have truly made an impact on the world with their music and performances, and Luciano Pavarotti is arguably the most deserving of all. We are so thrilled that six years after our original invitation, this award can finally be bestowed.”

The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard will be a two-hour musical spectacular, with unique and magical performances and bringing together musicians and performers from around the world in celebration.

Taking to the stage with a world premiere performance will be chart-topping choirmaster Gareth Malone with his brand new Voices choir. Featuring 17 singers, the choir is the result of an exhaustive search for the most talented young singers in the country. Ahead of the release of their debut album Voices, Gareth Malone and his choir will perform a very special arrangement of the theme to ITV’s hit drama Broadchurch.

Following her double nomination for Female Artist of the Year and Classic FM Album of the Year with MasterCard, violinist Nicola Benedetti has also been confirmed to perform. Especially for the Classic BRIT Awards, the British violinist will duet for the very first time with pianist Lang Lang. Celebrating her tenth Classic BRIT Award nomination, Nicola started The Silver Violin Tour on Sunday night.

Also nominated for two awards for his album Be My Love – A Tribute to Mario Lanza, the Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja will follow his spectacular Proms appearance with his debut Classic BRITs performance. In a very special nod to this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Calleja will perform ‘Caruso’, a firm performance favourite for Luciano Pavarotti.

As previously announced, composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi, Australian saxophonist Amy Dickson and Chinese pianist Lang Lang will also perform. In honour of his Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, Hans Zimmer will make his debut Classic BRITs performance with the London Chamber Orchestra to perform a spectacular medly accompanied by moving images of some of his greatest work.

The Classic BRIT Awards plays a major role in supporting and nurturing talent in both the core and crossover classical world. The event was established in 2000 to honour and recognise all forms of classical music from contemporary to crossover, opera to soundtracks, traditional to theatre and has continued to evolve as classical music has once again become a major seller in the music world.

The show-stopping performances and attendance of global classical superstars continues to make the Classic BRIT Awards a must see annual part of the ITV calendar.

Tickets on sale now and are available from the Royal Albert Hall box office on 020 7589 8212. Ranging from £20 to £260 (+VAT) for a full dinner/show experience, The Classic BRIT Awards remains one of the best value-for-money experiences on the classical calendar.

The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard will be broadcast on ITV in Autumn.

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Luciano Pavarotti