Irish connection:Luciano Pavarotti's performances in Dublin in the early 1960s were the springboard for his international career, writes Marie O'Halloran
The young opera singer's appearances at the Gaiety theatre under the auspices of the Dublin Grand Opera Society (DGOS) led to his first role at London's renowned Covent Garden and further abroad.
Pavarotti, who in his early days "had the body of a rugby player" and "feet like a ballet dancer" first performed in Dublin in 1963 after auditions in Milan the previous year, according to archivist for the DGOS Paddy Brennan.
The tenor's first performance in Ireland was as a child when he performed at the Cork choral festival, according to John Allen, presenter of the Aprés Opera programme on Lyric FM. He said that as an adult, Pavarotti performed with the Belfast opera society just a couple of weeks before his Dublin performances.
Mr Brennan was a member of the opera society's chorus when Pavarotti performed the role of the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto in 1963. The following year the tenor came back and sang in La Bohème and La Traviata.
"Ireland played a not insignificant role in the development of his international career," said Mr Brennan. "Obviously, the talent he had was always going to emerge. It was not going to stay bottled up, but his international career took off a lot sooner than it would have otherwise."
The leading light of the DGOS, Lieut Col Bill O'Kelly, put on two opera seasons at the Gaiety each year from 1941. Italian performers began to sing in Ireland from 1952. The funding came from the Italian government, through the Italian embassy. "Bill would go off to Italy with the secretary of the society, Bertie Timlin, and audition singers. Pavarotti auditioned in 1962 and performed in Dublin in 1963."
According to the archivist, "he was good but he wasn't that good". Allen recalls that four tenors performed in Dublin that year and "he was just another good tenor". In 1963 the leading international star of opera was Giuseppe di Stefano who at the time was reputedly paid £1,500 (€1,900) a night to perform.
Each year the artistic administrator at Covent Garden, Joan Ingkpen, "came to the Gaiety to see what talent we had fished out in the ponds of Europe", said Mr Brennan. She liked Pavarotti and when Giuseppe di Stefano pulled out, Pavarotti was called in and debuted at Covent Garden. He also had his TV debut that year on Bruce Forsythe's Sunday Night at the Palladium.
Opera star Joan Sutherland was planning a three-month tour of Australia and there were few tenors tall enough for the almost six-feet-tall diva. Pavarotti, at 6ft 2in was ideal, and that Australian tour confirmed his international status.
Pavarotti next performed in Dublin in 1979 "when he was a semi-superstar" at two recitals in honour of Lieut Col O'Kelly, who died a month before the planned tributes.
Mr Brennan said he came back in 1990 when he was "a megastar" and played at the RDS at £100 a seat. And the archivist's view of "Mr P"? "I like him a hell of a lot. He had a big open face and great smile. He had sparkling eyes and feet like a ballet dancer. He was a great footballer too. He chatted to everybody, and there were no airs and graces about him." Pavarotti always acknowledged the role Ireland played in his career, he said.