For Civil War buffs, tonight’s world premiere of ‘Appomattox’ by the San Francisco Opera is the place to be.  This history lesson, set to the music of Philip Glass, is a dramatic presentation of events leading to the end of the Civil War. The character roles of President Lincoln, General Robert E. Lee, General Ulysses S. Grant, and their wives are brought to life by acclaimed singers of the opera world.

Stanford University’s freshman class received a treat when they attended the final dress rehearsal of Appomattox this past Tuesday evening, along with students from S.F. Bay Area junior high and high schools. Students’ eyes were riveted to the Opera House stage as the drama and libretto related the difficulties experienced by both sides in the remaining days of the war, especially the painful decisions facing Lincoln and the leading generals, Grant and Lee. 

The heated debates over slavery, the depiction of mothers who lost sons in the war, and the views of African-American slaves who had the chance to fight as soldiers are all part of this thought-provoking production. Many more students should have the chance to enrich their education with high-quality events such as this; and hopefully, parents and teachers will remain alert for such opportunities.

No doubt, students who witnessed this living American history will never again be able to view the Civil War as dry, dull words on a page.  Bravo to the San Francisco Opera.

Civil War, education, teachers, students, slavery, President Lincoln, San Francisco Opera, War Memorial Opera House, Stanford University, American history, opera, opera singers

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Luciano Pavarotti, the world’s greatest tenor, succumbed this morning to pancreatic cancer at age 71 after being diagnosed just a year ago. Affectionately called ‘The Maestro’, he was considered to be the greatest operatic tenor in the world. He died at home in his beloved town of Modena, Italy.

As a young adult, Pavarotti attended college to become a music teacher. He was enticed into singing at an early age by observing his father’s love of music; and both joined the church choir. Pavarotti’s natural talent and passion for music were evident from the beginning; and after some encouragement from those close to him, he later left his position in education and sold insurance to pay for classical voice lessons. 

Winning a local music competition led to a minor operatic role; then subsequent roles followed in small opera houses throughout Europe. Eventually, Pavarotti caught the attention of conductor Richard Bonynge, who recommended him for a role opposite his wife, rising star Joan Sutherland. Pavarotti and Sutherland embarked on a 14-week tour to Australia, which jump-started Pavarotti’s illustrious career.

He was extraordinarily gifted with rare talent and became a crossover superstar who was proud to have reached over 1.5 billions people with opera. Although he did not read music, he performed with the top orchestras and opera companies in the world, including the San Francisco Opera and the New York Metropolitan Opera.  Pavarotti was called the “King of the High C’s” because he could rapidly sing nine high C’s, an unusual feat. A concert in 1990 with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, dubbed the ‘Three Tenors’ was recorded and nominated for two Grammys. A subsequent concert featuring the trio earned each performer $10 million.

Yet Pavarotti was also a humanitarian, performing in concerts with U2’s Bono to raise money for war-torn Bosnia. He also established a school in the city of Mostar, Bosnia –called the Pavarotti Music Center — to aid struggling children in that country. He assisted in raising money in 1988 for the thousands of victims in Armenia affected by a massive earthquake; and he participated in additional fund-raisers over the years.

The tabloids had a field day with Pavarotti in later years because of his battle with excessive weight gain, troubles with tax evasion in Italy, canceled concerts, a messy divorce from his wife of 35 years and the subsequent marriage to his former secretary, who had his child before they were married.

Still, the world has lost a great musical treasure in Pavarotti. He scaled heights in music that few have ever been able to match. And there is no doubt that his legacy is rock-solid in the international world of opera.

Goodnight, sweet tenor.

Pavarotti, opera, tenor, music teacher, singing, classical voice, extraordinary, superstar, international, music, voice lessons, pancreatic cancer, cancer, college, education, Joan Sutherland, Australia, Grammy, Three Tenors, orchestra, opera company, Domingo, Carreras, U2, Bono, Bosnia, Armenia, divorce, tax evasion

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