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Every now and again, an opera singer achieves the kind of status we associate more with popular musicians than with classical musicians. Call it star power, call it cultural icon status, call it what you will. Some singers become so well known that their names are household words, and they garner fan clubs, news reports, and, yes, web sites. It is not a new phenomenon, by any stretch, though the omnipresence of television cameras and the rise of the Net have made it a faster one than it once was.
Tenors have often become the subject of popular acclaim. Perhaps it is the challenge of their high notes; perhaps it is the fact that tenors are most often the romantic heroes of the operas they appear in. Whatever the reason, it remains true that if you ask an average person to name five opera singers, the chances are quite high that most of the answers will be tenors. One of the earliest tenors to achieve popular-star status was the great Enrico Caruso. He made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1903, and over the next 17 years, he became the idol of the music-loving American public. Though his career was cut short by illness (he died in 1921), he remains one of the best-known tenors in opera history. You can read biographies of Caruso at Classics World Biography and at Tenorland. (The second biography also has sound clips.) In today's world, mention opera and most people will think of "The Three Tenors" - Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José Carreras. Pavarotti in particular has achieved the status of a pop superstar. His seemingly effortless high notes rocketed him to the top of the opera world early in his career, and he has continued to bring opera to the public through a variety of stage and television work. An Australian site for the Three Tenors tour has biographies of Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras. Star Sopranos Not all popular opera stars are tenors, of course. Perhaps the best-known opera star of all time was "La Divina" - Maria Callas. This soprano superstar was famous both for her extraordinary performances and her disagreements with directors. To this day, she has a devoted following; EMI released CDs of all her recordings in 1997 in honor of the 20th anniversary of her death. There is a Maria Callas International Club (site requires frames), and many web sites about her. One of the best is The Art of Maria Callas, which features photos, sound clips, and information about Callas's best-known roles. Go To Page: 1 2
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