2006 winter olympics pavarotti biography

21 July 2021, 16:23

Remembering the time Luciano Pavarotti sang his final farewell to the world – and the little-known story behind it.

When Luciano Pavarotti stepped out onto the stage of the Stadio Olimpico for his final ‘Nessun dorma’, his performance was already in the bag.

The great tenor, after months of persuasion, had finally been convinced to bring his home country’s Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony to a close with the nation’s great musical pride: opera.

But this was the 2006 Winter Olympics, the time of year was February… and the conditions were sub-zero.

Pavarotti, who at 70 years old was in poor health and unsure of his wavering voice, couldn’t risk the effect the freezing temperatures would have on his vocal cords.

And so, the great tenor was only persuaded to lend his voice to the ceremony after the committee said he could prerecord the aria.

“It would have been too dang