A Closer Look at The Luciano Pavarotti Limited Edition 48
You don’t need to be a fan of opera to know who Luciano Pavarotti is and what he did. In his time, he was arguably the most celebrated tenor singer on Earth and certainly the most successful. His voice is known worldwide, and at one point Pavoratti even has a museum dedicated to his works. Whether or not you appreciate the style of music he chose, Lucano Pavarotti had a beautiful and memorable voice that he used to perform Italian opera for the world. Pavarotti was so much more than just a singer.
Pavarotti, Humble Beginnings
Things could have gone very differently for Luciano, however. He was raised by his parents, in Modena Italy. They were a poor family, sharing small quarters. His father was a baker, and his mother worked in a cigar factory. As a boy, Pavarotti dreamed of being a goalkeeper on a pro football (soccer) team. When WWII hit Italy, his family was forced to move out of the city. They rented a single room from a local farmer, and Luciano became intrigued by farming. However, he was not meant for such a humble existence. By the age of nine, Luciano was in a local choir. His interest in sports never waned, but his parents were practical people and steered their son away from a career in football. By all reports, his father had a good tenor voice himself but couldn’t see past the risks of becoming a musician.
Music, At Last
Once he graduated, his mother convinced him to make a safe choice. He trained and subsequently worked as a teacher. The career in education lasted about two years for young Pavarotti. With his parents’ incredibly reluctant consent, he began training in music at the age of nineteen, in 1954. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor, taught him the art and never charged him a dime. However, Pavarotti never learned to read music, a fact which makes his stellar career even more impressive.
The very next year, 1955, he and his father were both members of Corale Rossini. They sang together and even competed as a group together. Seeing his father step out of the shadows and sing was probably due to Luciano’s own daring and influence. Plus it must have been phenomenal for the boy who learned to love music at his father’s knee. The all-male choir won first prize at the International Eisteddfod contest. This was the turning point that marked Pavarotti’s true musical beginning. Luciano himself called it the most important moment in his life.
From that point forward Pavarotti never stopped singing. He performed all over the world, for increasingly huge crowds. Luciano sang for and even worked with many famous people. He used his voice to help Bono collect aid for the Bosnia war. Later he would work with Princess Diana to help raise money to ban landmines all over the world. His charitable contributions eventually earned him the Red Cross Award for Services to Humanity.
Still Giving Back
Perhaps because of the beneficence of Arrigo Pola in his youth, Pavarotti felt it was necessary to do more than simply perform. The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation was founded with two goals in mind. First to promote his musical contributions, but equally important is it’s uplifting side. The foundation works to help other young and talented singers to achieve their goals, something Luciano himself strove to do all his life. The museum still houses many of his costumes and other personal items for those who wish to know more about the man. It’s not hard to see where the inspiration for this singular pen comes from.
The Luciano Pavarotti Limited Edition 4810 Fountain Pen
It’s no secret the great singer had a larger than life personality. He was known for his stark black and white suits, love of Hawaiian printed shirts and extravagant costumes in stage productions. Montblanc tries to capture the essence of his style with this pen. Most of the barrel is black resin. The cap is white, and the bottom has a red floral pattern reminiscent of the floral shirts he loved. A turquoise cabochon is another nod to his shirts and colorful personality.
The details and nib on the Pavarotti Pen are all gold. The striking color combination is both elegant and fun-loving like the singer himself. It manages to convey some of the classic elements of theater and especially opera. The engravings on the cone are mostly operatic in nature, another nod to Lucianos life’s work. If you look closely, there is another, more mysterious engraving of a bent nail. Those who know little of Pavarotti won’t understand the reference, but he always carried a bent nail with him as his good luck charm when he performed.
The Other Pavarotti Pen
For true Pavarotti or pen collectors, it’s worth noting that there is a second pen. The 888 Limited Edition Patron of the Arts Pavarotti Pen is similar in body to the 4810. Instead of the Hawaiian flowers and turquoise cab, an Asian dragon with garnet eyes adorns the cap. The singer loved the influence of Asia and the ‘mysterious east,’ but additionally, it was Puccini’s opera “Turandot” set in China that helped put his career over the top. To this day, people are most familiar with his rendition of “Nessun Dorma,” which comes from Turandot.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to fit a description of Pavarotti into a single article. He was a truly singular individual who was never afraid to pursue his passions. He married twice and was known privately as a family man as much as he was known publicly as a flamboyant singer. His contributions to the world stretch far beyond his own music. Quite literally, Pavarotti touched thousands of lives, helping to make the world both safer and more beautiful for so many people. Montblanc could not have picked a more deserving singer. His sense of delight and humor were inexpressible. (though you can see a little taste of it very clearly when he sane O’ Sole Mio with Bryan Adams. Whatever you compose, you can always channel the panache and inspiration of Pavarotti with this pen. Music lovers, pen collectors, humanitarians, and writers should all have this in their arsenal of writing implements.
