A new Documentary by Ron Howard - Pavarotti

Ron Howard delivers a documentary portrait of the life and career of the titular star Italian tenor. The quintessential Italian tenor who did more to popularize opera in the latter half of the 20th century than anyone else receives a lavish and celebratory tribute in Pavarotti.
Casting a net deep into the archives and calling on a vast array of the singer's friends, family and colleagues, Ron Howard has taken time out from his dramatic feature work to deliver another likable documentary on a musical titan (after Made in America and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years). The late singer's ingratiating manner and spectacular high C's provide a steady stream of delight that put in the shadows some of his latter-day personal and professional issues. A solid commercial life worldwide will ensue on various platforms.

It's hard not to adore or at least vastly enjoy the expansive figure Luciano Pavarotti cut in the world of the arts. Blessed with a magnetic presence, a jovial bearing, an unmistakably Italian warmth and a vocal instrument second to none, he was the quintessential opera star who lorded over the second half of the 20th century the way Caruso dominated the first. He was the rare classical music figure who broke the barriers of his own discipline to become a celebrity with the general public.
As his widow states at the outset, it was always her husband's goal “to bring opera to the people.” Howard and his team have lots to work with, beginning with an overflowing trove of footage, recordings and archival clips that's been supplemented by fresh interviews with family members and collaborators. This was not a man wanting for friends and his likability floods the film. Twelve years since his death he's bound to make even more new fans thanks to Howard's valentine.

A child during World War II, little Luciano began his singing career in church and big Luciano says here that his father “had a fantastic voice, better than mine,” but nervousness apparently kept him from the stage; surprisingly, with all the performing he did, the son suffered to some extent from the same problem all his life. Photos reveal him as a great-looking kid and young man, and recognition came quickly, spurred by his London debut in 1963.
A useful discussion is devoted to the all-important ability of tenors to reliably hit a high C. It's pointed out that a man's natural voice is a baritone, not a tenor, so being able to negotiate the upper octaves is a relatively unusual talent that must be cultivated. But as this is where the glories of much of the male Italian opera repertoire resides, when someone with Pavarotti's gifts for the heavenly realms comes along, “It makes your ears vibrate,” as Zubin Mehta puts it — suggesting why Pavarotti soon earned the sobriquet “King of the High C's.”

As smooth and well-appointed as a Rolls-Royce, the film purrs through its subject's rise, including a very productive collaboration with Joan Sutherland in Australia; his fabled association with New York's Metropolitan Opera, where between 1968 and 2004 he starred in 357 full opera performances; and the teaming with his oft-reviled manager Herbert Breslin, who engineered unprecedented celebrity for an opera singer through big arena bookings and appearances on mainstream American TV shows.
The latter brought the singer unparalleled wealth in his field, but in serious circles the stretch into the realm of popular entertainer provoked raised eyebrows at best and scorn at worst. The massive success of The Three Tenors, also including would-be rivals Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, was a phenomenon unprecedented in opera, as was his teaming with the likes of Princess Diana and Bono to raise money for charities and international political causes, particularly for children in war-torn regions like Bosnia and the Middle East (Bono is allotted far too much screen time to pat himself on the back for his seriousness of purpose).

Still, the hagiography of Pavarotti remains largely unthreatened until the arrival of Nicoletta Mantovani leaves the doc no choice. After some agreeably loving remarks from the singer's daughters Lorenza, Cristina and Giuliana and a uniformly positive portrait of his wife Adua Veroni, we begin hearing about how much this lover of life also loved women. But there are no specifics until this lively 23-year-old turns up, whereupon much melodrama ensues involving familial tensions, divorce, a fourth baby who almost dies, a second marriage and eventual pulling together when the autumn of the patriarch fades into winter.
Intelligent, vastly appreciative of its subject and conventional in approach, Pavarotti can scarcely go wrong due to the charisma of its subject, the gorgeous music that wallpapers the entire film and an arc of success arguably unmatched in the opera world. If the film is all but engorged with goodies, one can hardly object that this is in some way inappropriate to it subject. by Todd McCarthy – Hollywood Reporter

Springsteen Saxophonist Clarence Clemons Documentary Out This Summer

Filmmaker and friend Nick Mead chronicled musician’s little-known spiritual journey...Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime saxophonist, is set to be the subject of a documentary feature that will arrive this summer. For 40 years, Clemons was a widely celebrated musician, playing with Springsteen until his death in 2011. Directed by friend and filmmaker Nick Mead, Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? shows a different side to the legendary member of the E Street Band, not only chronicling his career with Springsteen, but the “transcendent awakening” he experienced before his death when Mead joined him in China after the E Street Band’s 2003 Rising tour

The film will feature interviews from Bill Clinton, Nils Lofgren, Joe Walsh and Jake Clemons (his nephew and current member of the E Street Band). According to the film’s Indiegogo page, the documentary “shows the profound effect of a trip to Northeast China, a place where no one knew who he was.” “Clarence was a true Big Man,” said Joe Amodei, producer and head of Virgil Films, using Clemons’ nickname. “His spirituality rose to the top of every interview we conducted.” Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? hits select theaters across the country in July and will be released on digital platforms on August 17th via Virgil Films & Entertainment, Deadline reports.

By ILANA KAPLAN – Rolling Stone Magazine

Elvis Costello Awarded O.B.E. Honor for ‘Services to Music’

“To be honest, I’m pretty tickled to receive this acknowledgement for my ‘Services To Music,’ as it confirms my long-held suspicion nobody really listens to the words in songs” – Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello has been awarded an O.B.E. – the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire – for his contributions to music as part of the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours List.“I am happy to accept this very surprising honor,” Costello wrote in a long statement Friday. “To be honest, I’m pretty tickled to receive this acknowledgement for my ‘Services To Music,’ as it confirms my long-held suspicion nobody really listens to the words in songs or the outcome might have been somewhat different.”
In a post on Costello’s website, the rocker wrote about his reaction upon first receiving the letter and how he was initially going to turn down the honor; now-former Prime Minister Teresa May recommended Costello for the award.

“I have to admit that my first reaction, upon receiving an [Of His Majesty’s Service] letter was, ‘Oh no, they’ve finally tumbled me,'” Costello wrote. “For those of you who enjoy irony, I was standing in my dressing room, at the ‘Queen Elizabeth Theatre’ at the time. That’s Vancouver, British Columbia, you know. The pink has stained the map all over the world.”>

However, upon notifying his mother Lillian MacManus of the O.B.E., Costello reconsidered his stance. “I began my call by telling my Mam that the Prime Minister, Mrs. May, had put my name forward for an O.B.E. ‘But she’s rubbish,’ Lillian cut in before I could complete the news. Well, that aside, I said, ‘Of course, I won’t be accepting the award,'” Costello wrote.
“I didn’t get much further with that statement either. I listened carefully to my mother’s argument that if something is deserved then one must be gracious in acceptance.” Costello went on to explain that his two grandfathers were both soldiers who were injured during wartime: His maternal grandfather spent three years in a P.O.W. camp during World War II while his paternal grandfather, a bugler, was “Missing, Presumed Dead” in imperial India before he was found in a military hospital and sent home.

“I can’t say that the future and fortunes offered to such men upon their return home were anything more than an insult to add to their physical, mental and spiritual injuries. You had to make your own luck then but that’s the way it’s been ever since,” Costello said.
“One hundred years have passed, and the British Empire doesn’t exist anymore, but our family is still thriving and playing music. So, it is in memory of those two British Army soldiers and because my Mam told me to do it, that I can proudly accept this award.”

Other artists named to the Queen’s Birthday Honours List include rapper M.I.A., who received an M.B.E. – Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire – for services to music, while Undertones singer Fergal Sharkey also received an O.B.E. In late December, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (C.B.E) for his services to music. By Daniel Kreps – Rolling Stone Magazine