Pavarotti Sings Softly to Press of Concert Here

With his great girth packaged in a blue cassock-like shirt and a huge, multicolored scarf wrapped rakishly around his golden throat, the world’s reigning singer, Luciano Pavarotti, met the press Monday in San Diego.

The Italian singer, hailed as the greatest operatic tenor since Enrico Caruso, will perform his only California concert of the summer Thursday night at the San Diego Sports Arena.

On Monday, his gentle, almost inaudible speaking voice belied the singing voice that has conquered the world.

“The idea first came to my mind in 1973,” he said in his lyrically accented English. “How beautiful to do a recital for so many people at once, so I began singing in the large arenas. It is a big emotion to go in front of so many people, in a place like Madison Square Garden, and to see the audience pay maximum attention, to hear the maximum silence as I sing.”

Pavarotti’s appearance at the 14,000-seat arena is being co-presented by promoter Tibor Rudas and the San Diego Opera, which stands to benefit from the sale of 300 special tickets, priced at $350 to $500 apiece, that include a cocktail party and dinner for Pavarotti at the Sheraton Harbor Island East hotel after the performance. Monday’s press conference at the hotel kicked off a brief media blitz on behalf of the concert that will include an appearance tonight on NBC-TV’s “Tonight” show.

Pavarotti was questioned about his health, reportedly the reason for several recent concert cancellations, and rumors about his impending retirement. He acknowledged that “three weeks ago I was recovering from being ill, and I was in bed for one week. But I’m very well know.”

As for his retirement, he deflected the question with a soft, joking reply: “Retirement? Yes, I began to retire in 1961 . . . “

For all Pavarotti’s fame--San Diego Opera general director Ian Campbell introduced him as the “most successful, most popular tenor in opera history” --ticket sales for his San Diego appearance have been slow. According to promoter Rudas, about 5,000 tickets remain to be sold for the show, although a sellout by showtime is expected.

“We sold about 8,000 tickets on a preferential mail-order basis, and didn’t start selling to the city at large until about two weeks ago,” Rudas explained. “As a result of the press conference, I expect to sell more than 2,000 on Tuesday. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event, the only time in the near future he will perform in San Diego.”

The concert will mix familiar arias by the likes of Verdi and Puccini with a selection of Italian love songs arranged by Henry Mancini. Concern has been voiced about poor acoustics in the Sports Arena, but a special high-tech sound system has been designed for Pavarotti’s arena recitals, using microphones mounted on clear plastic bases suspended above the stage.

Asked how it felt to be “the greatest singer in the world,” Pavarotti exhibited a modesty that seemed genuine, his voice softening even more. “I am just trying to do the best I can,” he said. “I never say to myself, ‘You are the first, the second or the third.’ ”

Asked if there were any operatic roles he still longed to sing, Pavarotti replied that he has always wanted to sing Wagner’s Lohengrin. As for his alleged rivalry with Placido Domingo, the only other tenor on a popular par with Pavarotti, the singer said, “It depends on the sort of rivalry you mean.

“If you mean do I try to do the music better, yes; if you mean a rivalry between two persons, no. Placido and I both know how difficult it is (to excel in the world of opera).”

Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, where he resides with his wife and three daughters. His phenomenal popularity began in the mid-1960s, and in 1968 he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Rodolfo in “La Boheme.” His recordings reportedly have outsold those of all other opera stars, and he made his motion picture debut a few years ago with “Yes, Giorgio,” a critical and box-office flop.