The Three Tenors
On the 7th of July 1990, three men stood before a global television audience of around 800 million people. They wore formal evening dress and sang inside the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy. The concert was organized to raise money for José Carreras's leukemia foundation after he underwent successful treatment for his illness. Italian producer Mario Dradi, German producer Elmar Kruse, and British composer Herbert Chappell conceived this idea in 1990. Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the orchestra of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma during the performance.
The image of Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras singing together captivated viewers worldwide. A filmed version produced by Herbert Chappell and Gian Carlo Bertelli for Decca became the highest-selling classical disc in history. This debut recording holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling classical music album. The trio performed at three further FIFA World Cup Finals: Los Angeles in 1994, Paris in 1998, and Yokohama in 2002.
Nearly 50,000 people attended their 1994 concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles while around 1.3 billion viewers watched it on television. During a world tour spanning 1996 to 1997, they performed at Kasumigaoka Stadium in Tokyo, Wembley Stadium in London, and Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna. Giants Stadium outside New York City hosted them alongside Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Olympic Stadium in Munich and Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf also featured their performances before BC Place in Vancouver on New Year's Eve.
Concerts followed at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Skydome in Toronto, Pro Player Stadium in Miami, and Camp Nou in Barcelona during 1997. They gave two benefit concerts in Pavarotti's hometown Modena and Domingo's home town Madrid to raise money for rebuilding Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. A second series of concerts occurred in 1999 including cities like Tokyo, Pretoria, and Detroit with a Christmas concert in Vienna that December. Their final performance together took place at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on the 28th of September 2003.
The original Carreras-Domingo-Pavarotti album became known as The Three Tenors In Concert and holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling classical music album. Subsequent releases included The Three Tenors in Concert 1994, The Three Tenors: Paris 1998, The Three Tenors Christmas, and The Best of The Three Tenors. Zubin Mehta conducted performances in 1990 and 1994 while James Levine led the Paris concert. A DVD of The Three Tenors in Bath was issued solely as a corporate gift.
Certifications show massive commercial reach across multiple countries. The 1990 album achieved 6× Platinum status in Australia, 3× Platinum in the US, and 5× Platinum in the UK. The 1994 release earned Platinum certification in the US and 2× Platinum in the UK. The Paris 1998 recording received Gold certification in France and Silver in the UK. The 3 Tenors Christmas album reached Gold status in Germany and Silver in the UK. These figures demonstrate unprecedented sales for classical recordings during this period.
For their initial appearance together in Rome in 1990, Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti agreed to accept relatively small flat fees which they then donated to charity. Their album unexpectedly reaped millions in profits for Decca Records causing some resentment on the part of the tenors who officially received no royalty payments. Domingo suspected that the record company paid Pavarotti on the side to keep one of their top contracted artists content. Pavarotti denied this insisting: We got nothing.
Years later his former agent and manager Herbert Breslin wrote that Pavarotti had indeed secretly received $1.5 million that the other two tenors did not receive. For subsequent concerts and recordings, the singers were much more careful in assuring financially advantageous contractual terms for themselves. The success of the Three Tenors led to antitrust action by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission against Warner Bros. and Vivendi Universal. They found that these companies conspired not to advertise or discount albums to protect sales of the jointly released Paris concert album. In 1999, two of the three singers paid an undisclosed fine to the German government as part of an out-of-court settlement for tax evasion.
While the Three Tenors were applauded by many for introducing opera to a wider audience, some opera purists criticized the group. Domingo responded to critics in a 1998 interview stating: The purists say this is not opera. Of course it's not opera, it doesn't pretend to be an opera. It's a concert in which we sing some opera, we sing some songs, we do some zarzuela, then we do a medley of songs... We respect very much when people criticise it.
Other critics such as Martin Bernheimer complained that the tenors performed for excessive financial remuneration rather than art. On their first worldwide tour, each tenor received around one million dollars per concert which was unheard of for classical musicians. Pavarotti responded to complaints about their incomes saying: We make the money we deserve. We're not forcing someone to pay us. Carreras stressed how little they made compared to many athletes, pop singers, and movie stars. They performed repertoire ranging from opera to Broadway to Neapolitan songs and pop hits with signature songs including Nessun dorma and 'O sole mio.
Throughout the Seinfeld episode The Doll, José Carreras was repeatedly referred to as the other guy while names of Domingo and Pavarotti were easily recalled. The Animaniacs episode Three Tenors and You're Out featured a parody of the trio performing at Dodger Stadium. The Canadian sketch comedy series Royal Canadian Air Farce parodied The Three Tenors in a separate sketch. In Encore! Encore!, Nathan Lane plays an opera singer who was to become the Fourth Tenor before injuring his voice.
The trio appeared on the MTV animated show Celebrity Deathmatch in a match against The Three Stooges. In the Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, The Three Emperors of Yliaster are named after the Three Tenors. These cultural references demonstrate how deeply the group penetrated global entertainment beyond classical music circles. Their fame extended into television shows, animation, and even video games where their legacy continued long after their final performance together.
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Common questions
When did The Three Tenors perform their first concert together in Rome?
The Three Tenors performed their first concert together on the 7th of July 1990 inside the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy. This event was organized to raise money for José Carreras's leukemia foundation after he underwent successful treatment for his illness.
Who conducted the orchestra during The Three Tenors performances in 1990 and 1994?
Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra during The Three Tenors performances in 1990 and 1994. James Levine led the orchestra for the Paris concert held in 1998.
What is the highest-selling classical music album by The Three Tenors called?
The original Carreras-Domingo-Pavarotti album became known as The Three Tenors In Concert and holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling classical music album. A filmed version produced by Herbert Chappell and Gian Carlo Bertelli for Decca also achieved this record status.
Where did The Three Tenors give their final performance together on September 28 2003?
Their final performance together took place at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on the 28th of September 2003. This event marked the end of a career spanning from 1990 to 2003 that included three further FIFA World Cup Finals.
How much money did Pavarotti secretly receive compared to Domingo and Carreras according to Herbert Breslin?
Years later his former agent and manager Herbert Breslin wrote that Pavarotti had indeed secretly received $1.5 million that the other two tenors did not receive. For subsequent concerts and recordings, the singers were much more careful in assuring financially advantageous contractual terms for themselves.