‘The Three Tenors – 30th Anniversary Edition’ Celebrating Iconic Concert Announced

On the evening of 7 July 1990, set against the imposing backdrop of the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, The Three Tenors, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, made history with their iconic concert that irrevocably changed classical music forever. Luciano Pavarotti noted, “For all three of us, the Caracalla concert was a major event in our lives. I hope I am not immodest to think it was also unforgettable for most of the people who were present.”

To mark 30 years since their legendary Rome concert, held on the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup final, The Three Tenors – 30th Anniversary Edition, a special CD/DVD set, featuring a CD of the original concert and a DVD of the complete concert, including a “making of” documentary, will be released on 24 July 2020. The collectors booklet features new liner notes and many photos from the event and behind the scenes.

Zubin Mehta, who led the orchestras of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, recalled, “I remember with greatest pleasure this concert with the greatest singing artists of our time. The concert in Rome was a unique experience, one I will never forget!”

The Three Tenors shared the stage, and the spotlight, to perform songs including Puccini’s ‘Nessun Dorma’, pantomiming a friendly rivalry and creating one of the most successful classical music concerts of all time. Over the last 30 years, ‘Nessun Dorma’ has become synonymous with moments of unity and celebration in sport, film and television. The aria, originally released by Luciano Pavarotti in 1972 and used as the theme music for the BBC’s coverage of the World Cup, was performed twice during the Rome concert – once as a solo, and again as an encore, when Pavarotti was joined by Carreras and Domingo.

The original live album of the concert Carreras Domingo Pavarotti In Concert, won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 1991 and remains the best-selling classical album of all time. Since their debut The Three Tenors achieved critical and cultural acclaim and enjoyed world tours and special performances throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Their debut concert in Rome was the beginning of instant and global fame for the trio whose repertoire ranged from opera arias to Neapolitan ballads, Broadway hits and pop songs.

From 7 July 1990 José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti reached out and conquered a much wider public – one that would never, collectively, have fitted inside all of the world’s opera houses put together, but who now felt that they had, in some way, experienced the genre and who would surely have said that they liked – perhaps even loved – opera.

The Three Tenors’ 30th anniversary is also marked by the release of a television documentary, released by C-Major Entertainment. In addition, the original concert footage will be made available on all major video streaming services, and a Blu-ray edition of the concert and the new documentary will be released later this year.

As opera houses remain silent and football stadiums are empty of supporters, fans can relive the moment history was made by The Three Tenors in Rome 1990, and remember the night when the ‘Beautiful Game’ and classical music crossed a cultural divide and changed the music industry forever.

The Three Tenors – 30th Anniversary Edition will be released on 24 July 2020 and can be pre-ordered here.

Do you want to be the first to hear the latest news from the classical world? Follow uDiscover Classical on Facebook and Twitter.