"Popera", fast fame hamper search for great tenors

VENICE, Italy, Sep 6 (Reuters) Arguably the best tenor of his generation is dead. The rise of ''popera'', an obsession with instant stardom and the limited pool of talent among operatic tenors today mean we may not see his like for a very long time.

Luciano Pavarotti, who died aged 71 today, was like no other, critics say, because he combined a fluid, lyrical voice with the charisma to match his giant frame.

He also knew his limitations, and so narrowed his repertoire accordingly to avoid taking on roles that did not suit him and singing in too many different languages.

Leading opera critic Norman Lebrecht said the lack of investment in classical musicians and recordings today meant finding a successor to Pavarotti would be harder than ever.

''We don't value opera in the same way, or breed talent in the same way and create an easier career path for the vertically mobile,'' he told Reuters.

He said it was almost unthinkable that an Italian boy growing up in Pavarotti's birthplace of Modena today would choose opera over soccer, another of the singer's great loves.

''Success in football and film is far greater and more rewarding and far quicker than the work that goes into a great opera singer.'' Hugh Canning, opera critic for Britain's Sunday Times, argued that most talented tenors today have not spent as long as Pavarotti in nurturing their voices, and are under pressure to become marketable early on in their careers.

''Nowadays a very good voice is identified, and four or five years later they are sounding worn out,'' he said.

He cited the examples of Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon and Argentina's Jose Cura, both of whom have been singing at the top level less regularly than would be expected for performers of their age.

''I think that's where the pressure comes -- trying to force stars rather than nurture them naturally.

''And now they want them young as they want to promote the glossy images in glossy magazines. Pavarotti was the most unlikely star, as already by the mid-1970s he was quite a large man. He might not have made the same kind of career today.'' WANTING FAME, AND FAST Canning said bypassing a long apprenticeship in opera was a growing temptation for singers today, when reality television shows can create a celebrity overnight.

''A lot of young stars think they can take shortcuts, and don't pay their dues. They want glamour, fame and money too quickly,'' he said.

''To become a classical singer of high quality you can't just win a competition. People like Placido Domingo and Pavarotti are proof of that.

''What really made them great was the graft they did before presenting themselves on the international stage and before starting to make the records we'll remember.'' Experts also argued that, outside a small circle of genuine lovers of the genre, most people associate opera with singers like Andrea Bocelli and the band Il Divo, who blend popular and classical music in a bid to reach mass audiences.

The ''next generation'' of tenors is led by Villazon and Peru's Juan Diego Florez.

French-born Roberto Alagna has many admirers, although his decision to walk off stage at La Scala last year after he was booed raised questions about his temperament, as do Argentine Marcelo Alvarez and Mexican Ramon Vargas.

Florez, like Pavarotti in his prime, hits the high C's in Donizetti's ''La Fille Du Regiment'' with ease, though few would argue he is yet a match for the late maestro.

''If I was putting money on anyone having a long and glorious career, it probably would be him (Florez) because of the repertory he sings -- he is not battling with huge orchestras and huge opera houses,'' said Canning.

REUTERS PDT KP2110