The Three Tenors
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Classical music |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Rome , Italy |
| Products | Live concerts, albums, DVDs |
The Three Tenors were a renowned operatic trio active between 1990 and 2003, widely regarded as a supergroup within the classical music realm. The ensemble featured Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti alongside Spanish tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras. Their inaugural performance took place at Rome’s Baths of Caracalla on 7 July 1990, coinciding with the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup final and attracting an estimated global television audience of approximately 800 million. This landmark event, showcasing the trio in formal evening attire, captivated viewers worldwide. The concert’s recording became the highest-selling classical album to date, paving the way for subsequent live shows and album releases.
The group also appeared at three more FIFA World Cup Finals—in 1994 (Los Angeles), 1998 (Paris), and 2002 (Yokohama)—and embarked on international tours that frequently filled large stadiums and arenas. Their concluding performance occurred at Columbus, Ohio’s Schottenstein Center on 28 September 2003.
Their musical selections encompassed opera, Broadway tunes, Neapolitan melodies, and popular songs. Notable highlights included Puccini’s Nessun dorma, predominantly delivered by Pavarotti, alongside their collective rendition of O sole mio.
History
The concept for the initial concert in Rome in 1990 was developed by Italian producer Mario Dradi, German producer Elmar Kruse, and British composer-producer Herbert Chappell. This event aimed to raise funds for Carreras’s José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation and marked his return to operatic performance following leukemia treatment. Their debut at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, under the baton of Zubin Mehta with orchestras from Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, drew a worldwide audience. The concert recording, produced by Chappell and Gian Carlo Bertelli for Decca, achieved record-breaking sales as the best-selling classical album ever.
Building on this success, The Three Tenors performed at significant occasions including the 1994 FIFA World Cup final held at Dodger Stadium, the 1998 FIFA World Cup concert beneath the Eiffel Tower, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup event in Yokohama. The 1994 performance attracted nearly 50,000 attendees and was viewed by an estimated 1.3 billion people globally.
From 1996 to 1997, they embarked on an extensive world tour featuring concerts at prominent venues such as Tokyo’s Kasumigaoka Stadium, London’s Wembley Stadium, Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadion, New York’s Giants Stadium, and Vancouver’s BC Place on New Year’s Eve. The tour further included stops at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Toronto’s Skydome, Miami’s Pro Player Stadium, and Barcelona’s Camp Nou. A planned finale in Houston was canceled due to insufficient ticket sales. Additionally, benefit concerts took place in Modena (Pavarotti's birthplace) and Madrid (Domingo's hometown) to support restoration efforts for Venice’s Teatro La Fenice and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu as well as contributions to the Queen Sofia Foundation.
In 1999, their performances extended beyond FIFA-related events to locations such as Tokyo, Pretoria, and Detroit, followed by a Christmas concert in Vienna. The year 2000 tour included appearances in San Jose, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Cleveland, and São Paulo; however, concerts scheduled for Hamburg and Albany were canceled due to logistical challenges and poor ticket demand respectively. A benefit concert held in Chicago that December supported the AIDS Foundation. In 2001, they performed in Seoul and Beijing’s Forbidden City; subsequent concerts included a 2003 appearance at Bath’s Royal Crescent and their final Three Tenors show at Columbus’s Schottenstein Center. A reunion planned for Monterrey in 2005 was called off because of Pavarotti’s health issues; Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández filled in as his replacement.
Recordings
The concerts achieved significant commercial triumph and resulted in a collection of best-selling albums. Among these is the original Carreras-Domingo-Pavarotti in Concert, later reissued under the title The Three Tenors In Concert, which holds the Guinness World Record as the top-selling classical music album. Additional releases include The Three Tenors in Concert 1994, The Three Tenors: Paris 1998, The Three Tenors Christmas, and The Best of The Three Tenors. A DVD titled The Three Tenors in Bath was produced exclusively as a corporate gift. Conducting duties for the 1990 and 1994 concerts were handled by Zubin Mehta, while James Levine took the podium for the Paris performance.
Carreras and Domingo also joined forces on various albums, such as Gala Lirica featuring multiple artists, Christmas In Vienna alongside Diana Ross, and Christmas in Moscow with Sissel Kyrkjebø.
Royalties
For their inaugural 1990 Rome concert, Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti agreed to modest fixed payments for recording rights, which they donated to charitable causes. Unexpectedly, the album generated millions for Decca Records, yet the tenors did not receive any royalties, leading to some friction. It was reported that Pavarotti was covertly compensated by Decca to secure his contract, a claim he denied. Years afterward, former manager Herbert Breslin disclosed that Pavarotti had received $1.5 million without informing the other two tenors, who were not signed with Decca. Later contracts provided more equitable financial arrangements for all three performers.
Criticism
Although the Three Tenors broadened opera’s appeal to wider audiences, some traditionalists voiced criticism of the ensemble. Domingo remarked in 1998: "Purists say this is not opera. Naturally it isn’t; it never claimed to be. It’s a concert featuring opera, songs, zarzuela, and medleys... We respect critics, but they should allow the audience to enjoy it."
Critics such as Martin Bernheimer contended that financial motives outweighed artistic integrity for the tenors. During their initial worldwide tour, each tenor earned approximately one million dollars per show—an unprecedented amount among classical artists. Pavarotti defended their compensation: "We earn what we deserve. No one is forced to pay us." Domingo added: "I perform 17 times in 25 days. For three decades we have given our utmost. We merit this income." Carreras pointed out that their earnings were modest compared to those of athletes, pop musicians, and actors.
Legal issues
The commercial success of The Three Tenors led to an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission targeting Warner Bros. and Vivendi Universal. The companies were accused of colluding to avoid advertising or discounting albums from separate concerts so as to protect sales of their joint 1998 Paris release.
In Germany, two of the tenors paid an undisclosed penalty in 1999 to resolve tax evasion allegations. The German authorities also claimed substantial back taxes were owed. Their promoter at the time, Matthias Hoffmann, who managed their tax affairs, was imprisoned due to his involvement in the evasion scheme.
In popular culture
- In the Seinfeld episode "The Doll", José Carreras is repeatedly referred to as "the other guy", while Domingo and Pavarotti are more readily remembered.
- The Animaniacs episode "Three Tenors and You're Out" satirizes the trio performing at Dodger Stadium.
- The Canadian sketch comedy show Royal Canadian Air Farce featured a parody of The Three Tenors.
- In Encore! Encore!, Nathan Lane portrays an opera singer on track to become "the Fourth Tenor" before losing his voice.
- The group appeared on MTV's animated series Celebrity Deathmatch in a bout against The Three Stooges.
- In the Japanese adaptation of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, The Three Emperors of Yliaster are named after The Three Tenors.
List of concerts
| No. | Location | Venue | Occasion | Maestro | Performance Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome, Italy | Baths of Caracalla | 1990 FIFA World Cup | Zubin Mehta | 7 July 1990 |
| 2 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Opéra de Monte-Carlo | Charity concert | 9 June 1994 | |
| 3 | Los Angeles, United States | Dodger Stadium | 1994 FIFA World Cup | 16 July 1994 | |
| 4 | Tokyo, Japan | National Stadium | World Tour series | James Levine | 29 June 1996 |
| 5 | London, United Kingdom | Wembley Stadium | 6 July 1996 | ||
| 6 | Vienna, Austria | Ernst Happel Stadion | 13 July 1996 | ||
| 7 | East Rutherford, United States | Giants Stadium | 20 July 1996 | ||
| 8 | Gothenburg, Sweden | Ullevi Stadium | 26 July 1996 | ||
| 9 | Munich, Germany | Olympiastadion | 3 August 1996 | ||
| 10 | Düsseldorf, Germany | Rheinstadion | 24 August 1996 | ||
| 11 | Vancouver, Canada | BC Place | 31 December 1996 | ||
| 12 | Toronto, Canada | SkyDome | 4 January 1997 | ||
| 13 | Melbourne, Australia | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Marco Armiliato conducting | 1 March 1997 | |
| 14 | Miami, United States | Pro Player Stadium | James Levine | 8 March 1997 | |
| 15 | Modena, Italy | Stadio Alberto Braglia | Charity event | 17 June 1997 | |
| 16 | Barcelona, Spain | Camp Nou | World Tour continuation | 13 July 1997 | |
| 17 | Madrid, Spain | Teatro Real | Benefit performance | Marco Armiliato | 8 January 1998 |
| 18 | Paris, France | Champ de Mars | 1998 FIFA World Cup | James Levine | 10 July 1998 |
| 19 | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo Dome | World Tour series | 9 January 1999 | |
| 20 | Pretoria, South Africa | Union Buildings | Marco Armiliato | 18 April 1999 | |
| 21 | Detroit, United States | Tiger Stadium | James Levine | 17 July 1999 | |
| 22 | Vienna, Austria | Konzerthaus | Christmas concert edition | Steven Mercurio | 23 December 1999 |
| 23 | San Jose, United States | SAP Center | World Tour series | Marco Armiliato | 29 December 1999 |
| 24 | Las Vegas, United States | Mandalay Bay Events Center | 22 April 2000 | ||
| 25 | Washington, D.C., United States | MCI Center | James Levine | 7 May 2000 | |
| 26 | Cleveland, United States | Browns Stadium | Marco Armiliato | 25 June 2000 | |
| 27 | São Paulo, Brazil | Estádio do Morumbi | 22 July 2000 | ||
| 28 | Chicago, United States | United Center | Charity concert
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Discography
| Title | Album Information | Conductor, Orchestra, Performance Details |
Highest Chart Rankings | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA | SPA | AUS | NLD | SWE | UK | US | ||||
| Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert |
|
Zubin Mehta Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra Orchestra del Teatro Municipal di Roma (7 July 1990, Terme di Caracalla, Rome) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 35 | AUS: 6× Platinum US: 3× Platinum UK: 5× Platinum CAN: 3× Platinum GER: Platinum AUT: 2× Platinum MEX: Gold BRA: 2× Platinum |
| The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 |
|
Zubin Mehta Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (16 August 1994, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles) |
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | US: Platinum UK: 2× Platinum CAN: 2× Platinum GER: 3× Gold CHE: Platinum FRA: Platinum AUT: 2× Platinum AUS: Platinum |
| The Three Tenors: Paris 1998 |
|
James Levine (10 July 1998, Eiffel Tower, Paris) |
23 | – | 16 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 83 | US: Gold UK: Silver FRA: Gold AUT: Gold CHE: Gold |
| The 3 Tenors Christmas |
|
Steven Mercurio Vienna Symphony Orchestra (23 December 1999, Vienna) |
47 | – | 50 | 19 | 59 | 57 | 54 | US: Gold UK: Silver GER: Gold |
Filmography
| Title | Album Information | Conductor, Orchestra, Performance Details |
Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert | Zubin Mehta Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra Orchestra del Teatro Municipal di Roma (7 August 1990, Terme di Caracalla, Rome) |
US: 5× Platinum CAN: 4× Platinum GER: Platinum | |
| The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 |
|
Zubin Mehta Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (16 August 1994, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles) |
US: 5× Platinum UK: 2× Platinum |
| 'The Vision: The Making of the Three Tenors in Concert' |
|
||
| The Three Tenors: Paris 1998 |
|
James Levine (10 July 1998, Eiffel Tower, Paris) |
US: Gold UK: Gold FRA: Platinum |
| 'The 3 Tenors Christmas' |
|
Steven Mercurio Vienna Symphony Orchestra (23 December 1999, Vienna) |