Arena

Episode Synopsis

For 40 years, Luciano Pavarotti has been hailed as one of the greatest tenors of all time, an artist fit to rank alongside the great Caruso. As his career reaches its climax, this documentary, showing as part of the BBC's Summer of Opera, chronicles his background and upbringing, and follows him as he performs to sell-out audiences on three continents, culminating with his valedictory performances of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Backstage in LA, the tenor greets celebrity admirers, including Michael Caine and Dustin Hoffman , in Berlin he's reunited with Three Tenors group members Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo , while in his Italian hometown of Modena the maestro gathers top names in rock and pop, such as Bono, Queen, Ricky Martin and Andrea Bocelli , to raise money for the children of Iraq. Narrated by Sir Ian McKellen.