SOUTH AFRICA: THREE SOUTH AFRICAN TENORS HOPE TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOT STEPS OF "THE THREE TENORS"

Record ID: 175222

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: THREE SOUTH AFRICAN TENORS HOPE TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOT STEPS OF "THE THREE TENORS"
  • Date: 9th February 1999
  • Summary: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FILE) (REUTERS) (PERFORMANCE CLEARANCES REQUIRED) 1. OPERA SINGERS LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, JOSE CARRERAS AND PLACIDO DOMINGO ARRIVING AT CONCERT/ CLOSE-UP PAVAROTTI SINGING/ WIDE OF THREE TENORS SINGING UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) 2. VARIOUS OF OPERA SINGERS EDDIE MOTLHAKOANE, MUSA NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI HAOPHE SINGING 3. SOUNDBITE (English) NKUNA SAYING: "I love it, I think it's great, it's beautiful. I wonder how other people survive without this sort of music. I find opera very, very interesting, lots of interesting stories, but one has to realise all the time that its fantasy, you know, its not in the least realistic. But I like it, I love it very much, and there are lots of people out there who really love opera." 4. VARIOUS OF MOTLHAKOANE, NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI SINGING 5. SOUNDBITE (English) VOICE TRAINER JAMES CONRAD SAYING: "They came together - you know we all sing in workshops and things like that and then when they were all more or less up to a certain standard they got together themselves - partly because of the famous 'three Tenors,' and they thought they would have a go. That was like putting a match to a hay stack, it just took off." JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE) (REUTERS) - (PERFORMANCE CLEARANCES REQUIRED) 6. VARIOUS OF MOTLHAKOANE, NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI SINGING AT CONCERT/ SOUTH AFRICAN DEPUTY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI CLAPPING/ AUDIENCE 7. SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING: "They were absolutely brilliant. I mean I've never seen a performance quite like that." 8. SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING: "I think the potential for them to become world stars is just there - because they're quite awesome as my sons would say." 9. SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING: "And they make us proud. I think we have the Pavarotti in the making in these young people and we wish them well." \9PERFORMANCE CLEARANCE REQUIRED) 10. VARIOUS OF MOTLHAKOANE, NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI SINGING AT CONCERT UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11. SOUNDBITE (English) MOTLHAKOANE SAYING: "It would be very nice to have a real African opera. In all the African languages you know, mixing them together, and get the opera done and sing it." 12. SOUNDBITE (English) NKUNA SAYING: "I think something in an African language would be more interesting and because our words are not so different our languages are not so different from Italian and it wouldn't sound so different from Italian, I'm sure one could travel and sing all over the world, you know, signing in an African Language." JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE) (REUTERS) (PERFORMANCE CLEARANCE REQUIRED) 13. MOTLHAKOANE, NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI SINGING, LAUGHING 14. MOTLHAKOANE, NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI SINGING AT CONCERT/ AUDIENCE CLAPPING 15. MOTLHAKOANE, NKUNA AND MFANAFUTHI TAKING A BOW Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 24th February 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: LVAD1J70UN9PTHFUDICGOWP8MWNT
  • Story Text: Move over Pavarotti - South Africa's three tenors are
    hungry for the big time.

    Having seen the success of three of opera's most
    celebrated singers - Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and
    Placido Domingo - three young South Africans hope to follow
    in their footsteps.

    In the '90s, three of opera's most celebrated singers
    joined forces.Nicknamed the three Tenors - Luciano
    Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo have since
    captivated millions of music lovers worldwide - taking opera
    to new heights of popularity.

    Now, three South Africans are humbly following in the
    footsteps of those opera giants...hoping to one day
    cultivate a world class trio of their own.Eddie
    Motlhakoane, Musa Nkuna and Mfanafuthi Haophe are South
    Africa's very own three Tenors.

    Talent though is no fantasy for these three musical
    maestros, who are quickly creating waves in South African
    music circles.The three twenty-five year-olds are all
    accomplished music students.They started working together
    early last year.

    In their short careers, they've thrilled opera lovers
    with sparkling performances in South Africa's capital of
    Johannesburg.Invited to perform at a fund-raiser late last
    year - whose distinguished guests included South Africa's
    Deputy President Thabo Mbeki - they were once again well
    received.

    Like all opera singers, these three maestros proudly
    trace their musical inspiration to 16th century Italy, the
    birthplace of opera.Opera's distinctly European heritage
    has never deterred them - but has instead has driven them to
    bring opera to an African audience, with hopes to adapt it
    along the way.

    Indeed - their first CD will feature one of their first
    original compositions - written in their native tongue.

    But whether its in Italian or German, Xhosa or Zulu -
    these young men bring the best out of a song - and might one
    day
    challenge those other three tenors for operatic immortality.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register