Olivier Wilkins - Herbert Breslin and Anne Midgette, authors of "The King and I," an account of Breslin's career managing opera legend Luciano Pavarotti.
Herbert Breslin, the fast-talking, foulmouthed, street-savvy classical music publicist and manager who oversaw Luciano Pavarotti’s career for 36 years, died May 16 in his hotel room in Nice, France, after an apparent heart attack. He was 87.
The death was confirmed by his wife, Carol.
Mr. Breslin was a controversial figure in a field that is no stranger to colorful characters. Many people cordially loathed him. He cultivated a brash persona that included lots of expletives, uncouth telephone manners and a blunt way of stating facts that was not calculated to win friends.
He was also extremely successful.
When he was starting out as a classical music publicist in the late 1950s, his first clients were Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, three of the major female opera singers of the 20th century.
After hearing a recording of the pianist Alicia de Larrocha, he engineered her New York recital debut in 1966 and took over her career as her manager, even presenting her himself at Carnegie Hall in New York. She ultimately became one of the world’s most acclaimed pianists, and she and Mr. Breslin continued their association to the end of her career.
But no one could match Pavarotti, whom he shepherded from their first meeting in 1967. The callow, gifted, clumsy tenor was already being touted as someone to watch. “You’re a nice guy,” Terry McEwen, head of Decca Records, allegedly told Pavarotti. “You need a bastard to manage you.”
Mr. Breslin was happy to play that role to the hilt, as well as coming up with all kinds of ideas about how to get his client better known. At the time, many saw these moves as crass selling out: American Express commercials (“Do you know me?”), arena concerts and an absolutely terrible Hollywood movie (“Yes, Giorgio”). Today, such tactics would hardly raise an eyebrow. Mr. Breslin was not, however, responsible for the Three Tenors juggernaut, the joint performances of Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras; that was the brainchild of the Hungarian impresario Tibor Rudas.
“Marketing an artist is basically like marketing a bar of soap,” Mr. Breslin said in “The King and I,” his 2004 memoir (co-authored with this writer) about his years with Pavarotti.
“You think that’s too commercial?” he added. “If you ask me, one of the biggest problems with classical music today is that it’s not commercial enough. Nobody knows how to promote anything . . . nobody knows how to get people to want to hear this stuff.”
Like many of his assertions, it was a tough but accurate statement of things people in the business don’t really want to hear.
“The King and I” — subtitled “The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti’s Rise and Fame by His Manager, Friend, and Sometime Adversary” — was as controversial as most things surrounding Mr. Breslin. It depicted Pavarotti chasing a girlfriend down a New York street when fully costumed as Otello and devouring a kilo of high-end caviar at Mr. Breslin’s expense and then accusing his manager of trying to kill him with rich food.
Carney, whose voice as White House mouthpiece guides the media, talks about the band that has guided him.
1369353720000
Celebrated composer John Adams is curating a four-concert series of his music in Washington.
1369337261000
It may have been the Kennedy Center, but last night's Trey Anastasio concert with the Natinoal Symphony Orchestra felt a little different than usual.
1369327153000
Innovative French duo pulls out all the stops on “Random Access Memories” with underwhelming results.
1369265258000
Notable recordings from the world of pop music.
1369149736000
Kim Allen Kluge leads a brilliant rendition of Stravinsky’s work on the 100th anniversary of its premiere.
1369107218000
Musicians seem to gather strength, confidence as they worked through Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Bizet.
1369106188000
His chance meeting with Jim Morrison on Venice Beach in 1965 gave rise to the influential rock band.
1369103700000
On his new album, ‘IV Play,’ the R&B star sticks to his strength: gaudy, intricately constructed slow jams.
1369101840000
First woman honoree joins Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Bacharach/David.
1369095469000
Cellist Zuill Bailey’s stories become a big part of his performance.
1369086928000
Five top moments from the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.
1369078337000
Style seen at the show was disjointed, ranging from expect from Taylor Swift to Ke$ha's revealing mini.
1369068780000
Country star switches with ease between the flirtatious partier and the devoted lover during Virginia concert.
1368999780000The Post Most: EntertainmentMost-viewed stories,videos, and galleries in the past two hours
Loading...
Comments