At the
Grammy Awards in
1998,
Luciano Pavarotti was scheduled to perform this particular
aria. At the rehearsal earlier in the day, the famed
tenor had appeared a bit
under the weather, but nothing seemed amiss. During the telecast that evening, Pavarotti called the producer to inform him that he was unable to perform due to a
head cold.
Thinking fast, the producer crossed behind the set at the back of the stage and went to
Aretha Franklin's dressing room. He explained the situation to
Aretha, and without hesitation, she agreed to go on in Pavarotti's place. With a scant eight minutes to go before the scheduled time of the performance, she rehearsed the piece with a 72-piece
orchestra in Pavarotti's
key, which was a full
three steps below her own.
Aretha took the stage looking
calm, cool, and collected, and proceeded to deliver a stunning, full-bodied interpretation of the famous aria, looking and sounding as if,
for all intents and purposes, she had been the intended performer of the aria all along. When she finished, the audience rose to its feet in an enthusiastic and sustained
standing ovation.