The 3 Tenors

 

 

 

Forming the group, The 3 Tenors, these three gentleman; Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti have been performing worldwide for many years. These are the gentlemen to whom I owe so much. Through their magnificent recordings, they have helped bring my life back to as close to normal as possible, given the complex condition I have been dealing with for over a year now. I know in my heart that their music will continue to help me, as I progress more each day. 

I assume that only a few of my readers know about the 3 Tenors, as everyone has different musical tastes. Based on our conversations, they have probably watched the incredible concerts of the 3 Tenors on television or even purchased their performances on DVD. 

I thought it was time to let everyone around me know how inspirational and relaxing this music has been for me, especially during my days getting out of the hospital and recovering at home.  Music like this would be beneficial for others who are suffering tremendous illnesses too. Of course, it is something that I would recommend to everyone to listen to for relaxation and enjoyment. 

According to the Wikipedia data page, from 1990 to 2003, the 3 gentlemen held thirty-four 3 Tenors concerts. This news was unbelievable to me because I did not know that was the total number of concerts until recently when I started to research more about them.  

I know that I have been watching a number of their concerts on television programs over the years and have listened to those concerts on various recording materials as well. It is so beautiful even though I knew very few songs from the material that they had been singing. It didn't matter. I just sat there watching and listening and enjoying every musical second of it. 

Oh sure, I know that they have millions of listeners and watchers who, just like me, are wildly enthusiastic about them.  I'm sure that they have made a few dollars as well, not only performing but also selling copies of their performances on albums, tapes, CDs and DVDs, especially after various concerts took place. They are truly wonderful, not only because of their voices, but also because of the superb performances put on by the various orchestras that are part of the concert.  Many of the recorded performances are around an hour and a half long, but who would ever know that length because it just transports you to a serene place! 

 

 

I wanted to talk to you a little bit more about the concerts and why I have listened to them both from DVDs that were purchased for me and also from recordings on television from various programs.  You may find what I'm about to tell you completely shocking. Of course, I am still in a whirl-wind of confusion, as I never thought I would be alive to share my story. 

As you may or may not know, I suffered from a horrific medical problem starting on December 31, 2014. January 1, 2015 could have resulted in my death.  I believe that some of the medical staff at the hospital here in Windsor, Ontario, may have thought that I would be "gone" medically and would not recover. My illness, its background and what needed to be done were very challenging and still today remain somewhat of a mystery to the general medical community in this area.  I saw that the horrible rare encephalitis virus that can escalate to the brain, occurs in approximately 2 people out of 1 million. Many are suffering from this disease that live on but their quality of life is very poor. Others, can make huge progress in recovering (I think this is the case with me) so I am very grateful to the medical doctors who worked day and night to figure out what the best course of action would be.  

I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and had an entire medical team trying to figure out how to treat me and stop the inflammation in my brain. They sent a lot of blood work and information to a Toronto hospital, so they could make a proper diagnosis and start treatment right away. During that time, I was undergoing a variety of tests by the Windsor doctors trying to determine what was my true medical issue. It was very tricky because many other things had to be ruled out. Once my illness was figured out and tests results returned, it was confirmed that the form of encephalitis that attacked me was treatable, whereas the other kind would have been fatal. My kidneys began to fail due to the extreme potency and side effects of the anti-viral medication, which was helping to get rid of the swelling in my brain. I was supposed to be put on dialysis right away, which my family said would have caused me great discomfort and pain, but it would keep me alive.  By a miracle, my numbers went down overnight and my kidney functioning went back to normal. A real blessing.  I spent an additional 4 weeks at home under intense medical care, in which I had to undergo many treatments.  

As I will discuss later on in different Blogs, during those 6 weeks of time, I have no clue literally what was happening to me. I cannot remember anything that took place while other medical care was being carried on.  I didn't know that I would not eat and I lost so much of my memory. I could not remember my wife's name, nor my two children.  To be blunt, even now I still know very little about those 6 weeks. 

Even though it appeared that I had not "lost" out and was going to live instead, it literally took months before that seemed at all likely. From the middle of February probably until early May 2015, I spent most of my time sleeping in bed and being unable to leave the floor of my house, in which I was recovering. My recovery was very saddening to me, and still in some ways makes me sad today. However, I now have a positive attitude about recovering and am undertaking a number of projects to bring back my health. Of course, I'm doing considerable amounts of exercising and eating well. 

Of course, and you will find this difficult to believe, my own view is that one of the main reasons why I am feeling better is because I have been listening to the music of The 3 Tenors. That music has helped me relax to gain back the energy that I require. It made it much easier for me to stay in bed and sleep for all of the time needed. In fact, my wife told me that when a DVD finished its hour and a half of music, I called her and asked her to put it back on. She absolutely had to do it to make me feel comfortable.

However, I have not told you the real story about listening to this music that I'm sure you'll find almost unbelievable to hear, as I am about to share below.  

 

 

 

 

My daughter was the person who bought two DVDs for me. Sure they were both the same music but different layouts. One was a regular DVD of the music only and the other was a DVD with not only the music but a video of the complete concert that took place, so I could see the people actually performing. More importantly, I could see their faces and their reactions as they were performing while listening to the audience! 

Do you think that is shocking? Not really. What about if I tell you how many times I watched and listened using those discs. Do you think you can guess? I thought I knew until I found out the truth yesterday and was completely shocked by it. 

In fact, I was told that I listened to the music on my DVD player almost every day, from the time when I first returned home from the hospital until fairly recently. I would lie in bed and listen to the music from morning till night and then again from the night to the morning. Even now, I listen to the music when I get up in the morning and then just before I go to sleep at night. Sometimes, I will even listen to it during the day. Moreover, I have been able to get access to YouTube and can watch and listen to the equivalent of other DVDs that I first heard on their website too!  That's right, almost 9 months of listening to the 3 Tenors singers many times a day completely or just parts of it on various media outlets in my home! 

 

 

So that is my story. It explains why I listen to this music and why I have listened to it for so long. Believe it or not, I am interested in meeting the 2 gentlemen who are still alive, who are part of The Three Tenors.  Luciano Pavarotti who was one of my favourite singers, but has unfortunately passed away. 

I want to meet them personally if it is at all possible just so that I can say thank you to them and to thank them for being a huge part of enriching my life. Of course, I have to let them know how difficult it is for me to travel to see them because of my illness, but I hope that they can come and see me in Tecumseh.  What the heck, we could probably talk over Skype or another program, using some of the new technology, since travelling may be difficult for them too.  It is a nice thought that I hope could happen! 

Music like this has such a beautiful way of making one feel better. What I am learning should be applied to other people as well, especially if they are suffering with an illness that is causing any kind of distress. 

 

I am truly thankful to The 3 Tenors for helping to bring me back to life by their music.