After 44 years as one of the world's best known voices, Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is shortly to retire. As part of his final international tour, he spoke with TALK ASIA's Lorraine Hahn in Hong Kong about his career to date and the discipline he still exercises to this day.

“Right before I perform, it's better you don't come close to me. I'm tell you, I'm terrible! I'm nervous! I insult myself and say ‘Why have you done this profession if you have to suffer so much?' And I insult myself and so and so and so…until I put one foot on the stage and I feel the atmosphere and I feel the music and the audience and the composer and the conductor and everything disappears to give place to another person,” Pavarotti says.

He is modest when asked what legacy he hopes to leave behind. “There's so many tenors my dear! It's not true that there are no tenors. There are so many! And (their success) depends on (their unique) personality. But (its) not (about) following me; it's not a question of following. It will be somebody who is going to be himself or herself, if it's a lady. It's not “I'm a copy of…the new Callas or the new…” No, that doesn't exist.”

Even on the cusp of retirement, Pavarotti says there are still places that he'd like to visit.

“(There are) Many! If you have to express a desire, I would like to sing in India , in Egypt , places that I wasn't able to go before,” he says. But as far as naming a favorite city is concerned, the famous tenor declines to name any names. “I was very lucky like I told you before. And every place is beautiful.”