Luciano Pavarotti, in my lifetime the world's best known and most 
beloved opera singer, died last night at age 71, of pancreatic cancer.  
Pavarotti was the most famous opera tenor since Enrico Caruso.  I count 
myself fortunate to have heard him sing live more than once.  I saw 
Pavarotti sing one of most famous roles, Rodolfo in La Boheme, in a 
Metropolitan Opera production more than twenty years ago when he was in 
his prime.  This was in Atlanta actually,  was years ago when the MET 
used to send some of their best productions on tour every year).  It 
was an experience I will never forget, nor was seeing him sing 
Cavarodossi in Tosca, which was his signature role.  Pavarotti had an 
unbelievable voice, the most well known of all modern opera singers.

Pavarotti's final performance was really memorable.  He came out last 
year, at the close of the opening ceremonies of the 2006 winter 
olympics.  By then he was quite ill, but there was his great powerful 
voice live singing one of the pieces he was most famous for, Nessun 
Dorma from Puccini's Turandot.  It was amazing.  Even if you have never 
listened to opera, I you have heard Nessun Dorma, you'd probably 
recognize it immediately, and more than likely you've heard Pavarotti.
sing it.  

Tonight I must get out the dvd of the Three Tenors, the famous concert 
recording Pavarotti made with his rivals as the world's great tenors, 
Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.  

In the world of opera, the great sopranos are goddesses and the great 
tenors are gods.  Luciano Pavarotti was a god in the opera world.  And 
that is not an overstatement.

RIP Maestro Luciano 

13 responses total.

Pavarotti was the best? Huh?

You beat me to it, Richard.  Thanks for posting it.

re #1 One of the best. "THE Best" is a matter of taste and which types 
of singers you prefer.  The whole point of the Three Tenors concerts 
was that you had three the great tenors for whom signficant numbers of 
the audience thought were the best.  So you had them singing together.  
Which still wouldn't resolve these arguments.  Thats the way it goes.

re #3
Much different from "the world's best" but I get your point.
Significant audience thought Britney Spears was the best at some point,
though.

re #4 thats an insult to mention britney spears in the same context as 
Pavarotti.  Well you'd realize that if you ever saw him hitting 
multiple high c's while singing Donizetti.  Britney couldn't make her 
voice heard past the third row without loads of microphones and 
speakers, let alone the third balcony.  

Richard, why do you have to be a snob about everything?

re #6 I am not a snob, I am a wannabe connoisseur.  If I was a snob, 
I'd be more into Domingo than Pavarotti I suppose   :)  

Touche.

My first wife and I caught him in the same tour when it hit Detroit.  The
venue was the Masonic Temple.  The man could move!  I expected him to plant
his feet and belt out the arias, take a few steps, sing some more.  Instead,
Pavarotti bounded up and down the stage as if he were on a tennis court.  It
was an aspect of his performances I didn't know about from the radio and it
was as wonderful to watch as it was to hear.

Richard Tucker preceeded Pavarotti as the premier singer of his time, but what
a performer Pavarotti was.

I always liked when Pavarotti would come out at the end for the curtain 
call.  Most performers will bow gracefully with hands clasped and act 
appropriately bashful at the adoration.  Pavarotti would come out (to 
the biggest ovation of course) and bow, and then hold his arms open 
outstretched, as if to take the entire audience into his arms in a 
giant group hug.  

re #5
 thats an insult to mention britney spears in the same context as
 Pavarotti. 

She'll forgive me.

60 minutes did a piece on him tonight w/mike wallace, from 1993 irrc.
  
teh sunset shots were fabulous... i wanna retire in barbados.

Summer Agora 138 linked as Music 48.

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