Luciano Pavarotti

[Crystal Dragon]

I was saddened this morning to hear of the death of Luciano Pavarotti, IMO the greatest tenor of recent decades. Like many other people, Pavarotti introduced me to the wonderful world of opera and thankfully we will still have his many recordings to enjoy for years to come.

The web link below is the official Pavarotti site with loads of info and downloads but it is understandably very busy at the moment.

http://www.lucianopavarotti.com

[Dryadia2]

[Kernos]

They did a special on him on Performance Today while I was going to work. I am not an opera fan but do like the songs (arias) and have several Pavarotti compilations. One ("Parigi, o cara" from "La Traviata") he did with Joan Sutherland— What a remarkable pair. And of course they did his theme song, "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot" which I have often thought would make a wonderful theme for piano or violin variation.

Through his recordings he will ever be with us.

Addio and bravo, Luciano!

[shirley mclaren]

I was fortunate enough to see him live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2003, where I literally crashed into Brian May (Queen) during the interval! This was the year before he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. True, he could no longer hit the high "Cs" but once he warmed up he was terrific. His new wife had just given birth and he brought the surviving twin on, wrapped in a white shawl. He was absolutely gargantuan - and during his breaks, a man walked on to the stage and supported Pavarotti as he walked off by letting Pavarotti put his hand on his shoulder. A great loss to music and a sad day indeed. However, Pavarotti had a great life, albeit a relatively short one, and left behind a wonderful legacy. Not many of us can do that I think.

BB

Shirley