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Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:31 am
by Hostrauser
Famed Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.

CNN - Tenor Luciano Pavarotti dead at 71

I'm not a fan of opera, but you don't have to be to appreciate Pavarotti. Many of our younger member might only know him (if they know him at all) from the 1990s "Three Tenors" concerts he performed with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. By the 1990s his vocal skills had diminished some and he was, at times, outshone by Carreras and Domingo. But if you ever want to see opera done right, check out some Pavarotti recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, when he was at the height of his talent (and no other tenor was even close, IMO).

I know "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" was his signature aria, but the role I'll always associate Pavarotti with is that of Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci." His rendition of the aria "Vesti la giubba" is top notch, and Pavarotti had the perfect crazy eyes for the murderous finale.

Rest in peace.

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:14 pm
by bassoonuba
Pavarotti is known for saying that he wanted to be known everywhere. I think that I'd have to say that he left us knowing that he did just that. Rest in peace.

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:15 pm
by FluteOfTheNewWorld
I heard about this is my music class. RIP

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:37 pm
by LoyalTubist
Even for those of us who are fans of opera, he was one of the best. He hadn't been too healthy in the past few years. It was still a tremendous shock to hear. Even many of the people here in Vietnam were saddened.