RIP: Luciano Pavarotti

[tea4one]

Just seen it, Opera star Luciano Pavarotti dies at 71.

[CompassRose]

Yes... goodbye to a great voice. They were playing lots of him on CBC this morning of course, and oh, but he was fantastic.

My singing teacher will be heartbroken; André idolised him.

[Kay Henderson]

I saw the news this morning as well. Pavorotti sang frequently for San Francisco Opera from the late 60s through the early 90s. We were fortunate to hear him several times. The man had a voice like a trumpet -- he could soar over full orchestra and chorus with his incredibly pure tone. SFO's 1977 production of Turandot in which Pavarotti starred as Calaf was one of the peak experiences of our lives.

Kay

[Canice]

While I didn't start attending opera until I was an adult, my favorite adolescent memory is the winter when my older brother and sister had both left home and my mom and I practically wore out a copy of Pavarotti singing Neapolitan favorites. It was a wet winter, and we'd build a giant fire in the fireplace, make spaghetti and sausages and dim the lights and listen to that album over and over. Listening to him on the radio this morning makes me regret not having heard him live.
He contributed so much to his art, and brought joy to countless people - talk about "successful".

[TKay]

:( Oh, that is such a loss. I am not a huge opera fan, but I am well aware of the great talent he had. He was also very personable and likeable. Sad. I loved your memory, Canice. Sounds lovely.

[Andrea_2]

Very sad! :(