Pavarotti Dead at 71.

[furious]

Link (http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/pavarotti-dead-at-71-manager/2007/09/06/1188783353910.html)

Sad news. He was very much the face of opera. Is all ways sad to see such a great talent lost.

[Leareth]

yeah sucks.

good voice.

[TheAnswer]

Sad. Now it's up to Placido Domingo and the other guy to pick up the slack.

[arkitect]

Sad. Now it's up to Placido Domingo and the other guy to pick up the slack.

Well that is the sad thing about Pavarotti. For most people he was one of the "Three Tenors Act" — like a circus act — and not remembered for the incredible singer he was for decades before. :(

He certainly was no great all-round artist — with that amount of weight he was severely hampered on stage — but in his prime he had a glorious voice.:)

BTW, he died from pancreatic cancer. The same that Steve Jobs was diagnosed with a couple years ago right? :(

"The other guy" I guess you mean Jose Carreras?

[Jaffa Cake]

Sad news indeed. He was one of the performers, in this country at least, who opened opera up to the wider public.

[synth3tik]

I heard earlier today that he was "in the process of kicking the bucket"

[Applespider]

Was very sad. I have a few of his recordings and I'm sure playing them over the next few days will bring a tear to my eye.

Just a stunning voice and by all accounts, a gentleman.

[RedTomato]

Just a stunning voice and by all accounts, a gentleman.

Well, he was honoured as one of the greatest fundraisers for the UN Refugee Council, but he also fiddled his taxes, was fined millions by the Italian government, had a series of affairs (in a way that upset much of the italian public, where affairs are a way of life), was branded a traitor to the italian nation, got thrown out of the Chicago opera (they swore never to work again with him) cos of his unreliablity and lateness, and pissed off many other people in the industry with his unreliablity.

Well, nobody's perfect.

I'm still getting over my shock at finding out about (typographer and sculptor) Eric Gill's secret life.

[Applespider]

Well, nobody's perfect.

Ah well, he always publically came over as a gentleman in interviews ;)

I'm still getting over my shock at finding out about (typographer and sculptor) Eric Gill's secret life.

Yes... now that was eyepopping :eek:

[solvs]

Very sad. I was a big fan of his. Heard awhile ago that he wasn't doing to well. Professionally, he was a diva in more ways than one. And his personal life was very screwed up. But he was a nice enough guy, at least to his fans and most of those who worked with him, and a great talent. Always willing to work with charities as well. He was one of those I looked up to back when I was learning opera.

I'll have to go find his albums somewhere and play some of them later. :(

[jczubach]

not being a religious man, but if i was, he's got a pretty good gig now

[xsedrinam]

No one nailed Nessun Dorma like he. The world has lost a huge voice.

[Queso]

I saw him perform with Domingo and Carreras in Pretoria back in 1999. He had a voice that could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. An amazing talent, and a real loss.

[swiftaw]

I think for most British people, it will always be 1990 when Pavarotti came to their attention, when the BBC used his version of Nessun Dorma for their World Cup theme music.

[imac/cheese]

Such a beautiful voice -- so clean and warm and soft. He could hit a high C and make it sound easy. He also brought so much attention to a beautiful artform that had struggled for decades. :(

[saxman]

As a professional musician myself, I have many influences. In my specialty, saxophone, I don't have one player that I think is ideal. The same is true for the brass and string players I listen to. There are aspects of many players I admire. However, with voice, I have no greater maker for a beautiful sound than Mr. Pavarotti. In my opinion he was unmatched in tonal quality. Vocalist or instrumentalist.

Although his technique and stamina was not as good in recent years, in his prime I don't think anyone possessed a more musical sound of any style or genre, instrument or voice. Ignoring non-musical attributes of his personality (and his foray into mainstream music), I fear there is no one today that has such a beautiful tone quality. The world has lost a special voice

[IJ Reilly]

Professionally, he was a diva in more ways than one.

Surely you did not mean that literally... ;)

[Loge]

Sad to hear this news.

I will be listening to my favourite recording of his over the weekend; that is Turandot conducted by Mehta.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=14431252&s=143444&i=14431267

[Dagless]

This really shocked me. Me and Caroline were having breakfast when we found out, opera is a big part of her life (brought up on it, her mum was an opera singer etc..). BBC News showed that clip of him singing at the world cup, and he cries at the end. Made me get a little teary eyed too :o

[gazelleintense]

not into opera, but that dude sure could sing.

[korndog2003]

Uh who?

[solvs]

Surely you did not mean that literally... ;)
Sure did. He had the voice, but have you seen his backstage rider? Google it, he was definitely a diva in both senses of the word. Er, except that he was a dude. And a womanizer at that.

I'm still going to miss though. :(

Uh who?
Then why did you click on the thread?

[edesignuk]

Uh who?Are you kidding? :eek:

[IJ Reilly]

Sure did. He had the voice, but have you seen his backstage rider? Google it, he was definitely a diva in both senses of the word. Er, except that he was a dude. And a womanizer at that.

The reason I ask is that by definition, a diva is a woman. Maybe it was the beard that fooled me. ;)

[Killyp]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VCIyzNISw1Q

Pavarotti & James Brown together. Surely one of the greatest video clips on YouTube. RIP

[solvs]

The reason I ask is that by definition, a diva is a woman. Maybe it was the beard that fooled me. ;)
That's why I clarified with the "except for a dude" part. He sure could hit those C's though. And seriously, go look up his rider. I loved the guy, but even the Smoking Gun thinks he's a Diva:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/index.html

God love him though, he was worth it. :(